Melting Point

by Pierce, Nicolette

  Liam didn’t even want to start with the list of problems his family had. Having a loving vor as a grandfather was nothing compared to his ill-functioning family.

  “Will you check on Morgan for me?” he asked. “I was told to wait out here, but you’re family.”

  Greer smiled again as she sauntered away. “You’ll be family soon enough.”

  Liam wouldn’t be as hopeful as Greer sounded. Especially not when he knew his actions would infuriate Morgan. He’d promised if she went to the hospital and saw to her wound, that they would go to the meeting point right after. Liam hated to lie to her, but she was too stubborn and bleeding.

  As soon as Greer was out of view, Liam hurried to the truck. He hoped Morgan would forgive him later. He also hoped he’d live through the bratva war to hear every angry word that passed over her lips. And then he’d kiss those pretty lips and never let her out of his sight again.

  Chapter 23

  “What do you mean he’s gone?” Morgan flew from the bed, the new stitches straining against her skin.

  “Slow down,” Greer ordered. “You’ll hurt yourself again.”

  “Where’s Liam?”

  “I don’t know. I only left him alone for a few minutes to check on you. Maybe he went to the cafeteria.”

  “He didn’t go to the cafeteria,” Morgan gritted. The jerk had dumped her and left. He was going to meet the others without her. “Damn him!” Morgan made her way to the door, conscious that Greer was looking at her with raised brows.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “To find Liam.” She stopped. He probably took her truck, which meant she was stranded. “Where’s your car?”

  “Heading to the junkyard as we speak.”

  Morgan turned to question Greer. “What happened?”

  “It’s a long story, one that involves Grandpa.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “Why don’t you sit down and I’ll explain everything. At least everything I know.”

  “There’s no time. We’ll catch a cab, and you can explain on the way. Liam can’t do this on his own.”

  “Is that what you think?” Greer questioned as she followed Morgan through the hospital and out the door. “That no one can do anything without you?”

  “I didn’t mean it like that. But this isn’t his problem to sort out. It’s mine.”

  “Maybe he wants to help.”

  “He could help by staying out of it and not getting hurt.”

  “He could say the same to you. He cares about you.”

  Morgan whipped around. “What did he say?”

  Greer raised a surprised brow and then smiled. “You love him, don’t you?” Her smile grew. “What exactly happened in the couple of days you were gone?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Nothing, indeed.” Greer smirked. “In any case, this problem you need to sort out doesn’t entirely belong to you. It seems Grandpa has been keeping a little secret from us.”

  “What?”

  “Since Liam knows the name, I’m sure you’ve heard it too. It seems Grandpa is the notorious Nikolai Pavlovich.”

  Morgan could have sworn three stitches popped open. “How do you know this?”

  “Grandpa told Piper and I before coming to Vegas. He tried to stop us from following you. He even showed us his prison tattoos.” Greer shivered. “They’re not pretty.”

  Morgan couldn’t believe it. Her aging grandpa was Nikolai Pavlovich? The one that was going to take down the vory v zakone leaders? It would have been laughable had the situation not been so dangerous.

  “Let’s go,” Morgan said. “We have to stop Grandpa. If he’s going to take a stand, it’ll wind up being his final.”

  “What about Piper? Should we tell her we’re leaving?”

  Morgan shook her head. “I don’t want her to worry. We’ll come back for her afterward.”

  At least Morgan hoped they’d come back after. It seemed a war was brewing amongst the bratva, and they were stuck in the middle with Grandpa as the enemy. If they survived this, she was depositing him into a secure nursing home.

  * * *

  Liam easily found the meeting spot. It was on a long, dusty stretch of road that led out of town. When he saw Dmitri’s car at a turn off, he pulled behind it and killed the engine. He walked around to where Dmitri, Trace, and Reed stood, looking down at a sketch.

  “Where’s Morgan?” Trace asked.

