37. Rex
Mia sat there like a queen, her hair a halo of gold around her face. Where most people would have been reduced to crying and begging by now, she had a look of defiant resolve about her. Pride swelled in my chest as she negotiated with one of the most powerful men in the trade, and didn’t that make me feel like a big goddamned pussy. I was tied up, unable to help her, or protect our unborn child, and she demanded favors from him. And even though I had betrayed her trust, I could tell she was still worried for me too. Her eyes had traced over every inch of me, cataloging injuries and ways to help me get us out of here.
I never knew she was half Ukrainian, which just went to show that I didn’t really know her as well as I wish I did. Fuck, she definitely earned the title of princess as she bargained with Fedir fucking Sykyta, a man who had climbed the ladder in the criminal underworld by taking heads and giving zero fucks. It was said he cut the hands off of those who betrayed him and hung them around his house like fucking bunting.
“I want you to hit him.”
My thoughts quickly came to a halt as I took in what Mia just said. “What? Mia…”
“I deserve it, don’t you think?” she asked me, repayment for my sins coming back to haunt me in the guise of an angel with a thirst for my blood.
The men around us laughed, and my body jerked as Fedir slapped me on the back as if we were brothers. I held back my glare for the man that had our lives in his hands, and kept my eyes fixed on my woman. “I know I hurt you, and if this is what you need to make you feel better, then I’ll take every hit for you,” I whispered.
Her glare eased, and I saw through the anger to the hurt woman beneath. I could see her pain as if it was a mark on her skin, and I wanted to kick myself.
“Just do it,” I growled to Fedir, bracing myself for the hits.
“Just once,” Mia shot back, “one hit is all he gets.”
“Make it count, Bohdan,” Fedir snapped. The men pulled my chair back, swinging it around until I faced them. The heavier of the two, Bohdan I assumed, grinned at me and curled his fist in my face.
I looked at Mia grimly, before facing my judge and squared my shoulders, prepared to take my punishment. I saw his ham-fist swing at me before it landed. The crunch of bone resounded in my ears before the pain hit. My head flew back before I felt the gush of blood pour from my broken nose. “Fuck. You asshole,” I mumbled around the blood. Bodhan reached down and sliced me free, the ties giving way so my hands were free to pinch the bridge of my nose and try to stop the bleeding.
My head pounded already from the pistol-whip, and now the agony intensified with the busted nose. I breathed through my mouth, tasting the metallic tang of my blood on my lips. “Happy?” My words gargled free, and my sadistic woman smiled at me, a tiny hint of remorse glimmered in her eyes, but still, she looked like she enjoyed seeing me in pain.
“I’m happy-er.” She smiled. Finally, she had a grin on her face again, and it only took me getting hurt for it to happen.
Fedir placed my phone in front of me. “Call your president, tell him to come here and we can arrange your first drop off. I am out of drugs because I had to dispose of the shit that I bought from Felix’s people. I have many people waiting for me to provide for them, so let’s not take too long.”
My blood covered hand reached for the cell. Pressing the power button, the screen flashed dozens of missed calls and messages. “Shit, how long have we been here?”
Looking at his watch, he frowned. “About three hours, not long.” He waved his hand toward me. “Call them, I do not have all day.”
The call was answered on the first ring. “Where the fuck are you, Gavin?”
Cal never called me by my birth name, not anymore, so to hear the man growl my given name showed exactly how fucking shook he was. “I’m fine… we’re fine. Mia’s with me.” Sighs of relief and growls of anger fed through the line, my brothers were all in on the call. Cal had put me on loud speaker which made this easier.
“I need you to trust me, I’m on the old lot where old man Jenkins had his junkyard, come and pick us up and I’ll introduce you to our new buyer.”
There was silence on the end, the heavy breathing the only evidence that he was still on the phone. “Rex, you remember that run we did to Galveston to get you those parts for your bike…”
“It wasn’t Galveston, Prez. It was Milwaukee.” Galveston was a trap, and we nearly didn’t make it out alive, his reference to the trip that nearly got us killed was a way of him figuring out if this was a trap too, and a smart way of keeping it from Fedir. A code we had come up with in case of situations like this where one of us was in a precarious situation… or about to die. “It’s ok, Prez. I’ll see you soon.”
“We’ll be there in twenty.”
I pressed the red button and dropped my phone to the table. Throwing my head back against the seat and groaning, my nose ached like a son of a bitch, and my skull felt like it had been cracked open and someone had shoved their fingers inside and swirled them around like a fucking mixer.
A glass of water appeared beside me, beads of condensation pooled around the bottom. Licking my lips, I washed away the bloody taste, the cool liquid quenching my dry throat. “How are you feeling?” Mia asked, taking the empty seat beside me.
“I’m fine, princess,” I told her.
She twisted her fingers, anxiety swirling around her. “Are you mad?”
