Nikolai

by Sandy Alvarez

Nikolai keeps his arm around me as we pass by Reid. The two men share a look, something silent passing between them. Reid nods then stalks away toward his office. When Nikolai and I step outside, Maxim tips his head. "Boss."

  Nikolai acknowledges him with a nod then says something to him in Russian.

  The ride home is silent. There is an eerie vibe coming from Nikolai, so I find it best to wait until he speaks first. It's not until we are home that he leads me up the stairs to our bedroom and lets it all out. Sitting at the edge of the bed, Nikolai pulls me into his lap, burying his face into the crook of my neck. "I'm so fucking sorry he got close to you."

  "It's not your fault, Nikolai. You can't always control what others do."

  Nikolai jerks his head back and bites out, "I made you a promise, Leah. I promised you were free of that mother fucker."

  "Nikolai," I try again, my voice soft.

  "No excuses, Malyshka. I failed to protect you today." Nikolai squeezes my waist. "Now, tell me what he said to you."

  My shoulders slump, and I sigh. "He said my mom is sick. He wants me to go see her."

  "It's bullshit, Leah. The man is fucking with you."

  "But what if he's not? What if my mom is sick? I think I should go. My dad has no reason to lie about something like that."

  "You know better than anyone your father is capable of anything. You're not falling into his trap, Leah. I won't let you."

  My back goes straight. "You won't let me?"

  "No."

  I try to wiggle off his lap, but his hold on me tightens. "Let me up, Nikolai."

  "No."

  "Nikolai," I snap.

  "No, Leah. I know you're pissed, but you'll get over it."

  "It should be my choice whether or not I go see my mom."

  "Yeah. And what if that son of a bitch is lying, Leah?"

  "What if he's not?" I counter.

  "Don't be naïve."

  "I'm not naïve, Nikolai, and I don't like you insinuating that I am. She's my mother."

  "Where was your mom when your dad was beating on you? Your mother wasn't much of a mother then, Leah. So, why is it so important you be there for her when she has never been there for you?"

  Nikolai's words are like a punch to the gut. His features soften when he sees hurt flashing across my face.

  "You're right, but she's still my mother, and I love her."

  "I know you do, Malyshka." Nikolai kisses me. "I'm still not going to take the chance on anything happening to you."

  Hours later, I'm getting ready for bed when Nikolai steps out of the bathroom, his hair wet, water dripping down his chest, and a towel wrapped around his waist. Since I'm still mad, I ignore him and go about changing out of my jeans and cardigan into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Nikolai and I have had sex every night since we were married, so my choice of bedtime wardrobe does not go unnoticed by my husband.

  "Leah," Nikolai calls out my name. I ignore that too.

  "Leah," he tries again, sounding more pissed as I continue with my silent treatment, fully aware I'm acting childish. Once dressed, I turn toward the bed to see Nikolai already under the blanket. After cutting off the light, I go to my side, peel the cover back and climb in, turning my back to him. Two seconds later, a heavy arm snags me around my waist, and Nikolai pulls me against his hard chest. He rests his face against the shell of my ear. "You can be pissed all you want, but I don't like bringing that shit to our bed, Leah."

  I don't say anything in return. I don't know how long I lay here, but the longer I do, the less mad I become, and soon I feel like a brat for the way I acted. Nikolai is right. I shouldn't have brought my crap attitude to our bed. Turning over, I face him, his eyes wide awake, shining in the moonlight filtering in through the window.

  "You good now?"

  "Yes," I whisper. "I'm sorry."

  "I'm always going to do what's best for you. Even if it pisses you off."

  "I know."

  "Come here."

  Nikolai moves to bring me with him, and I lay my head on his chest. It doesn't take long for the steady rhythm of his heartbeat to lull me to sleep.

  The next day Nikolai ordered me to stay home with the doors locked and the alarm on just before he left. Now I have nothing to do but sit and stew in my thoughts, wondering how my mom is doing. What if my dad was telling the truth? Why would he risk going against Nikolai's warning? Unless my mother is genuinely sick. I have to find out.

  Jumping up from the sofa, I shuffle up the stairs to the bedroom and grab my sneakers from the bottom of the closet, putting them on. Next, I snatch my phone from the charging dock and my purse. When I make my way back downstairs, I grab the keys to the black Mercedes hanging on the wall next to the garage door. I should be able to check on my mom and be back before Nikolai gets home.

  It doesn't take long for me to pull up to my parent's house. The guilt of going against Nikolai and sneaking out behind his back has my stomach in knots the whole way. And as if he has some sort of connection to my thoughts, my phone rings, Nikolai's name lights up the screen. I answer. "Hello."

  "You want to tell me why the fuck you're in Post Creek? Leah."

  "Nikolai…"

  "Home, now."

  "I'm already here. I'm just going to stay a minute; see how she's doing, then I'll come home. Besides, I don't see my dad's truck, so he's not even here. I'll call you when I leave."

