Chapter 6
After having been married for nearly a month, Millie finally agreed to accompany Adam into town. He was determined to give them some sense of normalcy.
For her part, she was sure Ricard had to be gone. Why would he stay with no sightings of her in over a month?
She was actually happy to be getting out of the house and going to town.
In Steamboat Springs, they moved through shops, did the grocery shopping and strolled up and down sidewalks like any newly married couple. Adam saw a couple of people he knew and stopped to talk ranching.
They stopped in F M Light and Sons clothing store. Adam thought she needed some ranch style clothes to wear.
Millie sifted through a rack of women’s flannel shirts. Something caught her eye and she suddenly saw Viktor. She ducked behind the rack of shirts and watched until he left the area in front of the store.
Adam found her hiding. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and stared at Viktor. If he’s here, that means that Ricard hasn’t left the town as I hoped he would by this time.
Millie was scared to death. She literally shook in her boots.
She never took her eyes off of Viktor, though she stayed low and looked at him through the shirts and watched as Adam followed her line of sight and saw Viktor staring back.
Adam automatically went into protective mode and put himself between her and the man. “Millie? Who is that man?” he asked never taking his gaze from Viktor until he walked away.
She shook her head again. “I want to go home. Please. Take me home.”
Adam stepped back and placed his arm around Millie. “Okay. Let’s go.”
The walk to the truck was the longest of Millie’s life. She constantly looked around them for Viktor but hoped he’d left.
Once they were in the truck, and headed home, Millie broke down.
“I’m so sorry, Adam. I’m sorry that my father sold me.
I’d hoped that by finding the information on Ricard’s duplicity and theft, that he would rescind the order to marry him.
That man, Viktor Kravchenko, works for the man my father sold me to.
His name is Ricard Sokolov and he’s a powerful man in Bratva.
My community’s version of the Mafia. My father is a Pakhan, or boss, and even more influential.
Ricard is his second in command, a brigadier.
“Father thought that by giving me to Ricard in marriage, that it would cement their relationship and Ricard would have no reason to look elsewhere. I ran away, but not before I took something from Ricard. Now, it looks like Ricard has found me and I have to run again.”
By the time they reached the ranch, Millie had finished her story. She was shaking so badly all Adam could do was wrap her in his arms and hold her until she calmed.
“You’re not running. You’re safe here. I’ll make sure you are.”
She shook her head. “If Viktor is here that means Ricard is here. He won’t leave without me.
I couldn’t bear it if you or one of your brothers were hurt because of me.
Just let me go, Adam. It’s for the best.” Saying those words was devastating.
Millie had never been as happy as she was now, living at the ranch.
“Millie.”
They still sat in the truck.
She shook her head and looked down at her lap.
“Millie. Look at me, please.”
She lifted her chin as it quivered. Her eyes, full of unshed tears, searched his gaze for understanding.
“I know I should have told you, but to be fair, neither one of us went into our reasons for marrying, except for the very basic desire to have children. This man doesn’t stop.
He doesn’t forget. He’ll keep coming, until he gets back what I stole and gets me as his bride.
Once that happens he will find a way for me to disappear.
And now that Viktor has seen me, I have to run…
again. I can’t bring danger to you and your brothers. I have to leave.”
Adam, his eyes so blue, stared intently into her eyes and took her hand in his. “No. You have to stay. You’re my wife and I’m not letting you go. I’ll hire whoever I need to in order to for you to be safe.”
She stared at him, her brows furrowed and her heart beating harder. “You would do that? But why? We can divorce, and you can find another woman to marry.”
“I don’t want another woman. I want my wife. I want you. And what if you’re pregnant? Huh? Have you thought about that?”
Millie widened her eyes and immediately placed a hand on her stomach. Her shoulders slumped. “I didn’t think about that.” She turned her gaze up to meet his. “Do you really think it’s possible?” As much as I wanted a child, I didn’t know if I would ever have children.
Adam ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, it’s entirely possible. When will you know for sure?”
“Not for another couple of weeks. We should probably get a pregnancy test.”
