by Taylor Lee
“We accept your bid, sir, of course. However, we must likewise honor the deposits made by your peers. Eleven men have entered a non-refundable deposit for the privilege of bidding for this outrageous woman.”
Rafe rose to his full height, one hand pulling back the edge of the bisht, allowing him quicker access to the M16 repeater rifle inside his trobe.
His voice rang out, an icy shot across the room.
“I will cover those deposits and return them to the “investors.” And I will double my personal bid. You have 30 seconds. If you do not accept my conditions in full, I withdraw my offer as well as my three previous offers.”
At the sound of Rafe’s voice, Nicki’s head flew back. Her eyes widened and her lips trembled, the first concession he’d seen to the terror she’d endured.
Then a crash sounded from the back of the room, and a hail of bullets rang through the hallway. At the signal, the ISA team at the door took out the bodyguards and the SWAT team poured in.
Grayson’s shout added to the cacophony in the auditorium. “Drop your weapons!”
Simultaneously, he, Caleb, Cam and Danny all drew their own weapons, and a barrage of bullets systematically mowed down the startled guards ringing the risers, as pandemonium broke out among the guests.
Rafe tore off his Arab garb. In a black t-shirt and cammo pants he sprinted toward the stage, an M16 rifle raised in one hand above his head.
He shouted, “Down Nicki.”
But Nicki beat him to it. Wrenching loose from Aiden’s painful grip, she spun in a circle and drove her heel into his shoulder, eliciting an angry scream. She aimed her knee at his groin but Aiden was too fast. He backhanded her across her face, knocking her to the floor. Seeing Rafe leap up onto the stage, Aiden raced from the room, disappearing into a maze of hallways. Nicki heaved herself to her hands and knees, wiping blood from her battered lip.
Leaping to her feet, she ran for the hallway, shouting to Rafe, “The girls, Rafe. We have to get the girls.”
Dragging his t-shirt over his head, Rafe tossed it to her, along with a 9 mm Glock.
“Here. Put this on, Princess.”
Yanking the t-shirt over her head, she ordered, “I need a knife, Rafe. Give me a knife.”
Rafe frowned, then quickly tossed her a Bowie knife from his ankle sheath.
As she ran down the corridor to the private suites on the second floor, she yelled over her shoulder to Rafe, who was right behind her with Caleb and Grayson at his heels. “They will head for the roof. They have three helicopters ready to go.”
Rafe hollered to Caleb and Grayson and Cam who came from another direction. “Get the girls, then meet us on the roof.
“C’mon, Nicki. Show me the way.”
Nicki ran as fleet as a gazelle. At the bottom of the staircase to the roof, she stopped and faced Rafe.
“Boris is mine, Rafe. He killed my mother.”
Tucking the Glock in the waistband of her pants, she held the knife in a tight fist at her side. Her voice was soft, her eyes black with deadly fury.
“He’s mine. Volkov is mine.”
Rafe shrugged.
“He’s all yours, Princess—as long as I get that little asshole, Aiden.”
Chapter 39
Hearing the whir of helicopter blades and the roar of a motor revving up, Rafe and Nicki tore up the stairs. Throwing open the door, Rafe spotted Boris dragging his heavy body up into the cab. He raced to the helipad, and grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, Rafe yanked the big man out of the cab and hurled him to the rough cement roof. The Russian landed with a loud oomph as the air rushed out of his bulky body.
Rafe threw Nicki a gleeful grin.
“There you go, Darlin’. Have at him.”
Reaching across the seat, he grabbed for Aiden who was desperately working the controls, grinding them in a desperate futile attempt to raise the craft. With a fearsome lunge, Rafe cocked his fist and drove it into Aiden’s face. The crack of bones and flood of blood confirmed that he had broken the Aryan’s nose. Pulling the bleeding man from the cab, he threw him to the ground with a triumphant roar.
“And you, you disgusting prick, are all mine.”
Chancing a quick glance to make sure that Nicki had the big Russian under control, Rafe’s heart filled with pride when she banged Boris’ head against the cement, then dug her thumb into a paralyzing lock on his shoulder.
