Chapter 4 #3
“Derek,” I whisper, hating the sound of his name.
As I read it becomes clear that my first instincts about him were correct.
He’s an absolute ass. They were dating, and he cheated on her, and now he’s aggressively trying to get her back.
When I scroll up some more, I nearly bark out a laugh when I see the dick pic he sent her.
Why in the hell he thought that tiny prick was going to make Maddie realize what all she’s been missing, I’ll never understand.
I’m going to be having a talk with Derek very soon.
Satisfied that Maddie isn’t secretly helping Scott or involved in any of this beyond her being employed by him, I put her phone back in the bag and haul her stuff to her room.
Being careful to not wake her, I slip in the room and set everything down by the bed so she’ll see it when she wakes up.
Grabbing one of the chargers, I hook her phone up and set it on the nightstand.
Instead of leaving, I step closer, watching her sleep.
She’s left the curtains open, but the moonlight coming in isn’t needed since she’s left the bathroom light on and partially shut the door.
The covers are kicked off, and she’s sprawled out and apparently in one hell of a deep sleep.
My clothes are huge on her, but I like seeing her in them.
I’m not sure what in the hell is going on with me, but I’m intrigued by her, and I shouldn’t be.
I should’ve handed her off for someone else to babysit, just like I did Kaylee, but I didn’t.
I invited her into my home and kept her for myself.
I watch as she lets out a soft moan and rolls onto her side, grabbing the blanket I’d given her from my bed and bringing it up to cover her body so she’s cocooned in it.
If she wakes up and sees me standing over her bed, she’s not going to take it well.
I know this, but I don’t move. I keep watching her until the sky starts to lighten.
Leaning closer, I run my fingers over the ends of her hair.
Knowing I need to get my ass out of here before I do something really crazy like crawl in bed with her, I slip out and go to finally take that shower I so desperately need.
I’m going to need to watch myself around her.
Maddie’s woken something up inside me, and I’m determined to put it back to sleep.
Giving up on getting any rest, I grab a bagel and start sending out texts.
I smile when I think about how much Ilya is going to love getting a text at seven in the morning, telling him to go buy me a vehicle.
I send out another one to Pavel, asking him to dig up as much information about Maddie and her mom as he can, and finally, I send one to Vasily, letting him know I’m ready when he is.
I’ll be there soon. Just finished breakfast, he quickly responds, and then sends me a picture of Dmitri. His son is giving the camera a big smile, and his face is coated in god knows what. He looks cute as hell, though. I’m not a natural around kids, but even I can admit the little guy is cute.
Letting the dogs out, I spend a few minutes throwing tennis balls for them, and when Vasily drives up, I get in the car with him so he can drive us to the cabin. The ocean beats against the coastline, but soon we’re too far into the woods for me to see it.
“So how was your first night together?” he asks. His amused tone is painfully obvious.
“I spent most of it out grabbing Kaylee,” I remind him.
“Oleg said you also went and picked up a bunch of stuff from Scott’s.” He gives a soft laugh. “That was awfully sweet of you.”
“I should warn you that I didn’t get any sleep last night, and I’m already grumpy.”
He laughs and pulls up in front of the small cabin. It’s not huge, just a one-bedroom, one-bathroom log cabin, but it’s brand-new and the perfect place to hide a woman in.
“I have a feeling I’m not going to like Kaylee,” I tell him.
“Just try not to stab her. She could prove useful.”
“No promises,” I mutter, walking in the front door.
“Let me fucking go, asshole!”
I groan at the scene before me. Oleg is sitting on the couch, looking both annoyed and bored, and Kaylee is pacing the floor, her hands still bound but her mouth free of the tape. She’s clearly pissed off and wanting everyone to know it.
“Thank god,” Oleg groans when he sees us. “I was afraid she was going to throw up last night with the tape on, so I took it off, and I’ve never regretted a decision so much in my whole life.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Kaylee yells at us. “My boyfriend’s going to kick your asses!”
I laugh, which really pisses her off. “Who? Preston? Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be breaking down the door in his starched chinos any second now.”
“Asshole,” she mutters, and I lose my patience.
Pointing a finger at her, I say, “Sit your ass down, Kaylee.”
She listens, but she makes it clear she doesn’t want to.