“I’ll have one sent or get one of the brothers to go get one.”
She turned away and looked out the truck window at the ranch she’d started to love. “What am I going to do? He knows I’m here. I couldn’t bear it if any of your brothers or you are hurt.”
Adam took her by the shoulders and made her look at him.
“He won’t. Trust me on this. I’ll bring in security people from all of our locations.
We’ll be fine. I won’t take enough to put any location in danger, but together, we’ll have plenty of help here.
And from now on, all of us will be armed.
We don’t normally wear our guns unless we’re hunting or searching for strays, but now I think it’s a necessity until we can be sure this man is caught. Do you know how to shoot?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never had a reason to learn…until now.”
“I’ll teach you beginning tomorrow after breakfast. Now, are you feeling better? Ready to go in?”
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“Good. Let’s go inside. We need to tell the brothers about this man…this threat to all of us.”
“I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I should have known I couldn’t be happy. He’ll never let me and I’m afraid even if we get rid of this man, my father will just sell me to another of his brigadiers.”
“He can’t sell you. It’s illegal. I won’t let him. You’re my wife and I won’t give you up. Let’s just go in. I’ll make you a cup of tea. You’ll feel better after that.”
Millie nodded. “I’m ready.” She stopped suddenly. “What if Viktor followed us home.”
“That’s the chance we’ll have to take.”
“Okay, but explain to them all. I don’t want anyone taken unaware.”
He put his arm around her waist and drew her close, then kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry. Everything will be okay.”
Adam called Benjamin and explained the situation as briefly as possible before asking for a family meeting in an hour, giving him and Millie time to settle down a bit.
Giving him the excuse that she needed to start dinner, as soon as the truck came to a full stop, Millie bolted inside.
Adam watched Millie disappear into the house. There is no disguising her fear. Hopefully getting all the security personnel here will help with that.
An hour later, he and Millie called his brothers together in their father’s office. It was the only office space large enough to accommodate all eight of them.
Millie explained the situation in detail. Tears filled her eyes but didn’t fall.
Adam was proud of her. She showed her strength by telling them all what happened.
“I need to add one thing and it is important. I copied the ledgers that show Ricard is skimming money from my father’s money laundering operation.
I intended to give it to my father and have him negate the promised marriage to Ricard.
But I realized too late that giving them to him, he would be as angry at me as Ricard and might still force the marriage.
So I kept the flash drive with me and ran.
Ricard knows I have the flash drive. He wants it back. ”
“Millie, we’re doing a deep dive into your father. We’re liable to find things that you don’t know about. Do you want to know what we find?”
She shook her head. “I already know what kind of man my father is. I don’t need any more proof of that. If you are doing research on my father it would be best if I gave you my real name. I am Melina Ivanov. My father is Sergey Ivanov. That should help you get started.”
Now that they knew Millie’s real name it should be easy enough to find her father.
Adam turned to his brothers. “Christopher, I’m giving you the research.
I want to know Millie’s the name of all of her father’s brigadiers.
One of them, a Ricard Sokolov, is the man that she’s so afraid of.
Find out all you can about him and then we’ll come up with a plan to take him down. I want to give Millie back her life.”
“What if she decides she doesn’t want to stay when her fear is gone?”
Adam sighed. “Then she’ll be free to go.
I don’t want her to stay here if she’s only doing it out of duty.
I want her to want to stay with us. In the meantime I want each of you to get your security chiefs and two of their men here by tomorrow, if possible.
They don’t need to bring their weapons, we have enough here for everyone that’s coming. ”
Christopher looked up from the computer screen on his father’s desk. “Knowing that Millie’s father is Sergey Ivanov has helped. He has two right hand men. His brigadiers. The first is Ivan Popov and the second is Ricard Sokolov.”
Everett dug into the organization of the Russian mafia boss learning that the Russian mafia ran like a well-oiled machine, almost like the military.
Knowing how serious the situation was, Adam quietly prepared for war. No one would take Millie from him. Not now. Not ever.