But taking his attention off Aiden even for an instant was a mistake. The hoodlum was no Boris: He was young, lithe, and armed with a thousand dirty tricks learned in the hood. And now he had a Sig Saur aimed at Rafe’s head. With instincts honed by years of near deaths, Rafe ducked; the streak of pain confirmed the bullet had merely grazed his shoulder. Fury was a welcome anesthetic. Rafe and Aiden attacked one another, ferocious animals smelling blood. They were well matched. What Aiden gained from youth, Rafe earned in the sheer number of killings under his belt. Their screams filled the night. Rafe couldn’t remember the last time that he attacked a man with his bare hands, with the express intent of killing him. But there was no question… if he didn’t kill Aiden, Aiden would kill him. Trading blows, they drew closer and closer to the rail encircling the landing pad. Rising from the ground after a particularly hard throw, Rafe suddenly barreled forward, driving his head into Aiden’s gut. Aiden sailed back, crashing against the guard rail that snapped under the weight of his body.
Rafe stepped back, watching in wonder as Aiden frantically clutched at the broken railing, trying to heave his legs back up on the deck. But it was no use—his momentum and the weight of his body was too hard to control. Hanging over the edge, his hysterical screams filled the air. Desperately fighting for purchase, clinging to the edge of the roof, Aiden looked up imploringly at Rafe. His eyes were filled with terror. His voice was an agonized rasp.
“Please, man, help me.”
Rafe stepped closer and nodded.
“My pleasure.”
He stamped on the man’s grasping fingers with his combat boot. With a hideous tortured scream that echoed through the night, Aiden lost his grip and fell fifty-six stories to the ground below.
Rafe whirled to see Nicki sitting on Boris’s chest, straddling him. She wrenched his head back, exposing his throat to the blade in her hand. Ignoring the pleas from the blubbering man, she bent down, her face inches from his.
“Did you enjoy raping my mother? Did you?”
When he sobbed louder, she raked the blade across his cheek. When his shriek quieted, she leaned down again.
“I asked you a question! Did you enjoy raping my mother?”
Boris cried out a sob-filled affirmative.
Nicki’s voice turned low.
“How many men were in front of you?”
When he sobbed louder, she tucked the point of the knife under his chin drawing blood.
“How many? How many men raped my mother before you did, you piece of shit?”
The word bubbled in his panicked throat.
“Seven.”
“And you brought up the rear? You were the last of the cowardly animals?”
When he sobbed louder, she poked his throat again, her voice was like ice.
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
“Is that when she died?”
His answer was barely audible.
“Yes.”
With a quick slash, Nicki slit his throat. Rising unsteadily to her feet, she kicked his dying body to the side.
“Rot in hell.”
She stood for a moment, then began to sway. Rafe was at her side in seconds, sweeping her up in his arms.
Grayson and Caleb, followed by Cam and Danny, bounded up the stairs and rushed through the doorway. Grayson pulled up short causing the others to crash into him. Staring at Boris’s bloody body, Grayson looked at Nicki huddled in Rafe’s arms and raised a questioning brow.
Rafe nodded and held Nicki closer to him.
Glancing around the rooftop littered with weapons and co
vered with blood, Grayson frowned.
“Aiden?”
Rafe quirked his thumb, pointing to the broken railing.
“Over there.”
~~~
Rafe determined that they would fly back to the compound in the Gulfstream. Grayson, Caleb and Katya rode with Nicki and Rafe. Cam sat up front with Jeff to co-pilot the six-seater.
Max insisted on treating Rafe’s shoulder—but he had to clean the wound, apply the antiseptic, and bandage it while Rafe held Nicki in his other arm, refusing to put her down. He wouldn’t have been able to if he wanted to; she clung to him as if she’d never let go.
An hour into the flight, Katya gave in and fell asleep. Caleb had removed the armrest between them and held her until she settled down. She had cried intermittently from the time she saw Nicki, until she finally fell asleep snuggled up to Caleb. As many times as Rafe and the others told her that it wasn’t her fault, Rafe knew it would be a long time until they all stopped blaming themselves for the near tragedy.
