Gabriel's Light (Doms of Chicago)

by Trace, Dakota

  “Evidently the lure of having several military trained men, including two who have the reputation of not letting murdering assholes live, was too tempting to turn down.” she suggested.

  “True. Jude and Jackson are both a force to reckoned with, as are Hark and Ethan. Those men have seen Hell and have lived to tell about it. Makes me glad I’m not on the receiving end. I still can’t believe I let you talk me into letting you come with us.” Gabriel drummed his fingers on the wheel until something loud, like a gunshot, echoed through the early morning darkness. Gabriel straightened, and touched the earpiece in his ear. “Shit.” Then he waited for a moment before keying the mike. “Copy that.” He turned to face her. “They need me. Stay put - do you understand me? Lock the doors and don’t open them for anyone other than Jude, Hark or me. If something happens to you, I’m going to paddle your ass until you can’t sit for a week.”

  She nodded. “I understand, Master. But what’s going on? I promise I won’t leave the SUV? Is it Sophie?”

  “No. One of the police offers took a bullet to the shoulder, and they want me to help him back to the ambulance. S.W.A.T. is getting ready to swarm the place.” He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Don’t leave this truck, do you hear me? There’re gangs nearby who’d love nothing more than to get a hold of you.”

  She nodded again. “Yes. Be safe, Gabriel, please?”

  “Always, Zhenya. I feel alive - for the first time in a long time. I’m not going to risk losing it.” Then he was gone and the waiting began.

  At first she fiddled with the radio, then she shut it off, a restlessness she knew wouldn’t cease until she had not only Sophie back in her arms, but her Master as well. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. There was no denying it any longer - to herself or Gabriel. She was his whether he kept her or not after they got Sophie back and Sebastene taken care of. She could only hope he decided he wanted them. Perhaps she could ask him about doing scenes with him occasionally at the club once things settled down. They could take it slow until he was ready for more.

  A sudden rapping on the SUV’s window had her looking up. Peering through the glass of the side window, she was shocked to realize she recognized the person on the other side. When the person motioned for her to roll the window down, she shook her head. There was no way she was letting the person have access to her. Not only was her salt and pepper hair and clothing rumpled as if she’d taken a nasty fall, but Zhenya trusted Anastassia Sikkenga about as far as she could throw her, and that wasn’t damn far. Her mistrust was proven right when her former mother-in-law raised a silver pistol and tapped it against the glass.

  “Come out Zhenya, darling. You and I have business to take care of.” The words were muffled but the shrewdness in Anastassia’s gaze didn’t reassure her.

  She shook her head. “Like hell.” There wasn’t even a remote chance of her unlocking the door, and it wasn’t just because of her Master’s promise to warm her bottom if she left the vehicle which kept her hands in her lap, it was the vibe she was getting off the other woman. She never would have guessed the whole time she’d been married to Ossie his mother could handle a gun. It was so out of character for Anastassia, Zhenya was quite sure she’d gone off her rocker.

  “Now.” The woman tapped the glass a bit harder. “I have no problem shooting you, Zhenya. You’ll either sign the papers I’ve had drawn up, or I’ll kill you. It matters little to me. Be smart. Sign and walk away, or don’t. Either way, Sophie’s mine.”

  Her face must’ve paled because the other woman smirked at her. “You didn’t realize I knew your baby was a girl? Of course I knew. From the beginning, but I couldn’t tell my dear husband that, not after what he did to our only daughter. Tossed her out like trash because she was born with a club foot.” A maniacal laughter bubbled free of the woman. “What? You didn’t realize Ossie had a sister? A twin sister? One my dear husband decided wasn’t fit to live in our home because of her deformity? Well, your Sophie is going to replace my Sophia. Now get the hell out!” Evidently tired of waiting for her to comply, Anastassia smashed the gun against the window.

  Zhenya flinched as the glass held. Reaching for her seatbelt, she unfastened it then crawled over the console between the passenger and driver’s seats. A scream left her throat as she heard a snick and then felt a whoosh of air, before a pair of hands pulled her out of the SUV. When the man stood her on her feet, she tried to dart away, but he caught her by her injured shoulder and squeezed it, sending agony racing down her arm until she was ready to pass out from the pain. That’s when he spun her around and she caught a glimpse of her attacker’s face. Cyrille Karas smiled down at her as Anastassia walked around the front of the vehicle. She motioned for Zhenya to follow her.

