Kyle felt sick. “You knew this, and you had me come here with Donata? You put our lives at risk for fucking money, for a scam I knew nothing about? I should fucking call the cops, the US Embassy, and have you arrested,” Kyle yelled.
“No, are you out of your mind? They have the power here. We don’t have shit.”
“I’m not doing this. I’m not involved and neither is Donata.”
“Kyle, we have a meeting, a dinner with Admere tonight.”
“No. No, I’m not going and nor is Donata. She’s on the next flight out of here.”
Ellis grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and shook him. “They will fucking kill us. They will leave us for dead if we don’t go through with this deal.”
Kyle shoved Ellis away.
Ellis stepped toward him and then ran his fingers through his hair.
“I owe him money, Kyle. An advance I took.”
“This just keeps getting worse and worse. What the fuck is wrong with you? You caused this. It’s your deal, your fucking problem. Donata and I are out of here as soon as possible.”
Kyle turned away as Ellis raged and then stormed out of the hotel room. Kyle ran his fingers through his hair. What was he going to tell Donata? She didn’t belong in the middle of this. Hell, she didn’t have a clue what was happening. She was out enjoying being a tourist, making plans for the rest of the week. What the fuck was he going to do? Kyle wasn’t stupid. He knew of men like this. Of Saudi rebels, smugglers who used products like the protein powder to hide drugs in or other things. What if they made a deal, left for America, and followed through then ended it? Would they come after them? Would they hurt them, kill them? If they didn’t talk with them and discuss things and make the deal, then they all could die right here in India. Holy fucking shit. “Ellis, why? Why?”
Chapter Two
“I don’t understand,” Donata said to her brother and Ellis.
“You have to trust us with this. These men that we’re meeting tonight for dinner are very important businessmen. They can make us or break us,” Ellis told her. She squinted at him.
“It’s big time, and we want things to go smoothly. So if you hear about certain details that confuse you, or make you question what is going on, trust us to handle this,” Kyle told her, and she could tell both men were stressed.
“So we need to impress these men? Make them like us and trust us so we can do business with them?” she asked.
“Yes. Exactly,” Ellis told her, and Kyle looked concerned.
“Just be yourself and engaging as usual. When they want to discuss business and look to you to leave us, don’t be offended. It’s cultural for them. Women aren’t to know of the men’s business and negotiations.”
“Seriously, Ellis? I’m the accountant and CFO. They do realize that?”
“Yes, of course they do. They might not ask you to leave, but in case they do, just understand,” Ellis said to her.
“Just don’t ask questions,” Kyle stated.
“Something is going on. Why not just tell me instead if keeping it a secret?” she stated. Both men stared at her.
“Just remember the less you know, the better. We need to head down in thirty minutes. Can you be ready?” Kyle asked.
“Of course.” She headed to her bedroom to finish getting dressed and ready. She didn’t know what was going on, but whatever it was, both men were on edge.
Thirty minutes later she felt on edge, too. Mulkan, whatever his last name was, seemed to be one very wealthy, powerful Saudi who was representing someone else. He had jet-black hair, a black mustache, and a very tan complexion. He wore a black designer suit, extremely expensive and like nothing she had ever seen before. His cufflinks were emerald, huge, and coordinated with his green-colored dress shirt. He had an air of arrogance, self-confidence, and attitude that came across in his tone and the words he used.
When his guards took several pictures of her as she spoke with him and the men he was with, she felt completely on edge. One look at Kyle and Ellis and they seemed concerned, too, but they smiled cordially and talked about the company and the expansion of products until Mulkan held out his arm for her to take so they could go for a stroll through the grounds at the hotel. The men stayed with Ellis and Kyle.
“So how have you been enjoying India?” he asked, his accent thick and hard, his cologne bordering obnoxious and potent.
“It’s wonderful, and the people so friendly and inviting.”
“They are wonderful people. What are your plans for tomorrow?”
She felt a little nervous. Was the man going to ask her to lunch or dinner? She wasn’t sure of a response.
“I’m going to check out the Janpath market again. I saw a few things I liked.”
“Wonderful market. I’m sure you’ll be taking lots of items home with you or shipping them back. There’s a spot at the hotel to help you make those arrangements.”
“Yes, my guide had informed me.”
“I’m glad to hear that you have a guide with you. Although things seem safe around here, there are some bandits that wreak havoc now and then, and it seems unknowing tourists are their targets.”
“I’ll be fine. My guide is quite capable.”
“Good to know. So tell me a little more about the company and your position. I understand that you help to run the books and handle accounting.”
“Yes, that’s my job along with a few others to assist. I’m the main financial officer of the company though.”
“Are they doing as well as they claim to be?” She raised one of her eyebrows at him. He chuckled and held her a little snugger.
“I mean to learn of my risks. I can hear all their talk about success rates, importing and exporting experience, and other things, but the accountant, the CFO, would know the stability of the company’s funds.”
“I understand your concern. We have been quite successful and continue to grow in leaps and bounds. The number of other businessmen like yourself, interested in expanding to the United States and having us promote and sell their products, has increased recently.”
“Is that so? You mean local businessmen here in New Delhi?” he asked.