Nodding to Grayson who peered over the seat periodically to check on them, Rafe scowled.
“Eyes in front, Bro.”
Grayson raised a brow then gave him an understanding nod when Rafe pointed to the nipple clamps visible under Rafe’s t-shirt that Nicki was still wearing along with the harem pants.
As quietly as he could Rafe spoke to her.
“Nicki, are you awake, baby?”
When she nodded sleepily, he reached up under her t-shirt and cupped her breast in his big hand. She shivered then gave a little cry when his thumb touched the clamp.
“Princess, I’m going to take these things off of you, but I have to warn you, baby, these little devils hurt more coming off than they do going on.”
Before she could protest, he unclipped the vise-like clamp.
She yelped in surprise as the blood rushed back into the swollen tip.
Pulling up her shirt Rafe leaned down and covered her sore nipple with his mouth, laving it gently with his tongue. Within minutes her agonized breaths turned to soft pants.
Rubbing the tortured nub with his fingers to distract her, Rafe unsnapped the other clamp. She startled and cried out.
“Damn. Why does it hurt so much?”
When he bent over her, covering her other nipple with his mouth, licking the tortured peak, she moaned and whispered. “And why does it feel so good when you do that?”
He smiled down at her.
“If it’s done right, Princess, they can feel good going on and coming off. Depending how sensitive your nipples are.”
She breathed out a quivering puff of air.
“And if they are sensitive like mine are?”
“It can be good, Darlin’. Damn good.”
He held her close, ministering to her tender flesh, murmuring comforting words as he licked and stroked the sensitive skin.
Feeling her excitement stirring, Rafe tried to quell his growing arousal. As usual, his dick had a mind of its own. Holding her close, he felt her heart pounding against her chest, knowing that it couldn’t beat any harder than his.
She moaned softly then put her hands around his neck and pulled his lips down to her naked breasts. Her breath came in airy gasps, fluttering against his cheek.
Struggling against his own arousal, Rafe gently unwound her hands.
“Not now, Princess, you need to rest.”
With a frown she tugged at him but when he resisted, she gave a rueful sigh. Burying her head against his shoulder, she gave in to her fatigue.
When Rafe was certain she was sleeping, he tapped Grayson on the shoulder.
Gray twisted around in his seat. “What do you need, Rafe?”
Rafe hesitated then asked, “Did you get a hold of Yuri?”
Grayson nodded, “Yeah, I did. He’s a broken man, Rafe. It was hard to talk to him. He was so caught up with grief and, of course, with relief.” Grayson hesitated. “Said to tell you thank you.” Grayson paused then met Rafe’s glare. “He asked me to tell Nicki to call him when she could. And…he asked if I thought you would be willing to talk to him.”
“What did you tell him?”
“I told him what I told you. Give it time.”
Rafe shrugged. His expression hardened, deep furrows appeared next to his mouth.
“There aren’t enough years left in this lifetime, Gray.”
~~~
For the rest of the flight Rafe held her close. She fit perfectly into the base of his shoulder as though she belonged there. He stroked her cheek and shushed her when she cried out in her sleep, grateful when her long lashes once again fluttered against her rosy cheeks. He studied her as if memorizing her face, her body, the way she smelled and tasted. Gazing down at her, Rafe didn’t know how he would be able to let her go. But looking at her swollen lip and the bruise spreading across her cheek where Aiden backhanded her, Rafe knew he had no choice. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, live through another twenty-four hours like the one they’d just had.
When they landed, Rafe carried her to her room, taking care not to wake her. He undressed her, put soft pajamas over her exhausted, battered form, and tucked her in bed. Closing her door, he headed for his office. He needed to talk with each of the parents and oversee the return of their daughters. He should have felt relief, pride that they had accomplished the mission and that the girls were safe.
Unfortunately the hole in his heart was so large, all he felt was empty.
