18. Chapter 18
eighteen
Бритва - Azar Strato
Twenty-three Days Since Talia’s Abduction
Dimitri kept his hood up as he walked through the bar. It was bitterly cold outside, and he was grateful that the extra layers he wore provided him with some extra cover as he found a couch to settle onto in the nearly empty bar.
He peeled his jacket off, scanning the room.
Red leather couches littered the space around the bar and dance floor.
The lights were dimmed, and Russian EDM played over the speakers, even though the dancefloor at the centre of the room was empty.
He was certain they’d hosted a rager or two earlier in the weekend, but the Sunday night crowd was nonexistent.
At the back of the room, doors led away, providing privacy for couples and sex workers who frequented the establishment.
Renegat never advertised itself as a sex club or brothel, but it maintained a reputation for being the place to find it if you wanted it.
Jackie’s involvement here shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him.
She stood at the bar already, picking the label off her beer.
She wore a knit turtleneck dress with a wide collar.
It hugged her curves so snugly that Dimitri had protested when she put it on, suggesting jeans, considering how cold it was outside.
But Jackie had insisted the dress was the better option, stating her contact preferred it when he had ‘easy access.’ That hadn’t made him feel any better.
She’d kept her makeup subtle—not wanting to draw too much attention to herself as if this was a casual visit—although she had opted for a dark burgundy lipstick.
Watching her now, Dimitri longed for it to be smudged along his abs as she made her way down to his cock.
He knew her well enough to recognize that her casual demeanour was a front for her lethality. He was so obsessed with her.
Noise drew Dimitri’s gaze away from his girlfriend, and he followed it to find a group of men emerging from one of the back areas. The five men were of different heights, with varying amounts of tattoos and piercings, but they all had one thing in common: they were all layered with muscle.
Dimitri fought the bile trying to force its way up his throat. Despite Jackie’s much-improved fighting abilities, she was still at a huge disadvantage against any of the men. She would have a hard time against one, much less the group of them, if they attacked her.
Talia…
He blinked away tears. They needed to find her, and sitting around spiralling at the thought of what she was going through wasn’t going to do that.
One of the men tapped another on the stomach, nodding toward Jackie at the bar.
The man’s face broke out in a smile. He ran his hand through his long, dark brown hair, pushing it back from where it framed his face.
Without another word to his friends, he strode toward her.
Jackie smiled when she saw him, allowing the man to sweep her into a tight hug.
She laughed when he swung her around. Dimitri’s stomach turned sour as he watched, wondering if Jackie had downplayed the relationship for his sake.
Jackie tilted her head back to laugh as her former flame swung her around. She hadn’t expected such a reaction to her return, but she wouldn’t complain. If he was this happy to see her again, he would be more likely to tell her whatever she needed.
“Here I was worried you must have found yourself a boyfriend,” her old flame said as he set her down. He kept an arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her close.
“I’ve been busy.” She smiled with a shrug. “Besides, what stake do you have in my relationship status? You don’t even know my name. I don’t know yours.”
His smile grew. He, like Dimitri, loved it when she gave him shit. He held his hand out to her. “M?kail. But you can call me Mik when you’re moaning my name in a little bit.”
Jackie kept her smile flirtatious despite cringing inwardly. “Grace,” she offered, giving him her middle name. She took his hand to shake it, but he pulled, kissing her knuckles and pressing her flush against him.
“And what brings you back to me, Grace?” he asked.
The way he looked at her and the tone of his voice told her he knew she was there for information.
She was pretty sure he thought she was some sort of private investigator.
Either way, he knew their relationship was mutually beneficial.
He provided her with information, she didn’t turn him and his friends over to the police or CSIS.
And they had both always enjoyed the sexual gratification they provided each other.
She had no interest in any kind of sexual gratification from him tonight, though. She needed information. And the thought that he might be one of the ones potentially abusing Talia made Jackie want to strangle him.
She toyed with the chain hanging from his neck. He watched her expectantly when she finally met his gaze. “Maybe I was just missing you.” She shrugged, tugging on the chain.
