by India Kells
“Why did you become a physical therapist?”
Deva forced herself to joke. “Apart from getting my hands on handsome men? Well, it’s silly, but when Johnny died, I had that fantasy that maybe it was only a mistake. That he was only hurt. And that if he was hurt, I had to find a way to help. That’s when I decided that if I was ever given the chance, I would work with wounded soldiers. For every person I help, I’m helping Johnny a little too.”
Her voice was steady, and she felt calm but was surprised to realize she was crying.
Aleksei inched himself up and gathered her in his arms. “Peace will come again.”
Deva buried her nose in his chest and inhaled deeply. The musky scent of his skin steadied her somehow, but it didn’t chase away the doom invading her heart. She tried to push away from his embrace, but he wouldn’t allow it. Instead, he looked down at her.
“You can’t wish hope for me, and not for yourself.”
A sad grin appeared on her face. “I can’t wish hope for myself because I doubt Finch kept his mouth shut about my reappearance. And once Mex knows I’m no longer dead, he will move heaven and earth to get me back.”
Deva pushed harder against him, being this close to the man was starting to be painful, as her feelings grew for him. For a long time, she had hoped to lead a sheltered life and even dreamed of falling for one of her coworkers who wouldn’t know of her past. It never happened. Instead, she was falling for a man who could drag her even deeper in the shadows. And the most ironic part was that she was the one wanting to protect him. Protect him from sinking deeper into a world that she would never willingly go back to.
Chapter 18
Deva didn’t wait for Aleksei to answer her back. When she had agreed to help Beatrice and Lazarus, she knew the risks and the possibilities. The most difficult part would be to mourn the life she had forged for herself, but that was also part of life. One thing was certain; she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Pushing herself up, and realizing she was naked, Deva wrapped the bed sheet around her and opened the door. All eyes turned to her. Aleksei’s brother was standing at the kitchen counter by Sasha who was holding her backpack. Gabrielle was sitting on the couch, while Lance was nowhere to be seen.
“Deva!” Sasha dropped her bag and went to her, taking her in a big bear hug. “I’m so glad you are okay. That bug was a nasty thing.”
Deva smiled. “Am I the only one who had it?”
“So far yes, and I hope it stays that way. I checked with the local hospitals, and they seem to have a small epidemic on their hands. It rarely contaminates fit individuals, you were one of the unlucky ones.”
“Yeah. That’s my kind of luck.”
Aleksei came out of the room and went to the kitchen.
Sasha called after him. “Can you heat her soup, Alek? She needs to get something in her stomach.”
The Russian didn’t answer back, but by the noise and beeping sounds, he was following her order. That almost made Deva smile.
“I need some clothes too.”
Gabrielle grabbed the backpack they had collected from her apartment and handed it to her. “Get dressed. We need to talk.”
Deva nodded and retreated to the bathroom. In record time, she washed up and brushed her tangled hair before donning the jeans and floral blouse. It was amazing to feel human again.
She could have fussed a little more on her hair, but loud voices drew her out.
Sasha was in an intense argument with Lazarus, and even though they tried to keep it low, it clearly wasn’t working.
“Just stop, would you.”
“Do you understand the situation your cousin is in, and how it could impact you?”
Sasha’s expression turned into a sneer. “I may be blonde, but I’m definitely not an idiot!”
“Then why won’t you accept protection?”
Her cousin turned to Deva as she approached and rolled her eyes. “You have no clue what I do for a living, pal. Where I’ve been and what kind of scumbags I deal with on a daily basis. If I started working with protection, an entire army wouldn’t be enough to keep me safe. You want to protect someone, focus on Deva, and leave me the hell alone, Lazarus King. And what kind of dumb-ass name is that anyway?”
Lazarus was clearly a man used to getting his way, and even his beard couldn’t conceal how hard he clenched his jaw. “You’re being impossible.”
