"Stop. The merchandise is here."
Taty stopped and turned around slowly. Evgeniy's face was blood red with anger, but she knew the threat had hit its target. She was above Evgeniy in the food chain now, and they both knew it.
"Bring them out. One at a time. After I inspect, they will be taken to the bus."
Evgeniy nodded to Thing One who had been driving the truck. The thug nodded at Taty before he headed to the back of the van. The door squeaked open, and a series of small cries could be heard. Thing Two pulled a naked woman behind him. She heard Casey quickly suck in a sharp breath of air. Taty performed her duties—fourteen times. The young women were in poor condition, not even close to the quality the Bravata provided to the elite buyers. They were not acceptable, but she needed this sale to go through. At least the bracelets on their wrists showed that they had been examined by medical and were free from disease. No, she'd tell David to get the women examined. Nothing here was going as it should be. Taty waited for the last woman to be removed and cringed at the small bruised frame that emerged. Both David and Casey stiffened and shuffled at her side. Tatyana did not wait for the woman to be brought to her. She picked up the phone and hit speed dial one. When the phone engaged, she spoke. "One of the toys has been damaged. Soft tissue bruising and she looks malnourished. What are your orders?" She glanced at Evgeniy who shrugged as if to say"Whoops."
David did not move a muscle. She nodded her head as if she was receiving instructions. She formed a plan in her mind and hung up the phone. She motioned toward one of the guards that had been escorting the women to the bus. "You, pick her up and carry her."
The man lifted the tiny woman into his arms and held her close allowing her to hide against his neck. The veins in his throat and forehead were pulsing with rage as she knew David's would be if she'd glance at him.
"You will not be paid for that one." Taty was ready for Evgeniy's reaction. He swung toward her, and she moved. She dropped and swept her foot knocking him on his back. Two forty-five caliber Desert Eagles, one from each side of her pointed directly at the man. Things One and Two were covered by David's security team.
"You'd better get your story right, Evgeniy. Damaged goods are never presented to the buyers." She held her hand up and snapped her fingers. A piece of paper was presented to her. She stepped around the piece of shit on the concrete floor and handed the paper to Thing One. "Tell the bosses exactly what happened here. We will hold him and his driver for ten minutes."
"You can't do that!" Evgeniy shouted. Casey planted a huge boot in the middle of the man's chest and ground out, "Just try to stop us, mother fucker."
Taty dismissed the Things and watched as the old truck rumbled out of the compound followed closely by the bus. She slowly wandered around Evgeniy's prone figure. She looked at her watch and then took in the confines of the warehouse as if she had nothing better to do. The silence in the building was crushing. She could hear the traffic outside, sirens in the distance getting stronger and then fading. The sound of motors stopping and starting formed a white noise. Her breath formed cold clouds as she breathed. Her heart bled for the poor naked women who had been transported like chattel in the freezing weather. God only knew what David was going to do to the women, but she prayed they would be clothed and fed… treated humanely at least for a while.
She glanced at her watch again and nodded. For the first time, David spoke, "Go to the vehicle." Taty turned and gave him a look of disdain trying to keep his identity a secret. "If I wanted the help's advice I'd ask for it."
Evgeniy's arm shot out and grabbed her boot yanking her leg back and down. She fell hard on her hip and elbow. The unguarded plummet sent a lightning bolt of pain through her shoulder and tore a scream of pain from her.
Chief flew into motion when the son of a bitch on the ground scrambled and grabbed a gun from behind his back. Casey dropped to cover Tatyana as he'd been instructed to do and Chief's training and experience took over. He kicked the man's hand dislodging the weapon and dropped onto the Russian's chest. The driver's side door to the sedan opened. Chief twisted, recognized a threat and shot as Evgeniy's driver raised an automatic in Tatyana's direction. Chief jerked back while he was firing as he moved because the bastard below him grabbed his firing arm and twisted trying to dislodge his gun. He knew the shot hit the mother fucker, but he had no idea if he'd taken the son of a bitch out. Chief countered the piece of shit's maneuver, and they grappled for a few seconds. Evgeniy twisted and reached for his gun. Chief rounded on him with an elbow to the cheek. Blood and teeth sprayed from the man's mouth, but the bastard wouldn't stop. The Russian bucked up and twisted. Chief slapped the man's arm away and dug the barrel of his forty-five into the man's temple. He wanted nothing more than to splatter the fucker's brain onto the cement. "Move a muscle, and you're dead."
