Force

by Becca Jameson

  Erik laughed. “That’s going to go over so well.”

  “Well, we can’t do much more tonight. It will be too crowded to snatch them from the venue. Besides, we need all three of them. If they don’t seem amenable to the idea, we’ll have to play it safe and wait for another opportunity. We’ll need more manpower if we have to use force.” Boris took the next corner too fast.

  Erik grabbed the side of the door and held on. “I’m tired of chasing these assholes.”

  “You and me both.”

  “Has Franco seen any of them lately?”

  “Yes. He saw Mikhail and Dmitry coming and going from the apartment several times in the last few days. Dmitry disappeared for a few days, but he’s back. When he returned, he had Lauren with him. No sign of Leo. He must have found his own place to stay.”

  “I’d love to get my hands on that bitch.” Erik rubbed his palms together.

  Boris glanced at him. “I have no intention of getting my hands dirty tonight. Franco has men. Lots of them. And he’s been paid well.”

  “Too well if you ask me. So, you’re going to let him and his men snag that bitch if she’s there?”

  “Of course. I didn’t say I was going to let him fuck her and slit her throat. Just bring her to us. We can decide what to do with her when we get her.”

  “What’s to decide?” Erik muttered.

  “Exactly.”

  “So, we kill off that bitch. Great. And if we have the opportunity, we confront the other three and talk them into coming home.”

  “Hopefully before they realize we have Lauren, or even before anyone snags her. If we have to, we can use her as leverage to bring the other three in. You know, hold her hostage to get what we need. If Dmitry kidnapped her right from under our noses, he must have feelings for her. I bet he’d do anything we ask to get her back.”

  Erik nodded. “Genius. I can’t for the life of me imagine what the fuck Yenin wants with those three losers. It’s ludicrous. They’re almost too old to fight. Why would he want to keep them around?”

  “I agree.” Boris had questioned Grigory and Yenin’s motives concerning the three missing fighters for weeks. His suspicions kept increasing with each passing day. Too many people were being paid to bring those assholes back to Vegas. Now that Yenin was out of jail, he was on a rampage.

  Nope. There wasn’t a fucking chance in hell the man had this many people tracking three wayward fighters who had seemingly spent the last several years under the radar for no good reason.

  “And Lauren? How are we going to explain her disappearance?” Erik asked.

  Boris grinned. “We don’t have to. Dmitry can’t possibly ask about a woman he never should have been with in the first place. Unless we need to use her as leverage to bring these three assholes in, we say nothing. If Yenin catches word that he and Mikhail, and hell, Leo too, knew where she was all along, he’ll kill them all. Either way, no one will realize you and I were behind her abduction tonight.” He shrugged. “Well, Dmitry and Mikhail may suspect, but they can’t exactly ask.”

  Erik chuckled sardonically. “Perfect. It’s making my mouth water thinking about it. We may be six months behind our original plan, but it looks like you and I will get to fuck that bitch seven ways to Sunday and give her the slow death she deserves after all. Too bad we can’t ever take credit for it.”

  “Yeah. That part sucks.”

  »»•««

  “Like hell I’m staying here,” Lauren screamed.

  Alena flinched where she sat in the corner of the couch. She kept her mouth shut, which wasn’t unusual when Dmitry and Lauren were arguing, which was all the time since Lauren had returned six days ago.

  “Baby, don’t start. No way in fuck are you going to watch me fight.”

  She stood taller, shaking. Furious. “Wanna watch me? You either take me with you now, or I leave right behind you and follow you across town to whatever weird leftover speakeasy or warehouse you’re going to use to get yourself killed.”

  “Lauren…” His voice was commanding, as if he were her father instead of her lover.

  She’d been over and over this territory with him in the last few days. When she realized there was no way she could stop him from fighting, she switched from harping on his imminent death to pleading with him to let her watch. At least that way she could say goodbye while he lay bleeding internally on the floor of some secret basement.

  Dmitry had humored her for the most part.

  Their lives had been divided into two parts. Arguing and fucking. They were good at both.