Chapter 40
The next morning, Nicki knocked on his office door, then walked in without waiting for a response. Rafe was standing in front of the window looking out to the grounds. When he turned to face her, she was startled by the expression on his face. Unlike the way his eyes usually lit up when he saw her, his expression was solemn. Cool. The distant look in his eyes frightened her.
“What is it, Rafe? Is something wrong?”
He grimaced and pointed to the chair in front of his desk.
“Please sit down, Nicki. We need to talk.”
He pulled out the chair for her, then circled the desk and sat opposite her. He reached for his cigarette case. In a ritual she was familiar with, she watched him light his cigarette then gaze at her through the smoke as if sizing her up. When he didn’t speak, her nervousness turned to annoyance. Clearly he was angry with her, but apparently it was up to her to guess what she’d done wrong. Instead she took the offensive, which turned out to be a bad move, a very bad move.
“You didn’t come to my room last night, Rafe. I woke up and you weren’t there. I expected you.”
A slight frown crossed his brow.
“Really? Why? Why did you expect that I would be there?”
She wasn’t able to quiet the rush of anger that flowed over her.
“Why? Maybe because you told me we would always be together. That we would wake up together in my bed… or in yours.”
His eyes darkened and he took a deep drag on his cigarette.
“Hmm. I see. So what I say, we hold each other to, but what you promise me means nothing?”
Nicki stared at him, then sensing the resentment in his gaze, she realized how angry he was that she had gone with Volkov. But surely he understood? Her mother, her father…. Before she could speak, Rafe leaned forward. He mashed his cigarette in the ashtray and glared at her. He hesitated, as though deciding whether he would speak. When he did, his voice was mechanical, almost indifferent. It felt like icy shards of glass were piercing her heart.
“I trusted you, Nicki. I trusted you to keep your word. To honor your promises. I would never have let you go on the mission if I thought I couldn’t trust you.”
His voice thickened with anger or pain or both.
“I told you my most painful secret, Nicki. I told you that I was afraid—no, terrified—that I couldn’t protect you. And you did everything in your power to prove me right, didn’t you, Nicki?”
Nicki struggled to breathe.
“But Rafe, you did protect me. You came for me as I
knew you would. You would never have left me there. I knew that, Rafe—”
He interrupted.
“You flagrantly disobeyed me. And ignored your own promises. To me, to your father, to Katya, Caleb, Grayson—to everyone who cares about you, Nicki. When it came down to it, you ignored us all: because of a handful of words from a criminal. For that, you ignored your promises and did exactly what you wanted to, no matter how dangerous it was.”
Nicki swallowed hard. What he said was true, but surely he could understand…Again, he interrupted, didn’t allow her to speak.
“You could have been killed, Nicki. You could be in some goddamned sheik’s bed right now. Look at your face, Nicki. Look at your body. You’re covered with bruises.”
He rose to his feet and strode across the room putting distance between them.
“I can’t live like that, Nicki. Terrified about what you will do next. What promise you will break the next time. I can’t and I won’t. You need to leave, Nicki.”
Nicki stood and faced him. Clinging to edge of his desk she struggled to make sense of what he was saying. At the incongruity of his actions.
She stammered, “You held me all the way home. You carried me to my room. You undressed me. Put my pajamas on me and tucked me in bed. But…now…now you are sending me away?”
Rafe’s face flushed. For the first time, doubt crossed his face, but when he spoke his voice was harsh.
“I wanted you to be comfortable when you slept.”
Nicki felt righteous anger stirring inside of her. Bubbling up like a fountain of molten lava.
“You won’t give me a chance to explain, to tell you why I did what I did?”
His voice was calm, flat.
“I know why, Nicki. I even understand. There’s no need for you to explain.”
“So even though you understand, even though you love me, you won’t take a chance?”
“I did. I took the chance of falling in love with you.”
“And it was a mistake? A mistake to fall in love with me?”
“For the short term, no. For the long term, yes.”
Nicki gasped, stunned at his cruel words. She glared at him as he walked back to his desk. He reached in his desk drawer and took out his checkbook. He took his time writing out a check and then handed it to her.
