Chapter 13
Nikolai
“My heart beats faster as you take my hand, my love grows stronger as you touch my soul.”
A.C. Van Cherub
I remembered very little about my mother, but I do remember certain phrases she whispered over me when she’d thought I was asleep.
I hadn’t thought about the phrase for years, yet it came to me as I raced toward Chloe, pulling her into my arms. Nothing would have prevented me from saving her from the bastards.
Nothing.
“Nikolai. I thought you were dead,” Chloe whispered as she gulped for air.
“You underestimated me.” I had to get her out of here.
“No, I don’t think so. You’re my hero. Again.” A single sob pushed from her mouth as she pressed her face against my shoulder.
I closed my eyes, trying to calm the fury that continued to flow through my veins. “I’m no one’s hero.” After a few seconds, I eased her away gently, brushing hair out of her eyes. “I’m going to untie you.”
She jerked her head until she could look me in the eyes. “You’re hurt. Oh, my God. What did they do to you?” Exhaling, she gently brushed the tips of her fingers across my cheek.
“I’m okay.” I shifted around her shaking body, hissing as I untied her. I could see marks on her wrists. My little pet had fought valiantly, refusing to give in to the assholes. After I was finished, I took a look around the room. “Do you know where we are?”
Chloe rubbed her wrists as she faced me. “It’s some kind of a cabin much like the one we were in. I don’t think anyone is living here.”
“Are there more of them?”
“I don’t think so, but they shoved a bag over my head. I listened for every sound. We can’t be more than a couple miles from where they found us.”
“Good girl. Anything else?”
“No, they spoke Russian the entire time I heard them talk. I’m sorry. I really only know a few words.”
I gave her a half smile. “It’s okay. You did great. Now, we need to get out of here.”
Sighing, I studied the basement, hissing given what I knew needed to happen. The last thing that I could allow to happen was for my DNA to be found, although where I was going, I wasn’t certain it mattered.
“We need to get you to a hospital.”
“There’s no time, Chloe. We’re not in the free and clear yet.
There could be others. Come with me.” I took her hand, leading her toward the stairs, lumbering in my actions.
“Stay behind me.” I yanked the borrowed weapon into my hands, taking the stairs two at a time and slowly opening the door. Everything was quiet.
Chloe was right. The cabin was obviously used as a vacation-style home. There were even sheets covering some of the furniture.
“I want you to listen to me. Wait right here. If you see or hear anything, call down. I’m just going to grab the weapons. Okay?”
“Why don’t I believe you?”
“You’re going to have to trust me.”
“I do, Nikolai. With my life.”
I squeezed her arm before struggling down the stairs.
I stood for a few seconds, glaring at the bodies before checking Dimitri’s pocket for keys to whatever vehicle they’d driven.
We needed a way out of here. Success. My heart thudded in my chest as the injuries began to take a toll on my body, the broken ribs making it almost impossible to breathe.
I had to press on. If there were more of them, it was only a matter of time before they headed in our direction.
Wincing, I searched the room, fighting a laugh when I noticed my clothes.
How kind of the bastards to leave my boots and shirt.
After jerking them on, I grabbed two of the other handguns then turned my attention to the various cleaning products located on the shelf.
I also noticed a long lighter used for starting fires in the fireplace.
I grabbed several containers, pouring the contents over several areas in the basement, including over the corpses.
This was the last thing I wanted to have happen, but I was out of choices.
Before heading up the stairs, I lit a series of boxes, only forced to wait a few seconds until flames engulfed a solid fifty percent of the basement. When I headed upstairs, I took her hand. “We need to get out of here.”
“I smell smoke. What are you doing?”
“What I have to do, Chloe. Come on.”
I took long strides, leading her outside, now gasping for air. Christ. I was out of shape. “We’re going to try and get as far away from here in their vehicle as possible.”
“You’re in no condition to drive.”
“I’ll be fine.” I continued to hold her hand as I moved toward the oversized SUV, finding it difficult to focus. When I faltered before getting to the vehicle, she moved in front of me.
“Listen to me. I can drive. Please. Let me do that.”
I thought about her request as smoke began to roll from the roof. “Fine. But only for a short distance. We need to find the location where they found us.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Chloe helped me into the passenger seat and just after she climbed in and started the engine, the entire house was ablaze. She stared at it for a few seconds before backing away. Her face remained pensive, but she was determined to get us out of here.