  “Let her come,” Mikhail said. “I can keep an eye on her. It’s better than me trying to find her later in the crowd. And you worrying about where she is while you need to concentrate on fighting.”

  Lauren watched Dmitry as he stuffed a few items into his gym bag.

  “Your kidney isn’t healed. If you get kicked or punched in the lower back…” Another broken record. Although he showed little signs, the injury still hurt him. She hoped it wasn’t all a bluff to keep her from bitching about it.

  “I won’t. And my side feels great.” Dmitry zipped his bag and turned toward her. “Fine. You come. You don’t leave Mikhail’s sight. You don’t get far enough away from him that he can’t reach out and touch you at any given second. Are we clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  “Good.” He hefted the bag off the table and grabbed her hand on the way to the door.

  “Can I come too, then?” Alena asked.

  Mikhail and Dmitry both shouted “No!” at the same time.

  Mikhail held the door open as the other two passed by him. He turned toward his sister. “Deadbolt. And don’t open this door for fucking anyone but one of us or Abram.” He slammed it behind them.

  Lauren set a hand on Dmitry’s back as they entered the elevator.

  He wouldn’t look at her. In fact, he stiffened. He wasn’t happy with this arrangement.

  Good. She wasn’t either. “You don’t have to do this.”

  He didn’t respond.

  She tried to control her anxiety. She was in love with a man whose chosen line of work was going to give her an ulcer. Could she live with that? He couldn’t do it forever. He said himself he only had a few good years left before he would be too old to fight. But she wasn’t sure she could endure this level of anxiety for that long. Especially if he continually fought against doctor’s orders.

  The walk to the L was silent. Lauren stared at Dmitry, and Dmitry stared straight ahead, seemingly looking at nothing. Was he stressed? About the fight or about her presence?

  They were almost there before Dmitry spoke. “We being followed?”

  “Yep.”

  Dmitry nodded.

  “Who’s following us?” Lauren asked, fighting the urge to twist around and look as they stepped onto the subway platform. In her heels she needed to pay close attention to where she stepped.

  Mikhail glanced at her. “Same people who have been following us for a few days. I don’t recognize any of them, but I’ve seen them in front of the apartment building several times.”

  “Jesus. Why didn’t you mention this? And you left Alena there alone?”

  “They don’t have a clue which unit is ours, babe. They don’t know about the existence of Alena. And I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d freak out.”

  “Freak out?” Her voice rose. “You want to see freaked out?”

  Dmitry grabbed her bicep and pulled her closer. “Shh. Lower your voice. I want you to remain calm and keep your eyes on me. Don’t look around. Don’t worry about who’s following us. They won’t do anything in public.”

  “Is it the two guys who jumped you?”

  “I don’t think so.” He shrugged, infuriating her with his nonchalance. “Whoever it is was probably hired to track our movements.”

  “The Russians? Do you think they figured out I was with you?” She stiffened. This was why she needed to remain in Minnesota. No one would be hunting Dmitry
down with the intent to kill him if she wasn’t by his side.

  “No idea. Doubt it. Probably hired by the guys who want me to throw the fight.”

  “That’s even worse. They could kill you on the subway.” She yanked out of his grasp to take a step back. “We should go somewhere else. This is a bad idea. I have a horrible feeling.” She wasn’t kidding. Her stomach roiled.

  Dmitry reached for her hand and tugged her front against his again. “This fight’s important. I can’t run, and I’m not going to throw it.”

  “How is this one different from any other fight?”

  Mikhail stepped closer when Dmitry didn’t answer fast enough. “Money, Lauren. Please. Just do as we say so no one gets hurt.”

  Dmitry glanced down her body and back up. Driving her even crazier, he changed the subject. “At least you didn’t wear one of those skirts. The jeans are nice. I won’t get quite as distracted by them.” He smirked.

  She rolled her eyes. “Do you think the Russians might have people at the fight?” She clenched her hands at her sides.

  “Doubt it,” he responded. His tone was flat, making her flinch.

