It wasn’t long when the men had no release for their stress and they started scrapping. After vetting them, Naithon allowed a few of the females to return. Silver Dae was one of them. He hated to have her in the same house as Kiri, but she was a favorite among the men, so to keep the peace, he let her room with a few of the other girls. Trying to recall which strippers he’d slept with, they were banished.
Kiri was sitting on the settee by the window reading a book when Naithon came in. He paused in the doorway. Closing the book, she smiled. “Hi. You here to spend some time with me?”
“Baby, I can’t. I have to stay on the security of the compound.” He grinned at her mouth turning down in a pout. “But,” as he entered the room he pulled something from inside his open jacket. When he reached her, he held it up.
“Oh my gosh! Naithon!” She jumped up, yelped ecstatically, “A puppy! Isn’t he adorable.” Eyes like green saucers of delight focused on the black and white husky with sky blue eyes. “Where did he come from? Can I pet him?”
Laughing, Naithon held the dog out. “He’s for you, lamb, I got him for you.” Then the cheer fled into sudden distress on her face. She stepped back and moved her hands behind her back, ducked her head.
“Baby, what’s wrong? You love dogs, you had them when you were-” it dawned on him. Cuddling the puppy to his chest, he said gently, “Your brothers can’t hurt this little guy, honey. No one is gonna hurt him, I promise.” He didn’t remind her that Duce and Piero were dead and couldn’t get their ghostly hands on the pup, that would just reignite her grief.
He stood patiently, scratching the dog behind his ears. The puppy whimpered, and Kiri peeked up at him, then took a step towards it. A few minutes, and she reached a hand out to pet his head. The puppy licked her hand making her giggle. Naithon held him out to her. “What are you going to name him?”
Accepting the dog, Kiri cradled him to her chest and cooed at the pup. “Hmm, I think…Kako. He’s an Alaskan husky, there’s a lake in Alaska I read about called Kako Lake.”
“I like it, good choice, baby.” Naithon slipped his arm around her and he scratched under the dog’s chin. “He’s tiny now, but see those big paws? He’ll be a big boy and he will be extra protection for you, ja?”
A dog bed was brought in and placed in the bedroom, food dish and water bowl in the kitchenette. Naithon or one of his men would walk Kako.
The next day, it was around 11:00 a.m. when Naithon received a call. Not recognizing the number, he answered warily, “Ja?”
“Mr. Adranokov, this is Wick with the Riveaux Knights.”
“What can I do for you, Wick, we’re pretty busy here.”
Wick cleared his throat. “Sorry. Roar, you know, the president of the club asked me to call you. There is a situation at the clubhouse, I think it’s something to do with the hits on you and the Delduccis.”
His heart skipped a beat. “Ja, yeah? What about them?”
The heavy breath Wick took came through the phone. “Roar didn’t tell me. Just said to make sure I told you how serious it was, dangerous, but there’s info about the attacks on you guys.”
“Why does he think I need to be there? He can tell me over the phone.”
“Man, come on, I don’t fucking know. Roar just said it was important, but you needed to be careful of the danger when you get here. Probably should bring your best men.”
Thinking for a minute, Naithon couldn’t surmise what on earth Roar had going on, but he had to check it out. “All right. Tell Roar I’m on my way.” He called his capos, Mazonn, Yash, Vlad, Blok, and Teodor. When they arrived, he told them about the call.
He ordered, “Maz, Yash, Teo, you come with me, bring some of your boys. Vlad and Blok, you stay here, watch the house.”
Blok said, “Nait, the dude said it was dangerous, we need to all go, watch your back.”
“It could be a trick to get me out of the house to get at Kiri. The compound is impenetrable, still, I want you guys to stay here, keep an eye on everything, ja?”
After apprising Kiri that he would be gone for a bit, and admonishing her sternly to stay in their suite, Naithon and his men hurried out to their vehicles.
*********
A knock at the suite’s front door startled Kiri. She was playing with Kako. As she made her way to the door, the puppy bounced around her feet with little yaps. The door was unlocked from the inside. Since the aborted abduction, Piero’s death, and the assault on her father, Naithon didn’t have to convince Kiri she was safest right where she was. He no longer locked her in, but did keep everyone else locked out.