One corner of his mouth quirked up higher, and he leaned down to kiss her.
Dimitri watched the man lean down to kiss his girlfriend.
She caressed his cheek, letting him press his tongue along her lips.
Dimitri’s stomach churned while he watched.
Nothing about it was like their night with JP or any of the nights Jackie and Talia teased him by tying him up and making him watch them have sex.
It was different from watching Jackie and Talia.
This man was dangerous. This man thought he could use Jackie.
Dimitri couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to what the man might do if Jackie tried to turn him down.
Would he accept her no? Or would he force himself on her, like he might have forced himself on Talia?
His thoughts were interrupted as the man led Jackie away.
They disappeared through a door and down the hall.
Dimitri stared at the door a long time, having to stop himself from either throwing up or storming back there to drag the man off of Jackie.
He couldn’t wrap his head around why seeing Jackie with this man felt so different from when she was with Talia.
Perhaps the emotional intimacy Jackie and Talia shared made the difference.
Or the fact that he was also included in that relationship.
He wasn’t sure, and he wasn’t positive he wanted to dwell on it any further.
“You give yourself away, Dimitri Aleksander Fraser.” A voice behind him interrupted his thoughts. The lingering Russian accent told him who was speaking before he turned to face them.
Nikita Volkov sat on the couch behind him, turned at the waist to face Dimitri.
His long black hair was pulled into a bun at the back of his head, but loose strands framed his face, similar to the man who’d left with Jackie.
Nikita smiled menacingly; a tooth was missing in the top corner of his mouth, and a toothpick sat between his teeth on the other side.
A hoodie hung from his canvas jacket, much like Dimitri was dressed.
The wardrobe was dressed down compared to what he had expected the leader of the Toronto faction of the Russian mob to wear.
As low status as they were among the rest of the mob, he knew they had money. Dirty money, but money all the same.
“You have a lot of nerve showing your face at my bar again,” Nikita spat. Dimitri turned away, trying to look casual and not at all threatened by Nikita’s words.
“You have something that belongs to me,” he said. He pulled an ankle up over his knee, trying to keep his cool.
Nikita chuckled. “No, I don’t. The one who belongs to you is in the back fucking my third in command.
” His words hit their mark like a knife twisting Dimitri’s heart.
He schooled his face to nonchalance. “I warned him not to get involved with her. Her curiosity never sat right with me. But your staring gave her away. I didn’t believe the woman my men brought back was the girlfriend of the infamous Dimitri Fraser.
She cries too much. Begs too much. The real Jaclyn Young—the Jaclyn Young we’ve all heard so much about—would have fought back.
” Dimitri didn’t answer, not trusting his voice not to give away his anger or fear.
“Are you here because of Jaclyn’s guilt?
Or were you stepping out on her with the stray, and now your guilt is eating you alive? ”
Dimitri cracked his neck, a cocky smile breaking across his face. “Neither woman has anything to do with this. So what do you want so we can be done with it?”
Nikita watched him for a long moment. The smug smile on his face unsettled Dimitri in a way he didn’t like to acknowledge. “You’re not going to like what I want for this to be over.”
“You can have your money back. I’ll even double it. With interest.”
Nikita chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t give a shit about the money. The idiots who lost it have all been dealt with accordingly.”
“What do you want, then?” Dimitri turned and hissed. Nikita didn’t answer right away. His smile grew, satisfied that he’d gotten under Dimitri’s skin. “If you don’t want the money, then give the woman back.”
“Why would I do such a thing? And when my men have been having so much fun with her.” Nikita shrugged innocently.
Dimitri stared at the man; the confirmation of what Talia was experiencing was enough to make bile flood the back of his throat. He’d done this. His stupid impulsivity had caused this. One of the women he loved was suffering because he didn’t know enough to shut up and mind his own business.
He nearly stood and reached for Nikita’s throat, but his fire was extinguished when Jackie re-emerged from the back.
She paused just outside the door, swiping her thumb along her bottom lip to clean away her smudged lipstick.
She looked flushed and walked stiffly, but otherwise seemed okay as she made her way back to the bar.
