Iosif -To load

by Dahlen, K. J.

  “There has to be more to this story.” Roman griped. “Maybe she doesn’t know it yet but Yuri will not let it rest until he understands why this man is after her.”

  Iosif stared at his brother. He didn’t know Yuri and the others all that well. “He wouldn’t hurt her would he?”

  Roman snapped his head around and glared at his brother. “No he wouldn’t.” he growled. “Nor would he allow anyone else to hurt her. He’s not like that and in this she is an innocent, at least for now.”

  Iosif nodded. “I’m sorry but we were raised differently. I don’t know Yuri very well. Or the men under him.”

  “No problem.” Roman nodded. “But remember this… we trained under the same set of rules. We wouldn’t think of hurting an innocent and until Jaden proves us wrong that’s what she is to us, an innocent. We’ll know more after Yuri gets here and questions her. Kosta is doing a deeper search to see if there’s more to her story than she’s told us.”

  Iosif thought for a moment before he told his brother, “She was three when she was found sitting beside her dead mother. She claims not to remember anything from that night but perhaps she saw what happened. She was bruised and had a cut on her head. She claims not to remember what happened but maybe those memories are still there somewhere buried deep in her brain somewhere.”

  “What are you saying?” Roman asked.

  “I think in her nightmares, she relives that night over and over again. I’ve seen a look in her eyes. She’s haunted by something she doesn’t even remember. She may not even know it or remember her nightmares but they are there.”

  It was mid-morning when a knock sounded on the front door. Roman moved closer to it with his weapon drawn. Peeking at the security camera image of the porch he relaxed and put his weapon away. Opening the door, he found Yuri and Kosta waiting there.

  Stepping back, he scanned the neighborhood quickly before he closed the door again. He followed Yuri and Kosta into the living room area where they were speaking to Iosif.

  “So what happened last night and how did you get dragged into it?” Yuri wanted to know.

  “To tell you the truth I’m not really sure,” Iosif admitted. “I stopped at a diner for something to eat and found myself defending Jaden from a bully. He was tormenting her and no one tried to stop it. They ignored it completely, so I stepped in. He thought he could threaten me and didn’t care much for the fact I didn’t back off. He even tried coming after me with a blade in his hand. If Roman hadn’t pulled up beside me and told him he liked his car just the way it was he would have keyed the car.”

  “Billy Jo Walker?” Yuri asked. He glanced over at Roman. “So he knew who you were?”

  Roman shrugged. “I don’t think so, but I knew him. This wasn’t my first go around with the little bastard. He may not have remembered the only other time we met but I never forget a little dumbass. I think all he knew was that neither of us were afraid of him. But I’m sure he knows by now who we are and who we represent. The papers in my car would have given him my name along with the address of my office.”

  Yuri nodded. “I have men watching over the property.” Turning back to Iosif he asked, “What exactly was he doing?”

  Iosif nodded. “He seemed to take pleasure in putting her down and I could see the deep-seated fear she had for him. I didn’t like it. But I never touched him. I also wasn’t afraid of him and that just seemed to piss him off a lot. So much so that he cleared a table and left a mess for her to clean up which cost her, her job when the manager told her she didn’t need that at her diner. When I walked Jaden back to her house he’d been there earlier and trashed the place. He ripped up everything she had and poured bleach on it. Hell, he even pulled everything in her refrigerator out and left it all on the floor and believe me, there wasn’t much food in her refrigerator at all. Then he took every penny she managed to save, plus he took all my cash and just left us laying in the dirt.”

  “I heard about that.” Yuri nodded. “Are you going to be okay?”

  Iosif nodded. “Roman had a doctor check us out, we should be fine in a few days.”

  “Did Roman tell you, your girl has no records of any kind? No birth certificate, no social security number, no nothing before she was taken by Social services?” Kosta asked.

  Iosif nodded. “I don’t know why that is and I’m not sure Jaden can tell us why either. She was found when she was three so I’m not sure she even knows. I don’t know what happened, but it doesn’t matter to me. I found her, and I want to keep her.”