She opened the door and was surprised to see a woman standing there. Kiri looked up and down the hallway. “Where’s the guard Naithon posted at my door?”
The woman shrugged, stiff blonde curls scraped over her shoulders. “He looked horny, I had a couple of girls take him down the hall to entertain him. I talked Simon who was to bring you your lunch into letting me do it.” Carrying a box, she wormed inside the door and past a confused Kiri.
Setting the box down, she gave Kiri a great big smile. “I figured you have to be bored to tears. Nait won’t let you out, and he won’t let anyone in. I took this chance while he’s gone to come and visit you.”
Her hand on the doorknob, Kiri murmured, “Um, I don’t know…”
“It’ll be fine, a little girl talk, be good for you, right?” She lifted two covered plates from the box, set them on the table then she sat on a chair and took the lid off of one. The aroma of spaghetti filled the room. “Mmm, come on, hon, it smells great,” she nodded to the other dish.
What harm could there be? “Okay, sure.” Kiri closed the door and took a seat at the small table. She removed a fork from the box and tasted the pasta. “It’s good.” She smiled politely at the woman. “I’m sorry,” she smiled and said, “I’m Kiri, I don’t know your name.”
Flipping a side of the motionless blonde hair, the woman replied, “I’m Silver. Silver Dae Foxx.”
A frown wrinkling her forehead, Kiri twirled spaghetti on a fork. “Silver. Yes, I’ve heard your name before.”
“Yeah, you would have heard about me and Naity. We are…you know…we’re in love.” Silver pretended she didn’t see the shock on Kiri’s face.
“In love?” Kiri parroted in a small voice.
“Oh yes, we’ve been together for years. Of course he’s been in my bed all this week, you know?”
Her mouth open ready to take a bite of spaghetti, Kiri set her fork down. Studying the older woman, Kiri saw she was pretty but the prettiness was hard. Her hair was stiff, she wore a blouse that exposed much of her very large breasts. Kiri had been sheltered, but she heard about implants. Silver’s heels were six inches, her skirt barely covered her wide butt.
At first, Silver’s words caught in her heart, Naithon was sleeping with this woman while he was...courting Kiri? Kako set his maw on Kiri’s foot and peered up at her through fluffy black and white fur. Naithon had given her a studio, covered her with an army of men when she went to the hospital, and brought her Kako. She smiled fondly at her puppy. His tail flopped back and forth.
Recalling how Naithon’s eyes smoldered whenever he looked at her, touched her constantly, and he may have been patrolling all day and all night, but he always came back to her when he took a few hours rest.
No, this woman was lying. Before she could confront her, Silver said casually, “I’m so sorry about your dad. I hear he’s dying.”
“What?” Kiri squawked, her head flung towards the woman.
“Yeah,” she said idly with a hint of sympathy. “The guys were talkin’. They said he had a day or so before he…you know…sorry hon.” Silver opened her purse and pulled out a flask. Twisting the lid off, she poured a good portion of what was in it in her glass of soda.
Kiri leapt to her feet, repeated aghast, “What?”
“I’m sorry hon, it’s sad when you lose your folks, huh?” She chugged her soda, wiped her mouth with the back o
f her hand.
“No, no, no,” Kiri exclaimed. Gripping the sides of her hair, she wailed, “I have to see him, I have to see him!”
“Well, sweetie, just have Naity drive you over there when he comes home.”
“He won’t,” Kiri cried, as tears gathered. “He won’t let me leave the house. He’ll restrain me if I try to leave.” Pacing, she wrapped her arms around her waist, chest heaving with despair.
Finishing the rest of her soda, Silver bit the end of a nail, said nonchalantly, “Well, I can take you there, if you want.”
Kiri clasped a hand over her mouth, Naithon would kill her if she left the compound. But, it was her dad. She implored Silver, “How would I get out? He has his men watching me.”
Silver pondered, then snapped her fingers. “I got it. I’ll get you downstairs. A couple of the girls can distract the guards at the kitchen door where there’s only two, like they did with the ones up here. When they’re turned away, I’ll slip you out the kitchen door. It’s the least guarded area in the building. You duck down when I drive out the gate. What do you say? You game?”
