He licked his lower lip and stared at her.
“Why should I believe you? You double-crossed me by letting your brother, letting Viktor, know what deals my men were doing back then in my old place. A place now owned by the Russians.”
She shook her head.
“That isn’t true.” He handed her the bottle of water. She took it, and he moved toward his desk and leaned against it. She stepped closer.
“I didn’t even know that Zinc was alive. That night Viktor showed up with the other men and recognized me as Zinc’s sister from some picture I didn’t even believe him. I figured, screw my brother. He left me, just like my mother and everyone else in my life did. I was pissed off. Then your crazy freaking guys think I’m a snitch letting the Russians know about your side businesses, and they’re suddenly ready to rape me and beat me in the back room.”
“I came back to a fucking mess to find my club ripped out from under me and the young woman I trusted and saved off the streets had abandoned me.”
“Polo, you gave me a job, you saved me from getting harassed, beaten, possibly killed by the South Liberty gang because I saved your niece. You gave me the opportunity to get the hell out of this life, off the streets, and out of potential trouble, and I told you over and over again how much I appreciated that, and I showed my loyalty to you. Once your men attacked me, I was so scared. Then the Russians came in and your men were ready to kill me. Viktor and Zinc saved my life and got me out of there. Your guys were working against you, and you didn’t even know it.”
He exhaled. She wasn’t expecting such a relaxed response to that. Had he known they were double-crossing him?
“I know they were.”
She felt desperate and out of control right now. This wasn’t going as she hoped.
“Polo, I didn’t steal those drugs or that money or whatever it is that’s missing from you, and I don’t believe that Zinc did, either.” He raised one of his eyebrows up at her. “If Zinc did, if he fucked up because of his drug habit I recently found out about, then it isn’t my debt. I’m not connected, because I would never try to double-cross you. You gave me a chance and saved my life six years ago. That isn’t something I would dishonor or forget.”
He pushed off the desk and slowly walked toward her. He stared at her, looking her over then holding her gaze, and she refused to look away from him. Eye contact meant so much to Polo, and she knew that.
“I believe you.”
She almost fell against him with relief, but instead, she felt the tears fill her eyes. The damn hormones were getting the better of her. A tear fell, and he squinted then reached up and wiped it away. He placed his hand on her waist, let it roam over her hip, and then pulled her close. She feared he might try to kiss her, but instead, he hugged her tight and caressed her back.
“I’m going to tell you something, and I don’t expect you will ever repeat it.” He inhaled against her hair as if he were absorbing her scent. “I lusted for you, Nina, for so long. I looked at you at eighteen, so innocent and beautiful, smart and strong, like the perfect woman for a man like me. If I were normal. I’m not. I’m a made man, and I’ve murdered, stolen, destroyed people, more than I care to admit to, but this is the life I chose.” He caressed her ass, and she tightened up.
“I knew what my men were up to. I knew that Viktor and his men were coming in that night, and I worked out a deal with the bosses to give up that club and to rid myself of those men and their manipulating ways. It was a setup, one done to clean the slate and start a new, renewed relationship with Nicolai Merkovicz and his organization.”
She tightened up and pulled slightly back. “What?” she asked, shocked at this news.
He licked his lip and looked down into her eyes. He cupped her cheek and kept his arm snug around her waist. He gripped her chin. “I never wanted to accept losing you in the process, yet I knew you deserved a better life than one with me. You would always be in danger. People would try to hurt you, just like my men did that night. They showed no respect and were willing to kill you, knowing how I felt. I agreed to stop wanting you when it was all over. Viktor and the team got the club and the neighborhood. I owed him because of some shit I did that fucked things up. This situation, your brother stealing from me, didn’t sit right with me since I was first informed that he was responsible.”
“Then why did you kill him and Cobra?” she asked.
He stared into her eyes, and she saw him squint as though he didn’t want to say.
“Why?”
“I didn’t.”
She gasped and stepped back. He stepped with her and kept his hand on her hip. “Nina, I didn’t kill them, but someone in Malfetto’s gang did. He’s a crazy bastard and was probably was so pissed off about losing two hundred grand and about half a million in drugs that he reacted and killed them without making sure they were, indeed, the ones responsible.”
“So you don’t think Zinc and Cobra did it?”
He shook his head and then rubbed his mouth and stared at her. “I swore I wouldn’t let anyone close enough to me to know every detail of my business. I promised that what happened six years ago wasn’t going to happen again, and like that, this fucked-up situation happens. It has caused me so much aggravation and anger I don’t know what to do next. I have to maintain my control and react and put out the word that I’ll kill whoever is responsible.”
“I understand that. It’s been hell for me, too. No one believes I’m innocent. They all look at me like I’m guilty. Hell, I don’t even know why Viktor has me still working there, and Mirella wants to take over my job.”
“Mirella?” he asked.
“Yes. She works at Bailey’s as a manger. She’s been all over me for months, making my life a living hell. I’m ready to quit, but I want to resolve this issue, and that’s why I came here.”
Polo’s eyes widened, and the veins in his temples pulsated. Suddenly, Polo looked pissed off, but then just as quickly, he seemed to relax. He gave a small smile and patted her hip.