  “Just like that, huh?” Yuri gave him a half smile.

  “Yes, just like that.”

  “So, what happens when you leave to rejoin your father? The way I understand it he only gave you a week,” Yuri questioned.

  “He might have to find someone to replace me.” Iosif looked the other man in the eyes and shrugged. “Who knows, I may just like staying in America.”

  Roman and Yuri chuckled and even Kosta grinned at his announcement.

  Iosif sobered up a moment. “But before we can do anything, I have to help Jaden. Billy Jo is looking to kill her I think, and I’ll be damned before I let that happen.”

  “We won’t allow that to happen either,” Yuri assured him. “You are one of us now through Roman and we protect our own.” He paused then added, “You know you have a place with us here, if your father allows it.”

  “I’m thirty five years old. A grown man I don’t think I need my father’s permission to do anything.”

  Roman rolled his eyes. “From what little I know of Timor Maxim, he isn’t one to loosen the leash he has on someone too easily. He’s still trying to get me to move back with him and he barely knows me, but you, he’s known you most of your life and he thinks he commands you. I don’t think he’ll let both of us go.”

  Iosif nodded. “That’s true enough. He won’t let me go without a fight.” He glanced down the hall to the bedroom door Jaden was behind. “But if he wants a fight about this, I may just give him one. I think she might be worth it.”

  “And you know that from the little time you spent together?” Yuri asked with a slight frown.

  Iosif nodded. “When our hands touched it was like a spark of electricity shocked us. We both felt it. Then after I awoke here in the safe house, it came to me that I was meant to meet her in that diner. After all, I just drove there with no destination in mind originally. I borrowed Roman’s car as I felt restless and like frustrated, but didn’t know why.” He looked over toward the bedroom door. “That feeling has now gone away. I think I’ve had it for months now…This frustrated out of sorts feeling. Now it’s suddenly gone.”

  Roman smiled slightly. “Fate.”

  Iosif glanced over at Yuri. “So now what?”

  “Now I think we need to talk to your woman. I know now is probably not a good time but we need answers before we can move forward.”

  Iosif nodded. “He had three other men with him but I didn’t know them. Jaden might know who they are.”

  “Shall we find out then?” Yuri suggested.

  Roman interrupted, “She might be a little sleepy at first. The doctor gave her pain pills for her ribs.”

  “Her ribs?” Yuri asked.

  “Yeah,” Iosif replied. “Billy Jo hit her pretty good and either fractured or broke three of her ribs, Doc couldn’t be sure without an x-ray but she’s having a hard time breathing. He wrapped her ribs for now.”

  Yuri nodded then followed Iosif and Roman down the hall. When Iosif opened the door, he found Jaden awake and looking a bit frightened. He frowned and rushed over to her. “What’s wrong?” he whispered as he knelt beside the bed so he was level with her.

  Jaden shook her head. She wished she could remember but her nightmares always left her the moment they woke her. “Just a nightmare,” she murmured back. I’ll be okay. It just takes a few minutes to get over it.”

  Yuri, Kosta and Roman came into the room, Jaden’s eyes widened as she studied the other men sh
e hadn’t met yet. She paled and tried not to tremble as they neared the bed.

  Iosif frowned at her reaction and covered her hand with his. “Malysh, these men will not hurt you but they have some questions for you. Can you talk to them?”

  Jaden swallowed hard and looked up at him. “Maly what?”

  The men all smiled.

  Isoif grinned at her. “Malysh. It means baby or babe?”

  Her cheeks flamed as she rested her hands in her lap. He’d called her babe? She felt so nervous as she was never the best this close to waking up from one of her nightmares. But she had to try. “I’ll try to help?”

  “Da, that’s all we can ask, is that you try,” he whispered. Turning toward the men he introduced them, “This is Yuri, my brother’s friend.” Yuri nodded and reached out to shake her hand. “And this is his security man, Kosta.” When Kosta reached out to shake hands his shirt was pulled back enough she could see a tattoo on his wrist.