  I hang up the phone before he can say another word. He's mad, and I'll have to deal with that when I get home. But right now, I want to make sure my mom is okay.

  Climbing out of the car, I make my way up to the front door, ringing the doorbell. Several seconds pass without an answer, so I use my old key, letting myself in. I call out. "Mom!"

  She doesn't answer, and the house is quiet. I cross through the living room and into the kitchen. She's not in there either. I also notice the sink full of dirty dishes. Something is not right. My father would never allow the kitchen to be a mess. Turning, I scan the living room. Several empty beer cans are littering the coffee table. Mom must be sick if the house is in such disarray.

  Setting my purse down on the kitchen table, I hurry down the hallway to my parent's bedroom. I knock on the door. "Mom, are you in there?" When she doesn't answer, I push open the door. I suck in a sharp breath at what I see in front of me. "Mom!" I run over to the bed, where she lies motionless, the front of her nightgown covered in blood. I push the hair away from her face and cry out at the sight of her bloody and swollen flesh. "Oh, my god! Mom!" I nudge her a bit to see if she'll wake up.

  "Leah," she groans.

  "Mom, I'm here."

  "Go."

  "What? What are you trying to say, mom? Did dad do this to you?"

  My mom wheezes out a ragged breath, "Go, Leah. Get out before he comes back."

  "Hold on, mom. I'm going to call an ambulance."

  Just as I turn to run out of the room, I'm knocked to the floor by a solid force striking me across my cheek, filling my vision with flashes of light. Blinking through the haze and the throbbing pain radiating through the whole left side of my face, I peer up at the shadow looming above me. "Dad," I croak. "Please."

  "Shut up!" he shouts, grabbing me by the hair on my head, dragging me out of the bedroom.

  "Dad! Stop! Let me go!" I kick and thrash down the hall and into the living room.

  "I knew you'd come to see that bitch mother of yours. She thought she could grow a backbone and warn you. I fucking showed her, though."

  "That's enough, James. She's no good to me if you mark her pretty face any more than it already is." A voice says, stepping out of the shadows and further into the room, joining my father. I look at the man and am suddenly taken back to when I was seven. His face is one I will never forget. The man standing over me is older, but there is no doubt in my mind it's him. The man who was with my dad in his shed all those years ago. The one who took that girl.

  The guy looks me over in a way that makes my skin crawl. "You were supposed t
o hand this one over to me a year ago, James. You didn't keep a tight enough leash on her. That and she's no longer pure like you said she was. My buyer has already backed out."

  Bile rises in my throat when I realize what the man is talking about. My dad was going to hand me over to him; he was going to sell me—his own daughter.

  I look at my father when he starts sputtering. "Novikoff."

  Novikoff holds his hand up, cutting my father off. "She's of no use to my buyer, but lucky for you, she's a great deal of use to me now that she is a Volkov."

  Just as the guy continues to spew his plans for me, the back door opens and in walks Maxim. Walking in behind him is another man I don't recognize, and he has a gun trained on Maxim's head. My stomach clenches.

  "No! Let him go," I pick myself up off the floor and lunge for the man holding the gun. The man known as Knovikoff grabs my elbow then backhands me.

  Maxim growls and says something to Novikoff in Russian. "You just started a war."

  "If a war is what Volkov wants, then a war he shall have." With that Novikoff, pulls out his weapon and shoots Maxim in the chest. I scream as I watch his body crumple to the floor, blood pooling beneath him. I start fighting against the hold Novikoff has on me as I scream at my father. "What have you done? I hate you! You're all going to die! Nikolai will come for me, and when he does, he's going to kill you!" For a moment, I see a small flicker of fear pass over my father's face, like he knows what I say to be true. That fear in his eyes is also the last thing I see before I feel the prick and sting of a needle in my neck, just before everything goes black.

  21

  Nikolai

  "Fuck!" I punch the steering wheel repeatedly. What the fuck is she thinking? With the push of a button, I call Maxim.

  "Sir."

  "Get to Post Creek," I order.

  "Already on my way, sir. I'm about twenty minutes out," Maxim tells me.

  An uneasy feeling settles in my gut. Something isn't right. "Hurry," I add before disconnecting the call. Then I immediately put a call through to my brother. It rings several times before Logan finally answers.

  "Hey, brother. How'd the meeting go?" he asks.

  "Something terrible is about to happen to Leah," I convey to him and press the gas pedal further into the floorboard.

  I hear background noise, followed by Logan shouting for Jake. "You're on speaker. Where is Leah?" Logan asks.

  "In Post Creek." My grip tightens on the steering wheel. "Against my wishes, she went to see her mother."

  "And where are you?" Jake asks.

  "On my way to get my wife." I tell him, then, admit, "I'm not sure if you've heard, but her father showed his face at Kings Construction yesterday, claiming Leah's mother has fallen ill."

