by KJ Dahlen
She just couldn’t place anyone in the way, in his path and have them hurt or killed because of her. The guilt she already carried was at times, too much to bear.
The man that she’d told that one time... he’d had a family. Two small kids and a wife. Yes, she had tracked his identity down after she was healed. She had then wept all that day when she found his life on the net and laid in bed in a deep depression. ‘It had been her big mouth,’ Boris had said to her. ‘Her big rap that got him dead. She would know better now. Or did she not care?’ He had shouted at her. ‘He hadn’t wanted to have the man killed but she had made him do it.’
For a whole week after this, she had been listless and down. She had even left her laptop in hiding. She couldn’t even get interested in life enough to go on it. She had even thought of ending it all. Why exist when the world was kept from her. Freedom, life friends...all of it was something she had never known and until Boris was dead, it would be all she did know. Loneliness, entrapment. A non life.
But she couldn’t face death. She couldn’t because she had never embraced life. Never lived a life. Anger had then replaced depression.
She finally got up and did some things she never thought she would. Took a hacking job that was for a lot of money. It was a huge white collar crime. She knew it was when she’d agreed, involving a bank and another entity that dealt in drugs and guns. She had agreed to hack into their accounts and drain them. She, of course accomplished it with no trace of herself left behind. Then she took her cut of fifty thousand dollars. She immediately and anonymously donated it to the Go Fund me for the widow and orphans of the man she had helped to kill.
It was all she could do. They at least wouldn’t suffer financially from the loss of their husband and father.
She had never thought to do something so large and so very illegal but she went on ahead and did it. Afterward, Zeta felt a bit better, but it never healed the scar. The hole inside her that had been left behind just because she had been selfish enough to tell the man and get him involved. Simply because she’d wanted her freedom.
No, never again would she ask for help. Get anyone involved. It was an absolute no way. Zipper had tempted her and she’d almost agreed. But no, she could never survive it again. That was why she had hopped off their messaging, she had been so tempted. But there was no way she’d risk having someone else dead because of her.
She narrowed her eyes. Except for Boris. This would be someone she could kill. It then startled her that she felt such venous hate. Enough to want to kill. It wasn’t healthy and this was another reason she had to leave here. Every day that went by, her resentment and hate got bigger. She imagined all the ways she could kill him, then knock Anslem out and leave. This was a horrible way to live. Imagining and fantasizing about someone’s demise.
If she didn’t get away from here, she would become a murderer. She would become the same as Boris.
Shivering, she got up from her chair and looked around the room.
She wouldn’t take a damn thing with her. Except for the laptop and the necklace, she had kept hidden that her father had given her for her ninth birthday. That was it. She wanted no reminders of this lifelong nightmare, once she was free.
But would she get free?
If not, Zeta would rather that Boris and or Anslem killed her this time.
Chapter Seven
Zipper ripped out of the room and straight to Deke’s office. He nearly ran all the way. He knocked then didn’t even wait for the word enter. He burst in.
Deke looked a bit startled as he had little Sam sitting on his desk, Piper in his lap and Jemmia next to his chair.
Zipper halted.
Deke glared at him.
“ZIP!” Sam shouted.
Zipper nodded at the kid. “Hey ya Sammy.’
“Oooh!” Jemmia spoke. “You in trouble now, Zipper.”
Zipper shook his head.
“Yes, he is,” Deke added with a raised brow.
“No, daddy...Sam doesn’t like to be called Sammy!” Jemmia corrected him.
Sam crossed his arms over his little chest and glared at Zipper.
Zipper raised his brows as he stared at little Sam, Funny thing, he looked just like his dad, the glare, the crossed arms over the chest. They were so alike that zipper shivered a bit. “Oh, so sorry Sam. I never meant...”
Deke laughed as he finally got a look at Sam’s posture, glare and pout. “Dang, Sam. Chill would you?”
He dropped his arms and then hopped off his father’s desk.
Deke stood and held little Piper in his arms.
Cassie came in through the door. “You three are in trouble.”
Deke smiled as he walked over to her and handed her Piper. “They just wanted to see me.”
“They saw you an hour ago,” she replied taking Piper from him then curling her finger to Sam.
Jemmia skipped over to her mom.
Cassie looked at Zipper.
He knew she’d caught a vibe and he sure as hell hoped Deke would inform her of things later on. He just couldn’t be caught in the middle of these two.
Cassie leaned in and kissed Deke’s cheek. Then left through the door.
Zipper shut it quickly. He turned to find Deke with his arms crossed over his chest.
Zipper did a double take. It was so uncanny.
“So is your ass on fire or what?” Deke asked.
Zipper stepped closer.” I know where Manhattan Girl is.”
Deke’s arms dropped. “Well, fuck...”
“Yes well, don’t get too impressed I got it from Phantom.”
Deke did look surprised. “Phantom gave her up? No fucking way.”
“Yes, because of this...” Zipper opened his laptop and tried to find their conversation. He tapped the keys. Yeah... it was gone.
“So, what is it?” Deke leaned in to see the screen.
