17. Eoghan
Chapter seventeen
Eoghan
T onight, I’m going to tell Gemma that I love her. I should have said it last night, but I chickened the fuck out. It felt goddamn amazing being inside her body without a barrier, and I was afraid if I said it then, she would have thought it was some sort of sex-haze confession and I didn’t mean it. I don’t know, maybe she would have seen the truth in my eyes like I swear I saw in hers when I was moving inside her. But my woman tends to be skittish, and I didn’t want her to doubt for even a second that my words weren’t one-hundred-percent true.
I try calling her again. It’s nearing eight o’clock. Even though she told me she was working late tonight, I expected her home by now. I even made her dinner—a rack of lamb that I called my mother to help me with. She thought it was absolutely adorable that I called her to have her walk me through the steps. Finn has never called her for cooking tips, so I’m pretty sure my position as favorite son still holds.
Gemma’s favorite bottle of red is open, with two glasses sitting at the table ready to be poured. Now the woman just needs to get her fine ass home.
I’m going through the playlist I’ve made on my phone of songs I think Gemma will enjoy listening to with dinner when Nikolai’s name pops on the screen.
“Petrov,” I say in greeting.
“Where’s Gemma?”
“On her way home from work. Why?”
“One of the guards I had on her mother was found shot behind her house. No sign of the husband or Gemma’s mom.”
Icy dread like I’ve never felt in my entire life works its way down my spine. I stand from the couch and stare at the front door as though I’m willing her to walk through the damn thing right fucking now.
“I expected her home already. I tried calling her about twenty minutes ago, but it went to voice mail.”
“Shit.” He doesn’t speak for a few moments while I continue to stare at the door. “I’m about five minutes from her apartment. Is that where you are?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll swing by and pick you up. We’ll meet her at her building.”
I hear his unspoken thoughts. If she’s there .
“Okay.”
Nikolai disconnects the call, and I immediately dial my brother’s number.
“Hey, brother. I’m just about to head out to the casino floor. What’s up?”
“I think Gemma is missing.” Grabbing my keys, I walk into the bedroom where I keep a gun locked in a small safe I brought to Gemma’s when I started staying here. I open the safe and grab my 9mm and an extra magazine. I don’t know what we’re going to find when we go to her work, but I sure as hell am going in prepared.
“What do you mean ‘think’?”
“Nikolai called and said the guard he had on her mother was found dead, and her mom and stepdad were nowhere to be found. Gemma should have been home by now, but she isn’t, and I can’t reach her. Nikolai is on his way here, and we’re going to go check out her work.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
He disconnects the call, and I head out the door dialing Gemma’s number again.
No answer. I pull up the tracking app I installed on her phone. I didn’t give a shit if it was an invasion of privacy when I put it there, and sure as shit don’t now. The app shows she’s at her office building, at least her phone is.
As I’m standing in front of the apartment building with thoughts of where Gemma is and why she isn’t picking up her phone swirling through my head, Nikolai pulls up in a blacked-out luxury sedan. He rolls down the window, and I take a quick look inside. I’m not saying I don’t trust the man, but I’m not saying I do. At least not enough to jump in a car with him without checking to make sure no one else is in there.
“Have you tried calling her again?” he asks as he pulls away from the curb.
“Yeah. She still isn’t picking up.”
His hands tighten around the wheel as his eyes stay fixed on the road ahead of him.
“How’d you find out about the guard?”
“I’ve had two men in Virginia rotating shifts. When the other guard came to relieve the one at her mom’s house, he wasn’t in his car. My guy looked around and found him shot between the eyes and placed behind some shrubbery at the back of the house. He went inside and saw signs of a struggle, but no one was home. It was obvious someone broke in, so he called me.”
“Her mom seemed to be married to some shady son of a bitch. Could have been anyone.” I’m desperate to believe it was anyone other than Viktor.
“Maybe. But who would have thought to kill my guard then hide his body? This has my father’s stench all over it.”
I can’t fault his theory, no matter how much I pray it isn’t true.
We pull into the parking garage Gemma uses, and I see her car still sitting in a spot.
“That’s a good sign. She’s probably working later than she thought she'd be.”
Nikolai doesn’t say anything as he parks and gets out of the car.
We get in the elevator and head to the lobby of her building. When we step off, we see someone locking the glass doors that lead into the offices of Aubine. The young woman looks startled when she turns and finds us standing there. I don’t fucking blame her. Two men who probably look like they’re ready to commit murder have just walked up behind her.
“Can I help you?” she asks, her gaze darting between us.
“My girlfriend works here. I was just coming to surprise her and take her for dinner with her brother from out of town,” I say, laying on the charm, dimpled smile and all on full display.
“Uh, no one is here. Who’s your girlfriend?”
“Gemma Dalton.”
“Oh, Gemma left about an hour ago.” She shrugs and hikes her purse over her shoulder.
I force the smile to stay on my face so as not to alarm the poor girl more than we already have.
“Darn. I was hoping to catch her,” I say with a fake pout. “Okay, thanks.” Nikolai and I head back to the elevator to make our way back to the underground parking.