Pacing some more, Kiri thought, maybe she could see her father and get back before Naithon does, he’ll never know she left. “Okay, but we have to hurry.”
“Great, let’s go. The guards outside your door will be occupied for a while.”
Silver unlocked the steel door at the landing and led Kiri down a little used staircase. Then to the pantry off the kitchen. The guards weren’t there, the two women slipped out and ran for Silver’s car that she had parked close to the door.
Hopping in the car, Kiri didn’t let out her held breath until they hit the road. She couldn’t believe they pulled it off. Watching the woods and fields pass by as Silver hurtled down the highway, Kiri said, “Naithon would be so livid if he knew his guards had allowed themselves to be distracted.”
Suddenly her bottom burned. Naithon catches her and he will tan her butt but good. She forced herself to relax, he’ll never know.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When Naithon and his men arrived at the Riveaux Knight’s clubhouse they were stopped at the gate. Two men wearing cuts held guns on Naithon. They recognized him.
One with both sleeves of tats said, “What is your business here, Adranokov?”
His eyes shifted from one to the other, Naithon replied coolly, “Roar sent for me. Tell him I’m here.”
The two men shared a vexed look. “Roar ain’t here. They’re down in Stuben for the annual races. There’s only a skeleton crew here, everyone is down in Stuben.”
Naithon immediately pulled out his phone and dialed Roar’s number. When he answered, his voice cool, level, Naithon said, “Roar, you have your man Wick call me to come meet with you?”
There was silence. Then Roar said carefully, “Ain’t got no member named Wick. We’re in Stuben at the races, have no reason to meet with you.”
Clicking off, Naithon shoved the phone in his pocket and barked to Mazonn who was driving, “Take us home, stat.”
Tires squealing, they raced back to the compound. His fist rolled tight, Naithon slammed it on the door handle with a block of Romanian curses. “I knew it was a motherfucking trick, goddammit, I should have called Roar. All this shit, it’s too much to keep track of.”
Yash and Teo in the back said nothing, there was nothing to say. While Maz drove, Naithon called Vlad. It took several rings before Vlad answered.
“Fuck, Nait,” he blurted into the phone.
“Tell me, Vlad.” Naithon put it on speaker.
His panted breaths loud, Vlad huffed, “We just found some guards passed out. Looks like they were drugged.”
“Kiri?”
“Ah,” Vlad’s voice rough, “she’s gone.”
Naithon held the phone out in front of him and blinked at it. “How?”
“We gathered everyone, the women too. Apparently Silver got into your room and convinced Kiri to leave with her.”
A few voices rumbled in the background. “Ja, Nait, Jazmine said Silver made them drug the guards. Said she’d knife them while they slept if they didn’t do as she told them. There were some strange loud pops out front, and then out back, me an’ Blok separated and checked them out. I guess Silver had fireworks set off to draw us away from her sneaking Kiri out.”
Naithon crushed the phone in his hand, then growled, “They have any idea where Silver’s taking her?” He heard Vlad talking, and then several people yakking at once.
Vlad said, “Martina says she thinks she’s taking her to her da’s house. Silver had confided in Martina that she was gonna get some big bucks to deliver Kiri to the Delducci home. We put the compound on lockdown.”
“Okay. Put everyone that was involved in the basement. Pull the surveillance tapes and any on the main roads, see if you can find her car to verify it.”
Vlad replied, “Blok’s lookin’ now.” Naithon heard Blok’s voice in the background. Vlad said, “Yeah, it was Silver. Parked by that little side door near the pantry area. Only the two girls got in the car. What?” he said something to Blok. “Uh, Blok says Kiri looked really upset. Silver didn’t have a weapon or nothin’ on her but your girl was crying.”
“Check the other camera tapes and get back to me,” Naithon hung up. “To the Delduccis’, Maz,” he sat back and glared at the front windshield. Mazonn was already heading the car in that direction.
********
Silver parked down the street from the Delducci mansion. Kiri’s brow creased. “Why are you parking here? What’s wrong with-” she saw Silver’s eyes glance at something behind her. Swinging around, Kiri saw a white van rambling down the street coming towards them. The windows were tinted, she couldn’t see inside.
