Roman tightened his hands into fists and glanced back at his brother. “I hope so but whoever hit him, really did a good job. He’s got a severe concussion and hasn’t regain consciousness yet. We have to wait until he wakes up before we know anything.”
Jaden hung her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything,” Roman assured her.
The doctor stepped over to her and began checking her out again. “Miss, you should try to get some more rest. Your ribs are broken which is very painful and they need healing sleep to get better.”
Jaden tried to push herself up but cried out as the pain flared from her rib cage. She fell back against the bed and new tears rolled down her face. “Oh my god, that really hurts.” She whimpered. “But I can’t stay here. Billy Jo will find me. He always does.”
Roman stomped over to the side of her bed. “He wouldn’t dare come here and if he does, not even his connection to the Cubans will save his life.” He growled.
Jaden glanced up at him and tried to smile but she still felt the dread in her heart. “You don’t know Billy Jo.”
“No little one,” Roman tried to reassure her. “Billy Jo doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”
The doctor turned to face her and jabbed her with a needle.
Jaden cried out as he injected her with a sedative.
Both men watched as her eyes closed against her will and she drifted off into a drug induced sleep.
Roman turned his head to stare at the doctor. “Did you have to do that?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, I did. She would have tried to move and she doesn’t need the added stress on her body right now. This Billy Jo really hurt her and she needs time to heal before she runs again. She’s terrified of this man and she doesn’t want to bring trouble to your door.”
Roman turned his head and stared at the young woman in question. Then he turned to look at his brother. His brother was sleeping as well and Roman sighed. He had a feeling it was going to be a very long night.
On the other side of town Billy Jo and his friends stopped the car they took. It was a nice car and had some power and Billy Jo really liked driving the machine. It was a vintage Mustang but it had been fully restored to its former glory. As he pulled it off the road he began going through the glove compartment and found the papers for the vehicle.
He looked at the registration papers along with the insurance papers. He skimmed over the name on the articles and was rifling through the rest of the stuff in the compartment when his buddies rolled up behind him. He passed off the paperwork to one of them and continued to search the car.
“Hey do you know who this car belongs too?” Jason asked with a touch of fear in his voice.
Billy Jo looked up at his friend and scoffed. “I don’t fucking care who owned it before I got it.”
“Oh, you might care about this.” Jason sneered.
“And why is that?” Billy Jo asked.
“Because the car belongs to Roman Salizar, that why.”
“And who the fuck is Roman Salizar?” Billy Jo sneered.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of the Russian Bratva right?” Jason asked.
Billy Jo paused and narrowed his eyes. “Bratva huh?” Then he sat back in his seat and swore, “Well, shit on a shingle. How the hell did that bitch get tight with the Bratva?”
“Better question is what the hell are you gonna do now?” Jason wanted to know. “You’ve already got the Cubans pissed at you, in fact you’re lucky to be alive because of them, now you got an enemy of the Bratva too? Buddy, you might just be screwed here. Maybe it’s time to get out of town for a while till things cool down a bit?”
Billy snapped his head to glare at Jason. “Now, why the hell would I want to leave town? I’ve got an ace in the hole remember?”
Jason shook his head but he didn’t say anything.
“Maybe we should get rid of the vehicle and just keep our heads down for a while?” Larry suggested.
Billy Jo smiled widely. “Maybe we should get rid of the evidence at least.” Then he growled at his friends, “But I don’t hide from anybody! Bratva or not, they can’t find me anyway. Nor can the Cubans. I’ve moved since the last visit they made.”
“What exactly is your ace in the hole?” Jack asked tipping his head to one side.
“I know exactly who Jaden Gibbons actually is and who she belongs to,” Billy Jo informed them. “Her daddy tried to kill her once but didn’t quite finish the job. If the Bratva comes after me, I’ll just call her daddy and let him handle it. He’d be willing to pay for the information I can give him. He wouldn’t want his wife to find out about his bastard daughter after all, or any of his associates.”
They pushed the car further off the road and Billy Jo himself doused the car in gasoline and then they all stood there watching when Billy Jo tossed a match into the window. The whoosh when the car burst into flames had them all scrambling away from the area and they rushed to their own car and sped away with Billy Jo driving.
The light of the fire lit up the darkness of the night and as he drove away, Billy Jo smiled.
CHAPTER SIX
Iosif groaned and stirred as he came awake slowly. The pounding in his head lowered to a dull roar as he got the pain under control. When he thought he could stand it, he opened his eyes a crack. The low lighting in the room brought the pain he was in up a notch or two until he could focus again.
His eyes cleared after a while and he could stand to look around the small room. He found himself in a small bedroom. The fact that he couldn’t remember how he got here was bothersome but not unduly so. Lifting his hand to the back of his head he found his fingers touching bandages so whoever found him had given him medical attention.
Rising up on his elbows, he glanced around the room. The place was clean and fresh at least. Then he spied the cot along the wall. Frowning he stared at it for a moment then slowly rose to see if he could see if there was anyone else in the room with him.
