by K. J. Dahlen
“Damn it!” Yuri swore out loud. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” Mikial growled. “I just woke up.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Yuri demanded.
“It means, I brought the girls here to talk and keep them off the streets. We were discussing the events of the day when Raven suggested going underground until we could discover more about Pepper and her ties to the artist Jessie Carter. Pepper didn’t seem to want to know any more about it but then Raven said something about looking into it and the next thing I know I’m waking up on the floor with a bleeding wound on the back of my head. The girls are gone and you’re taking out your frustrations on me.” Mikial paused then added, “I’m not the one who fucked up here man. This is on you.” Mikial hung up.
Yuri ended the call and wanted to throw his phone at the wall. Instead, he took a step closer to the wall and punched it hard. The plaster dust flew everywhere but he hardly felt the pain of his shattered bones. “She’s gone.”
“We’ll find her,” Barshan said. “We’ll get our men out there right away.”
“The other woman is with her, so start there,” Yuri suggested.
Pepper walked into her apartment with Raven and the painting. She didn’t know why she’d taken it in the first place but now, she couldn’t let it go. Propping it up against the counter, she stared at it for a moment then turned to Raven. “So what do we do now?” she asked. “I mean I get why you did what you did. I think I would have too, but that doesn’t help. Did you have to hit Mikial so hard?”
Raven shook her head. “Mikial will be all right. He may have a headache but that’s about it. He wouldn’t have allowed either of us to leave, so I did what I had too.”
Pepper sat down on her sofa and felt sad for a moment. “So now what?”
Raven sat down beside her. “I don’t know. I need some time to think about this.”
“You’re really pregnant?” Pepper asked.
Raven nodded. “Apparently, with a baby the father doesn’t want.”
“But you want it?”
Raven nodded and placed her hands over her flat tummy. “Yeah, I want the baby,” she said softly. “At least with this child, I’ll have no doubt about who it belongs too. This baby will be mine and mine alone.”
“I’m sorry to change the subject but what is going on? I don’t know why anyone would want to shoot at me.” Pepper ran her fingers through her hair. It tangled around her fingers and she got impatient with it. “Arg, this stupid hair.”
“I think your hair is beautiful,” Raven stated.
Pepper grinned. “It’s a pain in the ass most of the time. I braid it during the day just to keep it out of the way.”
“What do you do for a living?” Raven asked.
“I do legal research part time for a law firm but I also go to school. I’m in my last year of college.”
“What are you going to school for?”
“Would you believe digital photography?” She shrugged as she turned to the painting. Art has always interested me and I tried to draw when I was a kid but I couldn’t even draw a straight line but then I got a camera for my thirteenth birthday and something just clicked. I loved the entire process of taking the photos then developing the film. When I got older, I discovered the difference the lighting can make. Someday, I hope to show everyone the world as I see it.”
“Really? That’s exciting. I’d love to see your work sometime.” Raven settled back on the couch and smiled at her new friend.
Pepper chuckled. “Never tell a starving artist that. You could be here for some time looking at boring pictures.”
“I doubt your pictures are boring,” Raven told her. “You’re too creative for that.”
“You don’t know me well enough to say that.”
“You would be surprised,” Raven assured her. “Some people you know even before you meet them. As soon as we met today, I felt I knew you.” She glanced back at the painting and asked, “So what are you going to do with that?”
Pepper shook her head as she stared at the painting. “I don’t know. I don’t even know why I took it today.”
“I saw you staring at the life size picture of the artist today, just before the shooting,” Raven noted. “Did you know her?”
Pepper shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought she seemed familiar but where on earth would I know her from? I was barely a child when she died.”
“Do you remember anything from that time in your life?”
Pepper shook her head. “No I don’t. When I was found by the police, I couldn’t speak. I was injured or so I was told. I remember coming to in a hospital. I remember being scared. I also remember one of the cops being someone who I thought would protect me. Paul Windjue. Protect me from what I had no idea. All I knew was he was kind to me. He held me in his lap and promised he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.
“He became your foster father?” Raven asked.
Pepper nodded. “I couldn’t let go of him that night. He tried to let me go but I cried so hard he couldn’t leave the hospital. He had to call his wife to come in and she ended up taking me home with her. Social services allowed me to stay with them and I never left. Since they didn’t know who I was, they let me use the Windjue name once I started in school.”
“And they never found your real family?” Raven asked.
Pepper shook her head. “As far as I know, no one ever came forward to claim me. The newspapers ran my story and my picture for several days but no one ever called about me.”
“Wow,” Raven exclaimed softly. “And I thought my family was screwed up.”
Pepper stiffened. “I’m doing okay. I found my forever family in the Windjues. I don’t need any other family. My biological family didn’t want me when I needed them and I don’t want them now.”
Raven reached over and patted her arm. “I know, believe me I know. You and me have kind of the same history.”
“Okay, but what are we going to do now?” Pepper asked. “I’m sorry but I have no clue what’s going on.”
