by Stone, Piper
“Including Lucian Masters, a man some say is untouchable,” I added, reeling from everything he was telling me. “Right?”
“Yeah. Keep in mind, Lucian cares nothing about family or honor. He couldn’t care less what happens to Lily. She’s just a way to get to me by ruining my career and my life.” Ruger took a deep breath.
“You were the boy I knew from years ago. A dashing very dark soul who thrilled a young woman who’d never been let out of her cage.” I laughed.
Ruger gave me a slight smile. “Trust me when I say, Carina that the young man you met felt the same and has for years.”
I bit back a sob, looking away. I couldn’t do this. Not right now.
“Well, that certainly adds some credence to all the filthy pieces of this puzzle, but some of it isn’t meshing. Why Carina? Did he really find out about the past and if so, go to this implausible extreme? Is he still in bed with the Dioletti family?” Aleksandr asked.
I pushed away from him, taking careful steps toward Ruger. He could barely look me in the eye. “There have been rumors for years about Dioletti having men on the inside and I believe that. Dirty cops. Attorneys. Judges.”
“I managed to force Lucian’s resignation as police commissioner using what some might consider as insider information.” Ruger smirked.
“That you got from your father,” I said, filling in some of the blanks.
“In a manner of speaking. My father is dead, hopefully burning in Hell.” Ruger flashed his eyes.
“But you’re still dangerous to Lucian’s organization and to the Raven,” I whispered.
“The fact you did your job and might be the only prosecuting attorney capable of putting away a monster like Dioletti means you put a target on your back.” Aleksandr laughed. “Not bad. Where does the Raven come into all of this, especially if he can’t stand the Dioletti family?”
“We may not be able to figure it out. However, we need to get out of here,” Ruger instructed.
“I’m going to get the van fixed one way or another,” Damien said.
“I’ll find out what I can about Lucian Masters and start the hunt for Lily.” Aleksandr headed for the door.
There were few times in my life I was at a complete loss for words. This was one of them. The electricity that had been between us since we we’d met all those years ago had stood the test of time. There was so much sadness, a whirlwind of emotions, and I couldn’t find the right words.
Ruger eased his hand under my hair, guiding me by my neck closer, his eyes darting back and forth. “I could have lost you.”
“Why couldn’t you just tell me the truth earlier? Why couldn’t you have trusted me?”
“Not about trust, Carina. I didn’t need to saddle you with any additional shit.” He rubbed his thumb back and forth across my jaw. “I helped destroy your life, a woman I care for so much.”
“You haven’t destroyed anything.” Hearing his words were exactly what I needed.
He pulled me closer, the scorching heat between us as magnetic as before, leaving my mouth dry and my pussy wet. “I adore you, Carina. I will die to protect you.” As he captured my lips, gently pushing them apart as he slipped his tongue inside, all the years seemed to melt away.
I slipped my arms around him, holding him as tightly as possible as the kiss exploded into a roar of blinding passion. My heart raced, tears slipping past my lashes as he kissed me, his massive and very protective hands crawling all the way down my back. When he cupped my buttocks, lifting me off my feet, I could no longer breathe. Everything about this man was so perfect, yet so damaged.
We had so much to lose, and limited chance of survival, but nothing mattered except this place and this time. Our tongues entwined, the sweet dance of raw ecstasy, unleashing our fevered desires. I could hear the powerful thumping of my heart, blood rushing through my veins. He’d unlocked the woman who’d been shoved inside a cage, terrified to be herself.
Longing to be set free.
This man.
My savior.
He broke the kiss, still keeping me near. “We might not have much time. I’m not certain where we’ll go, but we need to get far away from here.”
“Yeah, you’re right. We do.” I cringed, knowing what I’d done. There was no way to explain the situation to Dan without creating a bigger mess and risking our lives. I pushed away from him, folding my arms.
