8. Chapter Eight #2
With a glance over my shoulder, I watch as he brings the finger that was inside of me to his lips.
He inhales deeply. “You smell divine.” He licks his finger. “And you taste even better.”
I blush. “Mikhail.”
“Embarrassed, baby? You don’t need to be. You’re safe here. We can do whatever it is we want.” He pats my backside before he slips my panties back up my legs. I yelp when the fabric touches my warm skin. It feels like a slight punishment to wear underwear after what he did to my backside.
“There,” he says, settling his hands on my hips. “I love your white underwear. So innocent and yet naughty. You have a sex kitten inside of you, just waiting to come out.”
I swallow hard. “Mikhail.”
He helps me stand up and cups my face. “You’re blushing. You don’t need to fear this, Natalya. This pleasure. This freedom it gives you. Embrace it.”
“It’s just hard. To go against all my training. I was taught to be a good girl by my parents. And in ballet, I was taught to plaster a smile on my face even when I was dancing through pain. I was never taught how to let go.”
“Then I can help you with that. Now, you’ve been forgiven. I have work I need to attend to but I promise you, I will contact your family. I will find out what’s happening and you’ll be able to talk to them again. Just give me time. All right?”
“All right.” I want to say ‘not too much time’ but I hold it back. Mikhail won’t appreciate that.
“Good.” He squeezes my hips and it sends another flutter down to my stomach. “Go rest. Your ass is hurting, I’m sure. I’ll let you know when I have more news.”
I leave his office to do as he tells me because he knows best.
Mikhail
Nico almost stole another one of my gun shipments last night but was intercepted by my men. He failed, which is good, because I could have been out millions again. But I’m getting pretty fucking tired of this war. I just want to enjoy my business and my new wife and call it a day.
But now I have to deal with Nico and deal with Denis. I promised Natalya I’ll find out what’s going on with her family and I meant it. I’m a man of my word.
First thing first, I call Nico. “You failed last night,” I taunt, a smile on my lips.
“Ah, Mikhail. Calling to rub it in?”
“Yes. I offered you the chance at peace, Nico. The chance to work together but you said no. Now you’re going to pay the price for it.”
He chuckles. It’s a dark, dangerous sound that sends a shiver up my spine. “I wouldn’t be so cocky, Mikhail. You should know something. I’m expanding my business.”
“With who?”
“With the French mafia. The Corsican mafia, to be exact. I’ll be expanding into Europe. Grow my enterprise and it will help me out in New York too. Within a few short years, I’m going to be unstoppable and there wont be anything you’ll be able to do about it.”
I clench my phone tighter. “How did you make a deal with the Corsican mafia? They rarely leave France.”
“They’re expanding too. It’s a win-win for all of us.” He pauses. “Well… maybe not you. Have fun, Mikhail. I’ve heard the news about your wife shooting her own uncle in the shoulder. You have your own problems to deal with. Makes it even better for me.”
Motherfucker. “I will take you down, Nico. One day.”
“Precisely. One day. Not today. Goodbye, Mikhail.” He’s the one to hang up.
It takes everything in me not to throw my fucking phone across the room. Not only do I have to deal with Denis for Natalya, I now have to deal with Nico teaming up with the Corsican mafia. They don’t have a stronghold in New York but they could offer Nico money to make him stronger.
Strong enough to take me down.
I need to deal with one of these problems. Denis will be easier.
He’s Bratva, like me. I have contacts that can help take him down.
And since he just got shot, he’ll be weaker right now.
But he’ll have upped his guards because of it, making it harder to get in contact with Natalya’s family. It will be hard, but not impossible.
For my wife, I will find a way.
I have a few of my men scope out the area around Natalya’s family home.
When I snuck into her house to take her to our wedding, there hadn’t been that many guards yet.
It was easy. Now, there’s a team of guards surrounding the house.
They move on patrol, taking shifts around the house and blocking every exit.
My men tell me that Natalya’s sisters have been spotted looking out windows, which is the only sign that they’re not seriously hurt.
But I know that won’t be good enough for Natalya. She needs to talk to them. She needs to see them.
I have to get them out of the house, even for a moment.
It takes a few days of planning but I manage to get one of my men on as a guard at the house. Denis has never met this man of mine. His name is Jackson. He easily blends in with Denis’s other guards.
Jackson will help get the girls out.
I tell Natalya the plan.
She lets out a cry and throws her arms around me. I hug her back tightly. “Thank you. Thank you. We can save them this way. We can get them out.”
“We’ll try. Jackson told me he plans on getting them out of the house on Friday.
Denis has a meeting with someone that day though Jackson isn’t sure who.
He’ll be able to sneak them out that day.
I don’t want Denis finding out where I live so we won’t bring them here right away.
We’ll meet at one of the other buildings I own to make sure no one follows.
But it will give you the chance to see your sisters. ”
“Thank you. This means so much to me.”