"I'm already dead."
Chief saw a flash of metal and reacted, shifting to try to cover his core and vital organs. He felt the blade as he squeezed the trigger of his weapon. His reflex muscle spasm was a reaction to the searing pain and imminent threat, not an intentional kill.
Casey was beside him in an instant and Tatyana was there a second later. She held her arm against her stomach. "David, don't move. The knife is lodged in your hip."
Chief pushed off the dead man and grabbed the knife. He pulled it out and threw it away. Lifting up, he stood with Casey's help. What a fucking mess. He'd told Casey he was paying ransom on the women from Russians who'd kidnapped them. The man picked his most trusted men and briefed them on David's cover story. They'd bought it hook, line and sinker. Thank God. Chief surveyed the spray of brain matter against the concrete and winced at the pain of the stab wound as the adrenaline ebbed from his system. "Casey, get us out of here and close this place up. Don't let the security company come back here for at least twenty-four hours. Get me back to the apartment." If Guardian were on the ball, there would already be a team covering this building, and they would have had eyes on the situation. Jacob's people would clean up the mess. The warm seep of blood darkened his jeans and ran down his leg soaking into his sock. He needed a doctor. The wound wasn't the worst he'd ever had, but he needed to stem the flow of blood and the damn thing probably needed stitches. He could do it himself… if there wasn't any muscle damage.
"You need a doctor." A very pale Tatyana carefully cradled her arm.
"Broken or dislocated?" He limped toward the SUV while putting as much pressure on his wound as possible.
"I don't know."
They somehow managed to get into the rear of the vehicle. Casey and the others piled in and tore out of the building. Chief glanced back before they turned the corner and thought he saw someone in black tactical gear slip into the warehouse.
He withdrew the phone Taty had been given by her bosses. She handed him the one she'd used to stage the call earlier. "Call them. Tell them what happened. Find out if it was an intentional trap. Tell them I wasn't there, my people have briefed me and that I'm pissed. I want to meet with the boss, soon, and I won't take no for an answer."
Taty nodded, activated it and hit redial and put it on speaker phone. "You were told never to call."
"Evgeniy tried to kill me today."
"Evgeniy?"
"Yes. He died for his troubles."
"You are in New York?"
"Yes."
"You met with the American storekeeper, Daniel, to complete the transaction?"
"No. Only Evgeniy and my two escorts were present."
"All dead?"
"No. The escorts have the account number."
"They were not your contacts. They were not to be at the meeting."
"They were who was present."
"Our client is… well?"
"Our client did not attend. He sent me."
There was a pregnant pause. "Evgeniy acted on his own. The escorts have not c
ontacted us with the account information."
"The client paid in good will. I do not know if he will deal with us again. The merchandise was sub-par. One of the toys was badly damaged. All were in poor condition."
"We will call you back."
"No. The client will not allow it. He will give me the phone when he wants to initiate contact."
"The circumstances are regrettable. You will use everything at your disposal to ensure the rest of this deal is successful or you will follow in Evgeniy's footsteps."
The line went dead.
Taty dropped the phone to her lap after shutting it off. Chief took the device and pocketed it. He groaned and leaned closer to her trying to alleviate the pain in his hip and upper thigh.
"You need a doctor, David."
"There will be one at the apartment when we arrive." At least he hoped Jacob would send one. No, he knew one would be on the way. The team was definitely providing high cover, and even the small glimpse of the bus driver and attendant told him Guardian had his six. Hell, his team had his back, and that felt damn good. Chief shifted again and grimaced in pain. The fucker had perforated him.
