by Kimber Chin
"Keep an eye on him, Pavel. You too, Boris." She studied the bodyguards. "No matter what happens to me, protect Nikky."
Boris turned to Nikky's top man as if for direction. Pavel's chest heaved. "Are you going to let him out of your sight?"
Tatyana scowled. What kind of stupid question was that? "Of course not. The ass'll do something idiotic and get himself killed."
A glimmer of a smile balanced on scarred lips. "I doubt the boss will leave your side until this is done, so if we protect one of you, we'll protect the other."
"As long as that one is Nikky, I don't care." She didn't have time to argue. Nikky would return any minute. "This is his medical information." She tapped the file folder tucked into the door pocket. "The nearest hospital isȄ"
"No need." One huge hand raised, palm facing her. "We have a medical team standing by."
"There's a letter in there." She wrote it this morning. She didn't want Nikky blaming himself if anything went wrong. "If something happens to me..." Her words wobbled.
"I'll see that he gets it."
"If he needs blood, I'm a universal donor. No matter what state I'm in." She'd give up her life for his.
"We have pints on site, ready."
They had everything covered, didn't they? But then, she had thought that before and people still died. "If the ass dies, I'm going to be pissed."
"He won't die." That would have been more reassuring if Pavel met her gaze. Why couldn't he look at her? Because Nikky could die? Tatyana's hands twisted.
"The boss has been in worst situations," Boris volunteered.
"Then this is normal for him?" Tatyana's voice rose. He put his life on the line all the time?
Like hell she was going toȄ
Pavel groaned. "Not normal."
The door opened. Nikky ducked into the car, his handsome face grim. "Come, Tatyana." He offered his hand to her.
She took it, allowing him to pull her up. "You're not to take stupid risks, you hear me?"
A chuckle rolled behind Nikky. "Hush, Brat. Everyone heard you." His embrace was fast and hard, the vest blocking some of his comforting warmth. "I know what I'm doing."
"Because you do this all the time." She glared at him. One of these days, he'd get his fool ass killed and see if she cried for him then.
"Yes, because I do this all the time." But he lied. His eyes darkened.
"Don't you dare die on me, Nikky." She gripped his lapels.
"I'm not going to die." He kissed her quickly and turned her around, pushing her forward.
"You remember Joey Chan."
The ass was dismissing her. Her. Fine. The hell with him. She stepped toward his enemy.
She didn't need him.
Chan's lips curved into a grin as though he knew what she was doing. "Miss Tatyana." He raised her hand to kiss it. "You are a ray of sunshine today." Laughter lurked in those dark eyes.
Nikky hadn't found her neon yellow shirt humorous. She tossed the ass a defiant glance before smiling sweetly at the pock-faced man. "I thought about wearing a bull's-eye." As she was the target today.
Chan laughed. "Your Tatyana has a sense of humor, Kaerta."
"I'm not his Tatyana." She gave Nikky another scornful look.
"Brat." A growl.
"I'm my own woman and I refuse to love someone intent on dying. I've seen enough death, damn it." She tucked her hand into Chan's arm.
"Language, Brat."
"She's intelligent, also." Chan commented like she couldn't hear him. "Love only causes pain. Better to make decisions with your brain, not your heart." He patted her hand. "Shall we?" He led her into the house, Nikky's men in front and behind them.
"Welcome to my humble home." Chan waved a hand.
Humble? She peered up at the huge chandelier. His home was a mansion. No, Tatyana remembered the gates and guards, it was a fortress. Would Nikky's future home be as intimidating? Not that he'd live long enough to have one. She glared over her shoulder.
Nikky glared back, his brown eyes stormy with emotion.
"I only regret your visit is under these circumstances," their host continued, as though unaware of the undercurrents.
"This isn't a social visit, Chan. Save the tour for your other women." Nikky's jaw ground.
"Pavel, are the men in position?"
"Yes, Boss."
It was one thing to dismiss her, but now he was dismissing Chan, the man who was opening his home up to them, to this. The least they could do was be polite. "It's a gorgeous house,"
Tatyana cooed, giving her best impression of awe. "Very big."
"Too big for one person." Chan leaned closer to her as they walked.
