36. Boden
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
BODEN
It’s another shit morning waking up to unwanted visitors in my apartment. Kirill sits at my kitchen table reading something on his cell while Mikhail cooks breakfast in the kitchen, filling up the tiny space like a damn giant on steroids and singing some folk song in his Russian tongue.
The smell of bologna sizzling in the skillet makes me want to retch. Too many days of my Russian roommates making the same butterbrots open-faced breakfast sandwiches has left a stench I’m sure has permeated the walls. Chances are the smell will never go away.
I’m wiping the sleep away from my eyes when Riley comes barreling into my apartment, skin flushed like she ran all the way here. “I’ve found Vanessa!”
The three of us rush her, all asking questions at once.
“Where? Where is she?” I holler over the others, desperate for answers.
“She’s on campus. She was heading into a lecture hall when I spotted her.”
“Why didn’t you bring her back here?” Kirill demands, his face turning a frustrated shade of red.
Good question. I want to know why as well. We can’t afford to let Vanessa slip away again, not without knowing where she’s staying.
“I tried,” Riley protests. “She wasn’t coming willingly. Also, her buffoon of a bodyguard threatened to break my arm if I didn’t let go of her.”
“What bodyguard?” Mikhail asks, his displeasure thick on his tongue.
“Some creepy guy dressed all in black.” Riley shudders as if thinking of him made her skin crawl. “He was with another thug, too. Both were wearing biker cuts.”
The room falls silent, all of us dreading who it might have been.
Kirill asks the million-dollar question. “What MC?”
Riley’s lips thin. “Royal Bastards.”
Of fucking course. I groan internally.
Our chances of grabbing Vanessa under the MC’s watch are unlikely, not without getting creative.
Mikhail pulls at his hair. “FUCK!”
Kirill raises an eyebrow, rubbing his chin. “The question is why she is under the club’s protection? How is she affiliated with them?”
I shake my head, lost. “No clue. Her grandpa owned a mechanic shop in Colorado Springs when he was alive. Perhaps he was tight with the MC?”
“Unlikely,” Kirill says, shooting down my suggestion. “The nearest chapter of the Royal Bastards MC is in Loveland. Colorado Springs is two hours away. They would service their bikes somewhere local.”
Mikhail takes the seat next to Kirill, settling into the discussion. “What other explanation could there be?”
Riley bites her thumbnail, looking unease. “I think I know.”
“Share it,” I snap, irritated that she’s holding back information.
“I don’t want to upset you,” she says with a sigh.
“Spit it out, Riley.”
“She’s claimed.”
Kirill and Mikhail swear in Russian, hanging their heads.
“Claimed?” My brow furrows. “What does that mean?”
“It means things got more complicated,” Kirill says, raising his head to mine with a sneer. “Fucking biker whore.”
He did not just call my woman a whore. “Excuse me?!”
Riley gets in front of me when I move toward Kirill, stopping me from doing something stupid. Kirill may not have the manpower he had prior to his operation going up in flames, but he’s still a dangerous man to make enemies with.
“She was wearing a property patch,” Riley explains to me gently. “She’s Cupid’s ole lady.”
Fucking Cupid. I knew the guy was trouble the moment I saw him step out of Vanessa’s apartment. But I never would have guessed Vanessa would have joined an MC and become some criminal’s woman.
Riley runs her hand down my arm, trying to offer me comfort. “I’m sorry, Boden.”
Cringing, I shake her off, not wanting to feel her touch. It’s because of her I lost Vanessa in the first place, her and my stupid dick.
Besides, Kirill is watching us. He’s the last person I want to upset. Riley is his property after all, and she shouldn’t be anywhere near me.
Riley frowns at my rejection, but steps back, retreating behind Kirill where she belongs.
“The property patch was a message,” Mikhail says earnestly, looking at his boss. “They’re letting us know she’s untouchable. If we do, it’s open war.”
The air stalls in my lungs. I can’t afford to have Kirill change his mind about taking Vanessa. If he backs out, I’ll never have a chance of getting her back.
“But they may still have your brother,” I press, playing my last card. “If Artem is alive, we should try to rescue him. Another man who knows the job is better than training a fresh one.”