  “I thought she’d be safer at the hospital,” Liam said.

  “You left her there?” Reed questioned.

  “If she came with us and was caught, she’d be used as a bargaining piece.”

  Trace frowned. “Why?”

  “Maybe you should ask Dmitri that.” Liam glared at the man who didn’t bother looking ashamed. “You knew all this time that Morgan was Nikolai’s granddaughter. You treated her like shit even though you were under Nikolai’s thumb.” Liam wanted to punch Dmitri. But he knew even if he got one solid hit in, he’d lose the battle.

  “Nikki knew the rules,” Dmitri said. “I owe him nothing.”

  “Then why help him now?”

  “Because he returns and I support him. In hiding, I don’t owe him anything.”

  Liam clenched his hand into a fist. It was so easy for a thief in law to use the code to his advantage. They always put themselves first, spouting they don’t kneel to authority . . . only when it suits them.

  “What did I miss?” Reed asked, stepping in between.

  “Dmitri knew all along that he was using Nikolai’s granddaughter.”

  “And that would be Morgan?” Trace asked.

  When Liam nodded, Reed’s eyes widened. “Did Sonya know this?”

  “I think so,” Liam said. “She mentioned trying to find the girls.” He still felt nervous about leaving the girls at the hospital where Sonya’s thugs could find them. But they were probably safer there. “What’s the plan?”

  Reed pointed to the sketch. “It’s a rough floor plan of the building they will meet at. There are only two entrances and high windows.”

  “Are we trying to get in?”

  Reed shook his head. “We want to keep Nikolai out. If he goes in there it’ll be a bloodbath. While I don’t mind seeing some of the bastards taking a hit, it’ll cause too much of a problem in the long term. If a war breaks out, it won’t stop with this one altercation. There’ll be violence for years until they come to a truce or everyone dies.”

  Liam looked at Dmitri. “What about you? Why are you trying to stop Nikolai?”

  “I do not stop Nikolai,” Dmitri said.

  “So, you’ll go in with him while Reed, Trace, and I try to keep him out?” Liam questioned, wanting to smash Dmitri’s head against the nearest hard object.

  Dmitri shrugged. “You should have brought Morgan. She could have done the job.”

  Liam looked to Reed for help. “I don’t understand any of this.”

  “We split up,” he said. “Dmitri will keep Nikolai safe while we try to stop him.”

  “Couldn’t Dmitri just keep him safe and stop him?”

  “I’m retainer, not advisor,” Dmitri stated simply.

  “Then who is his advisor?” Liam demanded.

  “Nikki keeps his own counsel,” Dmitri said.

  “It’s probably why he’s lasted as long as he has,” Reed said. “A vor doesn’t have a long life span.”

  “Then at least tell me the purpose of the meeting.”

  “There have been breakout attacks from some of the groups,” Reed explained. “The leaders are coming together under neutral territory to resolve conflicts before they get out of hand. The leaders want to keep the bloodshed and casualties to a minimum. Having this meeting to discuss their problems is a way to do that.”

  “And how will Nikolai upset this?”

  “When Nikki left Russia, he couldn’t escape ties,” Dmitri said. “Ivankov pressed him. Nikki came forward and reclaimed rights.”

  “Pressed
him? How?”

  “Vory v zakone cannot have family,” Dmitri said. “Ivankov killed Nikki’s wife. Nikki replied in kind.”

  Walter killed a woman? Liam couldn’t reconcile what he was hearing.

  “Since then, they’ve stayed away from each other. A silent truce,” Reed said.

  “Obviously not,” Liam gritted. “Morgan’s been working for Ivankov after her father was killed doing the same thing.”

  Dmitri shrugged. “Nikki couldn’t do anything about Sam. He tried, but son had gambling debt to Ivankov. So, Nikki made deal for Sam work off debt. When son wound up dead, Nikki suspected connection but couldn’t do anything at the time.”