The driveway led to a single road and she didn’t hesitate, turning to the left. I watched as she checked the speedometer, slowing down after a few minutes. “I think this is the location.”
I shifted forward, studying the area, able to see track marks where a vehicle had been in the mud. Then I noticed an oncoming car. “We have trouble. Pull over.” I pulled the weapon into my hand, prepared to fire if necessary.
She shifted to the side, keeping the engine running.
The closer the vehicle came, the more apprehensive I was, but within a few seconds, I was pissed all over again, my body tensing.
“What?” she asked.
“That’s my buddy’s vehicle. I’d know it anywhere. Hunker down, baby. This could be a problem.”
I could hear the anguish in her voice as she did what I asked, doing her best to hide her body from the windows. When Travis’ Bronco slowed, I took aim.
Then I saw his face through the driver’s door.
“Shit. It’s okay.” I opened the door, struggling to crawl out. It had been one hell of a long time since I’d experienced this kind of pain.
Travis didn’t look a hell of a lot better than I did. His face was swollen, his lips puffy. But he was alive. He waited until I’d walked around the front of the SUV before opening his door. “Jesus Christ. I thought you were dead.” He approached, eying me up and down. “You look like shit, buddy.”
“You’re not much better, my friend. What the hell happened?”
He sighed, glancing at Chloe through the window. “I’m sorry, dude. I didn’t tell them a thing. I fucking swear to God, but they found the phone. Somehow they managed to track you.”
“They used a specialized device pinging the signal. I should have known.”
“What the hell do these guys want?”
“My blood. How did you find us?”
Travis huffed. “I noticed the boat was missing after I got to the cabin. I figured what you’d done.
I also knew you had no idea about the falls.
The boat eventually drifted to the shore, getting stuck in the mud.
Then I saw the tire tracks and several sets of footprints.
Didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. Where are they?”
“Smell the smoke?”
His eyes opened wide. “Remind me not to get into an argument with you. Is that it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then we need to get you the hell out of here.” He nodded toward Chloe. “How’s she taking all of this?”
I turned my head, studying her. There were so many thoughts in my mind, desires that would never go away. I wanted to give her the world. Instead, all I could try to provide was a return to her life. Just not the one she wanted. “She’s okay. No, she’s better than okay.”
“Interesting. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you really like this girl.”
“Bullshit.”
“You do. Christ. Leave it to you to find love in a Bruce Willis movie.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, huffing afterwards.
“Yeah, we need to get you some medical attention.”
“No hospital. Just some rib tape. Do you know anywhere off the grid we can stay? Can’t risk going back to your cabin or to Waltham at this point.”
“Actually, I do. Just don’t burn my friend’s house down.”
“I can’t promise you anything.”
He laughed. “I guess you can’t. Come on.”
“There’s a couple items I need to retrieve first.”
Nodding, he followed my gaze toward the burning house. “You used to live some kind of life.”
“It wasn’t living at all, Travis.”
“I hear you. Maybe that’s what you need to remember, Nikolai. Life isn’t about money or power. It’s about enjoying your time.”
“Funny. That’s very close to something Chloe told me.”
“I think that girl is exactly what you need in your life, but that’s up to you. Only if you allow it to happen.”
“That’s just it, Travis. I won’t ruin her life in order to find mine. I care about her far too much.”
“Yeah, I got it. You’re a man in love and don’t you dare deny it.” He laughed as he moved toward his Bronco, giving me a wave.
Before heading for the woods, I glared in the direction of the house, watching the smoke rising from the trees.
A war had started, one that had been in process for two generations. It was time to end it the Federov way.
* * *
Three days later
Healing.
While my body was in the process of healing, the swelling already gone down, my heart was in the process of fracturing.
There were no additional signs of anyone from the Petrov Bratva, but I knew they were still out there searching.
I had to rely on my instinct at this point and it was telling me that I’d been betrayed.
There was only one person I held responsible.
And there was only one way of dealing with the situation.
That alone was enough to drive a knife into my heart.
I found it interesting that I’d had the opportunity to live a far different and thoroughly enjoyable life for several years, yet I’d shied away from it. Travis was right. Only I could allow myself to make a change, but that wasn’t in the cards.