“That’s the whole thing in a nutshell. We need to find out if there is a connection between you and Jessie Carter and why she died.”
“How do we find that out?” Pepper asked. “It was such a long time ago.”
“Mikial said she died over in Chalmette. We start there,” Raven reasoned.
“Speaking of Mikial…Won’t he be mad that we took off on him? I mean he did take us to his place for protection.”
Raven shrugged. “Mikial is too close to Yuri. After what he said, I want nothing to do with him. I think Mikial will understand.” She looked around the apartment. “We probably shouldn’t stay here too long. I need to take some time to think about what I’m going to do now but until we find out more, I think you and I need to stick together.”
Pepper patted her hand. “You could always stay right here. The apartment is in my roommate’s name and no one knows I live here. Well, I mean people know I live here but there’s nothing here in my name.”
“Why is that?” Raven wanted to know.
Pepper shrugged. “It’s hard to get an ID when you don’t know your last name. You can’t even get a social security card, let alone a driver’s license.”
“I thought your name was Windjue?”
Pepper shook her head. “I use that name for school only. Paul and Marie were never able to legally adopt me as no one could tell me where I came from, or who I really was.”
“Has anyone ever tried to find out who you were?”
Pepper shrugged. “I think so but I never asked. I was happy where I was and didn’t want to stir the pot. Then when I got older, Paul told me it didn’t matter anymore. I belonged with them.”
“But don’t you want to know the truth?”
Pepper nodded. “Yes I do, especially after seeing that painting. Did you notice? I think Jessie Carter has the same color eyes I do.”
“Really?” Raven exclaimed. “I didn’t
notice but I didn’t really look either.” Then she snapped her fingers. “You don’t suppose you’re related to her, do you?”
Pepper shook her head. “If I were, how did I end up all the way in New Orleans if she lived and died in Chalmette?”
“I don’t know but I think it’s something we should ask your foster father about don’t you?”
“No I can’t,” Pepper admitted. “Paul always said it didn’t matter who I was.”
Raven shook her head. “He was right. They loved you no matter what and that was the right thing to do.”
“Then why do I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”
“They gave you what you needed as a child to grow but now you’re an adult. You need to find the truth. Even if it hurts, you need to know,” Raven stated.
Pepper got up and walked over to the window. Looking out at the city, she knew what she had to do. “You’re right. I do need to know.”
“And I think they would be okay with you asking about it now that you’re older.” Raven nodded her head. “You aren’t taking anything away from them. Maybe they were waiting on you to ask them the questions before they can answer.”
“I can see that. Okay, I guess we can start there.”
“We could always go to the state too.”
“What do you mean?”
“They have to have a record of your birth. We could just give your last name as Carter and see if it comes up.”
“That’s another problem,” Pepper said. “I don’t actually know my real date of birth. Paul always told me we’d celebrate the day I came to them as the day I was born.”
“Aww, they sound so sweet.” Raven smiled.
“They really are that sweet.” Pepper smiled too. “I don’t want to hurt them but I do need to know.”
“I think if they care for you at all, they won’t be hurt.”
“Okay, I’ll give Marie a call.”
An hour later, a knock sounded at the door. When Pepper answered it, she found three very pissed off men standing there.
Mikial, Barshan and Sazon glared back at her. “Is Raven here with you?” Mikial asked.
Pepper nodded.
“Good, you both need to come with us,” he grumbled.
Pepper leaned against the door jam. “Why would that be?”
“You aren’t safe right now and neither is Raven,” Barshan replied.
“And why do you think we aren’t safe?”
“Because someone shot out the windows of the gallery shortly after we went inside,” Mikial pointed out.
“But there’s just one problem with that theory.” Pepper nodded. “No one knew I was going to be there at that particular time.”
“Not necessarily true,” Mikial argued. “Someone could have been watching you or watching the gallery waiting for you to show up.”
Pepper felt stunned by this idea. Stepping to one side, she mentioned for them to come inside. Closing the door after them, she joined everyone in the living room.
“What are you guys doing here?” Raven asked.
“We came to bring you home,” Barshan answered.
Raven shook her head. “I don’t have a home anymore. I need to find a place to live and a new job.”
“Honey…” Sazon reached for her hand. “Yuri asked us to bring you home.”
Raven snatched her hand back. “Yuri can go to hell.”
Sazon nodded. “As much as I agree with you, we all have enemies out there who would love to get their hands on you. I know you think you can take care of yourself but now that you’re pregnant, you have the baby to think about as well. These people wouldn’t think twice about causing harm to you or the baby to get back at Yuri or your father or your grandfather.”
Raven looked haunted for a moment then Mikial gave her a way out. “If you don’t want to go to Yuri that’s fine but please let us protect you. We can protect you both until we know more about why the shooting happened.”
Raven nodded toward Pepper. “We need to entertain the idea she might be related to Jessie Carter.”
Mikial turned toward Pepper. “Really? Why is that?”
Pepper shrugged. “I don’t know that I am or not but I was found around the same time she died. I don’t know how I got here but I do know that I was scared and hurt when they found me. I don’t have a clue about what scared me or why I was so frightened.”