Zipper sighed. “She wiped it. But essentially, she said that she has to escape from where she is and that there are two men after you and Yuri. Then something about a bomb.”
Deke stared at him. “What?”
“Look...” Zipper pushed his fingers through his long hair. “I want to take a team and go get her.”
“You what?” Bones asked from behind him.
Zipper turned to look at Deke’s dad. “She is planning an escape and said she might not make it out.”
“Escape from where?” Deke wanted to know.
“From...” Zipper paused. “I don’t know just yet but look. She stuck her neck out for you and Yuri. Now she needs help.”
“Sounds like a trap to me,” Sam muttered.
Zipper shook his head. “She said no when I offered help and went offline. She said no one else would be killed on account of her or something.”
Sam rubbed his bearded chin. “Then how do you know where—”
“Phantom gave her up,” Deke interjected.
Sam’s eyes rounded, as he exclaimed, “No fucking way! She, herself, has hidden for a long ass time. It could mean life or death to someone like her or this Manhattan person. No way would she out another hacker.”
“I convinced her. This woman needs help.”
They both stared at him. “Woman?” they asked simultaneously
“Yes, Phantom sort of confirmed that.”
Both men then glanced at each other.
Deke said, “You need to research the address.” He picked up his phone. “Wait a second though.” He tapped his screen. Then waited. “Hello Nikoli.” He listened. “Yes, we have something.” He snapped his fingers impatiently at Zipper.
Zipper took a step back.
Deke glared at him. “Just a minute, can you wait please?” He lowered the phone. “What the fuck Zipper?”
Zipper didn’t know what the fuck either. All he felt was the need to protect this Manhattan girl. “How do I know they won’t go in guns blazing and get her killed?”
Sam let out a sigh as he shook his head.
Deke sta
red at him then raised the phone. “Zipper has some hesitation.” He paused and listened. “He says he doesn’t want Manhattan Girl hurt and is afraid your men will go in there and well, she’ll end up caught in the crossfire.” Deke paused again. “Okay. We’ll set it up in the next hour. Your IT and mine.” He swiped the phone and looked up at Zipper. “He wants a screen meeting, skype like then we can all discuss what to do.”
Zipper nodded. “Okay in Church?”
“Yeah, we can give the address to his team too. They can find her faster and we need to know who owns the place and what that all means.”
“Yeah, I know.” Zipper called over his shoulder as he headed to the ops room to get what he needed for this. He would first make sure that Nikoli gave his word. He saw the type of man he was. His word would be his law. Zipper planned to use that law.
New York City
Yuri waited as Nikoli spoke to whomever it was on his cell. He’d just arrived and Raven was with him. He’d lost the argument with her. They never argued much but when she set her mind to something, he usually gave in.
Ever since he’d been shot at, she had been frantic. She even brought the kids to visit and Misha would be flying in with Sergi as well later today. The kids were thrilled to be taking the trip and to get to see their grandpa and great grandpa. Yuri only relented as she said she wanted to visit her family anyway. But in truth, he knew the real reason.
She wouldn’t back off of the subject of someone gunning for him. He, in turn didn’t want her with him, if the man tried again.
There would be the Bratva security coming with Misha and Sergi and there would be no way that a sniper would be able to try again, not here at least.
He was comfortable here. He knew Nikoli well. The man had changed their lives. His and his brothers.
The five of them had grown up together. Orphans in the streets of St Petersburg, they had formed a sort of an alliance. They knew they wouldn’t have made it on their own, so by joining forces, they became one person and together, they were strong enough to survive the brutality of Russian winter. Together as a pack of sorts, they hunted the streets for food and shelter.
Yuri had always been a bigger boy and as such, he’d become the leader. But the others had grown up just as tough. Sazon, Roman, Barshan and Mikial, they had all become men before their time as they battled just to survive. And survive they did. They fought for their own little piece of the streets until one man noticed their efforts to survive. Nikoli Silvanic.
Nikoli had been a young Lieutenant in the Russian underground thirty years ago but he’d moved up the ranks quickly. He’d seen the solidarity the five of them shared and began working with them. He’d taught them everything he knew and before long, they had become a force to be reckoned with. When it was time to move from Russia and represent the Russian Bratva here in America, Nikoli brought them with him. Nikoli had stayed in New York and set Yuri and the others up in New Orleans as their base. Just like at home, the five brothers had to fight for what they had but it had been worth the struggle.
Once they had the pecking order in place, each of them had started a business to maintain their cover. Yuri had the hotel-restaurant; Sazon had opened a fighting gym; Roman owned and operated a string of fishing boats and barges that ran goods up and down the Mississippi River. Barshan became a loan shark and a business man with his fingers in a lot of different pies and Mikial had opened a successful Import-Export business.
Now they were all married and having kids. They were a huge family. Nothing could be better in the whole world. Then this happened. The peace shattered. Someone wanted him dead and from what he heard, he and another man he’d never met. This was the part that had really thrown them. They had never crossed paths and yet the same killer was after them, or so Nikoli had said.
His network and his brother’s had been searching for any hint of who this killer might be, as had the Bratva teams to find who was after him. Let alone why.