  “Come, dear. You have papers to sign.”

  * * * *

  Gabriel looked at Jude in confusion when he stepped inside the control center, which happened to be the back of a dark black cargo van. “What do you mean there was no man down? I got a radio contact from you - stating there was an officer down who needed help back to the control center. That was after I heard a shot.”

  “There were no gunshots, Gabriel.” Jude surged to his feet, nearly knocking over the chair in the process. “Where is Zhenya?”

  “Back in the SUV, locked in with instructions to not unlock the door for anyone but you, Hark or me.”

  “Fuck!” He pushed Gabriel out of the way. Jumping down out of the van, he barely faltered as he landed. A second later Hark hit the ground next to Jude. “We’ve got to get back to her. The downed officer was nothing more than a diversionary tactic. They wanted us to bring Zhenya with us.”

  “But he could’ve taken her in at the doctor’s office!” Gabriel protested.

  “And dealt with a struggling woman and a screaming infant? I don’t think so. I knew the trace was too damn easy.” He took off at a run towards the SUV, which sat just beyond the perimeter. Fear coursing through him, Gabriel followed Jude back to his truck. His heart started pounding as he saw the empty front seat. “Whoa!” Jude grabbed him, stopping him. “Let Hark do his thing.”

  It took all his considerable self-control to wait while Hark circled the SUV with his flashlight, studying the ground. He paused next to the passenger door, and then again by the driver’s side door, before squatting down to study the dirt. Cursing long and low in his native tongue, he finally straightened. “She didn’t leave the truck willingly. She was forced away, Gabriel.” He nodded to the left. “The tracks led this way. Let’s go. I have a feeling we’re going to find a back door to where they’re holding Sophie.”

  “Shit.” Jude went to grab the mike to radio instructions to the rest of the group, when Hark grabbed his hand.

  “Don’t. We can’t trust the radios. They used them to lure Gabriel away. Let the other guys go in the front. We’ll follow them in the back and surprise them.”

  “What if they’re expecting that?” Gabriel asked, leery of doing anything that would jeopardize either of his females. “What if they hear us coming and hurt them?”

  A slow cold grim crossed Hark’s face. “We don’t let them hear us, Poulanos. If you can’t sneak up on a bunch of thugs, then you aren’t worthy of sh’da’zha’. I’ll take her back home and introduce her to some of my friends. I know a few who’d be more than happy to take care of her.”

  “Like fuck you will. She’s mine!” Gabriel bristled.

  “Sure couldn’t prove it to me. You were the sap who let yourself be lured away from your woman,” Hark taunted, his arms crossed over his massive chest.

  “Listen here, you son of a bitch, I’m more than worthy of her...”

  “…and turnabout is fair play, buddy-boy.” He leaned over and clapped Gabriel on the shoulder. “You put me through hell when I joined your sister and her husband’s relationship. What makes you think I’m not going to deal you the same shit?”

  Gabriel saw red and lunged at the smirking ass. He didn’t care if Hark kicked his ass or not. He
would’ve made it too, if it hadn’t been for Jude’s restraining arm.

  “Ladies, enough posturing. It’s time to take the fight to the assholes who deserve it.” He glared at Hark. “I don’t care what barbs you think he deserves, this is about rescuing Sophie and Zhenya. Keep your smart ass comments to yourself until this over.” Then he shook his head at Gabriel. “And you, Poulanos, you’re dumber than a fuckin’ box of rocks for taking on Hark that way. He’d wipe the floor with you - then what would your submissive think?”

  “She picked the wrong Dom?” Hark taunted, seeming to be unable to resist one last taunt.

  Gabriel acted without thinking and punched the smug bastard right in the mouth before Jude could stop him. The tension mounted until Hark spit out blood and smiled. “It’s about time you, prick. I always wondered if there was a man behind that polished facade of yours. Now hang on to your anger, you’re going to need it to survive tangling with Karas and his men.”