Sasha rolled her eyes again before going to Deva and hugging her once more. “Take care, drink a lot of fluids and take it easy. If ever it goes south again, call me. I’m staying in the area for a while. And keep that bearded overbearing freak out of my way.”
And with one last wink, her blonde cousin was gone.
Lazarus raked his short hair in frustration before exhaling between his teeth. “It’s as if she doesn’t care if she lives or dies. And she’s the one calling me a freak when I’m concerned about her safety.” The controlling man may know a lot of things, but Sasha was her own woman, has always been. And the traumatizing events she had been involved with, broke her down but also built her back up to an even stronger woman. If any man, including Lazarus King, thought to control her, he was in for the ride of his life.
“You will never force Sasha to do something she doesn’t want to do. Let it go. She knows how to take care of herself.”
“I doubt that, Deva. We’re in the middle of a possible mob war, and even the mighty Miss Sasha Landry can’t ignore the dangers of it.”
Gabrielle sighed. “It’s Dr. Landry to you, and yes, she damn well can.”
Aleksei came to the living room with a bowl of soup and crackers. The gesture was so unlike the man, so domestic, that she froze for a minute as he placed everything on the coffee table.
“Eat.” And the controlling Russian was back.
She sat beside Gabrielle. “Where is Lance?”
It was Gabrielle’s turn to sigh. “He went to see where his truck might be just as I arrived. I wish I could have seen him, it’s been months since I last saw him. During our last mission, he was badly hurt. We all feared for his life. When he got better, he sort of vanished. It’s a long story.”
Deva knew about trauma and understood that sometimes, a victim could act out of character for a while. Time was of the essence.
Inching forward toward the coffee table, she grabbed a cracker and munched it, satisfied that her stomach was steady enough. “So, while I was out, what’s our status. What’s Finch up to?”
Aleksei leaned on the wall before her as Lazarus sat on a chair near the coffee table. Both men looked at each other before Aleksei’s brother finally started talking.
“After we talked, Aleksei and I, we started reaching out to our different contacts, trying to find out what was truly going on. Honestly, I thought that the objective of dear ol’ dad was to attack me through my brothers, which is still true, but the ramifications are more complex than that we realized.”
Her spoon halted mid-air as she looked at him. “I don’t like the way you are putting it, Oz.”
Aleksei pushed away from the wall and came to sit on the armrest beside her. “Eat, now.” And when she finally swallowed the spoonful of soup, he relaxed a bit. “What Lazarus is saying is after becoming a financial mogul as well as a strong political and economic influence both in the US and the UK, our father has decided to see if he could extend it some more. Starting with Chicago.”
“You mean the underworld? The different mob families? It’s not impossible, but very unlikely. Well, not that quickly at least. Unless there is a catch.”
Gabrielle turned to her. “Yeah, that’s the thing. It’s not clear enough, but he’s at play right now, mostly in Chicago, where very important families are established.”
Deva pondered on it. “He said he wanted to get close to my father. The MC world is a bit different, doesn’t work exactly the same way as the mafia.”
Gabrielle nodded. “Yes, but if he’s after influence, he would need someone like yo
ur father on his side. It would be a good starting point.”
Deva agreed. “MCs walk a parallel line, they are brawn with tactics and an agenda. One known only to them, that’s what makes them tricky. Not like the Bratva or the Yakuza, that are more organized. They are the one treading the line between the illegal and the political. They have done it for a long time.”
Aleksei touched her arm to make her look at him. “I couldn’t talk directly to my Pakan, but I’m close enough to have a sense of the situation. Lazarus is right, something is unsettling the families, but everybody is keeping their cards very close to their vests. Even internally.”
Gabrielle got to her feet. “We’ll put our ears to the ground, see what we can find here.”
Deva let herself lean back on the sofa, looking at the yellowish ceiling. “If the word hadn’t got out yet, that means this is big, and unless you are in the inner circles, you won’t get anything.” Possibilities swirled in her mind as she judged which one may be the best course of action. “Any confirmation that my name has popped up as newly resurrected?”