One person because his wife was dead. He'd killed her. His tiny, pregnant wife. No, she'd killed her. Tatyana looked down at her hands. Would blood cover them again today?
Nikky's blood?
"Too big to easily protect." She'd forced this confrontation. Had she made a mistake? Killed them all?
"My home is secure." Chan straightened. "You don't have to worry, Miss Tatyana."
"People keep telling me that," she grumbled. She didn't believe them. They didn't know what they were up against. She did. "DeathȄ"
"Tatyana," Nikky warned her to stay quiet.
They stopped at the largest office Tatyana had ever seen in a private home.
"This is it?" Nikky prowled around the perimeter, books lining the walls. "The safest room in the house?"
"No." The mobster chuckled. "The safest room in the house is my bedroom. If you'd like her positioned there, I can accommodate you."
Men were such idiots. All this arrogant posturing with a killer nearby.
"This is not a joke." Nikky's face darkened.
Her fiance was spoiling for a fight. Soon, too soon, he'd get one. Tatyana moved toward the huge picture windows, looking out at the green lawn, the perfectly groomed trees. There was a flash of something like sun reflecting off metal. Metal. A gun. "Could he shoot Nikky from across the lawn?"
"Bullet proof glass." Chan tapped on a pane. "Your Nikky is safe. Sorry." He held up both hands. "Not your Nikky. I forgot you won't love someone whose job involves death."
"Someone intent on dying." Many jobs involved death. "There's a difference."
"Is there? No one is intent on dying. No one puts themselves at risk recklessly. We do what we have to do." A shrug.
For the safety of the family. Nikky looked grim. He wasn't enjoying this any more than she was. Tatyana drifted closer to him. He was doing what he had to do and she wasn't making it any easier on him.
"I worry," she admitted, slipping her hand in his. "Because I love you." She needed him to know that.
"I know." Nikky kissed her, a gentle, soft brush against her lips. "Courage, Brat. We can do this."
Nikky didn't release her hand as he discussed entry options with Chan. His palm was rough and warm and comforting. He wouldn't die, Tatyana told herself. He had everything under control.
As soon as she started to relax, a man rushed into the room, hurrying over to Chan. She couldn't understand what was said but the words were frantic, fast. "We have a man down," Chan explained in English. "East perimeter."
A man down. Death. It had found her again. Her first impulse was to run as far away as she could from here, taking Nikky with her.
Nikky put an arm around her waist, preventing her. "Fuck, he's fast." He pulled out his gun.
Tatyana did the same. She'd protect him. She wouldn't lose him. She couldn't. "Pavel?"
There was rumbling from the bodyguard into his phone. "No response from the same sector, Boss."
Ivan positioned against the exterior wall, Boris at the doorway. "Nikky?" Fear trickled down her spine. They should run. This standing to fight was a bad idea. Running, running worked. She shifted, looking beyond Boris to the hallway.
Nik tightened his grip on his skittish girl. Her body trembled next to his. "Courage, Brat," he repeated. "I'll protect you." He'd try. Gunfire in the dista
nce. Too soon, it was too soon. They weren't prepared yet.
The bastard counted on their unpreparedness. He attacked before they solidified their defenses. Smart. Nik would have done the same.
Pavel looked at his phone. "Inner circle breached, Boss."
He could hear that, the gunfire getting closer. Nik stood in front of Tatyana.
A blast boomed at the front door. "One more of those and it won't hold." As Chan spoke, shots rang from inside the house.
Inside? "What the hell?" Before Nik could figure out who was shooting, another blast detonated.
"And they're in." That gloomy tidbit was shared by Chan.
"Boss." It was Boris' only warning before he was flung back into the room. Tatyana screamed his name. They fired into the hallway. Something was thrown in the room, metal against the hardwood. Then smoke. Nik sniffed. No, not smoke.
"Shit. Tear gas." Why hadn't he prepared for that? "Close your eyes, Brat." He pressed her against the wall, covering her with his body. His eyes burned. He coughed, breathing difficult. All the time, he continued to shoot clip after clip, his men doing the same, the noise deafening.