“I believe you didn’t have anything to do with this. I’ll call Malfetto and let him know to back off and that you’re clean. It ends here, Nina. I’m sorry.” He stared at her and then pressed closer. He cupped her cheeks and she gripped his wrists.
“I have to know.” He covered her mouth and kissed her. She let him. After everything he’d told her and the fact that he was letting her free from the accusations and the threat of danger too, it was the least she could do.
He slowly released her lips and then hugged her to him.
“Take care of yourself, and remember if you ever need anything, I’ll always be here for you. I owe you now, Nina,” he said, and she didn’t quite understand why as he released her. She wiped away the tears in her eyes, turned around, and headed out of the place.
As she walked down the street and got into her car, she wondered if it was really over.
The moment she got to Bailey’s, she jumped right into work, making her rounds. A good three hours into the night, she wasn’t expecting to see Freeman. Her heart raced, her belly tightened, and guilt filled her soul. She wasn’t going to let him know about the baby. He and his team had made it clear they wanted nothing to do with her. He was just back in town for God knew how long, and she wasn’t going to be their little fuck toy.
* * * *
Freeman felt his heart racing, and immediately his cock hardened at the sight of Nina. She looked incredible, and all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and kiss her deeply. He didn’t care about what the rest of the team were denying and feeling. They were hard men, untrusting and set in their ways. They were afraid to admit they loved Nina and wanted her. They make excuses, and he was part of that thinking too. Seeing her now made him wonder if he would be able to leave her again or if maybe they could work things out and see her when they were in town. He swallowed hard as he watched her, saw that she saw him and seemed shocked, but then felt the cut to his heart as she turned away and went about her busi
ness. She was pissed off and hurt, and that was exactly what he hadn’t wanted to happen.
When she headed down the hallway to the back offices, he followed. Before she could get through the door, he pressed behind her and pulled her into his arms, slamming the door closed behind him.
He pulled her close.
“Freeman, what are you doing in here?” she asked, holding on to his forearms.
“I can’t take you ignoring me. I missed you, Nina.” He covered her mouth and kissed her. That kiss grew deeper, wilder, as he ran his hands all over her body, feeling how thin she was, as if she’d lost weight.
He pressed her back against the desk, and she moaned into his mouth as he cupped her breast and rubbed his cock against her belly.
She pulled from his mouth. “Freeman, you have to stop. Someone might come in.”
He suckled her neck and then along her cleavage. “I missed you so much. Who the fuck cares who comes in?”
“I do. Stop it,” she scolded.
He heard her firm tone, and when he looked down into her eyes and he held her hips in place, he saw the emotion, the sadness in them, and also her pale complexion. He squinted at her.
“Are you okay? You look pale.”
She pressed his hands away and fixed her dress then walked over to the mirror on the wall and fixed her makeup. He stared at her body. Sure enough, she definitely looked thinner, and he wondered if she wasn’t taking care of herself, if the accusations about her and her brother were taking their toll.
“Why are you here? You made it perfectly clear that you want nothing to do with me. I don’t need this right now, Freeman. You need to leave.” She started walking to the door to open it. He stood in her path.
“I missed you. I wanted to make sure that you’re okay with everything going on with the investigation.”
Her eyes widened, and she placed her hands on her hips and stared up at him.
“So, you want to jump on the bandwagon, too, and believe I’m guilty?”
“No, of course not.”
“Listen, Freeman, I don’t need you here making matters worse. I’m fine. I’ll get through it. I need to get back to work, so if you don’t mind?”
“Actually, I do mind,” he raised his voice firmly. “Why are you acting like this toward me? I came here to see you. I’ve been worried, and I wanted to make sure that you’re taken care of and are okay.”
“Wasn’t that what the two hundred grand was for that Corona put in my bank account?”
Freeman’s eyes widened. He had no idea. “What?”
She shook her head and exhaled. “Forget it. It doesn’t matter. That money is back in his account now. Viktor took care of it for me. So if you don’t mind.”
She went to push past him as he processed his thoughts and what she’d said. He knew Corona, and he hadn’t meant the money in a derogatory way or for it to make her feel as though they were paying her off. He gripped her tightly and pulled her close.
“Baby, he just meant to take care of you and to give you a cushion in case things got hard for you. It was his way of showing he cared, but also keeping his distance, because he feels like we can’t give you what you deserve, what you need and want.”
“I got the message loud and clear. It made me feel like some high-priced whore. Don’t fret over it, Freeman. I’m a big girl, and I’m over it now. Just leave me alone. I don’t have time for this. I have to get back to work. Mirella was a no-show.”
She pulled the door open and waited for him to leave. Freeman didn’t want to. He wanted to talk to her and explain. He wanted to call Corona and let him know what he’d done to Nina and how he’d made her feel. What the fuck was his commander thinking? What was his team thinking, pushing Nina away and acting as if they didn’t already love her?
He walked out of the office, and she closed the door and headed past him. He walked back to the bar and pulled out his phone. They needed to hear what they’d done to her.
* * * *
“What the fuck was she thinking?”