“Yes, my brother and Ellis and I met with another gentleman earlier in the week when we first arrived.”
“Oh, you mean Halan. Yes, he is a very successful businessman but not exactly on the up and up.”
“No?” she asked, surprised by this information.
“No need to worry. I’m sure that your brother and Ellis saw through the man’s act. Anyway, back to more about the business. Tell me about distribution and marketing,” he asked, and she continued to talk to him about the company. She knew what to do to schmooze a potential client and businessman. She also knew how to let him know he wasn’t the only client here they’d met who was interested in either investing in the company or getting their products listed under Ellis and James Enterprise. They sat at a bench near the gardens and talked more about it as well as her plans for the rest of the week. He mentioned her meeting his boss, but then Kyle and Ellis appeared. That’s when they indicated they wanted her to leave them to discuss deeper business.
She took her cue and headed toward the bar area. She watched them from where she was and could tell the conversation got heated. Her gut clenched. Something was wrong, but what was it? Was this man, Mulkan, playing hardball? Was he bad-mouthing the other guy, Halan? She didn’t know, but she was going to ask Kyle and Ellis the moment she got the chance.
* * * *
“We’re fucked,” Ellis stated, running his fingers through his hair.
“No, we aren’t. We make the deal, get it all done when we get home, and then we never have to see these men again. No more fucking trips to India or anyplace else.”
“Kyle, Admere sent Mulkan here. He probably knows about us meeting Halan. Even Ashok knows who Halan is and warned us away from him. I should have stopped you from making the plans to come here,” Ellis stated.
“Yeah, you should have, but you fu
cking didn’t. You need to explain to me what you promised them. We have three more days until we leave to head home.”
“I’ll handle it. This isn’t your fault. I’ll handle it,” Ellis said and then headed out of the hotel room.
* * * *
Two days passed, and Donata was having a wonderful time touring the city and absorbing the culture and the beautiful people of New Delhi. She wished her brother and Ellis could enjoy it with her. But they seemed stressed after meeting the new client and after a dinner with Mulkan the other night. She couldn’t believe she had only a couple of days left here. She wished she could have texted her friends, sent pictures, and informed them of her trip, but her brother and Ellis asked her not to.
She took pictures though, and as she walked down the paver walkway in the gardens to head to the car, she was surprised to see her guide along with two other men. Was one of them the security guys for that man, Mulkan?
Her guide gave a wave, and the two men looked her over and smiled.
“Change of plans. Your brother and Ellis were invited to Mulkan’s home. We’re to take you there,” one guy said.
“Really? He didn’t text or call me,” she said, looking at her phone as the man helped her into the back seat. They both got in next to her, which was odd. She reached into her purse, but the one man grabbed her hand and covered it. He held her gaze, and instantly her gut clenched.
“We are taking you to your brother. Cooperate and no one will get hurt.”
“What do you mean, cooperate or no one will get hurt? Stop the damn car and let me out. Now!” She raised her voice, and the guy next to her gripped her hair and yanked her back. His face was close to hers, and there was a gun against her side. “You will cooperate or you will die.”
Donata knew in that moment that something was seriously wrong. That Ellis’s strange behavior and her brother’s push for her to tour New Delhi instead of helping with the new business deals had been done on purpose to hide her from the truth. These were bad men, criminals, and her brother and Ellis somehow had got involved with them.
A while later when the car stopped, it was at some sort of warehouse building. No one was around. It looked abandoned, old, and she couldn’t help but shake with fear of the uncertain. She was out of her country. All alone, she didn’t know where Kyle was or even Ellis, never mind what was going on. The one guy pulled her from the car and forced her forward toward the building. The guide drove off with the car. He worked for these men? For Mulkan? She tried pulling her arm free. “Let go of me. What’s this all about? I haven’t done anything wrong. What are you after?” she asked, and the guy shoved her so hard she fell to her knees, scraping them bloody. She gasped. The other one yanked her up by her sleeve of her sweater, tearing it in the process.
“Sit down,” he ordered. One chair sat in the center of the dirty run down warehouse. The rancid smell of garbage filtered through her senses. Tears stung her eyes as both men looked at her body.
Time passed slowly. She was getting tired, hungry, and then she heard the sound of another car approaching outside and then doors slamming closed. She hoped that it was her brother and Ellis. She wanted to know what was going on. When the doors opened and footsteps echoed around the empty warehouse, she spotted Mulkan and he didn’t look happy.
“Any sign of Ellis?” he asked.
“None,” the one guy responded.
“What’s going on? I don’t understand any of this,” she said to Mulkan.
“You will, Donata. It seems your brother and his partner failed to inform you that they made a business deal with a very powerful man, then they double-crossed him to work with another.”
“What?”
“Get her up and to the limo. Until we know where Ellis’s and her brother’s loyalty lies, they remain prisoners until the boss decides what to do with them.”
“Prisoners? What? This is insane. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Let me go. I want to go back to the hotel. I want to see Kyle,” she stated, and the back hand hit her cheek and mouth so hard she cried out and nearly fell from the chair.