I feel bad for Maddie having had to work for such a high-maintenance ass.
Her eyes run over us, and she may not be pissing herself in fear, but that’s just because she’s the type of woman who never thinks anything bad can happen to her.
She sees everyone as inferior, and therefore not a threat.
I’ve met a lot of people like her. They’re always so surprised when I make my first cut.
“Tell us about your brother,” I say, sitting down in the chair opposite her.
She lets out a harsh laugh. “That’s what this is about? You’re wasting your time. He doesn’t tell me shit about what he does.”
“Well, I hope you have something useful for us,” I say, leaning closer and meeting her eyes. “Otherwise, what’s the point in keeping you alive?”
For the first time since meeting her, I see a spark of fear start to take hold.
Her eyes dart to my brother, who so far has remained silent.
We’re both in jeans and T-shirts today, and I’m guessing that she mistakenly thinks that makes us low-level criminals.
She equates us with her brother’s crew, and she couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I can give the names of his friends,” she quickly says, eager to rat out anyone if it’ll save her ass.
“Go on,” I tell her.
“Darin and Seth are the ones he’s closest to.”
I cut her off and ask, “Seth with the lip ring?” When she nods, I laugh. “Yeah, you can mark him off your list. Who else?”
She names off a couple more names that we’re already aware of, and I start to grow impatient. “Who does he buy his pills from?”
“I don’t know. I told you he doesn’t talk to me about that stuff.”
“Who else lives with you?” I ask.
“It’s just me and my brother. I mean, the guys stay over all the time, but they don’t live there.”
“No one else?” I ask, lifting a brow at her because of course she wouldn’t think to mention her live-in maid.
“Well, there’s Maddie, but she just cleans for us.”
The dismissive tone of her voice has Vasily saying in Russian, “Don’t lose your temper, Volodya.”
“You guys are that Russian mafia group, aren’t you?” Kaylee asks. The fear is leaving her eyes, and in its place is a look that I’ve seen in far too many women’s eyes. Power is a potent aphrodisiac to most women.
“Tell me about Maddie,” I say, ignoring the hungry look she’s starting to give me.
She snorts out a harsh laugh. “Why do you want to know about her? She just cleans our house. She’s a loser. She couldn’t even keep her boyfriend. We went to high school together, and now she scrubs my toilet. Fucking pathetic.”
I’m standing in front of her before I’ve made the conscious decision to move. When she reaches her bound hands out to me, I smack them away roughly and lean down so my face is close to hers, wanting her to see how angry I am.
“You don’t get to touch me.”
She nods quickly, her eyes wide with fear.
Switching to Russian, I tell Vasily, “She can stay here until Scott cooperates, but I need to get the fuck out of here before I kill her. I’ll have someone come and help Oleg so they can watch her in shifts.”
Kaylee watches me, having no idea what I’m saying but knowing it’s about her.
I don’t like her, and I don’t want her here, but we can’t let her go just yet.
Standing, I turn to Oleg and switch to English.
“I’ll give you a bonus for this. Anyone who has to babysit this bitch deserves one.
” In Russian I add, “Don’t you dare fuck her.
I don’t care how much she begs for it, because, believe me, she will.
She’s not getting the attention she wants, and she’s going to want your cock to prove she’s still got what it takes. ”
“I won’t touch her,” he promises.
I turn to leave while Vasily tells her, “We’ll give you some time to think about your options. Maybe a few days as our guest will help you to remember something important.”
“What? You can’t just keep me here against my will,” she screeches.
We ignore her and leave. I tell Oleg on the way out, “Feel free to duct tape her mouth again.”
He’s already reaching for the tape before we’ve even shut the door. Vasily scrubs a hand over his face. “God, she’s annoying.”
“Makes me happy I kidnapped the wrong girl. If the real Kaylee had been there, I’m not so sure she would’ve made it out of there alive.”
“You’re just irritated. I’ve never seen you kill anyone who didn’t deserve it.”
“First time for everything,” I mutter.
He laughs as he drives me back to the house. “I’m guessing you won’t need me there today while you question Maddie.”
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll let you know if I find out anything useful.”
He nods, and after he’s dropped me off, I go back inside with the dogs. It’s time to introduce them to Maddie.