by Katie Reus
Opening up to people wasn’t second nature to him, but he wanted to admit things to her he’d never told anyone. If he did, he hoped Nika would too. And it wasn’t just for the job. He could admit that much to himself.
After that monster Madelyn had nearly killed him he’d kept a certain distance from women. Especially bed partners. Not that he’d had many in the past couple years. And from what he could tell, neither had Nika. He knew he shouldn’t care, but the most archaic part of him was insanely pleased. He didn’t want anyone in her bed except him.
He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she talked to spirits. He’d heard of a few psychics with that particular ability but they were few and far between. With that kind of power, Nika had to be stronger than Madelyn.
He shook thoughts of that treacherous bitch away. He had to stop thinking about her. She was dead and Nika was nothing like her. She might be keeping secrets from him, but she wasn’t evil. He traced a finger down her arm. She stirred slightly under his touch, but didn’t open her eyes. She still had her back against his chest so he pushed her curtain of dark hair out of the way and lightly raked his teeth over her neck. Her exotic scent rolled over him with a subtle intensity. Everything about her was irresistible.
Although she didn’t open her eyes, he felt the exact moment she woke up. Her breathing and heart rate increased the slightest fraction.
“What are you doing?” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“What do you think?” he murmured against her soft skin.
She groaned and rolled over to face him. “Don’t you have work to do?”
He glanced at the clock on the nightstand, then turned back to her, his grin wicked. “I don’t need to be up for another twenty minutes. We could do a lot in that time frame.”
He could tell she was trying to keep a straight face as she asked, “Aren’t you tired yet?”
He’d woken her twice in the middle of the night, but he wasn’t even close to being satisfied. Something told him he would never get tired of her. That scared him. “I don’t think that’s possible.”
A small, seductive smile played across her lips. She threw her leg over his waist and inched closer. “You’re like a cyborg.”
Only with her. “Complaining?”
Her green eyes flared a shade darker as she shook her head. He’d been a little rough last night, but she hadn’t minded. Still, he wanted to be gentle with her this time. Take care of her.
Reaching between her legs, he rubbed his finger over her soft folds. He didn’t want to break contact and put on a condom just yet so he kept his movements measured. Watching her take the pleasure he gave was more of a turn on than he could have imagined. Everything that had happened between them felt more than casual.
This was supposed to have been just another job. He wasn’t sure when his objective had changed, but now he wanted to find a way to make sure Nika and Alena didn’t do something stupid. He didn’t care about that piece of garbage Yasha, but he understood why Vernon wanted him alive. At least for now.
When Nika fisted his cock and stroked him once, twice, he groaned. He wanted her in his bed on a permanent basis. He rolled his hips into her grip as he stroked her with his fingers.
He wanted to give her more foreplay than he had the last few times. When he increased pressure against her most sensitive spot, she began moving her hips faster against his hand.
At the sound of the door opening, she froze. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to pull the sheet up. While he didn’t care about a little nakedness, instinct and the job kicked in. He rolled over, grabbed his weapon, and aimed at the door as he blocked her from view.
Light flooded the room as the overhead lamp was switched on. “Nika…oh…oh, crap…” Alena stood in the doorway, eyes and mouth wide open.
He immediately lowered his weapon, but didn’t move off Nika.
“Hey, Alena.” There was a trace of nervous laughter in Nika’s voice.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I’ll, uh…” Holding a slim gold key she’d likely used to open the door, Alena backtracked and shut it behind her.
“Shit,” Nika muttered under her breath.
Declan frowned as he laid the weapon back on the nightstand. “Does it really matter that she knows about us? I already let Andre know.”
“You did?”
He nodded once. What he was doing wasn’t professional. He’d never slept with anyone on the job before. Ever. Never wanted to. Even if she wasn’t part of his security detail, not in the technical sense, it still shouldn’t have happened. But he couldn’t pretend to be sorry about it.
“Oh, well, good I think.” Averting her gaze, she cleared her throat, seeming at a loss for words.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Just tell me what’s bothering you. He wanted to shout it at her but knew it wouldn’t do any good.
“Like what?”
When he laid a hand on her stomach, her muscles tensed. She started to lean into him, but just as quickly, rolled back.
He felt the subtle rejection like a punch to his gut. He wanted to push her, to see what was bothering her, but pulled back himself. Declan grabbed his clothes off the floor and slipped his pants on. “It’s almost daylight. I’m going to grab a quick shower.”
“Okay.” She sat up and clutched the sheet against her chest. He could practically see the wall she was putting up between them.
“Want to join me?” He cursed himself for asking even as the words spilled out.
She shook her head. “Maybe next time.”
Sharp disappointment punched through him, shredding his insides. Without looking at her, he put his shirt on and left. He doubted she was ashamed of their relationship considering her sister was sleeping with Andre, but he didn’t like her reaction. He scrubbed a hand over his face as he returned to his room. This was just a job. He repeated the words over in his head, but it didn’t matter. It was bullshit and he knew it. Somehow Nika had gotten under his skin and now part of him wanted to call the entire job off.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Not only did he owe Vernon his life, but if Yasha was moving human cargo, he couldn’t look the other way. No matter how much he cared for Nika.