  She shuddered. “Shit. If anybody sees us together…”

  “You could have stayed home.” Dmitry grinned as the train pulled up, and they stepped inside.

  She didn’t respond as they took off. Hopefully whoever was following them didn’t have a chance to get on the subway. And perhaps this plan of hers to go with them to the fight was a bad one after all. But staying in the apartment while Dmitry got his ass kicked and possibly died wasn’t an option, either.

  No wonder Dmitry was so uptight. Undoubtedly someone would be at the fight who wasn’t in favor of Dmitry being there. No matter who it was, she could be spotted. Too risky.

  As they exited the L and headed down several flights of steps, Lauren was confused. They didn’t appear to be anywhere. More like nowhere. The street was uninhabited. The door they approached was narrow and shorter than a regular door. They were in an alley under an overpass. She felt as though they had stepped back in time. If she wasn’t mistaken, the door was original.

  “Where are we?”

  Mikhail winked. “Speakeasy.” He knocked, and seconds later someone opened the door and ushered the three of them inside. The guy was huge, and he wore a permanent scowl. He said nothing. Simply nodded.

  The hallway they entered was narrow and dirty. Lauren followed Dmitry with Mikhail on her tail. They made a left turn, and then Dmitry opened a door to one side and stepped into a room only slightly more modern than the hall. No one was inside.

  “I didn’t know places like this existed.” She shivered. “It feels as if we’ve stepped back in time. Like a hundred years.” Dmitry had told her he fought in places like this, but she hadn’t pictured how rustic it would be. “Why is it so quiet?” She had seen no one besides the guy who let them in.

  Dmitry set his bag on a bench. “We entered through the back. All the patrons and fighters are in the front. You’ll see.”

  Mikhail smiled. “Not much has changed here. The bar serves alcohol legally, but other than that, much of this place is exactly the same as it was during Prohibition.” He turned toward the door. “I’ll be right back.” And then he left.

  Dmitry opened his bag in what seemed to be a small locker room. It contained almost nothing, and Lauren wondered why he even brought it until he stripped off his street clothes and tugged a pair of loose black shorts out of the bag. He quickly stuffed his jeans, shoes, and shirt into the bag and shrugged into his shorts.

  She’d seen a few fights in Vegas, but she’d never seen Dmitry fight. Anton had dragged her into his gym in an abandoned warehouse twice on a fight night. She’d known his fights were unsanctioned and outside the law, but she imagined tonight would give a whole new meaning to illegal.

  “It’s like we’re underground. Hiding.”

  Dmitry finally looked at her. “And we are. That’s why I didn’t want you here. It’s not a place for you.”

  She set her hand on one hip. “You have to stop bullying me. I’m a grown woman.”

  He stepped toward her.

  She backed up a pace. After all, the man was currently a combination of smoking sexy hot in nothing but a pair of loose shorts and aggravated frustration with his scowl and pursed lips.

  He grabbed Lauren by the waist and halted her retreat. Every time he laid his hands on her, she melted. Caved. He was magnetic, and he managed to suck away her resolve in an instant. “Baby, this is serious. I’m not trying to be a bully. I’m trying to keep you alive, and that’s not something I can easily do while I’m in the ring. Knowing you’re in the building, relatively unprotected, makes it difficult for me to concentrate on what I need to do. Fight. Win.”

  She swallowed. He was right. She hadn’t thought about it that way.

  He tugged her against him and kissed her soundly. “Stay with Mikhail. Don’t speak to anyone else. Don’t drink anything. Don’t go to the restroom. Got it?”

  She nodded.

  “I doubt anyone following me will be super obvious, but stay diligent.”

  She swallowed. “Do you think anyone will approach me?”

  Dmitry shrugged. “Seems unlikely, but don’t take any chances.”

  He kissed her again as the door opened and Mikhail stepped back in. “Leo’s here.”

  “Of course he is.” Dmitry released her and tucked his bag under the bench. “Did he say anything?”

  “He’s concerned.”