  She couldn’t see the full tattoo but the fact that he had one there terrorized her to the point that she paled and almost passed out. She began to hyperventilate and she drew back from him sudden fear.

  Iosif noticed immediately and frowned at her reaction. He turned to Kosta then looked at Yuri.

  Yuri noticed as well and he leaned forward. “What’s wrong with her?” he demanded.

  Iosif shook his head. “I don’t know. She said she just woke up from a nightmare.”

  They both looked over at Kosta and he shrugged and took a step back.

  Iosif turned his attention back to Jaden and began rubbing her arms. “Jaden, you are safe here. No one is going to hurt you, not on my watch. Kosta works for Yuri and he wouldn’t dream of hurting you.”

  Jaden took a long moment to relax and lean into Iosif’s embrace. Finally, she took a deep breath, Planting her face in his chest she began to cry. “I know I shouldn’t have been afraid but there was something about his tattoo that scared me so bad. It’s like it was part of the nightmare I just had.”

  “You have nightmares?” Yuri asked with a frown.

  Jaden nodded but wouldn’t look at him.

  “Do you remember them?” Iosif asked carefully.

  Jaden shook her head. “No as soon as I’m awake the nightmares fade but I can never remember them. I’ve had them all my life.”

  Yuri turned to Kosta and motioned at her arm. “Let me see your wrists.”

  Kosta unbuttoned his shirt sleeves and pushed back the sleeves to reveal his wrists. The front was plain with no marks or ink. He slowly turned them over to reveal his inner wrists and there in bold color was the picture of a snarling bear on his right wrist. The same wrist he reached out to shake her hand with.

  Jaden turned to observe his tattoo and then she frowned. She sat up and leaned closer to study his ink. Then she looked up at the man himself. “A bear? It’s a bear on your wrist?”

  Kosta nodded.

  Jaden looked at him then over to Iosif and she shook her head. “That’s not the tattoo in my nightmare. It’s not a bear I see most nights.”

  “What do you see in your nightmares?” he asked.

  Jaden shuddered. “I see a snake. A pissed off snake with its mouth wide open and his fangs dripping venom. I see blood dripping as well. The snake is orange and black and it wraps around his wrist,” she whispered.

  Roman just stared at her. His eyes took on an intense look.

  Yuri slowly became stiff as he narrowed his eyes at her. “And why does this snake frighten you so much that you have nightmares about it?” he asked quietly.

  Jaden turned her head toward him. “I think that snake hurt someone I loved. I don’t remember the whole nightmare, but I can see that snake hurting someone I love very much.” She seemed startled by her own words. She looked quickly at Iosif. “I remembered something. I actually remembered part of my nightmare!”

  Iosif frowned, “But is that good or bad?”

  “It’s scary but if I remembered that much it’s more than I remembered before.” Her hands shook.

  “You said earlier that you’ve had these nightmares most of your life,” Yuri commented. “Do you know why?”

  Jaden shook her head. “I’ve been told by my foster parents that I yell and scream when the nightmares come but as soon as I’m awake, I never remember the dreams themselves. No one has been able to tell me much about what I shout and cry about but it cost me more than one foster home. They said they couldn’t take the fact I disturbed the entire household when they came.”

  “Speaking of foster homes, what do you remember of going into the system?” Yuri asked.

  Jaden swallowed hard. Looking down at the blankets covering her, she spoke quietly, “I was told I was found beaten and bloody sitting beside my mother when I was three. She’d been beaten and strangled. If I saw who did it I didn’t remember it. When the police came I think they said I was in shock. They took me to the hospital but I don’t remember it. I don’t really remember much about that time in my life. My social worker, Mrs. Bradley told me I was too young to remember what happened to my mother. They did a blood test and found that the woman I was with was my mother and that her name was Jazzy Gibbons. There was no mention of my father so as far as I know no one knows who he is. He never came forward and neither did anyone else. As far as I know, I have no family at all.”

  “Were you aware there is no paperwork that could prove you were even born?” Yuri asked. “No birth certificate, no social security number?”

