Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
KILLIAN
“I’ll wait in the car, I swear it. I can even get in the back and duck down!” The last thing I want is for Teddy to be pleading and begging for anything. My girl has a crown on; she is royalty. She should be making demands and issuing orders.
“Zolotse.” I run a hand down my face. I’ve been trying to convince her not to come with me because of the danger she would be in, but she’s persistent.
We made it to the city an hour ago and got checked into a hotel. There are a few items that I need to pick up, and they are far from legal or likely to be in the best part of town. I'm still waiting to get a firm location. “You stand out. Someone will try to take you from me.”
I most definitely would. It’s what happened when I first laid eyes on her. I found her and was ushering her right into my vehicle.
“You’ll protect me.” I squeeze the back of my neck because leaving her in the car isn’t an option. Honestly, I’m not a giant fan of leaving her in the hotel room either.
My phone goes off, and I get a location. It’s not as bad of a spot as I thought. The neighborhood is shit, but it will be busy.
“All right, you’re coming.”
“Can I bring my taser?” I don’t know if she’s fucking with me or not. It hadn’t hurt as much as I played it up. I would let her tase me a million times if it ended in her agreeing to marry me at the end.
I’m an asshole and saw an opening to reassure myself I was getting what I wanted.
But then again, after I got it, my girl told me she was already going to marry me still.
I don't know how much I need to hear that shit until she's giving it to me.
Soothing shit inside of me that I buried when I was a kid.
"Yes, you can bring it."
"I was joking, but yes!" She does a small jump and takes off.
Teddy is full of energy. The whole six-hour drive to get here, she'd been bouncing in her seat. She'd go from talking nonstop to then singing. She’s happy, and that shit made me happy. It’s strange having someone's mood affect my own, but I’m enjoying every damn second of it.
"Wait." She pauses, spinning back around to face me.
"Where are we going? Do I need to dress in all black, or am I being a prude and should wear a sexy outfit? "
"A sexy outfit?" Over my dead body, and I'm a tough motherfucker to kill.
"Right, I don't have anything sexy."
"You are sexy," I mutter. I don't need her trying to be sexier, if it's even possible.
"Aww, you're so sweet." I wasn't trying to be.
"We're going to a fight."
"A fight?" Her nose scrunches. "As in—" She holds her fists up and pretends to shadowbox terribly. I'm going to have to train her to punch better. She’s going to break her wrist or a finger if she ever throws a real punch like that.
"Yes, it's illegal and underground."
"Oh my God, are we really going underground? Is it like Fight Club? Wait, don’t answer that. The rule and all.” I stare at her, having no idea what she’s talking about. When I fight, there are no rules. You do what you need to. “Oh, come on, you don’t know the first rule of fight club?”
“When I do have to use my hands, it’s not typically a full-on fight, Zolotse.
So I don’t know this rule you speak of." I try not to use a hands-on approach. I tend to take out my targets before they know what’s hit them, but that's not always an option.
This week with my Zolotse, I've been using a hands-on method a lot more.
“Oh, well, the first rule of fight club is you don’t talk about fight club. Just in case you need that little tidbit at any point.” She looks so proud of herself for passing on this knowledge to me. “Okay, but is there like a secret code we need to get underground? A handshake!”
"No." I fight a chuckle but lose. "It's not really underground. It's a term."
"But fighting is legal, right? I've seen those ads before."
"Not this kind, and there is gambling."
"Can we bet on one? That would be so fun. It's not even on my list of things to do." I stand there debating this.
"How about you change into jeans and a sweater? No jewelry at all." I don't care if no one would believe her crown is not real. I'm not taking any risks, and I want to draw as little attention as possible. She already attracts enough just being herself without any accessories.
"On it." She spins back around to go get ready. I follow her, doing the same, switching to jeans, a plain black shirt, and boots before arming myself with a few weapons. This is the first time I feel uneasy going into a pickup. Usually, I wouldn’t second-guess anything.
“I’m ready.” Teddy does a spin in front of me.
I take her in, my eyes eating up every inch of her.
She’s in a black sweater with a cat that looks oddly similar to Minnie, but is wearing a pink bow, and a pair of jeans that hug every one of her damn curves.
I shake my head when I get to her bright pink sneakers with embellished butterfly wings on them. “You don’t like my shoes.”
“Zolotse, I love your shoes, but we are trying to blend in.”
“Fine. I’ll wear the black ones with the gold diamond crowns on them instead.
I just wanted a little pop of color since I have to dress so boring.
I mean not the sweater with Minnie on it, obvs.
It's custom, one of a kind made especially for me.” She turns to get changed.
I have no other choice but to smile, realizing that whatever she has packed is going to be over the top.
“You couldn’t be boring if you tried.”
She turns, giving me one of those smiles she reserves for only me over her shoulder.
"I will take that from you if I have to.” I glance over to Teddy. We’re almost to our location.
“You’re going to upset Max."
“Who?”
“Max Dillon.” She holds up her taser, the one she is now fiddling with. “You know, Electro, from the Marvel Universe." Based on the name, I would assume that he has the ability to control electricity.