“Remain quiet and obedient, and you may just live to go home to New York in one piece,” Mulkan said, and then the guards grabbed her, lifted her up, and forced her to follow Mulkan. She was beyond scared. She was petrified and wondered where they were taking her and where the hell were Kyle and Ellis.
Chapter Three
“So no one has heard a word from Donata? Not even Alessa after everything that has happened and all the text messages from her friends?” Turbo asked Major and Mateus.
“No. Bella and the ladies are beyond scared. It’s been two weeks. The company she and her brother work for said they went out on a business trip and that her brother checks in but hasn’t in days,” Mateus replied.
“Shit. Where was the business trip?” Covan asked.
“No one knows. Just that it was out of the country,” Major said to them.
“This doesn’t sound right at all.”
“No, but knowing Donata and her brother, she has disappeared for weeks at a time with no contact or update. Bella and Adelina said she goes to these remote places where there’s no Wi-Fi or any cell towers. She waits until she gets to a designated area and checks her phone or checks in. Perhaps she went really deep into one of these places, and there is no cell service at all,” Major suggested.
“Not too smart on her part,” Jack said in an angry tone.
“Well, maybe you can discipline her when she does finally show up,” Mateus said to Harley and the others.
“That’s not our job,” Harley stated.
“It could be,” Major teased.
“Let’s get down to business. We need to go over this security detail for this sheik guy. He wants to book the top two floors of the hotel, and requires round-the-clock security on top of his personal security. What is this crap, Mateus?” Turbo asked.
Mateus leaned back in his chair and smirked.
“He’s willing to pay big bucks. It’s an easy detail.”
“Easy detail, my ass. The guy is into crazy shit,” Covan stated.
“The shit he is into is not your problem or responsibility. You know that some clients let loose. Having the additional security gives them peace of mind,” Major stated.
“It makes them think they can get away with anything. These guys have no respect for the laws of the land or for any of our men,” Harley snapped at him.
“Harley, none of you are responsible for doing this security detail. Why are you so pissed off? Bloodline Protection and Security provide all types of security for all different people and circumstances. Put some men on the detail that will do the job right and that won’t lose their shit over it,” Mateus stated.
“We got it covered. How about this friend of yours, Corlocheck? His girlfriend has some sort of stalker or something after her and is looking for assistance or something?” Turbo asked Major.
Major sighed and leaned forward in his seat.
“Yeah. A pretty bad situation. A few months ago while his girlfriend was away with friends in Miami, this guy, some martial arts expert, set his sights on her. Wound up grabbing her one night while she was with a friend and assaulted her. Beat her up, threatened her as her friend escaped and called for help. Cops arrived but were too late to grab the asshole. The cops can’t catch the guy. Corlocheck is afraid that this asshole will make a move tomorrow night at this gala event. You saw the pictures of what she looked like after this dick got his hands on her. I’d like for one of you to be her personal guard all night along with her boyfriend,” Major told Turbo.
“I’ll do it along with Covan. We can’t stand this shit. Men thinking they can get away with shit like this.”
“Good,” Major said.
“Okay, there may be another big security detail coming up in the next few weeks. An associate of a client Adelina is conducting business with has to transport some high-end jewels to a showcase event at Hotel Grand. Adelina says he is
n’t the only businessman interested in getting additional security for the event. Looks like we’re landing the contract. If that’s the case, then you’ll need to work with Hadeon, Paulo, and Andriy,” Mateus explained.
“We’ll get in contact with them. Are there any other special assignments? Anything more dangerous or extreme?” Harley asked.
“You looking for some adventure, Harley? I thought you were tired of bullets flying at your head?” Major asked him.
“Just asking,” Harley stated, and Turbo knew why. Harley was antsy not knowing where Donata was and not having the opportunity to talk about what happened between them more than two weeks ago. Was she avoiding her friends, the entire city because of it? Turbo wondered. He also thought about these excursions she went on where there was no Wi-Fi or sources of contact, and he was concerned. Did the woman seek out trouble or what? If she was his woman, he would put a damn stop to that immediately. The thought shocked him. He hadn’t been the one to feel her up, make out with her, or come close to taking from her body, yet because Harley had, and they all shared everything, Turbo felt like he did.
The description of her body, the emotions and power of their connection, was a shared thing. He knew it. The fact that she hadn’t come around and no one— not even her friends—knew where she was didn’t sit right with Turbo at all. His gut clenched. Everyone dismissed her lack of communication as normal. Why was he feeling like trouble was brewing? Even if it were simply her way of denying the feelings and hiding out, perhaps afraid of taking a chance with them because she knew they weren’t the commitment types at all.
He needed to clear his head. She wasn’t their responsibility. Perhaps she was more wild, brazen, and experienced than they thought? Maybe she was shacked up with some guy? Fuck, that thought instantly pissed him off. She was a gorgeous, sexy woman. Men were instantly drawn to her and that superior body. If she were to get intimate with them, any of them, hell, him, then he could see himself getting very possessive, very quickly. Perhaps that’s why he was trying to fight this attraction, and exactly why Harley had been in a foul mood since that night he’d left her for business. This could turn into a shit show pretty damn quickly.
Made Men 10: And Then...There Were Seven (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Page 4