Chapter 20
As soon as the door shut, Nika let the sheet drop and cursed at the empty room, the words all directed at herself. The hurt that had flared in Declan’s eyes sent a knife through her heart, but she didn’t go after him. She probably should but… God, she was no good with this kind of stuff.
After tugging on her discarded pajamas, she rushed to her sister’s room. She knocked once, then opened the door to find Alena stretched out on the bed staring at a muted television screen.
Nika sat down on the edge of the queen-sized bed. “Why aren’t you in Andre’s room?”
“I couldn’t sleep so I left him. I figured you might be awake too, but…” Alena propped up against the pillows and drew her knees to her chest. “So, what’s going on with you and Mr. Security?”
“His name’s Declan. And I don’t know. He’s…” Nika stopped herself. Declan hadn’t exactly told her she couldn’t tell anyone about his gift, but of all people, she understood the need for privacy. She’d never kept anything from her sister before, but it’s not as if Alena needed to know he was a dream walker. He wasn’t walking in her sister’s dreams. Or Nika assumed he wasn’t.
Alena’s eyes narrowed a fraction. “He’s what?”
“He’s…I don’t know, different. I really like him.” It sounded lame, but she wasn’t sure how to explain to her sister what Declan meant to her. Especially when she didn’t understand those feelings herself. He made her feel special.
“Are you sure he’s not using you?” she asked quietly.
There wasn’t any hint of malice in her sister’s question, but the words stung just the same. Nika pushed off the bed. “Why? Because he’s interested in me and not you?”
Alena jerked back as if Nika had punched h
er. “No! I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s obvious he’s attracted to you. I swear I didn’t mean it that way.”
Wincing, Nika sat back down. She wanted to kick herself as the old insecurities bubbled to the surface. She wasn’t sixteen anymore. “Sorry, I know you didn’t. I…I don’t want to talk about him, okay? Whatever I’m doing with him won’t affect anything we’re doing here.”
“I wasn’t worried about that.”
“Really?” she asked dryly.
The corners of her sister’s mouth curved up. “Well maybe I’m a little concerned.”
“Don’t be. It’s just sex, anyway.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back. It wasn’t true and she knew it. Worse, she knew her sister was aware it was a lie. Even thinking, much less saying, what she’d shared with Declan was just sex made her stomach twist into a painful knot. As if she was somehow betraying what they’d shared together.
Somehow Declan had figured out the exact nuances of her body. How she liked to be touched. Where she liked to be touched. It was maddening that he’d figured her out so easily. And the fact that he could literally get into her dreams when he wanted gave her an extra reason to feel connected to him. She didn’t know if that was such a good thing either.
“I’m going to do it tonight.” Alena’s words cut through her thoughts.
“Do what?” For a moment, she’d forgotten what they were doing at Andre’s house. God, she felt like such an idiot. “Wait, do it?” Panic surged through her that her sister was talking so freely about this especially since they’d agreed not to talk about anything. She mouthed the word ‘surveillance’.
Alena shook her head. “I’ve already scanned for bugs. This room is clean. He’s coming to dinner tonight. It might be the only chance we ever get.”
“There are going to be so many people around. Yasha’s people, not to mention Andre’s own security.” Terror sank its talons into her and dug deep.
“I’ve done this three times before. I’m not going to get caught. Besides, I’m going to take care of him a little differently than the others. No one but Yasha will be affected. I wouldn’t risk hurting someone else. Not now.”
Nika hadn’t questioned Alena before, but she’d already guessed that Alena would kill Yasha differently than the others. With the Lazarev brothers, she’d given them massive doses of atropine. The first two had been easy enough. She’d lured them alone under the pretense of having sex. One she’d killed in the bathroom of a club, and the other, she’d killed in his hotel room. It was the only time she’d been sure they’d leave their bodyguards. With the last brother—Kirril—it hadn’t been so easy considering his tastes ran to younger girls. So, she’d injected it straight into one of his vodka bottles. They’d both expected him to die later, once they’d left the Bahamas, but he’d managed to kill himself the day before they’d flown back to the States. It placed them there at the time of his death, but there was nothing they could do about it now. And it was unlikely anyone would make the connection. Why would they?
“I’m going to spray it on his plate and utensils. No matter what he touches, he’s sure to ingest it.” Alena smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Which made Nika wonder if her sister’s heart was even in it this time. “Will it be enough?”
“It’s a very concentrated dosage.”
“But what if someone else touches his utensils instead? What if Andre does?”
Alena’s eyes narrowed. “I have it worked out. Trust me. There will only be the four of us at dinner and if Andre makes a move to sit in Yasha’s spot, I’ll create a distraction.”
“A distraction?”
“I’ll spill something. Have a wardrobe malfunction and flash a breast. Whatever it takes. I won’t let anything happen to Andre. I’m fast with my hands, you know that. I’ll switch the silverware if I have to. This will work. It has to.”