  “Has he seen anyone suspicious?”

  “Not yet. But I’m sure there are a few out there. Whoever tailed us here has undoubtedly called whoever they work for by now.”

  “Where’s Leo hiding?” Dmitry asked.

  “Room behind the bar. He’s going to stay there unless we need him.”

  “’K.”

  “Why’s he hiding?” Lauren breathed heavier as this conversation unfolded.

  “Leo isn’t technically supposed to be in Chicago,” Mikhail stated. “So he needs to lie low and not get caught if he can avoid it.”

  “Do you seriously think someone would try something here tonight?”

  Dmitry shook his head. “Too crowded.” He pursed his lips and headed for the door.

  Lauren grabbed Mikhail’s arm as she followed him out next. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  He blew out a breath as Dmitry walked away. “Stay by my side as if you were handcuffed to me. Got it?”

  She hated his cryptic response, but didn’t get a chance to ask anything else before he led her down the hall. He made two turns before opening a door that ended their silent passage through what felt like a catacomb. One second they were alone, the next they burst into the noisy, crowded main section of the speakeasy.

  Lauren wrapped her hand around Mikhail’s bicep and followed him as they squeezed between bodies packed into the space like sardines. There was no way ten fire codes weren’t broken. But then again, so many laws were probably being ignored that no one even knew or cared about the size of the crowd.

  The room was narrow and long. The floor and walls were both made up of bricks. Lauren was certain she’d stepped back in time. The lighting was poor on the periphery, but the center was well lit by bare hanging bulbs. And the ring was lifted on a platform that made it possible to see the fighters.

  She rose on tiptoes as they inched between the thick throng of people, mostly men, to get closer to the cage. There was a fight already in progress. Two people Lauren didn’t know were throwing punches on the raised platform while the audience screamed.

  When they got within a few feet of the cage, Mikhail stopped. He angled Lauren in front of him and positioned himself directly behind her.

  She winced as she watched one man kick the other in the side of the head. The second man fell onto his ass as if in slow motion, his head snapping to one side. She was surprised to see him leap back onto his feet in seconds.

  When the downed man grabbed the
other by the throat and slammed him into the fence feet away from her, she stepped back, bumping into Mikhail. “Jesus.”

  She’d seen fights. But none as rough as this one. There didn’t appear to be any rules at all. In fact, as she watched, the man against the fence cut his face on a rough section of wire sticking out and began to bleed. The referee ignored the row of blood running down the guy’s face and jumped out of the way as both men bounded back into the center of the ring and continued the fight.

  In a few minutes one guy knocked the other to the ground, rendering him unconscious when his head hit the floor.

  “He’s lucky,” Mikhail said into her ear. “Often these fights take place straight on the uneven ground or dirt. Might have killed him when his head hit like that.”

  “Lucky?” She didn’t see anything lucky happening in front of her. The only thing that rang true was that indeed the ring was similar to any other MMA cage she’d seen. The floor at least was padded and raised.

  The crowd roared as the winner was declared, and the volume remained high as new bets were placed for the next contenders. Whoever was up next caused quite a commotion. So many people were shouting around her that her ears were ringing. “Who’s up next?”

  “Dmitry. And a man named Joe ‘Hothead’ Mantoba.”

  “All this betting is for Dmitry’s fight?”

  “Yes. It’s a big one. That’s why there’re people who wanted Dmitry to lose. They weren’t dicking around. There’s a lot at stake in this fight.”

  “Yeah, like his life,” she muttered under her breath. Her face flamed as she considered the stupidity of this situation.

  Dmitry was still injured. She knew the doctor had told him not to fight tonight.

  In addition, there were probably half a dozen people in the audience who wanted Dmitry dead and gone. Hell, some of them could be after her too.

  Insanity.

  She fisted her hands at her sides as the announcer bellowed introductions through his microphone.

  The crowd went wild.

  Dmitry bounced into the fenced area with his opponent on his heels. Both men jumped around on their side of the cage while the announcer continued to tout their accomplishments.