  “But then why didn’t the debt end with his death?” Liam asked. “Why drag Morgan into it?”

  “There was still need. Nikki didn’t realize until recently.” Dmitri smiled. “That’s why he hired you.”

  “He wanted me to take over the debt?”

  Dmitri shrugged. “Better you than granddaughter.”

  Liam couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Nikolai was no better than the rest of them. “You said he reclaimed his right. What is it?”

  “Extortion.” Dmitri said. “Nikki is best. Each leader has secret. Nikolai is plague. If he wants, he can take them all down with one strike. But if they get to him first, they dance on his grave.”

  Liam was to the point he thought he might join them in a jig. He hoped the girls never found out their grandfather’s true nature. It’d wound them terribly.

  “So, do we still want to save Nikolai?” Trace asked.

  “Nikolai is better alive than dead,” Reed said. “He only uses his knowledge when someone threatens his family. And if I can arrest him, I’ll get my badge back, and he can use his knowledge to reduce his sentence.”

  “You will not arrest Nikolai!” Dmitri barked.

  Reed scowled at Dmitri, who towered over him. “He’ll be safer in jail once this is all over with. Do you really think loyal vory v zakone will let him walk away?”

  “They kill him in jail,” Dmitri stated. “That’s where half of them live.”

  Liam had to agree with Dmitri. Everything he read stated the vory were career criminals who spent a majority of their time inside prison walls. Jail would be the worst place to send Nikolai. But since he wasn’t too fond of the man at the moment, he kept his mouth shut.

  “Then what do you suggest?” Reed asked. “He’s my ticket back to the FBI.”

  “Take one of the others,” Dmitri said, then rubbed his jaw. “Take Sonya.”

  Reed flinched and then turned away to roll up the sketch. “We’re wasting time. The leaders will meet in an hour. Let’s get into position.”

  “Reed,” Liam said, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You have to let go of Sonya.”

  Reed glared. “Like you did?” He shook off Liam’s hand. “You should know I don’t abandon my friends. Not like you.”

  Liam stepped back. “She’s not your friend. In fact, she was holding you so she could kill you.”

  “She wouldn’t have.”

  “Do you really believe that?” Liam was stunned. “For God’s sake, she took over her father’s business and took you down in the process. She’s not your friend. This isn’t your high school crush ignoring you. Sonya’s not the same person we remember. She is deadly.”

  Reed’s jaw muscle twitched. “I will never forget.” He turned and walked away.

  What in God’s name was happening? Had everyone lost their minds? Dmitri was going to help Nikolai, and it seemed Reed was going to help Sonya. This was not what he had thought was going to happen. Not by a long shot. Now he was on his own with no help from anyone.

  Trace clasped him on the shoulder. “A bit of a muddle, isn’t it? But don’t worry, Hayes men always land on their feet. Isn’t that what Dad always carried on about? Hayes this and Hayes that.” He shook his head. “So, is this a bad time to bring up my trust fund?”

  Liam snarled at him.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Trace gently lifted his hand away. “You’re starting to take after Dad, you know that?”

  A curse if there ever was one.

  But . . . maybe Trace was right. If he was taking after their father, then maybe it was time to step into the Hayes family tradition of intimidation and see if he couldn’t make some headway on his own.

  “Trace, go to the hospital and keep an eye on the girls. Make sure they’re safe.”

  “What about you?”

  “I think I have a handle on things.”

  “But —”

  “Give me your phone.”

  Trace eyed him for a moment before handing it over. “Be careful with it. I just got it back from Dmitri. Nearly had to beg.”

  Liam took it and logged into his financial accounts. “I’ll transfer the funds right now if you promise to look after the girls until this is done.”

  “You said the same thing if I found Reed.”

  Liam arched his brow, his finger hovering over the button.

  “All right, all right,” Trace sighed. “I guess I’d rather be over at the hospital than here with you three. I’ll probably see you there before long anyway.”

