by Stone, Piper
The man was going to play hardball. I got in his face, glaring into his cold, black eyes.
“No one will ever have any kind of control over me, Russian. I suggest you keep that in mind.”
“Such arrogance, cop. It would appear that none of us are who we pretend to be,” he retorted in the calmest manner. He enjoyed the game.
The line in the sand had been drawn.
Hissing, I walked away. “Riddles I don’t need. If you’re trying to tell me something, I suggest you do so.”
“I’m not your enemy any more than your bounty hunter friend is. It would appear that you and I are working on the same team, just in a different manner. You were right that Damien is being hunted. Do you want to take a guess as to the man hunting him?”
“Let me guess, this Master person you mention.”
“Yes,” Aleksandr elongated the word. “Damien has indeed made a name for himself during these last few years. He’s been hired by some of the most notorious men in the world, men who would prefer to remain anonymous in their kidnappings.”
Exhaling, my grip around the glass became painful. “Go on.”
“Sadly, given the fact you decided to hire him at the last minute, I was only able to find out a few details. What I was able to confirm gave me reason to believe that your requirement in this operation was carefully calculated.”
“The person coercing me into this knew I’d make contact with Damien.” Lucian could have easily found Damien. After the attempted robbery we’d performed as kids, my father had used his influence to erase the charges against me. Damien had paid the ultimate price, spending two years in juvenile detention while I’d gone on with my life.
“Exactly,” Aleksandr said, chortling. “Very well planned. I don’t know the particulars, but Damien was required to make a very similar abduction two weeks ago. He failed.”
So, another rumor was true. This was getting messy, which meant Damien was on a hit list. The puzzle was getting more impressive as well as terrifying by the minute. This wasn’t simply about me paying some dues Lucian felt I owed. “The Trust,” I said quietly.
He seemed surprised. “Interesting. Yes, the leader of the most ruthless organization in the entire world. They are brutal in every manner, corrupt in many ways. They are also not to be trifled with, lieutenant. They would eat you alive.”
“And your involvement? Still a curiosity. You certainly don’t belong in the Trust.”
“You’re right; however, what I once was no longer matters, much like your honor in serving the law. All three of us have something very important to lose. While we might not like each other, I suggest very strongly that we learn to trust. For a man like the Master, we need to work as a group in order to break down his walls.”
The sound of footsteps stopped our conversation. When Damien walked in, I locked eyes once again with the Russian. “A group,” I repeated.
“Hmmm... Seems like I’ve missed a conversation,” Damien said. He noticed our drinks and lifted a single eyebrow. “A little early in the day, but what the hell. I’ll join you.” He made himself a drink and we remained quiet. “Now, tell me what is going on?”
“It would seem that Aleksandr knows more about the real reason we were enlisted on this particular mission,” I said quietly, controlling my emotions. We were nothing but pawns.
“Meaning?” Damien asked. He leaned against the bar, glancing at Aleks.
“Meaning the man who is hunting you, Damien is the very one who’s pulling the strings on this operation, all the way down the pike to me. Have you heard of the Trust?” I kept my words even. There were far too many pieces of the puzzle to fill in.
Exhaling, Damien looked at Aleks, seething in a way then shot his gaze in my direction. “Yeah, I’ve heard of them.”
“Then you understand that you pissed off their leader,” I added.
Damien opened his eyes wide, a sneer curling on his lip. “You were a busy boy, Ruger. I should have known by your arrogance earlier than you’d found out every aspect of my sordid life.”
I deserved the jab.
“I was the one who gave him the information about your previous engagement, Damien. I have certain connections that afford me information few could ever obtain,” Aleks stated.
The single statement solidified my instinct. I took a guess, one I believed I knew was right. “KGB, Aleksandr Olatoff. From what little I’ve heard, I would say you were high ranking, an operative who spent a good deal of time undercover. I would also guess that you’ve had more than one opportunity to catch this man you call Master and failed, pissing you and your superiors off. Am I right?”
Aleksandr broke into a full smile, giving me a respectful nod. “You are more than just astute my friend, you are quite the detective. I’ll let you in on a little secret. There are many men in my own organization that have no idea I am KGB, my days spent undercover as long and enduring as yours. I’m the forgotten one. Nobody cares what I do any longer.”
“Well, isn’t this a fuckin’ pickle?” Damien snorted, swirling his glass. “Two cops and one bounty hunter who got himself in over his head. What the hell do we do now? Take her back? We’ll be arrested as the very criminals the two of you have fought against your entire lives. That is if a member of the Trust doesn’t hunt us down first.”
“There is no way to return, for any of us. She would be killed within hours of her arrival. Our deaths will follow shortly thereafter.” Aleks’ words seemed to echo.
“Fucking fantastic. Then what?” Damien huffed. “We’re just sitting ducks right here.”
“Not necessarily,” Aleksandr said far too quietly, as if he’d already had a plan in mind.
“We play the game. Flush out the players while protecting her. I made the arrangements for this house. No one knows where we are. No one.” Thank God I’d made that particular decision. Aleksandr was the first to respond to my statement, his eyes lighting up. He wanted this puppeteer badly.