  Jude groaned. “Hark, you’re an asshole.”

  “But one who gets the job done. Now let’s go before the fireworks start.” Then he took off at a jog following the tracks only he seemed to be able to see.

  Jude cursed. “Damn Injun. Come on.” He took off at a fast clip for a man with a bum knee.

  When they finally caught up with Hark, they saw him lowering an unconscious or dead man to the ground. Gabriel was almost afraid to ask when Hark stood up. Then he pressed his finger to his lips, before he slipped through a partially concealed door Gabriel finally noticed. Entering the empty, cavernous warehouse, they made a conscious effort to walk quietly. The last thing any of them needed was for their footsteps to echo and alert the bad guys they had company. As Hark slowed and held his hand up for them to halt, Gabriel finally heard what had caused the other men to stop.

  “No! I’m not signing any fucking paper!”

  The sound of Zhenya’s voice sent hope through him. If she was still being feisty as ever, maybe she was okay. Then a high-pitched squeal sent his heart plummeting and his fury rising. How dare they lay hands on his woman! He moved forward, but Hark threw an arm in front of him.

  “Don’t break her hand, Cyrille. She can’t sign if her hand is broken….”

  “No, not yet. She’s fine,” Hark whispered, before nodding to Jude, who slipped away after a flurry of hand signals Gabriel had no hope of even beginning to understand. “Let me and Jude get into position before you go barging in. Once we’re both in position, I’ll signal with one short burst of the mike and Jude with two. Once you’ve heard both signals, I want you to walk in there bold as you please, as if you’re doing nothing more than taking a stroll in the park. I need you to get to the baby and cover her. Thermals earlier showed Sophie’s on the inside wall at the northeast corner of the office they’re holding both her and Zhenya in. You need to walk over to the baby and block her body with yours. Jude and I are both damned accurate shots, but we’re not taking chances with the baby. Zhenya knows when she hears gunfire to go limp. I worked with her on evasive maneuvers when she lived with me. So your job is to protect Sophie. Got it?”

  He nodded. “Protect Sophie.”

  “I mean it, Gabriel. If you don’t do your part, we might not be able to save both of them.”

  “I got it,” he whispered back. Then Hark disappeared into the depths of the warehouse. Long minutes of listening to his woman being tortured caused time to drag. The keying of the mike startled him. “One, two…” he whispered softly. Jude was in place. As another minute passed the cries coming from Zhenya grew louder, until he was ready to say screw it and charge in, when the mike keyed again in his ear. “Finally….” Then shoving his hands into his pockets, he followed the sound of the voices. It was time to make his move.

  * * * *

  Tears were already streaming down Zhenya’s face as Cyrille broke her left pinky. She’d thought she was going to get a reprieve when Anastassia had stopped him earlier. But she had been wrong. Instead of torturing her right hand, he’d moved to the other and now three of her four fingers on her left hand were broken. Cyrille smiled at her sadly. “You know we could avoid this unpleasantness if you’d merely sign the papers…”

  “And you can rot in hell. Sophie’s mine. I’ll never willingly give her up to you psychotic assholes,” she panted, trying to ignore the pain shooting up her arm.

  “What do you mean, Sophie?” Sebastene walked into the small room which had once been an office. His expression didn’t bode well for anyone, but she couldn’t help but notice his stay in America hadn’t been pleasant. Two of his fingers were splinted and wrapped in white medical tape. Evidently my fingers aren’t the only ones this ass has been breaking.

  Anastassia looked nervous for a split second, before she smiled at her husband and brushed a kiss over his cheek. “It’s nothing. You should be in bed resting, sweetheart. Once this nasty business of getting her signature for custody of the baby is finished, we’ll be on our way.”

  Sebastene seemed to waiver, and for the first time in the entire time she’d known him, he gave into his wife, or seemed to until Gabriel strolled into the room. He was calm as you please as if he were doing nothing more than taking a walk in the park. Her heart leapt. He was here. He would take their child and get her to safety. After that she didn’t care what the asshole Karas, who tightened his grip on her wrist, did. He could kill her if he wanted to. As long as Sophie left this God-forsaken place alive and unhurt in Gabriel’s arms.