“We need to get you two to a safe place,” Sazon repeated.
“What about my roommate?” Pepper asked.
“Can you tell her you’re staying with friends for a few days?” Mikial asked.
Pepper shrugged. “I suppose I could.”
“Then do it,” he ordered. “We need to get you guys under cover now.”
“I’ll go if she goes,” Pepper announced nodding at Raven.
Raven glared at him. “I’ll go with you but I won’t go back to Yuri. He can kiss my ass. I don’t need him. I can make my own way in the world and I’ll do it on my own when this danger is passed.”
Mikial hung his head. “Honey, that won’t work and you know it. Yuri won’t let you defy him.”
“Yuri doesn’t have anything to say about it.” She sneered. “I’m not his wife nor his girlfriend. I’m nobody to him anymore apparently, so he has no say in anything I do.”
“Your father and grandfather might not agree,” Barshan pointed out.
“I can’t help that.’ Raven felt a tear roll down her cheek. “I only just found them too, so they don’t really have a say in what I do either.”
Mikial got to his feet and pulled Raven to hers. Wrapping his arms around her, he told the others, “Let’s get out of here.”
Sazon turned to Pepper. “Can you throw some clothes together? Enough for a few days?”
Pepper went to her bedroom and threw some clothes in a bag. At the last minute, she grabbed her photography laptop and one of her cameras. She knew she couldn’t take everything with her but she stuffed as much of her things into the small duffle bag as she could. A moment later, she joined the others and they all left the small apartment. She was in the car when she called her roommate, Sami. All she told the other girl was she would be away for the next few days.
Then Sazon took her phone and took the battery out.
“Is all this really necessary?” Pepper asked.
“It doesn’t do any good to protect you if they can find you any time they want,” Mikial pointed out.
“Where are we going?” Raven asked.
“To a safe house we have for just such a situation.” Sazon explained. “Don’t worry no one will find us there.”
“I need to make some phone calls when we get there,” Pepper said. “I need some information from my foster father and I need to call work to say I won’t be in for the next few days.”
“We can cover that.” Barshan nodded.
“What will you tell Yuri?” Raven asked.
“We have to tell him where you are,” Mikial admitted.
“No you really don’t,” Raven retorted. “All you need to tell him is that I’m safe and under your protection. I don’t want to see him.”
“We can try.” Barshan nodded.
“Tell him if he comes around, I’ll leave your protection detail. Neither you or he will find me a second time.” Raven promised.
“He won’t be happy about that,” Mikial told her.
“That’s too bad. He already claims the baby isn’t his, so he shouldn’t care anyway.”
“Oh, he’ll care,” Sazon swore under his breath. “He’ll care.”
“Then that’s his problem, not mine,” Raven replied as she scowled at the men.
Chapter Four
Mikial prowled the confines of the house. It was close to midnight now, so both Pepper and Raven were sleeping. He had men patrolling the outside and the others had gone back to the hotel to fill Yuri in. He didn’t relish them that task. He knew Yuri would be furious when he found out that Raven didn’t want to see him anymore.
<
br /> As he came to the bedrooms, he thought he heard the sounds of a struggle in the bedroom Pepper was in, so he opened the door carefully and peeked inside. In the darkness, he saw Pepper thrashing from side to side as if caught up in a nightmare.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Watching her carefully, he stayed by the door. Tears glistened her cheeks and Mikial wanted to go to her and hold her safe within his arms but he didn’t dare.
When she lifted her arms and cried out the name ‘Mama’ his heart hurt for her. He watched as her body changed positions and she called out again, “No, I can’t leave her, she’s hurt. I need my mama. Let me go. The fire will burn her, I have to save my mama, let me go,” she called out as she sat up in her bed. Her arms pushed something unseen away from her or she tried to. Her eyes were open now.
Mikial could see she wasn’t awake though. He thought she was reliving something from her past. He waited while she struggled with her nightmare.
Then she flinched and her body jerked as if she’d been struck by someone or something and she curled into a ball covering her head with her arms. Her tears flowed freely now.
The sounds of her sobs broke his heart. Mikial moved over toward the bed and when he sat down, she flinched away as if she were terrified of him but he spoke softly telling her he wasn’t going to hurt her and that she was safe with him.
Pepper heard his reassurances then threw herself into his arms and just hung onto him.
Mikial groaned and held her even closer. Whispering Russian endearments in her ear, he felt her relax in his arms. Her tears slowed and finally stopped and still he held her close.
Mikial groaned as her scent hit him. She smelled of sandalwood and vanilla and it was the vanilla scent that hit him the hardest. His lips skimmed the back of her neck and he felt her shiver. Then he felt her arms tighten around his torso. He backed away as much as she allowed and when he gazed into her eyes, he could see she was aware of him being there with her.
“I’m sorry to disturb you,” he whispered. “You were having a nightmare.”
“I know…I can still feel the fear I always wake up to.” She hesitated then asked, “Did I say anything?”