Mikhail steeples his hands against his face, looking torn between saving his brother and staying alive. His leg bounces under the table, shaking the dishes on the surface.
“Her absence from campus makes sense if she is under the club’s protection,” Kirill says, musing. “Cupid will keep her under lock and key, as he should.”
“Then why is she back on campus?” Mikhail asks, his face lined with confusion. “Cupid must know we are close by, watching. Why risk her returning?”
“Because Vanessa would give him hell if she couldn’t finish the semester,” I say, knowing my girlfriend and her desire to complete her degree.
Mikhail rolls his eyes. “Letting your women run the show—pathetic.”
“But that’s good for us,” Kirill interjects optimistically. “We’ll know where she’ll be. She’ll either be in class or with Cupid, most likely in Loveland. If Boden does surveillance of the MC’s territory, we’ll know of her whereabouts.”
“And Artem,” Mikhail says, his eyes probing Kirill, making sure he’s not forgotten what really matters to them.
Kirill wraps his hand around Mikhail’s neck, pulling him in and connecting their foreheads. “We’ll get him back. If he’s alive, we’ll bring him home.”
Riley huffs, crossing her arms across her ample chest. “Is this chick worth pursuing? She doesn’t want Boden back, and she’s affiliated with the Royal Bastards. She seems more trouble than she’s worth.”
“Shut your mouth, Riley,” I snap, crossing the space to get in her face. “Your opinion of Vanessa is irrelevant. The Royal Bastards took Artem. We need to find out what happened to him. If we’re already searching for Mikhail’s brother, we might as well keep tabs on Vanessa.”
Mikhail’s eyes widen, as if a light bulb has turned on above his head. “If we can get our hands on Vanessa, we could use her as leverage and make a trade for Artem.”
What?! No. Fuck!
“We’re not grabbing Vanessa just to hand her right back to the bikers,” I shout, my heart hammering in my chest anxiously. “You promised to give her back to me!”
Mikhail snaps, standing so fast that he knocks over his chair. He’s across the room and on me in a nanosecond, pinning me against the wall.
Riley lets out a terrified shriek, rushing forward. She pounds her fists against the Neanderthal’s back, trying to get him to release me. Mikhail easily shrugs her off, making her fall backward onto the floor. She cries out in pain.
“Fuck,” Kirill says, jumping from his seat to help Riley up from the floor. His head swivels up to us, his face lined with worry as Riley cries against his chest. “Mikhail, stop!”
But Mikhail doesn’t back off, showing no sign of releasing me.
“We had a deal,” I wheeze between pants.
“What deal? You’re not in charge here. The only reason they took Artem in the first place is because you got butthurt your woman left you and you wanted to make her pay for it.”
I struggle against his forearm pressing down on my windpipe, but I choke out, “You wanted inventory. I suggested her to you. Kirill agreed to hand her over after you had your fun with her.”
“Fuck you and your pettiness,” Mikhail hisses, leaning harder against my throat.
Kirill appears at our side, pushing against Mikhail’s chest with all his strength. “ENOUGH! Release him, Mikhail.”
After a few more shoves, the goon releases me with an irritated growl, pushing past his boss to put distance between me and him.
I’m bent over, coughing my lungs out. Riley helps me upright, tears streaming down her face.
She tries to hug me, but I pull away from her.
I already had one Russian try to kill me today. I don’t want to anger another.
“Listen, everyone,” Kirill says sternly, bringing order back to our group. “Nobody is going to do a damn thing unless I say so.”
His cold eyes land on me, pointing a gnarled finger in my face. “You and Riley will go to Loveland and scout the Royal Bastard territory, reporting back to me daily. Look for any weak spots and any place they could hold Artem. Mikhail and I will monitor Cupid’s woman on campus?—”
Mikhail scoffs, interjecting. “It is too dangerous, Kirill! We don’t know if there are other Royal Bastards keeping watch of her aside from her security detail.”
“We no longer have a choice, Mikhail,” Kirill retorts. “The president’s ole lady is our best shot at recovering your brother. The sooner we have Artem back, the sooner we can rebuild.”
Mikhail’s lips turn down in a scowl, but he says no more.
When no one else says anything, Kirill looks at me and Riley with a Don’t fuck with me glare. “Pack a bag. You leave for Loveland today.”