Then he saw her face. It was bruised and battered but Iosif knew her almost immediately. It was Jaden from earlier today. He had to smile. At least, he hadn’t lost her. Sitting up slowly he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He had to hiss in pain. For a moment, he’d forgotten about his injuries.
The door swung open and he looked up to see Roman standing there. Iosif knew a moment of pure relief. Somehow, Roman found him and brought both him and Jaden to safety.
Roman marched over to his brother and began lifting his legs back into bed. “You must rest brother. You got hit pretty hard today.”
“I know this,” Iosif told him wryly. “I was there remember?”
Roman chuckled under his breath. “As a matter of fact I do remember. How are you feeling?”
“B`lyad… Fuck. Like someone hit the back of my head with a 2x4.” Iosif closed his eyes and laid back on his pillow briefly. Then he opened his eyes and looked at his brother. “How did you find us?”
Roman turned his head. “I called you when I didn’t hear back from you and she answered your phone. She told me what happened and where you were. I brought you here and got you both medical attention.”
“Is she going to be all right?” Iosif asked.
Roman glanced over at the girl. “I don’t know. This isn’t the first time that pig has beaten her but I swear it will be the last time. She had a multitude of bruises some healing some new. She also has three broken ribs and a bruised jaw. She’s sedated at the moment.”
“Why?” Iosif barked.
Roman smiled slightly. “When she came to a short time ago, the doctor had just finished wrapping her ribs. She saw that you were taken care of and she was trying to get up so she could leave before Billy Jo found her again and came back to finish the job he started earlier. The doctor gave her something to allow her to rest. He wanted to take her to the hospital, but I told him no. I told him the man that beat her would find her and finish the job.”
“She doesn’t know we can
protect her, does she?”
Roman shook his head. “No, she doesn’t. Not yet anyway. We’ll have to tell her in the morning. What do you know about her anyway?”
Iosif shrugged. “Not much. I know her name is Jaden and after Billy Jo’s tantrum in the diner, she lost her job and her place to live. He got there ahead of her and completely destroyed everything she owned and took what little money she managed to save. He left her penniless, homeless and with nothing left to her name. She did say this wasn’t the first time he’d done this to her.” Iosif turned to look at her. “That makes me wonder why he continues to hunt her down and turn her life upside down.”
Roman scoffed. “Well, this is the last time he’ll do it.” He stood up and looked down at his brother. “Yuri is looking for Billy Jo and his friends. He’s also contacting the Cubans.”
“Good.” Iosif nodded.
“I want to get my hands on the little bastard.” Roman seethed. “He emptied your wallet and took my car when he left you and Jaden in the street. He may think he’s hot shit, running numbers for the Cubans but he hasn’t met us before. By the time we’re done with the little bastard, he’s going to rue the day he went up against the Bratva.”
Iosif stared at the girl in the other bed. Without looking at his brother he simply asked, “Can you bring her over to me? I want her in my bed.”
“Iosif, she needs her rest and you both are still recovering for the beating,” Roman argued.
Iosif snapped his head around to glare at Roman. “I’m not going to do anything to her to hurt her. I just want her with me.”
Roman stared for a moment longer then exhaled and walked over to the cot. Picking her up gently, he carried her to the other bed and laid her next to his brother. “The doctor thinks it would be better if she were elevated until she can breathe better.”
Iosif pushed extra pillows under her head and back but still managed to wrap his arms around her.
“Are you going to be comfortable?” Roman asked.
Iosif nodded. “Oh yes, I think I could get very used to this. It just feels right, you know?”
Roman grinned. “Yeah, I know. I felt it too when Stevie came to live with me.”
Iosif hesitated briefly. “I’ve never had this before. Never wanted it with any other woman but I want this with her. Does that make any sense to you?”
“Yeah, it does.” Roman admitted. “It can happen that fast. I felt that same way and I still do. I don’t think I ever knew what I was missing until I found my wife. I had plenty of women when I needed release but I never wanted them in my life longer than it took to fuck them. Then I found Stevie and it was strange but I never wanted her to leave. It’s strange that you feel it too.”
“Why?” Iosif shrugged. “We are brothers after all.”
Roman chuckled. “That we are. For the longest time, I feared we took after our father. I don’t think he ever loved anyone this much.”
“In that my brother, I think you are wrong,” Iosif admitted. “I think he could have loved our mother if she had been honest with him and not run away to hide us from him.”
Roman paused then looked down at his brother. “You think so? You really think so?”
“Maybe.” Iosif shrugged. “He never said so in so many words, but I think the man he was back then frightened her. He’s mellowed quite a bit over the years from the man he was when he took me away from that apartment.”
“Then he must have been a bastard of a man back then.” Roman scoffed.
Iosif shook his head. “No, I don’t think so, he was just young and brash and trying to make his own way. He had only himself to think about, he was the type of man to think and feel of only today. Then after he found me, he suddenly had a future to think about. He often told me that after I came to live with him it changed his way of thinking. He had a young child to train and I think that’s what changed him. He suddenly had a future to think about. He wasn’t alone anymore.”