  Jaden nodded. “Mrs. Bradley told me that without a birth certificate I couldn’t be given a social security number. It makes it very hard to get and keep a job but it is what it is. I can’t change that.”

  “Could your mother have been hiding from someone or something maybe?” Roman asked.

  Jaden shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t remember her at all.”

  “What else do you remember?” Yuri questioned again.

  “Nothing. I remember nothing about that time in my life. I’ve tried so hard to remember that night, but I can’t. One doctor advised Mrs. Bradley that sometimes the brain hides a traumatic experience and apparently that’s what my brain did. That night is buried so deep in my brain that I can’t remember it at all.”

  “Except in your nightmares,” Iosif suggested.

  Jaden nodded. “That’s what the doctor said too. He claimed the nightmares are my brain’s way of letting me know what happened that night. That they allowed me to relive what happened and try to cope with it. The only problem with that is I never remember those dreams when I’m awake.”

  “But you might be beginning to.” Yuri nodded. Looking over at Kosta he suggested, “You remembered a small piece of that night when you saw his tattoo. Maybe if you remembered that you’ll eventually remember everything.”

  Jaden shook her head. “And maybe I don’t want to remember.”

  Iosif raised his hand and lifted her chin to his. “Sweet girl, you have to face your past no matter how painful it may be. Face it and it will no longer be fearful for you. Whoever killed your mother has been in hiding as well and he needs to pay for what he did, not only to her but to you as well.”

  Jaden thought about his words for a long moment then reached out and unhooked her wide leather bracelet. Under the leather was another long-held secret. Lifting her arm for everyone to see she announced, “Then maybe I should show you this.” She nodded at the birthmark she’d hidden for most of her life. “I was told by a doctor that this could very well be a birthmark.”

  The blemish on her forearm looked like a bloody red blotch on her fair skin. It was oval in shape, bright red and slightly raised from her skin. In the center was the perfect dot of no color at all.

  She quickly covered the blemish up again with the leather band and looked a bit nervous. The leather band had been on her wrist so long she almost felt naked with it. “The doctors had it tested for cancer, but it wasn’t cancerous. I wanted to have it taken off, but the doctors wouldn’t touch it.
They told me after more testing it was entirely too close to a major blood vessel in my arm and if removed it could cause some damage to the vessel.”

  “So we have that much to go on.” Yuri nodded. “A snake tattoo and a birthmark. Well, that’s more than we had before. Now tell us about this Billy Jo bastard.”

  Jaden shivered. “I really hate that man and I think he hates me too. But I have no absolutely no clue why.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Jaden looked at Iosif with tears in her eyes. “I met him in high school when I was just sixteen. I had just moved to the area and didn’t know anyone in that school. I was a quiet kid I suppose but for some reason, he noticed me. Kingston High School in Baton Rouge was a clicky place, if you weren’t a jock or cheer leader or academically correct then you didn’t belong there. I wasn’t any of those things and I knew it. They also knew it and let me know every moment I was there. I just didn’t belong and when they found I was a foster kid it got that much worse. Billy Jo often cornered me in the halls, him and his friends would harass me, then one day he cornered me yet again and he told me I needed to step it up. He said he would be willing to give me some help by dating me, he said it would be nothing more than a pity date and that I should bow down and kiss his feet in gratitude.”

  The men in the room looked angry at hearing this.

  “I told him I would rather not, if he didn’t mind. I said I would rather be boiled in oil rather than date a bastard like him.” She shivered “That was the wrong thing to say and I knew it even as I said it but it just sort of popped out of my mouth at the time.” She looked over at Iosif. “He got so mad that he lost his temper and hit me. A teacher was walking by just then and Billy Jo got kicked out of school for three days. When he came back he was horrible to me. Every day, it got worse until I left. I just dropped out because he made it so hostile.”

  “Did anything else happen to cause hard feelings?” Roman asked.

  Jaden shook her head. “No, I’ve tried my best to stay out of his way. I had to leave school and the foster care early then got myself a job and a small apartment and tried to live under the radar. He managed to find me everywhere I went after that.”