Aleksandr inched closer. “Excellent news. We have an advantage until someone tips their hand and trust me, that always happens. No one keeps secrets any longer.”
“Our Russian friend is right. Your training paid off, Ruger, but they will come eventually, looking for their trophy,” Damien stated. “They are the kind of people that stop at nothing to hunt their prize. I don’t mind being a badass and kicking some ass, but it’s the three of us versus entire criminal organizations.”
“This is about a vendetta the Master has against Santana Dioletti. Isn’t it? Don’t play coy with me, Aleks.” I couldn’t resist asking.
“If you mean because she prosecuted him in court?” Aleks had known more about the reason for the kidnapping than he’d originally wanted to say. What else did he know? “My instinct tells me yes. It fits the pattern.”
“Aleksandr is right. This man you call the Master I call The Raven, you know, based on Edger Allen Poe,” Damien chimed in. “He’s in the process of taking out his various enemies in a most unconventional manner. Wives, daughters, friends, business associates. Whoever is most important to his enemies, The Raven hunts down. Some are never to be seen again. My target was the Israeli President’s daughter. The security was...” He laughed, shaking his head. “Let’s just say I’m no 007.”
The three of us stared at each other, the reality setting in. One man controlled a legion of criminals, millionaires, attorneys, judges and various other prominent citizens through-out the world. “This ups the ante. The first payment for our services is due in three days. We will be ready to move if necessary. Until then, we play this exactly the same. I have a burner phone without any possibility of GPS connections. The call will be made in three days with additional instructions, money wired to an offshore account that was set up as an LLC with all three of us as members. If that call is not made, we’ll know somehow they are either onto us or have changed their direction.”
“Then what?” Damien asked.
“Then we figure something else out includi
ng finding out all the players involved. With our combined connections, we should be able to bring down a portion of the organization at minimum, perhaps enough to allow Carina to return to her life.”
“And the rest of us?” Damien asked.
I think we all knew the answer.
“Until we know what we’re dealing with, we learn to trust each other. We also need to tell Carina the truth.”
“There is no way she’ll believe us.” Damien doubled over, shaking his head several times. “Hell, I don’t believe this bullshit. Why go to all this trouble to goad a man like Santana?”
“Because the man we’re discussing is a sadistic fuck with a love for developing creative methods of eradicating his enemies. This is nothing to him but a game. I suggest we all keep this in mind.”
“If what I know is accurate, Dioletti has been considering expanding his operation, perhaps infringing on the mystery man’s holding. For once, I agree with the Russian,” I said. “We need to beat the asshole at his own game.”
“There’s more. I can tell,” Damien chided, throwing his attention toward the Russian.
Aleks walked toward the window. “There are many layers to this game, Damien.” He hesitated, before continuing. “Carina reminds me of my wife. Beautiful and so bold, a flower ready to open up to the world.”
Damien narrowed his eyes when he glanced in my direction.
I sifted through the information in my mind as I studied the Russian’s stoic expression. “You haven’t been honest with us, Aleksandr. I’ll make another guess. You came here on your own without approval from your superiors. Didn’t you? To avenge the death of your wife.”
He seemed cold, almost indifferent as he stared out the window, but I could tell his armor was in the process of cracking.
Aleks sighed, refusing to look in our direction. When he spoke, I heard the hollowness in his voice. “Alea was my everything. Once I had a happy life but that was five years ago in an entirely different world. Five years I’ve been hunting this madman, this bastard who took her life for no other reason than because I loved her. He wanted to destroy my world and he almost succeeded. I am considered rogue from the KGB. If I were to go back to mother Russia, I would be arrested. Trust me when I say, gentlemen, I’ve done nothing in these five very long years but track him. Several countries. Several sightings that proved to be false. When Damien failed in his operation, the monster came out of his lair.”
“So you followed the trail to Louisiana.” While I wanted to trust in what the Russian was saying, my instinct wasn’t in the right place.
“Yes.” The single word held no emotion, much like the story he told.
There’s only one problem with your scenario, Aleks. How did you get here? I was told that you were a man of importance, now I know to this man known as the Master. If you are this Master’s enemy, then how did you get the job?” I fingered the gun in my holster for effect.
There wasn’t a twitch or an extra breath from the man, just a cold stare, his eyes falling to my Glock. “How did I find out that you were an undercover officer since your records have been sealed, lieutenant? How was I able to trace Damien’s activities these past few months? I am KGB. I have an informant system that is much stronger than you’ve ever known. In addition, I have contacts all over the world and the ability to change my identity. I am very important to the man running this operation, only my appearance is different. Not that he would know. I was simply sent for my qualifications.”
“Then the Master believes you’re his inside man.”
“In a sense, although the man known as Aleksandr Olatoff does owe him a debt of gratitude. Sadly, Aleksandr no longer owes a debt to anyone and never will again.”
“This just gets better and better. Then what the fuck is your real name?” Damien demanded.
“Quite frankly, you don’t need to know that,” Aleks stated with no inflection.
There would be no trust of this man. Ever.
“Then if you want trust, Aleksandr, you’ll at least tell me his name, this Master or Raven.”