Aleksei shook his head. “Bratva doesn’t really discuss MC business, but I can check.”
Lazarus rubbed his beard. “I’ve got a few feelers out, and so far, I haven’t had any confirmation. I can recheck, though.”
Deva didn’t like it. “Bratva isn’t that close to MCs, if you try to get information, you’ll raise weird flags.”
Gabrielle frowned. “True. Neither are the Yakuza nor the Chinese. I can check with the Italians, and the Romanians, even the Irish mob, but my links are sketchy nowadays.”
Deva pushed herself up and winced. It was as if her body had rusted while she was unconscious. “Where’s my phone?”
Aleksei crossed his arm, suspicions all over his face. “What are you up to?”
“There’s a Puerto Rican fighter I need to speak to. And if I’m very lucky, we might get the answers we need.”
Chapter 19
“I don’t want you there, Aleksei. Don’t you understand how dangerous the situation is without bringing a Russian into the mix?”
The infuriating man only stared at the road and didn’t even acknowledge her question. Lazarus let out a mirthless chuckle in the backseat.
“You mean, an MC princess and a Bratva enforcer? It’s the start of a very bad joke in my opinion.”
Deva flashed him an annoyed look over her shoulder. “And what about you? Son of Finch?”
He puffed, annoyed. “I’m my mother’s son. I’m a bastard, and I would prefer using that adjective.”
“Is Lazarus King even your real name?”
The man only smiled at her, and she suspected that it had to be the first of a very long list of secrets. “The same as Deva for you I suppose. I had to recreate myself, for my own salvation. A long, sad story that’s irrelevant right now.”
Deva shook her head. “Nonetheless, and to return to the question you conveniently ignored, you are not helping me by acting as my bodyguards. And Aleksei, if you clench your jaw any tighter, you won’t be able to chew Jell-O.”
“Couldn’t a phone call be enough?” The words came out of his mouth with a hiss.
This man would never learn. “The best would have been for me to meet him alone. On his territory, and Hector was even fine with meeting me on neutral territory. It may have been okay for you to train at the same gym, but not discuss business. And this is business. And no, a phone call wouldn’t have been enough. I want to see his face. And so far, the safest and most neutral place is Rusty’s gym. Now that I’ve convinced Hector to meet, you acting as my bodyguards can mess things up.”
The way both men stayed silent made her want to shoot them where it would hurt for their stubbornness.
The rest of the trip was blessedly silent and helped Deva gather her thoughts. The problem was, she didn’t know which angle to take. Only her instinct, that gut feeling deep down inside, convinced her that she could approach Hector, the unknown was how much she could reveal and believe what he would say.
As they turned the corner, Deva noticed a couple of random men standing by. Probably Hector’s. The Puerto Rican was no fool, especially since he saw her at the gathering. She wouldn’t be the only one asking questions.
Aleksei parked beside the gym, not too far from the door and waited a beat before getting out. No surprise that he would have seen the men. When he got out, Lazarus did the same and opened her door, helping her out. Both men may have appeared relaxed on the outside, but it was everything but the case.
Deva rounded the car, but as she was about to reach for the door handle, Aleksei pulled her roughly into his arms and kissed her. It took her a full second to get her bearings, and when she did, her body melted against his. It was immediate as if the only option was to surrender upon contact. The kiss was possessive and very demonstrative. As if staged? That thought made her push against his muscled chest.
“What was that for?” Her breathlessness revealed that despite the tone of annoyance in her voice, she wasn’t indifferent to him. The expression on his gorgeous face didn’t give anything away, only the thunder against her palms revealed a bit more.
“The Puerto Ricans are all around, by claiming you, I’m making you Bratva. Giving you protection.”
Deep down, she knew there were advantages in that, although it complicated things even more. And it was only for that reason she didn’t knee him in the balls, and instead pulled at his black t-shirt to bring him so close, she would only have to whisper.