Kiri turned to Silver. “Silver, what is going on?” She swung back to look at the van. It resembled the van that she had been shoved into at the hospital. Prickles tingled up her spine. She looked at Silver, the woman had a smug, satisfied smile as she gazed out the window past Kiri’s head.
Kiri frantically grabbled at the door handle, it opened, she tumbled out. Silver screamed, “No! Wait!”
Kiri ran opposite from the van, towards her family’s mansion. It wasn’t a compound like Naithon’s with fences and gates around it. As she ran across the grass, she glanced over her shoulder.
The van had stopped and a man jumped out. Silver was standing outside her car shouting something at him. He looked like the same man who grabbed Kiri before, dressed in black, gloves, mask. She ran as fast as she could.
Screaming at the top of her lungs, she raced for the front door. The door sprung open and two men leaped out with guns raised. Kiri ran to them screaming for help. The soldier guards let her run into the house then stood in the doorway. The masked man slowed, then made a sharp turn and he tore back up the street to the van. Silver hurried after him.
The men closed the door. Janero, hearing the screams rushed to the foyer and was stunned to see his sister, hysterical. “Kiri, what the hell, girl?”
“He- he’s trying to get me, Janero!” She ran into his arms.
Embracing her, Janero asked, “Who? Who is chasing you, Kiri? Is it Adranokov? You escaped him?” He said over her head to one of the men, “Muster everyone you can, armed, get them here now!”
“No, no it’s not Naithon! Naithon saved me from this man that was trying to capture me. That woman, she tricked me into coming here!”
“Woman? What woman?” Her brother patted her back trying to soothe her panic.
“One of the…I think she’s one of the strip girls from the club.”
“Kiri-”
“Janero,” a man broke in, “there’s an SUV rushing up the driveway. It looks like Adranokov. Should we start shooting?”
“No!” Kiri screamed. “Don’t shoot him! He’s here to help me.” She clutched Janero’s shirt, cried, “Don’t hurt him, please!”
Janero smiled wryly down at his sister. “Okay, don’t worry, if that’s Naithon Adranokov,
we’re the ones who are in danger.” He motioned to several men. “Open the door wide, leave it like that, and get out of the way.” They did as he said.
In moments, Naithon stormed in the door, trench coat flapping at his heels, gun in his fist. Seeing Kiri with her brother’s arm around her, he cursed and charged across the room.
Kiri moved to stand in front of Janero. “No, Naithon, it wasn’t him, he didn’t trick me here. It was that man, the one who grabbed me at the hospital. Silver was helping him, she brought me here.”
When Naithon slowed, brows still daggered down he asked, “Why did she bring you here if your old man didn’t order it?”
Kiri pushed from her brother’s arms and ran into Naithon’s. The gun in his hand, he wrapped his other arm around her and pressed his face into her hair.
Janero grinned at Mazonn as he appeared in the doorway. Everyone’s eyes were on Naithon and Kiri. Janero said drily, “I think there’s been a change in things between my sister and Adranokov.”
A rancid snort came from across the room. Melonie stood under an arched doorway, her arms crossed and a nasty scowl on her plain face. “Right,” she sneered, “the two-bit prodigal slut grabs both the mobster and her family’s attention. Of course. Life is so fair.”
A man stood at the end of the room, he called out, “Jan, your dad wants to know what’s going on, what’s all the noise.”
Kiri said urgently to Naithon, “I have to see him. Silver said he was on his deathbed.”
Janero’s lower lip pushed out, he frowned quizzically. “Deathbed? He’s doing so much better. That doesn’t make any-”
Mazonn said calmly, “They wanted us to think it was Delducci that took her. The guy outside was going to grab her before she reached this house.”
“Take me to him, Janero,” Kiri said, moving from Naithon’s embrace, but he held onto her hand. Naithon said to Janero, “It was a ruse to lure Kiri here. I don’t want-”
“Nait,” Teo called, moving in through door. Naithon motioned for him to come to him, he wasn’t letting go of Kiri, and he didn’t want her near the door until he had things sorted out.
Distilled Duplicity Page 22