When the doors close, my hands fist my hair. “Fuck!” I yell into the small space.
The door opens, and I march over to her car. Before I have a chance to look around, my brother’s SUV pulls into the parking garage, and he steps out from the driver’s side. Then the passenger door and back door open, and there’s Alessia with Enzo right behind her.
“Tell me she’s in her office, Eoghan, and we’re all overreacting here,” Alessia commands as she stalks to where Gemma’s brother and I are standing next to her car.
I shake my head, staring my woman’s best friend in the eye. “I can’t.”
“What do we know?” Finn asks Nikolai as Alessia and I continue to stare at each other. I’m sure the devastation in her eyes matches mine.
“The receptionist was locking the door to the offices when we went upstairs. Said Gemma left an hour ago,” Nikolai replies.
“Have you heard from her today?” I ask Alessia.
“She called a little after seven and left a voice mail. When I tried to call her back ten minutes later, she didn’t answer.”
“What did the message say?” Maybe there’s a clue in there.
Something flashes in Alessia’s eyes, but before I can consider it, it’s gone. “She was just calling to check in and say hi.”
I grab my phone from my pocket and pull up the tracking app again. It still shows that she’s here. When I dial her number, I hear it ring in my ear, but there’s another noise coming from somewhere close. I look around the ground then get on my knees and look under her car. Her phone is lit up underneath, with my name flashing on the screen. I pick it up and stand, holding it in front of me.
“Fuck,” Finn mutters and looks around the garage. “There’re cameras here. Let’s head to the security office and look at the footage.”
We get in our respective vehicles and drive to the street level before parking in a guest spot and finding the security office. When we knock on the door, a portly man in his mid to late fifties opens the door. He takes one look at us, and his hand goes to the baton at his waist. If I wasn’t so scared for my woman, I probably would have laughed.
“I’m Finnegan Monaghan. That name mean anything to you?”
The man nods and looks at the three of us, along with Alessia and Enzo standing behind us. “What can I do for you, Mr. Monaghan?”
“We need to look at some camera footage.”
The guard dips his chin and allows the five of us to crowd inside his small office.
“What times do you need to see?” the guard asks, sitting in his chair.
“Let’s start with six thirty until now,” Finn answers.
The guard presses a couple buttons on his keyboard, and I see the time on the screen set to six thirty. He presses another button and the footage moves faster across the screen.
When I turn to my brother. “Did you see what I saw?”
“Yeah. A whole lot of nothing. Not even us pulling in or out of the garage. Like someone has the footage on a loop.”
I nod and turn to the guard. “How often do you leave the office?”
“I do rounds once an hour at the public parking lot across the street.”
“How long does it take you to do a round across the street?” Finn asks.
“About fifteen minutes.”
My brother meets my gaze. “That’s more than enough time to come in and fuck with the footage,” I say.
“Reset your cameras,” he says to the guard. “You didn’t see us here.”
My brother pulls a money clip from his pocket, peels off a few hundred-dollar bills and hands them to the man.
“Let’s go back to our house. Cillian is meeting us there with a few things from the penthouse,” Finn says then walks out the door with sure steps back to his car.
Alessia stares at me as I stand in the security office. Once I step foot out of this door, blood will fucking spill.
Alessia sees the murderous expression on my face and gives me a slow smile. “Let’s go get her, Eoghan.”
Nikolai is on the phone the entire way back to Finn’s. Sometimes he’s barking orders in Russian, other times in English.
“My men checked all of my father’s usual safe houses. Nothing.”
“Where would he keep her?” I ask.
“He has two others that he doesn’t know I know about. One is on the border of New York and Massachusetts.”
“I thought you were his right-hand man. Why wouldn’t he tell you about them?”
“Our families aren’t the same. There is no absolute trust between me and my father, nor was there between him and his.”
“That’s fucking sad, Nikolai.”
He shrugs. “Obviously it was smart on his end,” he says with a slight tilt to the corner of his lips.
When we pull up to Finn’s, Cillian’s car is in the drive. We all make our way up the stone stairs, and when Finn opens the door, the four of us trail him down the stairs to his basement, where he keeps an arsenal of weapons. Cillian is already there, packing a few things. When he sees Nikolai, he stops and faces the man with coldness settling in his gaze.
“Are you sure you want him in on this?” he asks Finn without taking his eyes from Gemma’s brother.
“I do,” I reply for my brother. “Plus, he’s the only one who knows where his dad’s supersecret safe house is.”
Cillian looks to me, then to Finn, then back to Nikolai. “Are you sure that’s where he would have taken her?”
“No, but my men have checked all the other safe houses that my father uses. The one closest to us is one of two that he thinks I don’t know about.”
“Not a lot of trust between you and your father?” Cillian asks.
“As much as I would expect. He’s always been one to make sure he keeps something in his back pocket. My guess is he suspects I’ve been working against him. Whether he knows it’s with you is yet to be determined.”
“Let me make myself very clear to you, Petrov,” Cillian begins. “If I think you’re going to hurt my brothers, I don’t give a shit who you're connected with; I’ll put a bullet between your eyes.”