“Mad? No, I suppose I deserved it.” My voice was a nasally mess, as I swiped tissue beneath my nose, trying to clean up before Cal got here. Pinching the bridge of my nose again, I jerked it into place, righting the broken bone so it didn’t heal bent. The sharp pain brought water to my eyes, and I blinked the pain away. The sudden movement had caused it to bleed again, the viscous liquid dribbling down my face. Fuck, if Sly could ride his bike miles with a bullet in his shoulder, I could handle a broken nose. But damn, it fucking hurt. “I’m sorry,” I muttered around the tissue, “I’m sorry for lying.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Mia replied. The Ukrainians stood outside the trailer, Fedir on his phone and the others watching over him, it meant we had privacy for the first time since this whole shit started when she’d walked in and found me.
“It matters because you’re mad at me,” I growled.
“Of course I’m mad at you, Rex,” she argued. “You gave me no choice in my future.” She lowered her voice. “You poked holes in the condoms, but for some reason that man out there thinks you did a smart thing… which is one of the only reasons you’re still alive.”
“I guess I should thank you for that.” She huffed in annoyance. “Mia, listen?—”
I was cut off by the sound of thunder, my brother’s bikes rumbled getting closer and closer. Engines revved and finally shut off right outside. I stumbled to my feet to get out and stop any violence before it started. “Stay here.”
I rushed out, seeing my brothers parked in a semi-circle around the trailer, Fedir and his men in the center. The crime boss’s arms were crossed and stood with his feet apart, facing Cal.
As soon as I walked out, they climbed off their bikes, rushing toward me, their eyes narrowed at the blood coating my face. Before Kannon could reach for his gun, I grabbed his arm. “Don’t shoot. Everyone stand down.” Their hands gripped their guns in anticipation. “I said, don’t shoot.”
“What did they do to you?” Cal stalked toward me, his narrowed gaze fixed on me, nostrils flaring as he took in the state of my face.
“I’ve had worse, Prez,” I replied, “and this was a bargain I made for the good of the club.” I looked over at Fedir, the crazy ass man had a smug smile on his face. “Right?”
“Yes, yes. A bargain… something very beneficial for you and your men.” Fedir’s smile grew manically.
“This is Fedir Sykyta.” Cal’s eyes widened as he recognized the name. “He’s our new buyer.”
A hush spread over the clearing. “What the fuck is a Ukrainian mafia boss doing in Ohio… in a junkyard?” Cal spat, looking the man up and down. Fedir’s men hovered at his shoulders, prepared to protect him at all costs.
“I had a problem that I needed to deal with, now you are the beneficiaries of my business.” Fedir’s arm spread wide. “Welcome, Street Kings. Rex and I have had a good long chat. You are very lucky to have such a smart man as your sergeant… and one with such great taste in women.” He laughed at his own joke, and Cal’s brows lowered as his eyes swiveled from me to him.
“It’s a long story, one I’ll tell you about later. But for now, the short of it is that from now on, Fedir will buy direct from us, cutting Rio out completely.” I raised my voice slightly so all of my brothers could hear me. “It’s the same price as what Felix used to pay, we just have to get it to Canada.”
“And Canada is much closer than Mexico… see, I’m doing you a favor,” Fedir chimed in, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Disquieting murmurs came from the men around us, they held themselves tightly as if a trap was about to be sprung. “It’s a good deal, Prez,” I muttered so only he could hear me. Cal watched me intently before looking behind my shoulder. Mia stood on the concrete step in the trailer’s entryway, her pale face worriedly watching our meeting.
I held my hand out and my chest filled when she rushed toward me, grabbing my hand and holding on tightly.
“Mia, we were worried,” Cal spoke softly as she pasted herself to my side, smiling at the big man.
“Now, Mr. President.” Fedir clapped his hands together once, before rubbing them in anticipation. “We have much to plan. I will leave you to your little meeting, my men will be in touch.”
Fedir stepped closer, his hand out toward Mia. She placed her hand in his while I held onto her other, keeping her beside me and making sure she didn”t move away from me. “Skoro pohovorymo.” I grit my teeth when the slimy bastard kissed her hand. He could have his men hit me, punch me, beat me, but I drew the line at him touching my woman. Gently, I pulled her into me, her hand falling away from his grip.
His grin was knowing when he met my angered gaze, his dark eyes shining with humor.
“Family is important, pryntsesa. Remember that.” He turned and walked away, giving no thought to showing us his back. It just showed that he was either fucking crazy, or knew that no one was stupid enough to try and touch him. “Do pobachennya,” he called out, before climbing into the back seat, his men getting in after him. The car pulled out slowly, leaving us all behind in a cloud of dust.
When his car was no longer in sight, Cal twisted to face me with a mix of confusion and worry. “Now do you want to explain what the fuck just happened and what we just signed up to?”