A dark form swung through the air. Nik twisted. A knife sliced his vest. Tatyana gasped as she was yanked from behind him. "Nikky! Nikky!" Fuck. The bastard had Tatyana. Nik heard her struggling, fighting like a wild woman. He couldn't see, damn it, his vision was too fuzzy. He raised his gun high, higher than Tatyana's petite form, forcing himself to wait, and wait, and wait. Finally, he heard it. A shot, then a gasp. He aimed and pulled the trigger.
Another scream. A heavy thud.
"Tatyana!" He moved toward her, reaching out. Was she hit? Had he missed?
Shots to his right, where Chan had stood.
"Nikky!" His neck was gripped so tightly, he winced. "Nikky! He...there..." She sounded half hysterical. A figure lay crumpled on the floor. Nik shot once, twice, three times to ensure the body wouldn't move. "Shot...I... Shot," she breathed, her voice thick, as though she found it hard to take in air.
Shot. His heart stopped. "You're shot?" He patted her body blindly. Moisture. Sticky.
"No." Her frizzy hair brushed against his cheek as she shook her head. "Are you?"
He sagged with relief. She was safe. "No. Pavel?"
"Yes, Boss." A raspy reply.
"Ventilation." Chan's voice in the smoke was weak. A fan whirled overhead. Fresh air. Nik breathed in. It took a few minutes for the room to clear. A few minutes more for Nik's eyes to recover enough to see shapes.
"Boris?"
A groan. "Boss. My ribs."
He was hurt but alive. "Ivan?"
Silence. "No, Boss," Pavel confirmed.
A whimper from Tatyana. Fuck. Ivan was a good man, leaving behind a wife. Damn it.
"Chan?" A group of dark figures stood to the right.
"One of my own, Kaerta. During the fight."
Nik blinked rapidly, trying to focus on Chan.
"Your shoulder." Tatyana pointed. There was something metallic stuck in Chan's shoulder.
A throwing star? Blood pooled around him.
No one was doing anything. What kind of shit organization was he running? "Where's your medical team, Chan?" He'd have one.
"One of my own, Kaerta," the man repeated from his place on the floor. "How do I know he doesn't have a man on my medical team? How can I trust anyone?"
A buzz of Chinese around him. Reassurances of loyalty.
"You're a paranoid bastard, Chan. Let them treat you." Before he died and created a whole new mess.
"Look at that man." Chan pointed. "What do you see?"
Tatyana squeaked. Nik looked, and immediately pressed her face into his chest. A shot to the head was never pretty. "Fuck, Chan. My fiancee didn't need to see that."
"One of mine. He waited until this happened andȄ" A watery cough. "I can't trust my team."
There were denials in Chinese, tone universal.
"Nikky." Tatyana whispered. "We couldȄ"
"No," Nik refused. "If he dies..." It'd be war. Could be two wars. At the same time. They hadn't yet figured out who ordered the attack on the brat.
"And if he dies now," she spoke directly into his ear, "who will be blamed? Please, Nikky. I don't want any more death."
"Fuck." She would play that card. "You can use our medical team, Chan." He motioned to Pavel. Pavel rumbled instructions into the phone.
"Why would you do that, Kaerta?" Suspicion colored Chan's question. "You getting soft?
This is your chance."
His chance to put an end to this pain in his ass. Nik glanced down at Tatyana. He wouldn't do it. At least not today. She'd been through enough. Tears streamed down her cheeks. His eyes watered, too, from the tear gas.
"I'm patient, Chan. I'll wait until you're healthy to kill you. Much more satisfying that way."
Tatyana's hands squeezed Nik's neck as she shook all over. She was in shock. "I'm taking my fiancee upstairs, Chan."
"Safest room in the house." Chan's laugh disintegrated into a cough.
They moved out of the way as the medical team arrived. "Pavel, take care of this." Nik swung Tatyana into his arms and walked out of the room.
"It's over." Tatyana sat on the bed, allowing Nikky to strip her of her holster, her shirt, her vest. "And you're alive." She ran dirty hands through his hair. Her ears rang, her eyes burned, her body ached, but they were alive. Both of them. Alive.
"I told you I wouldn't die, Brat." Nikky kissed her hungrily. She fell back on the soft bedspread. He covered her, his vest pinching her skin.
"Ouch." She pulled at the straps, her hands blistered from the gunfire.
