Chapter 12
Nikolai
Rage.
It remained at the surface long after the boat tumbled over the waterfall, pitching and twisting as it fell.
The bastards had taken Travis. Whether or not my friend had been tortured into providing our location couldn’t matter at this point.
Few could handle the methods used by the Petrovs.
I knew that well enough. I’d suffered at their hands twice, both times leaving me bloody and near death.
But I’d survived.
And I would again.
If for no other reason than to make certain nothing happened to Chloe.
The hard slap of water was jarring, but my reactions were instantaneous, able to catch my bearings and head for the surface.
Gasping for air, I immediately searched the area, the slender light of morning at least allowing a variation in shadows.
Somehow, I’d managed to hold onto the duffle bags.
I stared at the waterfall, somewhat surprised I’d survived the fall.
But where the hell was Chloe?
No. Fuck, no. I wasn’t going to lose her.
There were no sounds for a few seconds, the surprisingly calm water only churning at the mouth of the waterfall.
I jerked in a complete circle, praying to God that she survived. Images flashed into my might of the day we’d spent together. Her genuine smiles as she’d laughed at some of my stories. The way the sunlight had shimmered against her beautiful skin.
And the way her body felt pressed against mine.
When the boat finally popped to the surface, flipped over from the force of the fall, the rage became overwhelming.
I dove into the water, reaching out in a darkened search to find her.
When I was forced to surface, gulping for air, I turned in a full circle again, almost bellowing to the heavens when I noticed her clinging to the side of the boat.
“Chloe,” I said in a hoarse whisper as I swam toward her, pulling her into my arms. “Oh, God. I thought I lost you.” I pressed my hand against her forehead, holding her steady. Damn it, her breathing was far too labored. “Are you okay?”
“I’m… fine.”
“Okay. Just breathe for me. We need to make it to the shore.”
“I can make it,” she insisted.
“My little warrior.” My words were almost cathartic, memories of Maxim’s statement when I’d been so young coming to the forefront of my mind.
The single sentence had altered my life forever.
Now I’d changed hers. It was time to fully release the monster inside. There was no doubt what I needed to do.
She didn’t fight me as I pulled us both toward the shore, grateful that there was some light guiding the way.
There was no indication that the remaining soldiers had any clue of where the river led.
That was our single advantage, but it would be short lived.
The disadvantage was that I had no real understanding of the area, other than that the town was a few miles to the south.
Traveling in the daylight would be treacherous, but I refused to hide in the woods.
When I reached the shore, I released her, watching as she managed to crawl onto the muddy shoreline. The girl was indeed stronger than she understood, able to injure at least two of the assholes. From their voices, there’d been at least six of them, but if I had to guess, there were more.
Chloe inched closer, lifting her head and trying to stare into my eyes. “I was afraid we wouldn’t make it.”
I took a few seconds to press my fingers against her face, longing to have another beautiful day together. “You did so well.”
“What are we going to do?” she asked breathlessly as she nuzzled against my hand.
“We find a safe location to get our bearings. Then I’ll figure it out.”
“They really are never going to stop.”
Her words weren’t meant as a question, but a final realization of what we were facing.
“No.” I wrapped my hand around her neck, pulling her forward and pressing my lips against her forehead. Dear God, she was so cold. “We’ll be okay.” The words could no longer be heartfelt. I’d never been placed in this position.
I yanked the bags from the water, immediately searching for a location to hide them. At this point, we couldn’t be saddled with anything but the essentials. I grabbed three weapons before shoving the bags into a dense patch of underbrush.
When I turned around, she was already on her feet, holding her arms and shivering.
“Come on. Just stay behind me.” The trees were just as thick as before, blocking out almost all of the morning light as we headed into the forest.
She made no sounds, offered no complaints as we moved forward.
There was nothing to see but dense forest for a solid thirty minutes.
When the light continued to expand, I had some hope we were coming to a clearing.
I crouched down, pulling her with me, and studied the area.
Unable to hear anything but birds cawing in the distance, I took a deep breath then dragged her forward.