Raven grabbed his arm and smiled up at him. “I will be in the main room with Dominic and Caitlyn. They’re hungry. Again.” She kissed him softly on the lips.
He grabbed her up and kissed her for real. He still wanted this woman every day, every night and beyond that. So yes, he too was hungry again. He finally let her go.
She looked a bit dazed. Batting her long lashes, Raven smiled crookedly and then wandered off with those sweet hips swaying. Yuri got hard. He always did, didn’t matter that they had been together for all this time.
He sat at the bar and poured himself a vodka. He then became lost in the memory of the first day he saw her.
It was in his office at the hotel. She had been working in the restaurant downstairs and he needed to find out a few things from her.
He remembered when she walked in.....
.....As Yuri observed her, he rose to his feet and noted she was of small stature with her dark hair pulled back from her elfin face that hung to the lower part of her back.
Her clear green eyes stared back at him. She almost looked like a child but her body was that of a woman. Her breasts were full, round, her waist tiny, while her hips were round and lush. Her work uniform strained slightly against her body. Her dark shirt was neatly tucked into her skirt. The buttons down the front barely hid her full breasts. The skirt fell about halfway to her knees and her legs were bare under it. With her low heels, she was barely five foot if that. The Tea House crest flashed high on her shoulder. She wore a belt at her narrow waist. The belt didn’t belong with the uniform but looked neat and tidy with its flat long rounded buckle just above where her belly button should be. The silver color of the buckle went well with the rest of the outfit.
Her eyes watched him while he took her in. They studied him intently while giving nothing away.
Yuri knew what that meant and could appreciate where she was coming from. He’d seen that same look in others. Ones who’d been beaten down by the past, as if they were waiting for the other shoe to drop and didn’t know if it were going to kick them or help them. Yuri was curious as to why this young woman would be so haunted. “Please have a seat Miss...?”
She heard the question but didn’t give her last name.
He motioned for her to sit and he waited until she sat down to again sit, behind his desk. Folding his fingers into a steeple, he rested them against his lips and watched as she simply stared at him. “Do you know who I am?”
Raven still looked alert as she answered, “You are Yuri Anatoly.”
Yuri nodded. “I know your first name but not your last name. I could look it up of course, but I’d rather you just told me.”
Raven looked away and the action told Yuri something important. When she looked back at him, he could see the blankness in her eyes. “My name is Raven Casseni.”
He knew she was lying the moment she said the words but he let it pass. After a few minutes, he leaned forward and pushed the photo of her brother toward her. “I’m told you know this young man,” he stated.
Raven took the photo and gazed at it for a long moment before turning her eyes back to her boss. “I might, why what has he done?” Her eyes met his in a steady gaze.
For once in his life, it was Yuri who looked away first. He almost couldn’t take the way his skin heated at those sweet looking eyes. His gaze dropped to the photo and he asked, “Who is this young man?”
“Why? What did he do?” she repeated her earlier question without answering his question.
“I would like to ask him some questions.”
“What sort of questions?”
Yuri stared at her for a moment. This was getting him nowhere. They seemed to be going in circles. Instead of answering her question he asked, “Who is he?”
“He’s just a kid, no one important to you,” Raven argued.
Yuri watched her for a moment then said, “Oh, but he is. I have a feeling he’s going to become very important to me.”
“Why would you think that?” Raven asked her voice hesitant.
“He didn’t do anything to hurt you or anyone else.”
“Then you won’t mind if I speak to him.” Yuri leaned forward in his chair. As he did, he pushed a small notebook toward her. “Write down your address and I’ll have him brought here for questioning. No one else need know.”
Raven shook her head. “I’m sorry but I won’t do that.”
Yuri sighed. “Fine then, I’ll just get your address from your employment files.”
Raven scoffed. “Good luck with that,” she mumbled under her breath as she got to her feet. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”
“You aren’t going anywhere.” Yuri motioned for her to sit back down.
“You can’t hold me here,” she countered.
Yuri barked out a laugh. “You would be surprised at what I can and cannot do.”
Raven surged to her feet. “You won’t keep me here.”
“Then tell me what I want to know!” Yuri bellowed as he stomped closer to her. “Who is he and where can I find him?” His huge hands tightened into fists and his chest expanded.
As if Raven couldn’t help herself, the fear being so ingrained in her, she dropped to her knees and covered her head with her hands almost as a survival reflex.
Yuri stopped where he was and stared down at her. He was stunned by her reaction. He recognized what happened and didn’t like it at all. His jaw tightened as he squatted down to her. Reaching out, he grasped her shoulders and helped her to her feet. “I’m not going to hurt you child.” His voice fell low and the rage of a few minutes earlier was gone.....
.....There had been a reason he was interested in her brother, Nicky. He was Nikoli’s lost son. They had been reunited and Nicky was in fact, here with his father in this same hotel today.
Yuri now tipped back his second vodka shot. It was their first run in and they’d had a few others along the way. He would have never hurt her. He vowed this after they had a misunderstanding over her pregnancy with the twins, that he would never hurt her again.