Seeing Natalya smile up at me has made all of this worth it.
Natalya
Mikhail takes me to an office building. It’s abandoned.
“We’re remodeling it,” he explains as we wait inside the large lobby area. There’s no furniture and graffiti covers all the walls. “Within a few months, it will be a beautiful office space.”
“Is it secure enough?”
“We have to hope so. Jackson told me he’s on the way with your sisters. They should be here soon.”
“And my mom? Is she coming?”
Mikhail hesitates before shaking his head. “Apparently, Denis took your mom with him to his meeting. So Jackson wasn’t able to get her out. But we can try again.”
“My mom is strong. She’s tough. But I just wish I could be tough for her after how much she’s done for me.”
“You’ll be getting your sisters back. That’s what we need to focus on.”
He’s right. As long as my sisters are with me, Denis can’t use them to hurt me. He can’t force them into marriages to gain power.
I pace around the empty lobby for what feels like years before I hear the sound of footsteps coming from down a hallway.
I turn around and stop. My sisters are here. All three of them. A man stands in front of them. Jackson, I’m guessing. He steps out of the way as I run for my sisters and they do the same.
“Natalya?” Irina asks, hugging me. I hold onto her for the longest before I give Ana a hug. Then I turn to Sasha who slowly holds out her arms for me. We share a short hug but it means all the world to me.
“You’re really here,” Sasha says. “When he” – she nods at Jackson – “told us he was taking us to you, I didn’t fully believe him. I thought we were being led to our deaths.”
“We’re going to save you,” I say. “Mikhail got you out.”
“Mikhail?” Her eyes find my husband behind me. “Oh.”
“None of you have officially met him,” I say. “And I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I just left without a word. But I thought I was protecting you. I knew Mikhail would have the kind of power to get you out. That’s why I married him. To save all of us.”
Sasha blinks as she looks between me and my husband. “Wow… I don’t know what to say to that. I thought…”
“You thought what?”
“I thought you had abandoned us. Irina told us you got married but… I thought you were just saving your own skin.”
“He killed Antoni so none of us had to marry him. Especially you, Sasha. At nineteen, Denis can legally marry you off to whoever he wants.”
She shudders. “He hasn’t said anything about that to me. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t planning it.”
“What’s been happening over there?” I ask. “After I made it worse.”
“Uncle Denis locked us up,” Irina explains. “We weren’t even allowed to see each other. He kept us locked in our rooms. Took our phones. We had no way to communicate with each other.”
“It’s been torture,” Ana says. “Not having my phone.”
That gets a laugh out of me, Sasha, and Irina.
Ana frowns. “What’s so funny?”
Sasha nudges her. “You’re so phone obsessed. This is has probably been a good thing for you.”
“I had to pick up a book today,” she says with a shudder. “A book!”
“Poor you,” I tease. “Having to read. What is this world coming to?”
Our laughter subsides.
“What happens now?” Irina asks.
Mikhail steps forward. “Now, we get you to our house.”
Sasha frowns. “Our house?”
“Mine and Natalya’s.”
All three of my sisters look awkward. They didn’t even consider that my husband’s house is now also my house. That the house I grew up in isn’t technically my house any longer.
“We’ll bring you there,” Mikhail explains. “You’ll stay with us. I’ll keep you safe. But we have to move soon. I don’t want Denis finding us here.” He turns to Jackson. “You’re sure you weren’t followed.”
“I’m sure. I didn’t see anyone.”
Mikhail sighs, looking worried. Just because Jackson didn’t see anyone follow him, doesn’t mean someone didn’t follow.
“Let’s go now,” Mikhail says, leading us towards the back exit of the lobby. “My car is parked back here.”
Sasha stops walking. “How do we know we can trust you?”
“Sasha,” I say, reaching out for her but she steps away from me. “He’s my husband.”
“So? Just because he’s your husband doesn’t mean we can trust him. You left without a word. You then show up and shoot our uncle. You’ve changed. I don’t know Mikhail. Maybe he’s holding you hostage for all I know. We could be walking into a trap.”
“No,” I say. “It’s not a trap. Trust me. If you can’t trust Mikhail, then you can trust me. I’m your sister. I want you safe more than anything. This is our chance. We have to go.”
“I don’t know…” Ana says, sidling up to Sasha. “She makes a point. We don’t know your husband.”
“You want to be prisoners to our uncle?” I ask. “Because that’s what it sounds like you are. You’re prisoners. This is a chance at freedom. I’m your sister. You know I would never put you in danger. You know that.”
Sasha’s eyes flash with anger. “The sister I know would never have left us in the middle of the night to defend ourselves without her. You left to save yourself. You didn’t leave to save us.”
“She’s saving you now,” Mikhail says. “So let’s go.”
“Not so fast,” a man says.
Whirling around, I see that Denis is here, in the lobby, with three guards standing behind him. They all have guns and all their guns are pointed right at us.