"The comic books?"
"Yeah, you know those?" I don't understand a lot of her references, but this one I slightly do.
"I read a few comics when I was younger. I don't recall that one, though."
"Yeah, there are so many," she says, smiling and tilting her head up, and I know she's now thinking about comics.
"Teddy." I snag her attention back. "Be careful with that."
"Right, I got it," she reassures me as it goes off, making her scream. "I'm okay, just a misfire." A string of Russian leaves me before I can stop myself. "It's hot when you do that."
"Your compliments will not stop me from taking it from you."
"Fine, I'll put it back in my pocket, and I'm going to click the button so it doesn't shock me while it's there." One thing is for sure: My soon-to-be wife will keep me alert.
Teddy waits for me to open her door to get out. "Fancy cars."
"I'm sure there are street races down here too." I tuck Teddy tightly into my side.
"Cool." Teddy's eyes are everywhere as I lead her toward the warehouse. There are two men manning the door.
"Little birdy," I tell them in Russian before they can ask us anything. One responds, letting me know where I can find Maxim and opening the door for us.
"What was that? Ptich-ka?" Teddy asks once we're inside.
"It means little bird. It was a code."
"So there are secret handshakes and words."
"Sort of." It wasn't for us to get in. That was so they'd tell Maxim I was here and would tell me where to find him.
"Ptich-ka," Teddy chirps, then suddenly stops walking. I can hear the fights in the distance. "Oh, like a little bird told me!"
"Maybe don't shout these things." Her eyes go wide, and she presses her lips firmly together.
"Come." I lead her farther in and watch her face light up when we enter the main area where a match is already going on in the center ring that's lifted partly off the ground, giving everyone a better view.
Teddy cringes a few times as the man in blue shorts takes a couple of bad hits, blood gushing out from his nose. She peeks over at me and mouths the word gross. That's tame.
I linger, letting her see some of the action and take in the people. Teddy really has kept herself tucked away from the world. It makes me want to show her more things but with me by her side to keep her safe. Then I can take her back home, where she wants to be most of the time.
"Are you ready to go see a man about a thing?"
A giggle bubbles free from her, which is what I was after. "Wait, I don't know what we are getting."
"Later." I put my hand on her back and lead her to the other side of the ring.
A man spots me and gives me a nod to the right.
Teddy is so focused taking in her surroundings that she doesn't notice him.
I head down the hallway, keeping Teddy close.
Another man is standing at a door, and he opens it.
I grab the side over the strike plate and slide in a pin.
I push it farther open, and it appears I'm only doing it to keep the door open for my girl to enter.
Maxim sits behind a long folding table; stacks of money are lined out across it.
A money changer counts the bills. There is a girl laid out on a couch beside him, her eyes glazed over.
Honestly, I know everything isn't as it should be.
Alarm bells are going off, and for once, I have to fight to keep a calm demeanor.
Normally I can do it as easily as breathing, but the stakes are higher than they have ever been.
"I need one of those." Teddy points to the machine. Maxim gives her a strange look. He has no idea that she's not joking; instead, he's trying to understand what the joke is.
"You bring a date?"
"She's not your concern," I tell him coolly.
"Everything inside of the warehouse is my concern.
" I stare at Maxim, letting the silence fall except for the sound of the machine shuffling through the money.
Maxim clears his throat, shifting in the folding chair.
Teddy's eyes bounce between us, as if she is watching a real-life reality show, which she loves.
"All right." He gives an easy smile, except it's not easy at all. "I got what you asked for." He goes to reach into the pocket of his jacket, but I'm quicker, pulling out my gun.
"You want to die tonight?" I say in Russian.
"It's really inside there," Maxim rushes to respond, his eyes widening, and I see how glassy they are.
"Have your girl get it," I tell him, switching back to English so the blonde hears me.
"Not my girl, a whore." Maxim is dismissive of her. That has the girl coming out of her high, barely.
"That's rude," Teddy mutters under her breath. "Sex worker." Maxim is smart enough to not respond, but his eyes linger on her.
I have not seen Maxim in a few years, but shit has gone downhill for him, it appears. This operation isn't as clean as it used to be.
"I won't repeat myself."
"Tasha," Maxim snaps, and the girl hurries to her feet. "My front left inside pocket," he tells her.
"No," I tell her, and she smartly stops. "I want the right pocket." That was the one he was going for. I already know from the blood draining from Maxim's face that it's a weapon. The girl does as she's told, pulling out the gun.
I'm pissed. No, I'm fucking enraged. "What the fuck did you think you were going to do here?"
"Nothing, I swear," he sputters, but I don't believe him. "Okay, things changed when we saw you had a girl with you."
"Oh God, was I about to be sex trafficked?" Teddy asks. "That was not on my list."
"You were about to be used against me." Maxim saw an opening and was making a play for it.
I don't know what he wanted: cash or information. It doesn't really matter at this point; he's a dead man either way. My Zolotse is off-limits, and I'm going to make that real fucking clear to everyone.