“I know. I was shocked, especially as she barely missed being seen by Mirella. We have to call Viktor and let him know what’s going on,” Paulie told his boss.
“I’ll take care of it. Did you get the other evidence?”
“Yes, I spoke with Charro and made him understand that his cooperation was important to ensure his life. Polo has him now,” Paulie added.
“I can’t believe she took it upon herself to go to Polo like that. She must feel like there’s no one who cares about her. Where is Mirella now?”
“I don’t have a clue. She isn’t at Bailey’s. I’m here now. But there’s something else.”
“What now?”
“One of those soldiers, Freeman Turner, showed up, and Nina didn’t look too happy. He followed her into the back office, and it wasn’t for long. They’re both out now. She looks sad and angry, and he looks pissed off.”
“I still can’t figure out why they put that two hundred grand in her account. It’s not there now. It was transferred back to Corona. What could that have been over?”
“I don’t know. I’ll make sure she has protection, especially since Mirella disappeared. If she’s the one who stole the drugs and the money from Polo and set up Zinc and Nina, then she’s on the run and probably pissed off at the world.”
“Watch out for her, and I’ll take care of things on this end.”
“What if Viktor doesn’t accept you not identifying yourself?”
“You may be right. I think this kind of situation calls for going to the top. Keep me informed.”
Paulie disconnected the call and felt his own heart racing. His boss was calling Nicolai directly. He was willing to risk his existence and the knowledge that he was still alive and well, after planning so carefully to be dead for so long. Nina must be his biological daughter.
* * * *
Nina was tired, and it was so late she felt exhausted and spent. It seemed being pregnant drained a bunch of energy from her. She supposed it was something she needed to get used to. As the baby grew, it would need more and more, and once the baby was born, life was going to be completely different as a single mom.
She swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat as she gathered her things and prepared to leave. As she headed out the door, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She made her way quickly down the street to the parking garage.
“Nina?”
She heard her name as she walked in front of the entrance to the garage. The sound of tires squealing and someone coming up the entrance ramp could be heard as she locked gazes with Freeman and then saw Atlanta, Jessup, and Corona standing there.
She froze where she was and then turned as the bright headlights bounced when a car came barreling up the ramp.
“Nina!” the men all yelled and ran toward her, and just as she went to jump, the car came at her, swerving.
She fell to the ground and scraped her arm, hitting her head on the side of the railing. The car skidded sideways, and Nina couldn’t even look up to see who it was. She felt the hands on her and the men gathering around her.
“What the fuck?” Corona exclaimed, and another set of tires squealed past as if they were going after the person in the first car that had tried to kill her.
“Nina, are you okay? Oh, my God, she almost hit you,” Freeman said, and she tried to sit up and felt the gash to her temple and the scrapes and cuts on her arm.
“You’re hurt. You need an ambulance,” Atlanta said.
“No. No, I’m fine. Just help me up.” She was scared. So badly, she wanted to lean on them and know why they were here and that they wanted her and loved her, but she knew the truth. She couldn’t make this into something it wasn’t.
“You need help. We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Corona said to her firmly.
“No. I don’t need your help.”
“The person driving the car was Mirella. She just tried to kill you,” Jessup said from behind the
others.
She covered her belly with her hand and calmed her breathing. She had to worry about the baby. She was fine, and she needed to get the hell out of here. She didn’t know why Mirella was trying to kill her. She thought about seeing her coming from Polo’s place. She didn’t know what that was all about. The sound of SUVs coming to a stop behind them had the men pulling their weapons and covering her in a protective shield. Her heart raced. Did they really care, or was this just standard operating procedure because of what had just happened?
The doors opened, and she saw Viktor and his brother Dusty get out, along with a bunch of other men.
“Nina, are you okay?” Viktor asked, and she used the sleeve of her dress to wipe her head where the small scratch and cut bled slightly.
Viktor looked at the men. “We’ve got her.”
“Wait, what’s going on? We came here to talk to Nina and to help. Why did Mirella try to kill her?” Freeman asked.
Viktor pulled Nina close and looked at her. She shook her head, denying the men any further involvement in this. If Mirella wanted to kill her, she wasn’t putting the men in danger, too. One of them could get caught in the crossfire. Even though she’d met with Polo and it seemed the score was settled, something else was happening here, and getting Atlanta, Freeman, Corona, and Jessup involved wouldn’t be right. Even though she wished they loved her and wanted her like she wanted them.
“Nina?” Corona said.
“I’m not your responsibility. You don’t need to put your lives on the line for me. Your job watching over me ended months ago.”
Viktor walked her to the SUV, and they all got inside. She felt the tears fill her eyes, and an emptiness filled her heart once again. She knew the truth. That they didn’t love her, but they wanted a part of her. Her body, the sex, a feeling of control and possession that would eventually make them drift apart. She couldn’t be a kept woman, a lover of convenience, even if she weren’t pregnant with their baby. If she told them the truth, that she’d been a virgin, and that she was pregnant, they would probably hate her and blame her for not being honest and letting them seduce her, and then for not being smart and taking precautions. It was better this way.
The American Soldier Collection 14: Baby Love (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 14