He removed his shirt, his vest, his undershirt. She examined him, needing visual reassurance he was okay. He was. His bare chest was polka-dotted with red marks but his skin was unbroken.
"I was proud of you." His brown eyes gleamed. "When you foughtȄ"
"I shot him, Nikky." Tatyana moaned, horrified. She shot a man.
"I shot him, Brat." He pinged her softly on the head.
"After I did. I shot him in the leg." The man grabbed her. She pressed the muzzle to her attacker's thigh and pulled the trigger. That she did that without thinking. "I shot a man, Nikky."
"He would have killed me." He stroked her shoulder. "He tried."
The slice in Nikky's vest, over his heart. He could have died. She closed her eyes, focusing on his soothing hands, rough against her smooth skin. "And me? Why didn't he kill me?"
She didn't understand. The killer could have killed her easily. Had he been after Nikky?
"I don't know, Brat." Nikky kissed her again, his mouth moving from her lips, over her chin, down her neck. He cupped her breasts. "Hmm..." His fingers slid inside her bra, scooping out the dressings. Her nipples tightened. "But, I do know I wouldn't have let him." Nikky pushed the cups aside, suckling her. "You're mine."
"Nikky." She arched as he reached down to fondle her.
"Fuck, Tatyana. I need you so much." With one pull, he removed her pants and panties, his own clothes removed as expediently. "I can't wait. I need..."
She knew what he needed. She needed it, too. His flesh against hers. She bent her knees and spread her legs and he was inside her, thrusting hard, moving frantically, passionately, alive and healthy into her. He panted, his muscled body sleek with a thin layer of sweat. He was alive, so very alive.
"Nikky." She was coming apart. She clawed at his back as relentless emotion swept through her, needing his skin under her fingertips.
He thrust once more, deep and hard. "Tell me you love me, Tatyana." Heat filled her. "Tell me." He collapsed, his weight pinning her to the mattress.
It was a welcome weight. "I love you, Nikky." He was alive. She was alive. Tatyana pet the back of his head, smoothing down his thick hair. "I'll always love you."
Nine
"Loved ones need the assurance of strength so they can grieve but not worry."ȄSergei Kaerta
"Find out everything about him," N
ik instructed after Pavel wrapped up the debriefing.
Details about the slain assassin were key to locating his client. Locating the client was needed to keep the brat safe. Her safety was Nik's top priority.
"We will, Boss." Pavel nodded his head, spread out in the seat across from them. Boris rode up front beside the driver as IvanȄpained coursed through NikȄIvan needed no seat now.
Tatyana sat too far forward on his knees to offer the comfort he needed. Nik wrapped his arms underneath the borrowed blouse she wore and pulled her back, snug against him.
Better. He breathed in the sweet smell of her damp hair. Tatyana was here. He'd deal with the pain and the grief later when they were alone. Right now, he concentrated on her.
Tatyana wiggled. His body reacted. "Nikky." That earned him a halfhearted reprimand as though he was solely responsible for his arousal.
"Brat." It was the sight of her in the maternity top, the fabric billowing around her flat stomach. It got him thinking of ways to put her in that condition. If she wasn't in that condition already. He caressed her soft skin. She could be. They hadn't used protection. His child could be growing inside her.
That possibility appealed to him immensely. The first would be a daughter. He was sure of it. They had plenty of time to have the son needed to carry on the Kaerta name. Nik would get his little girl, first. A baby girl with big trusting eyes and frizzy hair.
"You can drop me off at the Crown Hotel." Tatyana's words shredded his serenity.
What the hell? She wanted to leave him? Nik tightened his embrace. "You're not going anywhere."
She turned sideways to kiss the tip of his nose. "It's over, Nikky. You upheld your side of the bargain. You protected me. NowȄ"
"Now nothing. It's not over, not by a long shot." It'd never be over between them. "Weren't you listening to Pavel? Don't you know what that man was?"
"Of course I don't." She looked at him like he was the irrational one. "Pavel doesn't know who that man was. We might never know."
"Not who, what. He was a professional," Nik continued. She needed to know this. "He was paid to get to you." To kill her or worse. "The person paying him is still out there. He'll replace the man we killed this morning and it'll start all over again."