“What does that mean?” Ruger asked. He rubbed his knuckle back and forth on my cheek, his eyes narrowed.
“That means she contacted a federal agent.” Aleksandr took long strides into the room, shaking his head.
“I can explain,” I whispered.
“What? How?” Ruger darted his glance from Aleks back toward me.
“She found the computer. I noticed there’d been some additional activity and was curious. Gmail accounts are easy to hack into, Carina. You should have known better.” Aleks shook his head over and over again.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know all the details. I can trust Dan. He’s a good man,” I insisted.
“Dan Swift?” Ruger asked.
I nodded. “He worked on the Dioletti case with me.”
“This is shit, Ruger. They will hunt us down and no matter what explanation any of us provide, we will be condemned. You do realize that?” Aleksandr swore in Russian.
Ruger closed his eyes. “I understand why you contacted him, Carina, especially since I hadn’t told you anything, but-”
Heavy boots thudding on the floor interrupted him as Damien stormed inside. “We were lucky. Just a lose battery cable but we have trouble. Tracks in the snow. The hunters just became the hunted.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ruger
“How many?” I snapped, taking several deep breaths. The timing couldn’t be any worse.
“Two sets of distinct footprints. My guess is sentries to confirm the layout of the house. They retreated. The tracks are fresh so it couldn’t have been thirty minutes ago at the rate the snow is falling. Maybe less.” Damien brushed snow from his hair.
“They’ll be back in force.” There were so many things left to be said, but right now, none of it mattered.
“There’s no way Dan could have read the message and gotten here that fast, even with the use of a plane.” Carina shrunk back, paling. “I’m so sorry.”
Her words struck a chord. “Not unless you’ve already been tracked.”
“Or unless your captain turned you in,” Aleksandr stated, giving a slight smile.
“Either way, we have to get the hell out of here. Grab the guns. We leave in five minutes.” I turned my attention back to Carina, grabbing both her arms, my fingers digging in. “You have an opportunity to stay here and wait for their arrival and I won’t fault you if you do.”
Her lower lip quivered but only for a brief second. She looked me directly in the eyes, a shimmer of tears in hers. “They won’t allow us to live. You and I both know that. I’m a casualty now that they can afford to lose.”
I nodded once. “Get whatever you want together.”
“I came with nothing and the only thing that matters is getting out of here,” she said breathlessly.
The time was precious, all my resources needed to try and get us out of here, but I took the small opportunity to pull her against the heat of my chest one more time. Just the warmth of her body against mine gave me several reasons to live.
I only hoped it wasn’t too late.
We gathered the weapons and ammunition, including the laptop, gearing up and moving into the van. I couldn’t buy the fact that the Captain had exposed us. That wasn’t his style, but I would find out.
Shots rang out, coming from several locations in the forest. While we were unable to see anything given the storm and the tree line coverage, we were surrounded. If they were smart, they’d have the road blocked off.
“Shit. How the hell did they get here so damn fast?” Aleks yelled.
Another series of shots rang out, the w
hizzing sound yanking every instinct into motion. I dropped and rolled, powering off several shots. “Get Carina into the van!”
Aleks reacted, yanking her crouching body toward the back of the van. “Get in.”
As soon as she was safely tucked inside, he dropped down, searching around the side. “I don’t see anyone.”
“They’re still there. Waiting. Get in.” I popped off another series of shots as I scanned the perimeter, hunkering down as I raced for the passenger door.
Damien had the engine going as I jumped inside, Carina and Aleks safely in the back.
“We have one shot at this,” Damien said under his breath as he threw the gear into drive.
“Yeah, I know. Be prepared. They’re going to stop at nothing.” I snapped the clip into the Glock, laying the second gun on the dashboard. As Damien began to roll, I could see movement in the trees. I motioned to him.
“Yeah, I see them. This is the only road down the mountain.” Damien increased the speed, moving around the first curve.