Roman listened and nodded. “That I can relate to. Before Stevie and Benny came, I was much the same way. Then when I made her mine I suddenly had a whole new way of the way I looked at life. It wasn’t just me anymore. My life expectations changed from that moment on. I suddenly had a family again. Not only Stevie but Benny as well. They came as a pair even if they weren’t blood related. But that I understood already.”
Iosif smiled and glanced down at the woman in his arms. “it’s odd. I drove straight t that diner as if I knew my future was there. I couldn’t take my eyes off her either. Not in the way, I would for a woman to just have sex with, but with real interest. An odd thing…”
Roman let out a slight laugh. “Yeah, it has you. It has happened to my brothers too. Fate had them nearly running into or tripping over their true mates. Being led to meet…maybe it was fate? In fact, I too got I hit on the head when I met Stevie.”
Iosif looked up. “What?” His eyes were lit with interest.
“That, little brother is a story for another day.” He studied lsoif’s paling face.
Iosif shook his head.
“Fate sure got you a beating though.” Roman scowled and left the room.
The sun was well overhead when Jaden felt the pull to wake up. She felt warm and secure for the first time in a long time. When she went to shrug off the last effects of night rest she felt the stirring of pain. For some reason her chest felt tight and heavy and for a moment she didn’t understand why.
Cracking her eyes open she glanced around the room without giving anyone who might be looking an idea she was conscious yet. She had a lot of practice doing that growing up the way she did. She grew aware of the room she was in and she knew a sudden fear. She didn’t know where she was, or why. This didn’t seem like her room.
She opened her eyes a little wider and continued her search of the room she was in. Faint light entered from around the windows. The entire room was nice. The bed, dresser and wardrobe cabinet were all dark wood. The carpet was lush and clean, so unlike the carpet in her last place. The mattress she was laying on was soft and comfortable.
That’s when she noticed the heavy breathing beside her. Jaden froze and didn’t dare move her head toward the sound. Finally, she noticed the even breathing and knew whoever was there was still asleep. Slowly, she turned her head hoping to not disturb whoever it was.
When her eyes lit on the man beside her she frowned a bit. He was laying on his belly facing her. His back was bare and she gazed at his muscular back and arms. His skin was covered in ink and the intricate patterns were something she hadn’t seen before. Some of the letters were backward and she didn’t understand them. Then she looked closer at his face and in a blinding flash she remembered everything that happened the evening before. Lifting her hand, she reached out and brushed his hair away from his face gently.
Smiling at him she took note of the lines of his face. He’d told her his name was Iosif and he was her hero. Seeing the bandage on the back of his head she remembered seeing the 2x4 smash into his skull and him dropping to the dirt.
Then she tried to take a deep breath but realized she couldn’t. Her ribs were wrapped tightly and to breathe deep hurt like fire.
She frowned and winced. The pull of her mouth reminded her that Billy Jo had struck her in the face last night. Her jaw and lips were split open and when she raised her hand to touch the spot, Iosif grabbed her wrist and held her tight. She cried out and he immediately let her loose.
“Oh god, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Your movement startled me,” Iosif told her quietly. Then he smiled. “I’m not used to sleeping with someone. I usually sleep alone.”
Jaden tried to put some distance between them but found herself leaning toward him. “I’m sorry I don’t remember how I got here or even where here is,” she whispered as heat flooded her cheeks.
“Here is a safe house my brother owns. You will be safe here, Billy Jo will not find you.” Iosif pushed himself up to a sitting position.
She noted his
chest and the front of his arms were decorated with more of the same symbols as his back was sporting.
Twisting his body, he sat next to her.
Jaden looked around the room again and noted there was another bed in the room. She turned to Iosif, “Why if there are two beds are we sharing one of them?”
“Because when I woke up in the middle of the night I wanted you in my arms when we woke up.” Iosif shrugged his massive shoulders.
He said it so matter of fact she was left with nothing else to say.
She opened her mouth to say something but found she couldn’t. It had been nice to feel safe this morning. She knew that was due to him. She looked into his eyes and asked, “Why? You don’t even know me.”
Iosif shrugged. “You know I’m not exactly sure why. It could be because you’re a beautiful woman, but I see beautiful women every day. Or it could be because I think you’re in trouble and I just want to help, but that isn’t it either.” He leaned closer and laid his forehead against hers. “But I think it’s mostly likely that spark I felt the first time our hands touched,” he whispered. “Out of all the women I’ve met in the years I have never felt that and I know you felt it too, didn’t you?”
Jaden swallowed hard. Looking him in the eyes she nodded slowly. “Yeah, I felt it. I don’t know what it means but I felt it.” She wet her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. “I don’t’ know what this means either but when I’m with you, I feel safe.”
“Safe?” Iosif frowned slightly.
Jaden nodded then turned away from him.
He sat back a bit and stared at her. For a long moment he didn’t break the silence between them. “What do you mean by that statement? I need to know. I don’t think I’ve ever made anyone feel safe before.”
Jaden’s cheeks flooded with color and she dropped her eyes.
Iosif’s hand reached out and cupped her chin raising it slowly. When he caught her eyes again he told her softly, “Please tell me, I’d like to know you better.”
Iosif -To load Page 5