There were so many things Nika wanted to say, but she would be wasting her breath. Alena knew how she felt. When it came down to it, Nika couldn’t leave her sister no matter how much she wanted to call this thing off. Alena had been more than a sister, she’d been the only mother-figure Nika had ever had. Their uncle might have raised them and provided a roof over their heads, but Alena had been the one to tuck her in every night when she’d been younger. Alena had slept with her when she had nightmares. Had taught her how to drive a car, how to apply makeup, hell, how to flirt. She’d been a mother and sister combined.
Sighing, she pushed off the bed and faked a yawn. “I’m going to grab another hour of sleep, okay?”
Alena frowned for a moment, but nodded. “Okay. Meet you downstairs for breakfast?”
“Sounds good.” She dropped a quick kiss on her sister’s cheek and hurried back to the safety of her room.
If her sister attempted to kill Yasha and failed, they’d both be dead. If Yasha didn’t kill them immediately, he would eventually. She had no doubt that the man would hunt them down and make them pay. Of course, that was if Andre didn’t do it first. Nika didn’t think Andre was like his father, but in her experience, family tended to stick together no matter what.
She laid against her pillow and even though she’d gotten little sleep the night before, there was no way she could rest now. She had to think of some way out of this. After tonight they could be dead. Or Yasha could make it so they wished they were.
* * *
Yasha looked up from his computer as his second-in-command stepped into the office.
Dima quietly shut the door behind him. “You called?”
“The meet has been moved to tomorrow morning.” It changed his plans, but everything could be adjusted.
Dima frowned as he took a seat across the desk. “Why the sudden urgency?”
“My client is feeling pressure from some outside sources. CIA or FBI, I think. His window of travel is small and he will not send anyone else to pick up his merchandise.” Yasha understood because he would do the same. Especially considering the price the man was paying for them. Young virgins to the highest bidder. Some men cared about that kind of thing. And it was going to be very good for his bottom line.
Dima shrugged. “The men are ready.”
“I know that.” His men were always ready. He’d handpicked them. Most of them came from Moscow or Odessa, and while they were little more than brainless thugs, they were well trained and they feared him. That was all that mattered.
“Is there something else?”
“I want to move our other merchandise tomorrow also.” In the end, he would decide, but he trusted Dima’s opinion. Moving drugs and women was all the same. He had buyers for both lined up all along the East Coast. It was easier to unload everything at once.
His dark eyebrows rose slightly, but Dima nodded. “That could work. Only if your son allows us the use of one of his warehouses.”
“That won’t be a problem.” After reviewing the file on the Brennan sisters, Yasha had a strong suspicion the women were most definitely working for someone else. And they were using Andre for an unknown purpose. If Yasha could use that knowledge against them, he had no doubt he’d be able to convince his son to help him. As a favor.
“If you’re sure, I’ll contact Mr. Carter’s assistant and set up a time.”
“No, I will speak to Mr. Carter myself.”
Dismissed, Dima nodded and left.
Once Yasha was alone in his office, he called the man he only knew as Richard Carter. Other than a name, he didn’t know much else about him. He’d heard whispers that Carter was the go-between for warlords and various third world dictators. As long as he paid in cash and wasn’t law enforcement, Yasha didn’t care who the man worked for.
“Yes?” He answered on the second ring.
“I believe we have some business to finish, Mr. Carter.”
“Is this my Russian friend?” He had a faint trace of a British accent.
Friend. He nearly snorted. “Yes. Are you still interested?�
��
“I have a couple clients who are very interested, but we never settled on a price.”
He started high, knowing he’d have to go lower. It was always the way of things. Just business. Once they settled on a price, they also agreed that tomorrow evening would be choice to meet. Perfect for him. He’d do all his business over the course of one day. And be millions upon millions wealthier.
“Location?” Mr. Carter asked.
“I’ll let you know closer to the meet.” In case the man wasn’t who he said he was, Yasha wasn’t taking the chance of a sting operation. He’d done his research, but he could never be too careful. Not when so much money was at stake.
“I’ll be expecting your call.”
After they disconnected, Yasha poured a small shot of vodka. It was never too early to celebrate adding to his wealth.
Chapter 21
Declan rubbed a towel over his damp hair one more time before heading downstairs. It was insane to feel rejected simply because Nika hadn’t wanted to have sex a fourth time in the past few hours. His head told him one thing, but a part of him he didn’t even want to admit existed stung.
And he knew she was holding back from him. Vernon had been right about that. The women both knew Yasha. The only thing Declan knew without a doubt was that she wasn’t lying about her attraction to him. Nika wasn’t faking that. She’d have to be the best actress in the world to pull that off. Their first time together last night had been…intense.
He couldn’t ever remember being so driven with the need to be with a woman. To absolutely fucking possess her. Being inside her last night had been the most important thing. The only thing that mattered. He’d needed that connection like he needed air.
“Hey, boss. Was just coming to get you.” Odell’s voice tore him back to reality as he reached the bottom stair.
He glanced at his watch. It was a little before six. “I didn’t expect anyone else to be up.”
Odell held up a mug with steam rolling off the top and shrugged. “I’ve been up since three. I followed up on a hunch and I think you’ll be happy with what I found.”