Shots rang out again, at least two bullets hitting the van. I rolled down the window, popping off three shots. The various men on foot were racing through the woods, following our path and no doubt straight back to a number of vehicles. I heard the sound of the tires skidding as he rounded another curve, the tail end of the van swerving.
“Damn it, this piece of shit.” Damien slapped his hand on the dashboard, pulling back on the gas.
“We have two large SUV’s gaining on us from the rear,” Aleks huffed.
Pop! Pop!
“And they’re shooting.” He smashed the butt end of his gun against the small panel of glass, shards flying.
“Stay down, Carina,” I directed then leaned out the window.
I heard her moan, a sound that would forever haunt me. I managed to get off two shots, hitting one of the assailants. We had no way of knowing at this point whether they were cops or assassins.
As Aleks managed to fire off another series of shots, the sound of screeching tires as well as a hard crash made my blood boil. This shit didn’t have to come down to this.
“Bastard!” Aleks snarled.
“We have more company,” Damien stated.
I glanced out the windshield. The single SUV positioned in the center of the road gave us little leeway. “Can you get around it?”
“That’s what I have to do. Hold on and pray this rust bucket holds up.” Damien planted both hands on the steering wheel and hit the gas slowly, picking up speed as he advanced.
I glared out the windshield, aiming the gun in the direction of the vehicle. If Damien rammed the SUV, there was a good chance we wouldn’t make it. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
“You gotta learn to trust, brother.” Damien snorted as he hunkered over, swerving to the right and catching the backside of the parked vehicle, sending it spinning across the slick surface.
As we passed, I was able to see the face of a single man.
Dan Swift.
Carina was right. There’d been no way he could have gotten here that fast. He’d known all along where she was.
What in the hell?
Damien roared out of the neighborhood and onto a main thoroughfare, barely avoiding a collision. Getting out of harm’s way had been far too easy.
“Where to?” Damien asked as he glared into the rearview mirror.
“Keep driving around the city at this point. I want to see if they’re following us. There’s something I need to do.” I climbed into the back, taking Carina into my arms. “Did you contact Dan Swift before last night? You need to tell me the truth.”
“No. There was no way I could have. Why?” Her brow furrowing, she took deep breaths.
“Because that was Dan in the SUV, which means he knew exactly where we were. Now, either you figured out a way to contact him or...” I allowed the words to hang.
“Or he’s a part of this. But how? How could he have tracked me?” She looked away, chewing on her bottom lip.
“The FBI agents use trackers all the time, my friends and not just the traditional bugs planted on cars on other objects.” Aleks inched closer.
I glared at him, uncertain of what the fuck he was getting at.
“Did you have any interaction with Dan before you left?” He asked her, crouching down beside both of us.
“Yes. He was outside the courtroom after the trial. Why?” she asked.
“Did he touch you in any manner?” Aleks rubbed his fingers down the side of her face.
“What the hell are you thinking? A bug planted on her body?” I asked, remembering the tactic was used by the military years before. A very effective method of keeping a target close.
“Exactly,” he answered, moving her hair. “Answer the question. Did Dan touch you in any manner?”
“I bumped into him. I mean...” She shook her head then her eyes opened wide as she slipped her hand behind her head. “I felt a prick on my neck. How in the hell could I not know if he stuck me with something?”
Aleksandr lifted a single eyebrow. “Let me take a look. The bugs used by organizations like the CIA and FBI, as well as the KGB are very sophisticated. So tiny that there is very little way of recognizing them.”
“But you just happen to be an expert.” This made more sense than anything, but why allow her to stay our hostage? Because he wanted us out of the picture.
Aleks began to fell along her neck, rubbing the tip of his finger in very slow circles. “Interesting. I think I found it. There’s a very small mark, almost like a freckle but purple in color.”
“What do we do now, cut it out?” she asked.
“Exactly. We need a knife.”
Carina didn’t flinch, merely nodding as I removed the very same Swiss Army knife that she’d attempted to use. “Will this work?”
