Chapter 4 #2
I started the engine, wasting no time reversing and twisting the wheel, zooming out of the parking lot with little regard to any traffic.
I had to get the hell out of here. “You don’t seem to understand, Chloe.
That man was Russian. He was going to take you with him.
And after he was finished with you, I assure you that you would have begged for him to kill you.
” I threw a look in her direction, realizing she’d cowered against the passenger door.
“Do you now understand the kind of danger you’re facing? ”
“Yes. I guess.”
“Good.” I managed to grab my cellphone from my pocket, glancing into the rearview mirror to ensure we weren’t being followed. When Travis answered the phone, I knew what I was asking would test our friendship; however, there was no one else I could count on.
“I thought you were down for the count for the night,” Travis said as he laughed.
“You missed all the action. I need a favor.”
“You got it. What?”
“I need you to perform a little cleanup. There’s an old Monte Carlo in the parking lot in front of the bar. You’re going to find a special package. Are you able to dispose of that for me?”
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“Yeah, I can do that. You want to fill me in?” Travis asked, exhaling in an exaggerated manner.
“Not right now. I might need your services later.”
Travis huffed. “Whatever you need. Just stay safe. I have a feeling you’re in over your head.”
His statement was true enough. “Thanks.” I shoved the phone into my pocket, making a turn on a different street.
I knew the small town like the back of my hand.
I’d practiced various training exercises with an incident like this in mind.
What I hadn’t anticipated was a blatant attempt at hunting with the kind of manpower I’d already seen.
There had to be something going on that made my death a necessity to send so many assassins from Mother Russia.
My damn contact had better return my call.
I pushed the speed limit, although the last thing I wanted to do was draw any attention to what had occurred. I certainly couldn’t trust Chloe, not by a long shot. Given her innocent nature, she’d tell the police everything, and I couldn’t survive a war on two fronts.
When I stopped at a traffic light, my patience and that theory was tested again.
Fortunately, I managed to grab her arm before the door had been opened by two inches.
This time, I wasn’t so nice in my handling of her.
I twisted her wrist then snarled. I had no intention of hurting her, but this bullshit had to stop.
“One last time, Chloe. I have no issue tying you down. If I find it necessary to do that, I will punish you.”
“Punish,” she repeated, half laughing to herself. “Didn’t you already do that?”
“You have no idea what kind of pain I can inflict.”
I heard her audible shudder and sighed, turning my concentration onto the road. While a portion of my house had been made into a fortress, it wouldn’t take long before I found it necessary to get the hell out of the city until I could figure out what to do.
As I drove through the street, I relived the night of my father’s murder, the bloody details never far from my mind.
“Father,” I called from the bottom of the stairs.
I hadn’t seen my father or been home in almost four months, with the exception of a single visit.
However, my time spent studying in France was finished and I was glad to be home.
The house seemed abnormally quiet, something I wasn’t used to.
As I walked up the stairs, my instinct told me that something was wrong.
Pulling my weapon into my hands, I remained close to the wall, peering over the railing as I headed to the third floor.
Even the driver had left after dropping me off at the house.
I should have known better than to walk away just after a bloody massacre, but my father had insisted, refusing to allow me to remain.
He’d been furious with me, backhanding me for only the second time since he’d brought me into his home.
My instincts were on high alert, a strange stench filling the air.
Only this time it wasn’t from approaching enemies. They’d already been here. They’d already destroyed my sense of honor and purpose.
This time, it was the copper odor of fresh blood.
I raced up the remainder of the stairs, moving quickly to the partially closed door of his bedroom. After taking a deep breath, I swung it open. The brutal vision flashed in front of my eyes, all time and sound ceasing.
I’d been unprepared for the horrible scene. Blood stained the walls, trickling down in strings, the scene of gore completed by the scene of my father’s body desecrated in death.
After walking in, I dropped to my knees with a bellowing roar.
As well as with a promise.
I would avenge my father’s death and the person responsible would face my wrath.
Only circumstances had prevented me from remaining after only two months, the price on my head too great. Had it not been for my father’s Capo, I wouldn’t have made it out of the country alive. It was time to exact my revenge.
No, it was past time.
As I pulled into the driveway, I took a deep breath before turning in her direction.
“Make no mistake, Chloe. You now belong to me. I will protect you and keep you from harm, but you will obey me at all times. If you do not, you will be punished, and I assure you that you do not want to find out the kind of discipline I would provide.”
“I don’t belong to you, Nikolai. I don’t belong to anyone. You can’t keep me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Chloe.”
“Just who do you think you are?”
“I am Bratva and you are now my pet.”
She said nothing as I took her inside, but I could almost hear her heart beating and knew what she must be thinking. After arming the security system, I immediately headed for my den, the light remaining on from before.
Barely able to contain my anger, I moved to the bar.
It didn’t matter the time of night. We both needed a drink.
Given I hadn’t planned on having a guest of this nature, I would soon be forced to figure out what I was going to do with her.
She wasn’t going to remain willingly, at least not at first.
Not until she’d been trained.
I poured two drinks, not bothering to ask what she wanted. As I walked closer, she flinched, eyeing me warily.
“As I said, I’m not going to hurt you, Chloe. That isn’t my intent.”
“Then what is your intent?”
As I handed her the glass, she took a few seconds before accepting, taking a whiff of the drink as if I’d found some magical way of poisoning her.
“I think you understand what we’re facing.”
“You mean what you’re facing. Bratva. I should have known you were nothing but a criminal.”
I laughed softly as I studied her. She was trying to maintain the same resolve I’d seen before, which would make breaking her that much more desirable.
While there was a portion of my mind that harbored the man I’d become, longing to maintain the quiet and reserved persona, there wasn’t a chance left that would be possible.
The decision had been made for me.
“And why would you say that?” I asked, curious as to her answer. She’d been one of the best in the class, her attention and her detail to learning the culture unexpected.
“Because you never seemed like the man you portrayed yourself to be. All I had to do was look at your tattoos. No wonder you refused to wear anything but long sleeves while in class. My guess is that the ink you display on portions of your body indicates your rank within the Bratva.”
I took a sip of my drink before answering. “You would be correct.” The girl was very surprising on several levels. While I’d spent no more than two days on the Russian Bratva, she’d obviously done her research.
She seemed shocked that I’d admit it, taking a few seconds to glance around my den. “You seem very normal.”
“What did you expect, Chloe? I have a life to enjoy.”
“That includes murder.”
I rubbed my eyes, exhaustion settling in.
“Make no mistake that things I’ve done in the past would be considered horrible to anyone living in this country and certainly criminal to the majority of people.
However, given you seem to have an understanding of the Bratva life, you might have a sense of the reason why as well as the need. ”
“What I sense is that you killed a man only an hour ago.”
“One who was trying to abduct and kill you. He has no conscience, no sense of remorse. That is the way of our kind. There will be more attempting to do the same.”
Her lower lip trembled.
I pushed the bottom of the glass, trying to encourage her to take a drink. “You will be safe here, at least for now.”
She swallowed hard then did what I asked, taking a sip then a gulp of the bourbon, coughing after doing so. I could see tears forming in her eyes, the adrenaline she’d likely felt fading away. “I don’t want to die.”