“I hope you catch my bug. Damn you.”
Shoving him away, Deva opened the door, but not before seeing Lazarus with a smirk behind his beard. Bastards, both of them.
Inside, the gym was dimly lit as the sun was setting over the city. And apart from Hector, there didn’t seem to be anyone else.
He was near the punching bags, giving one of them tentative punches. But this wasn’t the fighter Deva was used to joking with, the man in the gym sported a three-piece suit, and his chocolate hair was slicked back. If not for the tattoos peeking from his collar and sleeves, he would pass for a rich businessman instead of a gang member.
He continued to launch a few more punches as the three of them approached, and then immobilized the bag before turning to them.
Hector seemed to encompass her two companions, a deeper frown for Aleksei. For a long moment, the two men sized each other up. Deva could feel tension mounting and decided to cut to the chase and hopefully avoid the two alpha males ending up in a confrontation.
Stepping between them, she got closer to Hector.
“I don’t want a confrontation, Hector. Ignore those two goons, it was my idea to come and see you and they insisted on coming along.”
Immediately, Hector’s fierce expression mellowed into a grin. “You have me intrigued. I would have helped you because I like you. You are a good person. But when I saw you at the gathering, dressed as you were, with the Russian, a few questions popped up. And there was some strong gossip too.”
Deva winced. “Yeah, it’s partly the reason why I asked for a meeting with you. I wasn’t sure you were with the Puerto Rican family, but seeing you there...”
“Well, and my question would be with which family are you. The Russians?”
Aleksei moved forward, coming close to her back as Lazarus stayed a few feet away, trying to be as invisible as possible.
“Is it the only word getting around?”
Hector put his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels a few times.
“Maybe.” He took a few more steps in her direction. Aleksei moved to intercept, but Deva put a hand on his arm. She needed to deal with it by herself.
Making sure, Aleksei had understood, Deva turned her attention back to Hector.
“It’s a complicated story. And you ought to understand that initially, it has nothing to do with you. To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure you were...”
He gave her a dazzling smile. “A criminal? A killer?”
“That you are Bratva?”
Deva rolled her eyes. “I’m not Bratva.”
“The word says you are Bratva-related now.”
Annoyed, she frowned at Aleksei and then at Hector. “Come on! Is it like a disease? You touch it, you get it?”
Aleksei growled as Hector laughed. “The word is you didn’t just only touch.”
Rolling her eyes, Deva tried to stay serious. “Can we focus, please? It’s not Bratva related, okay?”
“So why is he here? Or maybe you decided to go British and brought the red coats along.”
She turned to Lazarus who stayed stoic, arms crossed, gray eyes cold as ice. Not a single sign of acknowledgment.
“And who’s the chatty Cathy now? If you make a single allusion about me going Puerto Rican, I’ll be forced to punch you.”
Laughing again, Hector lifted his hands. “I would not do such a thing, Deva. Unless you get really interested. Which you are clearly not. And if it has nothing to do with my crew, what do you need to know?”
“It’s about the Dark Blood Rows.”
The smile was quick to disappear, and Deva saw calculation in his eyes.
“Listen, Hector. All I want to know is there any news, any unusual restlessness on that front.”
The Puerto Rican fighter seemed to ponder his next words. “Like the sudden reappearance of Victoria Johnson?”
Slowly, Deva nodded, her vision slowly turning into a tunnel, narrowing her options.
“There is a rumor. I met with people yesterday, and that’s all they were talking about. But the thing is, the news was reported by an outsider to the president of the Rows. They are cautious and demanding proof. And from what I’ve heard, they are moving fast.”
Deva couldn’t talk just yet as Aleksei started caressing her lower back. Naturally, she slid a hand to him and weaved her fingers with his, a gesture she found incredibly reassuring. It was Lazarus who asked the question she had in her head.