“Depends on how sharp the blade.”
I cupped her chin, caressing her soft skin. “Everything is going to be fine.”
She smiled, laughing softly. “You don’t know that.”
“Yeah, I do.” As I leaned forward, pressing my lips to hers, my heart raced. I felt her tense, heard the slight moan and my rage increased.
“I was right,” Aleks said, cursing. “Very tiny.” He held out his finger, showing the metal prong the size of a staple.
“Now, we find some shelter. Damien. Get us the hell out of town.” As Aleks carefully walked to the back, very carefully disposing of the tracking system, I heard Damien’s laugh.
“Gladly. Buckle up, boys and girls. This could still be a bumpy ride,” Damien said.
* * *
I pulled the blinds over the windows, moving to the side of the window and peering out. I had the gun firmly planted in both hands, half expecting to see one of the SUV’s pulling into the parking lot. I’d remained on edge during our four-hour drive, trying to put all the pieces together. We finally stopped somewhere in Tennessee. The location didn’t matter at this point, but we’d remained off the main roads, finding a dive of a motel that would suit our purposes.
“You’re still worried about us being followed?” Damien asked as he eased his gun down on the dresser.
“We can’t be too certain at this point of anything. I’ll find out if this was mandated by either my department or the FBI.” I’d waited to contact anyone, preferring to get to a safe zone.
If there was such a thing.
“I can’t believe Dan is involved in this,” Carina said as she slowly sat down on the bed.
“His reputation isn’t the best, Carina. That much I know.” I knew my answer would bother her, but at this point, every aspect of truth had to be out in the open.
“I’ve contacted various KGB agents. They will find Lily,” Aleks said quietly. He sat at the small table, his fingers still flying on the keyboard.
I didn’t even acknowledge the statement. At this point, I had nothing to say.
“We need to get food and hunker down for the night,” Damien suggested. “We need a plan,
Ruger. We can’t just stay here and wait until they find us.”
“We gather all the information we can find. Then we’ll determine a plan.” I moved away from the window, checking the locks on the door one more time.
“Turn on the television,” Aleks demanded.
“Why?” I snapped.
“Just do it!”
Damien huffed but grabbed the remote. “What are we looking for?”
“News.” Aleks moved to a standing position, walking closer. “And not the kind we want to hear.”
As Damien flipped through the various channels, landing on CNN, I moved closer, sliding the Glock into my waistband.
“And in breaking news, reports are just coming out of Baton Rouge where legendary mob boss, Santana Dioletti has been released from a local county jail. While details are still sketchy, two of the jurors were found dead of undisclosed circumstances. A mistrial has been declared. Even more shockingly, the prosecutor’s office has already stated they are not willing to try this case again.”
I glared at the screen, watching the reporter as he relayed the information, his face stoic but his eyes illuminated with real fear.
“Oh. My. God,” Carina whispered as she moved closer to the television. “This is insane. This is ridiculous. He’s a monster!”
“I don’t want to see this shit,” Damien snarled, pointing the remote at the screen.
“Wait,” I said, holding out my arm.
“Do they say anything about Carina’s disappearance?” Aleks asked the obvious question.
The swarm of cameras, reporters from every local as well as national channel hovered in masses surrounded Santana as damning images of his smiling face were caught from every angle.
“Why wouldn’t they make a statement that they’re going to retry the case? Why aren’t they jumping on this immediately?” Carina exclaimed.
“Because this was planned. The Raven wants Santana free. Think about it. If he’s walking the streets, oblivious to what he could be facing, he can be made an example not to fuck with the Raven.” I said the words as if I’d already read the script.
“And in other news, the Prosecutor’s office has announced that the lead prosecutor on the Dioletti case has resigned, citing exhaustion and mental duress as well as ongoing family issues. They are saddened by the news and are respecting Ms. Crawford’s request for privacy.”