  “Who the hell are you?” Sebastene demanded.

  “Me?” Gabriel asked. “Well, I guess you might say I’m the man who’s the father to the child you stole from my woman.”

  “The restaurant owner,” Sebastene spatted. “I could sell you five times over. You’re nothing more than dirt beneath the heel of my boots. The boy has Sikkenga blood in him. He’ll never be yours. He needs to be with his family.”

  “If you can find a boy with Sikkenga blood, then by all means, you’re welcome to him.” Gabriel’s tone was casual, as he approached the small bassinet sitting in the corner of the office. Lifting Sophie out of its depths, he sheltered the baby with his body, before tugging on his ear. “But this is Zhenya’s daughter…a daughter who your son wasn’t worthy of.” He looked directly at Zhenya. “One which I hope to be. I’d like her to be my daughter, if her mother will have me.”

  “What?” Sebastene rounded on his wife. “The child’s a girl? You lying whore…you told me it was a boy…a grandson to carry on my name. I risked everything to come here and get him. I paid goons from the consulate to terrorize her, paid this man to burn down that bastard’s house, even if he’s a monster who I continued to pay after he broke my hand - all because you wanted a daughter to replace the worthless baby I made you get rid of thirty years ago?”

  “She was not worthless!” Anastaissia shouted, before reaching into her pocket to pull out the gun she’d waved earlier in Zhenya’s face. “You’re a worthless excuse for a human being - and one who I’m done with.”

  “Done with! I don’t think so.” He grabbed her arm and wrenched the gun down. “I’m the man. I’m the head of my family. You’ll get your ass on that plane now. We’re going home without the american pórni̱’s child. I don’t care how good your pussy is, I’ll not take on a girl who’ll take after her mother.”

  As he tried to move across the room, all hell broke loose. Everything seemed to slow down to Zhenya as Cyrille pulled her backwards when shots rang out. Remembering the training Hark had insisted upon, she went limp, dropping to the floor. It wasn’t until she was covered by Karas’s body and looking directly into his lifeless eyes, that she realized he’d been shot. Keeping her scream of horror inside was impossible. She’d never been this close to a dead man, and all she wanted was to get away. Squirming, she tried to push his weight off her, but with her broken fingers, each time she tried new agony would shoot up her arms. The gunfire seemed to be only a few short moments but also taking forever at the same time as she laid under
Cyrille’s corpse. When it finally stopped, the silence was deafening. It wasn’t until Hark lifted the man’s body off her, she realized it was finally over.

  “Is it over?” she whispered.

  Hark standing tall, nodded, “Yes, sh’da’zha’, it is. Not that the police are going to be happy with me. Jude and I left them no one to prosecute” He sighed, and Zhenya turned to look around the room - to see if Sebastene and Anastassia were actually dead, but he stopped her. “Don’t look. They deserved what they got. It’s not a memory you should have.” He stepped in front of her.

  “Then what is?”

  Turning her around, she saw Gabriel standing in the doorway holding their daughter while a medic checked her out. “That is.” He leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Go to him. Be happy. Leave the ugly stuff to me.”

  Tears spilled down her cheeks. “But you deserve happiness too, Hark.”

  He pressed a kiss to her head. “Perhaps someday. Now, don’t make him wait any longer. Life’s too short.”

  Stumbling forward, she made her way to Gabriel. “Master?”

  At her softly spoken word, he turned to face her, a smile crossing his face. “Does that mean you’re not going to fight the inevitable?”

  “The inevitable?” she repeated, not quite following him, just happy both he and Sophie were safe, unhurt - alive.

  He drew her close and nuzzled her ear. “Yes, the inevitable. You moving in permanently to my home, helping me convert my office into a nursery for Sophie, wearing my collar, and…us getting married?”

  She pulled to back to look at him, searching his eyes, but all she saw was caring and something else she was afraid to label. “I’d say yes to all of it in a heartbeat, but you don’t have to marry me. I made a vow to never marry a man who doesn’t love me as much as I love him.”