Nikita followed Dimitri’s line of sight. His eyes roved over Jackie’s body from her feet and back up to her face. He didn’t hide how he leered at her ass as she walked by, returning to the bar to collect her jacket before leaving.
“What kind of condition am I going to find my cousin in?” he asked, clearly entranced by Jackie.
“Pieces,” Dimitri stated.
Nikita’s smile quirked to one side. “Her. You can have the stray back. You can keep the money. I want Jaclyn Young.”
“No,” Dimitri said without hesitation before adding, “I’m not trading one woman for another.”
Nikita chuckled. “You’re under the misguided notion that this is a negotiation.” Jackie paused before the exit, glancing across the bar before leaving. “All debts will be considered paid once I’m in possession of Jaclyn Young.”
“Why are you so set on her?” Dimitri asked, though he dreaded the answer.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Nikita shrugged. “You don’t want to let me have her. And I expect quite the fight from her. She won’t break easily. And I look forward to taking my time breaking her. When I’m finished, she’ll know nothing but belonging to me.”
“You won’t break her,” Dimitri stated. The smile on Nikita’s face told him he’d just lit a fire under the man’s ass. He’d just made breaking Jackie down this man’s greatest goal and challenge in life.
“Well then, I’ll get more money for her than either of you could provide me.
Someone was once paying for her safety. Now they are not.
I want to know who was paying Theo Clarke to protect her.
I want to know why. I want to know what’s so special about that plump ass to have all these men trying to protect her.
In my experience, no woman is worth that trouble.
How good is that pussy to have so many men falling over themselves to protect her? ”
“You’re not getting Jackie,” Dimitri seethed. “So what do you want?”
Nikita moved so fast, Dimitri wondered how long he’d been holding onto the gun, waiting for this moment. He didn’t so much as blink when the barrel settled between his eyes. He watched Nikita with a calm he hoped unsettled the man.
“I want you dead,” he spat, his eyes flaring wide.
“It would make me very happy. But killing you here would be too easy to be satisfying, and a mess I don’t feel like having cleaned.
Besides, where’s the fun in just putting a bullet in your head?
” Nikita removed the gun from Dimitri’s head, and he tried to be subtle with his sigh of relief.
Nikita stood, sauntering around the couch before pausing in front of Dimitri.
He watched as the bratva leader released the gun’s magazine and pulled a bullet out.
He bent at the waist to meet Dimitri’s gaze again, before he yanked Dimitri’s hand into his and shoved the bullet into it.
“Jaclyn is going to be mine. And I will break her so fundamentally that she only knows how to be a set of holes for me. But I’ll be generous.
You’ll still get to see her. Every day, I’ll send you the footage of me raping her, of me torturing and beating her.
You’re going to get to watch me break her until you decide you’ve had enough and put that bullet in your head yourself. ”
Dimitri gripped the bullet tight in his hand. Nikita straightened and turned to walk away. Dimitri took the opportunity to take a breath before standing. He chuckled once, examining the bullet between his fingers when Nikita turned to see what was so funny.
“You’re underestimating her,” he said. He closed the distance between him and Nikita, getting in the man’s face when he said, “Do you know what happened to the last man who underestimated her?” Nikita didn’t answer, though his smug smile had finally been wiped from his face.
Dimitri pulled his jacket on and walked toward the exit.
He paused, turning back toward Nikita, holding the bullet up to examine it.
“I’ll give this to her. I’m sure she’ll be happy to return it to you someday soon. ”
With that, he walked to the door. He didn’t believe he’d rattled Nikita.
The man was unhinged and conceited enough to think he was untouchable; to believe Jackie could never best him in a fight.
But Dimitri hoped he’d planted a seed. If Nikita began to doubt himself, they’d have a better shot at defeating him when the time came.
“You will want to move quickly if you hope to find the stray,” Nikita called toward Dimitri, halting him mid-step. “With a face like hers, she’ll sell quickly.”
Dimitri lifted his chin defiantly and left the building without another word. His heart beat so hard he thought it might burst from his chest cavity. Perhaps visiting the bar hadn’t been the solution they’d hoped for.