  Liam pressed the button and handed back the phone. “Try not to pray for my demise.” He tossed the truck keys to Trace. “Keep them safe.”

  Chapter 24

  When the taxi pulled over at the designated spot, Morgan fell back against the seat. They were gone.

  “Why are we here?” Greer looked out the window. “There’s no one around.”

  “They must’ve left.” Morgan cursed. How could Liam shut her out? This was her family!

  “Where do you think they went?” Greer asked.

  “Probably to the meeting. It’s about to start any moment now.”

  “Where is it being held?”

  Morgan shook her head.

  “The meter’s running,” the driver stated.

  “Follow this road a few more miles,” Morgan said.

  “Do you think it’s down this way?” Greer asked, frowning as she glanced out the window. “There’s nothing out here.”

  “The meeting will be held somewhere secluded. There’s a reason why Liam and the others stopped here first. It must be on the way.”

  The taxi pulled out onto the road.

  “Can you believe Niko —”

  Morgan held up her hand, interrupting Greer. “I don’t want to talk about Grandpa right now. When he’s safe at —.” Morgan stopped herself. She had been about to say “at home,” but somehow she knew that wouldn’t happen. Grandpa was walking into a world he helped create. That world didn’t include the words “safe” or “home.” Whatever happened today would change their lives forever. “We can discuss it later.”

  Greer nodded and then sat back to stare out the window. Morgan copied her, numbing her mind to what would happen once she stepped out of the taxi.

  * * *

  Liam was alone. Thankfully so. As soon as they arrived at the location, Dmitri had said he’d wait for Nikolai at the far end where no one could see them, and Reed stomped off in the other direction. Liam didn’t try to stop either of them.

  He glanced at the building that was barely standing. The slanted slats of wood were weather-beaten just like the storage unit had been. But looks were deceiving. The leaders planned to meet here for a reason. So, what was the reason? What secrets did this large, falling-down building hold?

  He walked the perimeter, knowing he had only a few minutes before he had to hide. If Dmitri’s information was correct, the guests would arrive soon. He was sure a few would arrive early to take home-field advantage.

  Liam walked around, aware of his surroundings, his senses heightening to the danger.

  The back of the building was different. Solid and in much better condition. The front must have been made specifically for deception. Perhaps to ward off curious people? He walked to the door and tested the handle. The door swung open with ease.
Stepping in, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the dim interior.

  A large oak table sat in the middle of the open room with twelve comfortable chairs sitting around it. There was a door off to the left that he knew wouldn’t lead to the outside but maybe to an interior room, perhaps a bathroom. To the right was a serving bar, stocked with various selections. Crystal tumblers sat on a spotless tray. Someone had been here to clean.

  As he headed to the side door, the sound of tires crunching on the gravel lot caught his attention. The first of the bratva had arrived, and there was no way he could leave without drawing attention and raising many questions. There was no turning back now.

  He raced through the door, hoping to find a hiding place.

  The room he entered was hardly anything more than a large hallway with a bathroom off to the right and a closed door on the left. Not wanting to confine himself to the bathroom, he listened for sounds coming from the closed door. When he didn’t hear anything, he slowly opened it, revealing an empty square room. What was the purpose of it?

  “If you’re looking for a hiding place, this room is sadly lacking.”

  Liam whipped around. “Trace, what are you doing here? You promised to watch the girls.”

  He shrugged. “I also have full access to my funds and am no longer obligated to listen to you.”

  “You promised!”

  “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

  Liam flexed his fingers, willing them not to strangle his brother.

  Trace continued, unaware of the peril standing in front of him. “Plus, the girls will be fine at the hospital. What do they need me standing around for?” Trace glanced around at his surroundings. “It’s not really what I was expecting.”

  “And what were you expecting?” Liam gritted.

  Trace shrugged. “A little more style. I mean, judging from Sonya’s place, this is her sewer.”