Nikolai doesn’t blink at the threat. “Understood.”
“Great, you guys have measured your dicks. Can we please go get my best friend back from her sadistic father now?” Alessia chimes in from the doorway.
“Who’s we ?” Finn asks.
“Enzo and I should go with you. You have no idea what you're walking into and are going to need all the manpower you can get.”
“There is no way in hell you’re coming, Alessia.”
“She’s my best friend, Finn. Plus, I’m probably a better shot than any of you.”
“Sweetheart,” he starts in that cooing tone that says whatever he’s about to tell her could possibly get him castrated if he isn’t careful. “There is no way I’m going to be able to concentrate if you’re with me. It’s too dangerous for us if I’m distracted worrying about you.” She opens her mouth to argue, but Finn cuts her off. “I know what you're going to say.”
“No, you don’t,” she replies, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes on him.
“You’re going to tell me that you’ll stay in the car. And I know you would, but that’s still too close. We have no idea what we’re walking into, and there’re too many unknown variables in play. I need to know you’re here and safe inside this room until we get back.”
“You want me in the safe room all night?”
Finn nods. “I do. Viktor already threatened you. I need to be certain there’s no way in hell he could get to you while I’m gone. I’ll make sure the guards are on high alert, and if anything seems off, to shoot first and let God sort it out. But I want you and Enzo in here.”
Enzo nods in agreement, understanding why Finn is so overprotective. Last time we went to kill a motherfucker, Alessia was in a fortified clubhouse full of bikers. But the time before that? Yeah, Finn isn’t going to take even the slightest chance.
Alessia blows out a breath. “Please get her back. I can’t…” Her tough exterior is starting to crack, and I know my sister-in-law well enough to know that’s the last thing she wants anyone other than her husband to see. The only other person on this planet she’s ever let see her vulnerable is Gemma, and I’ll be damned if she’s ripped from her life or mine.
Finn walks over to his wife and kisses her on the top of her head. “I promise, wife.”
“Have you been to the property?” Cillian asks Nikolai. “Or do you happen to have an address?”
“There’s no address you can pull, but I know the coordinates.”
“It’ll have to do. Let's go upstairs and see about pulling up satellite footage.”
“Damn, Cill. You know how to do that?” I ask.
“I like to dabble in a few things.”
I don’t think I’ll ever know the full scope of Cillian’s talents, but there’s a reason he’s Finn’s lieutenant, and it isn’t for his charming personality.
We collect all the weapons that will fit in the bags and head back upstairs so Cillian can pull up a visual on the safe house. Finn heads in the direction of his office and returns with several bulletproof vests and a medical bag. We don’t know the state we’re going to find Gemma in, and unless Nikolai knows of a doctor close to where we’re going, we may have to make do until we can get back here to our family doctor fifteen minutes from Finn’s house.
Alessia disappeared when we came up from the basement and now returns with a small bag, handing it to me.
“A change of clothes if she needs it.”
I take the bag and look into her fearful gaze. Her eyes are rimmed red, but there’re no tears on her face. She needed a minute to collect herself away from prying eyes. I offer her a small smile, but she doesn’t return it.
“I’ll get her back,” I reassure. Or I’ll fucking die trying . The unspoken words hang between us, but Alessia knows I won’t be walking out of there without her.
I walk over to where Cillian and Nikolai are sitting at Finn’s dining room table with the computer in front of them. They’re going over some images of the house. Two SUVs are parked out front, so we know there’s someone there.
The phone in my pocket rings, and when I pull it out, I see Jude’s name lighting up the screen.
“Hey, now’s not a good time.”
“Fuck off, arsehole. My brother and I are in Boston drinking at your bar. Tear yourself away from your woman and come have a pint.”
“Liam’s with you?” I ask, hoping like hell his brother is willing to do me a giant fucking favor.
“That’s what I said.”
Jude’s brother is an ex-Royal Marine who came to the states to start a security firm. The man has been in the middle of some incredibly dangerous missions, some very similar to this one.
“Listen, I need your help tonight.” Fuck, I hope they’re sober enough. “How much have you had to drink?”
“Working on our first. Hold on.” A few moments later, the loud bar noise disappears. “What’s going on?”
“My girl is in the hands of Viktor Petrov. We’ve been working with her brother, Nikolai, to take the Russians down.”
“Wait, if Nikolai is her brother, then that means Viktor Petrov is Gemma’s father?”
“Yup.”
“Do you know where he has her?”
“Yeah.”
“Hey, you fucking wanker, give me my phone back,” Jude yells at someone.
“Eoghan, it’s Liam. Did you say Petrov, as in the head of the New York Bratva?”
“I see you're familiar.”
“Where are you?”
“At my brother’s, about thirty minutes outside of the city.”
“Text Jude the address. We’ll be there in twenty.”
Liam hangs up without giving the phone back to Jude, and I promptly text him my brother’s address.
I turn to the other three men, locking my gaze with Finn’s.
“Grab a couple more vests. The fucking British are coming.”