Hair stood up on the back of my neck almost instantly. Another wave of anger pulsed into my system as I raised the weapon.
Then I heard several clicks as well as a single laugh.
“Sacha Federov. Some thought you were dead.”
The crude English was easy for me to understand. We were fucked. As several soldiers made it obvious that they’d surrounded us, I felt Chloe’s hand gripping my arm.
And all that I could think about was how much I adored her.
How much I… loved her.
“Take the fucking bastard.”
The words bellowed into the sky as one of the soldiers approached. The asshole…
* * *
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Hissing, I tried to swim up from the horrible haze even as the treacherous pain continued to make everything around me foggy.
The taste of blood remained in my mouth, the sweet coppery stench filtering into my nostrils.
As I tried to open my eyes, I realized they were swollen, one almost entirely shut.
The sound I’d heard was my body being used as a punching bag.
Chloe.
Flashes of her horrified face as the monsters yanked her away from me entered my mind. I was going to kill the bastards for laying a hand on her.
I took several ragged breaths through my mouth and dragged my tongue across my puffy lips, forcing my good eye to blink in an effort to see my surroundings.
What the hell was I seeing? After a few seconds, I realized I was in some kind of basement, the odor of gasoline and other chemicals almost as strong as the aroma of my own blood.
I managed to turn my head, searching for any sign of her.
All I could see were dark figures in the close distance. They were watching me.
Waiting for me to awaken.
Shifting, the slight creaking sound as well as the pull on my wrists indicated I’d been attached to something over my head.
My body was swinging from the last punches delivered to my gut as well as my kidney.
I was naked from the waist up, my boots removed.
I struggled to take a look over my head, realizing the chain had been attached to a wooden beam.
A sudden toss of water rushed over my head and torso.
Growling, I struggled with the chains holding me, becoming more aware of my surroundings.
The dark space was obviously in someone’s house, the washer and dryer coming into full view.
Had the bastards killed the owners? That was likely.
Another wave of anguish jetted into my system, forcing me to take scattered breaths.
Hearing footsteps, I managed to lift my head, turning it in the direction of the sound.
The man approaching was the one who’d spoken when the Petrovs had found us. He smiled as he came closer, studying me top to bottom.
“The powerful Sacha. It’s actually a pleasure to meet you. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a way out, there is none.”
I was able to offer a grin just before I spit a string of blood in his direction. “We shall see. I don’t have the pleasure of knowing you.”
As another one of the soldiers rushed forward, ready to beat the hell out of me for my foolish behavior, he threw up his arm, waving them off. He took his time wiping the spittle from his face, taking several deep breaths. I could tell I’d pissed him off.
Like I gave a shit.
Other than the leader, there were four others in the room, which meant Chloe’s shots had taken a toll. Good for her. I noticed a set of stairs as well as gardening tools. Getting out of here would take everything I had.
“You don’t seem to realize the predicament you’re in,” the leader continued as he moved even closer. “First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Dimitri Petrov.”
The beloved only son of Sergei, the Bratva leader and direct advisory to the Federov organization.
To allow him to leave Mother Russia meant an imminent war was planned, their intentions to eliminate any possible issues.
But why? I hadn’t been involved for long enough that my leadership meant nothing to the Federov Bratva.
I eyed him carefully, darting my gaze toward the others. They were well equipped with weapons as I’d suspected. They were also obviously eager to end their time spent in America. The only reason I wasn’t dead was they needed some kind of information.
“Ah, yes. A true barbarian,” I hissed.
His eyes flashed from anger. He shook his head, his chest rising and falling rapidly. “It’s my understanding that the Federovs eat their next of kin for breakfast, Sacha.”
I resisted laughing, but I kept the crooked smile on my face.
“Well, given you fucked up my timetable,” he hissed, his anger surfacing, “let’s get this over with.”
I was surprised he was speaking in English. Perhaps he believed I’d forgotten about my country as well as my duties to my family. He was wrong. I remained silent, stretching my hands without a single one of them noticing. The chains were tight, but they’d been rushed in their actions.