Aleksandr exhaled. “In our country he is called chernaya smert’ or black death. No one knows of his real name. That is the truth. Even his nationality is unknown. He’s a man of many disguises. He lives in the shadows where he has for years, but he is a true monster and wherever he goes, make no mistake, death will follow.”
Chapter Six
Carina
Disgusted. I was repulsed with myself to the extent my head was killing me. The shame remained, skittering around my mind like a dagger waiting to cut me into ribbons. I’d been locked into a room, albeit an incredible and very beautiful room, by three men who’d abducted me.
There was no cage, no steel harnesses attached to the ceiling, although I hadn’t seen the entire house. Anything was possible. I had no idea what to expect, the yin and yang of the situation keeping me teetering on the edge. They acted as if they didn’t want to hurt me then made certain any infraction was met with punishment.
The glamorous space could be nothing more than another method of breaking me down. I’d had enough criminal psychology courses to know the classic signs. I was clammy, my head aching, and I was sick to my stomach with fear and worry. I wasn’t going to talk my way out of this, that was certain.
Even worse, I could still feel Ruger’s hands all over me, the brutal way he’d slammed me against the wall, the way his lips crushed over mine. Closing my eyes, I envisioned the rough and tumble man as he held my wrists together, easily keeping me in place. So strong.
So handsome.
So...dangerous.
My pussy clenched, aching to have his fingers buried deep inside once again. I gathered another whiff of my continuing desire and swallowed hard. Leaning against the window, I shifted my hips back and forth, grinding my legs together simply trying to stop my body’s intense reaction. Even my nipples were harder than ever, pushing against my bra. I cupped my breasts, squeezing as I wiggled, savoring the way my bottom tingled from the recent spanking.
Groaning, I took several deep breaths and raked my hands through my hair, trying to get my bearings. I’d seen nothing else on the drive, but given the mountains, I knew we were either in North Carolina or maybe Virginia. My instincts were working overtime, but my mind remained muddled.
This had to be some kind of a ridiculous dream I would eventually wake up from. I stood in the center of the room, turning in a full circle. Everything appeared like the house was used as a vacation spot, especially given the incredible view. The snowcapped mountains were exquisite, a reminder that I’d lost so much of my life.
Self-pity I didn’t need right now, especially when I had to find out if I was right about Ruger. If he was a cop, I should have run into him while serving the court. I had to follow my instincts. But how? I rubbed my eyes, trying to abate the headache. I needed to think clearly and right now, my mind remained somewhere in the gutter.
Help me, God. Let me think like a cop.
The trouble was, if Ruger was an officer of the law, he’d anticipate my every move. This was crazy. At least I could search the room and see if there was any kind of weapon. Right. As if they’d be that stupid.
I riffled through the drawers, finding various jeans and sweaters, including brand new underwear, skimpy but beautiful lace and satin in various colors. Even the sweaters were sexy, ultra-feminine as if this was indeed nothing more than a vacation. Jesus. What in the hell were these men thinking? That I’d fall for all three of them? That we’d make some sort of a life together? Or was this more about keeping me quiet? No. This was definitely just another part of their ploy.
Anxiety mixed with anger as I yanked open every other drawer, eventually going into the bathroom. Someone had thought of everything from a plush bathrobe to makeup, bath beads and perfume. “This is crazy.”
I was a prisoner.
I took long strides, throwing open the closet doors. I would have burst into laughter if tears hadn’t pushed dangerously
close to the surface. There were also some of the most beautiful dresses I could ever imagine. Sultry. Sensual. Gorgeous.
Completely insane.
I ran toward the door, turning and twisting the knob before beating on the slab of wood. “Let me the hell out of here, you bastards.” Recoiling, I knew at some point I’d push one too many buttons. Every kidnapping case I’d ever worked on certainly hadn’t gone like this. If this was about money, there was no one to pay the ransom.
I heard nothing since being shoved into the room. No voices. No house sounds. Nothing. Granted, the cabin was enormous with two floors and one of the most impressive looking stone fireplaces I’d ever seen. And I’d only been allowed to catch a glimpse before Ruger had taken me by the arm up the stairs, closing and locking the door.
Which meant the man knew the layout of the house.
I ran my fingers across one of the dresses before yanking every piece of clothing and every hanger out and onto the bed. Next, I dumped the drawers, making as much noise as humanly possible. I wanted the assholes to know I was pissed and wasn’t going to take this kind of horrible treatment.
After a few seconds, I flopped onto the bed, hanging my head. My thoughts were perhaps some of the most ridiculous I’d had in months, maybe years. I couldn’t stop laughing, finally falling over on the pile of clothes.
I hadn’t heard the door open, but I sensed the moment my space had been invaded. Jerking up, I continued laughing, my emotions all over the place. The three abductors stood just inside the doorway, their massive frames highlighted by the sun sweeping in through the oversized windows. All three of them appeared hungry and I doubted their conditions had anything to do with nourishment, unless I could be considered a feast. “Is this supposed to be all real?”
Ruger lifted a single eyebrow, his expression a combination of amusement and anxiety.