"How? You did not call anyone."
"Don't ask questions I won't answer, Tatyana." The traffic over the Brooklyn Bridge was chaotic on a good day. Today wasn't a good day. There was a traffic accident between a minivan and a delivery truck that took out two lanes and the stupidity of people who slowed down to gawk at the twisted carnage brought things to a crawl. Chief had to move so his leg didn't bend at the hip. He did the only thing he could and lay across the bench seat with his head in Taty's lap. Her good hand wove through his hair and started a rhythmic sweeping motion. He focused on the movement and the sounds of the city outside the darkened windows of the SUV.
Ember King rubbed the small of her back. Junior was causing some serious discomfort, and she was just seven months pregnant. Joseph's voice rumbled through their home. Grabbing her freshly made tea she padded into the office and settled down next to the fireplace. Joseph turned and gazed at her, raising his eyebrows in question. She made a soft, pffft sound and waved him back to his conversation. You'd think she was made of paper-thin china or something. The man hovered. Those two helicopters over at the landing strip had absolutely nothing on Joey.
Ember lost herself in the latest book from The Warden. Damn that woman could write. Her vamps were alpha, sexy and macho as hell.
"What are you reading?" She jumped and twisted, looking back at him. His soft words whispered in her ear scared the shit out of her. The man was a freaking ghost. Seriously, how did he still sneak up on her?
"Damn it, Joey, you really need to make some noise. One of these times you are going to scare this baby out of me!" Ember regretted the words immediately. The laughter in his eyes disappeared.
"No. I didn't mean that. Honestly. I'm fine, the baby's fine, and you can sneak up on me anytime you want to."
"I didn't think." His whispered words were low and apologetic.
Ember grabbed his hand. "Come sit with me." She waited until he moved onto the couch with her. "I love you. You are quite possibly a worry-wart, but I'll excuse that because I love you. Now, tell me what the phone call was about."
"Work."
Ember sighed at the singular word. Yep, that was her husband. A man of few words. Hell, she'd be happy with a few words—a few words more!
"And…" She snuggled into his side and smiled as his hand caressed her baby bump possessively.
"I need to leave in a couple of days. I'll be gone a week, tops." His voice rumbled through his chest and against her cheek.
"Work as in what you used to do or what you do now?" She knew something big was happening. Keelee was her best friend, and she got the 411 about Doc leaving to take care of some business. She'd hoped Joey wouldn't be called into whatever was going on.
"Work as in tying up some loose ends so the family is safer."
"The Russians?"
"Mmm."
"Promise me you'll come back to us, safe and in one piece." Ember put her hand over his and moved it to where Junior was pushing his foot out. He didn't answer, and that drew her attention from her soon to be son, to the man she loved more than life itself.
"I made you a promise to never lie to you."
"You did. After Aruba. Rat bastard."
He chuckled and kissed her temple. His five o'clock shadow prickled against her skin. "I will do my job. I'll protect my family, and I will come home."
Ember swallowed the emotion his words engendered. What he hadn't said weighed on her more than what he had. "Alright. We'll be good here. I have three other doctors at the hospital, and Junior won't be here anytime soon."
"We should decide on a name."
Ember smiled and moved Joey's hand again chasing her rambunctious baby as his foot moved in her womb.
"We've narrowed it down to two names. Blake or Lincoln. Which do you like best?"
"Blake."
"So 'B's?"
Joseph shrugged. "I like the name."
"Blake King. That sounds like a solid name."
"So you'll stop calling him Junior?"
"I don't know. Joseph Junior has a ring to it." Ember squealed when Joey's fingers drifted to her rib cage and started tickling. "Stop, or I'll pee my pants!" She held his hand and drew a deep breath. With the baby sitting on her bladder that threat was more imminent that she'd like to believe.
"When do you leave?"
"I'm flying out with Doc tomorrow morning."
Ember threaded her fingers through the touch of gray at his temples. "Well then, Mr. King, you'd better love me like crazy tonight."
Chapter Twenty
Jason King pushed his way through the door to the ops center. It was a fucking family reunion without the alcohol. Jacob and Tori worked the displays while Jewell typed frantically on the workstation in the corner. Joseph and Jared lounged in the theater seating sandwiching Jasmine between them. Jade was still undercover and Justin…well, his talents weren't coming out to play in this scenario. Jason straddled the aisle way and crossed his arms over his chest. The bus and the SUV carrying Chief and the Russian operative entered the warehouse. From the helmet cams of the positioned team, there was a visual of the garage door they'd entered and…yes, the front door of the bus. He watched with everyone else. The minutes ticked by before movement drew every eye. Jasmine's hiss of air was the only sound when the first woman was led to the bus door, hands tied in front of her and naked. Jason looked at the weather conditions and hated the bastards even more. Fucking ten degrees outside without the wind chill and the motherfuckers delivered the women naked.
Jason barked out, "Are they outfitted to receive the women?"
"Yeah, Adam has it handled. He and Ember have a team from the ranch ready to go not far away. Nobody knew what to expect, so they have enough equipment to take care of any contingency."
"Dixon and Drake have supplies on the bus?" Jason needed confirmation.
"Don't know. They drove in this morning and fell in behind the SUV. It doesn't look like they are letting Chief's men into the bus, so I'm sure they have something going on inside." Jacob pointed to the screen where one of Chief's men stopped short and handed off the woman. There was no visual of either twin. They were playing it smart. Jason took a breath and fixated on the screen.
Jared leaned forward and cast a look at his sister. "Jewell, is the system working?"
"Yeah, we're ready to go." She glanced over at Jason.
"Send it." He gave the command while his eyes stayed glued to the warehouse doors.
Jewell hit the button and three other screens illuminated. Jacob and Tori launched into action and Jared, Joseph and Jasmine stood to take in the spectacle. Two takedowns on known Russian Mafia positions and a raid at a bordello operated by the Bravata started within seconds of each other. The operations w
ere timed to distract the Bravata's leadership and keep them off balance. This was the second series of attacks on the mob today. The timing could have raised suspicions if they hadn't terrorized the fuck out of the Russians earlier. The raids and takedowns diverted Jason's attention for a few seconds. He let his brothers deal with the necessities of the operations. His focus was at the location where the head of the snake was being positioned. They had no plan B. Chief had to get to the leadership.
"Shit." Jason's words pulled Jewell and Jasmine's eyes to the screen. Chief's man carried a small … ah hell … was that a child? Jason's stomach rolled in disgust. He watched one of the Wonder Twins reach out for the girl. The men on the screen flinched at the same time looking toward the back of the warehouse. Dixon or Drake scooped the girl from the man's arms and headed for the bus. The door moved shut behind him.
The old bread truck that the mob had transported the women in raced out of the warehouse with their bus on the old vehicle's ass. The van turned left, and Guardian's bus turned right.
"Put that bus on a map and track it," Jason demanded as he kept his eyes on the warehouse.
"Shots fired!" The team leader at the Bronx warehouse broke radio silence. "Arch Angel do we move in?"
"Negative! Position for entry but stay out of sight." Jason watched the screen and chanted beneath his breath,come on … come on … come on …The SUV screamed out of the warehouse. "Go! Secure the site and report."
Jason watched the team. Waiting for information was the single worst part of his job. "Arch Angel. Two down, not team players. Evidence of a fight. A fuck-ton of blood splatter. The primaries may be injured."
"Get Malakai to the apartment."
"Working it. A coded UHF message will go out in about two minutes," Jewell said as her fingers flew over the keyboard.
Jason rubbed the back of his neck and drew a deep breath. They were doing things the old fashioned way and it sucked, but they had the equipment pulled out of mothballs. The fucking Bravata had super hackers. No problem. They'd operated in decades past. Newer didn't always mean better.
Chief (Kings of Guardian Book 7) (The Kings of Guardian) Page 15