  "We heard," my brothers are quick to inform me, and I'm not surprised.

  "Don't ask me how I know, but Leah's in danger. I feel it deep in my bones."

  Jake speaks to my brother, telling him to get a hold of the men and to send word to my father. "How close are you?" he then asks me.

  "Thirty-five minutes."

  "Do everything you can to get to your woman. My men and I won't be far behind." He ends the call, and I continue to barrel down the highway.

  The interior of my car fills with ringing, as a call comes in from Maxim. I press the button on my steering wheel to answer. "Speak," I say in Russian, my tone harsh. "Speak," I repeat myself only to be met by silence. That's when I hear the first signs of trouble.

  "Drop your weapon," I hear the muffled voice spoken in my native tongue, but not by Maxim. "Now." The command is followed by the distinct sound of a weapon hitting a hard surface. More silence hangs in the air for what feels like minutes but, in actuality, its mere seconds before hearing Leah's frightened voice.

  "No. Let him go." An audible slap follows her words.

  "D'yavol himself is coming for you. Ty umresh'." Maxim sneers, then adds, "You just started a war."

  "If a war is what Volkov wants, then a war he shall have." A familiar voice causes my blood to run cold. Novikoff. A gunshot quickly follows his threat. I hear a loud thud before the line goes dead.

  I stop fucking breathing.

  "No!" I roar so loud my lungs burn.

  Time slows, becoming nothing but a black empty void attempting to swallow me whole. I have no idea how I got to my final destination because I remember nothing after the phone call ended, and my world came to a complete halt. All I know is I'm now sitting in my car outside Leah's childhood home. Throwing the car door open, I run toward the front door, as I pull my weapon from my side. I kick the door in, wood splintering at the hinges with no concern for what may greet me. From the foyer, I moved to the living room, finding nothing. After sweeping the kitchen, I push forward, toward the hallway where the bedrooms are located. The door at the end of the hall is slightly ajar, so my approach is cautious. With my gun raised, I push against the door with my shoulder but met with resistance. Putting my weight into it, I give the door a hard shove. With enough clearance, I step into the room and look down to see Maxim face down, the carpet soaked in blood beneath his body. Shit. With a glance, I clear the room, only to see Mary Winters, Leah's mother's unmoving frame lying on the bed beaten. Kneeling, I press my fingers to the side of Maxim's neck, praying I find a pulse. I find one. Rolling him over to his side causes him to groan in agony. "Hold on," I tell him.

  "Novikoff has her," Maxim grunts as I search for his wound.

  "Lay still." I pull my suit jacket off and press it against his seeping wound. "Keep pressure on it." I place his hand where mine was before getting to my feet.

  Moving toward the bed, I look down at Leah's mother. Her face beaten, eyes swollen shut, and what seems to be a dislocated jaw. Her chest rises and falls with shallow breaths, and from the gurgling sound she makes, I'm sure she's all busted up inside as well. Not knowing she can hear me, I hover above her. "Where is Leah?" All I get from her is a ragged moan. "If you care for your daughter, you will force your body to breathe and answer me," I warn her.

  Mary whimpers. "Please. They took her." She's able to push the words past her lips as a whisper. The sound of the floorboards creaking has me spinning around, the end of my gun coming face to face with Jake and my brother directly behind him in the hallway. Maxim coughs, and Jake's attention falls to the floor.

  "Logan," Jake jerks his head, and my brother moves past him, kneeling beside Maxim, tending to him.

  "He needs to get to the hospital," Logan says.

  "My life isn't important." Maxim struggles to move.

  "We don't leave our men to die." My words are stern. Suddenly, my father appears and notices his loyal soldier wounded.

  "Get him to the nearest hospital," he speaks to the two men accompanying him, who then lifts Maxim to his feet and takes him from the house. My father's anger is prevalent when he looks at me. "Who?"

  "Novikoff." Speaking his name leaves a foul taste in my mouth, and my father's facial expression hardens. "He wants war," I growl through clenched teeth. "Once again, someone has made it clear they are after our empire, and they are using my wife," I beat my chest, "to get it." A raging inferno inside of me threatens to break free. I'm about to snap. I feel it. That fucker has my woman, and it's taking every ounce of restraint I have to not completely lose my shit and bathe this small town in blood until I get her back.

  "Look who we found hiding in the storage shed out back," Quinn sneers, and we all turn to face him as he drags a struggling James by his hair. From the looks of him, someone roughed him up. Quinn tosses him into the center of the room.

  He eyes every man staring at him. "You're too late."

  Aiming my gun at his head, I order, "On your knees, your worthless piece of shit." Leah's father sinks to the floor. "Where is she?" his eyes dart to the bed where his wife lays. "Your wife lies dying, and your daughter was taken from your home," I tell him, getting no response from him. "Speak!" I roar.

  "Novikoff has more power than you can imagin
e, and no matter what you do, I won't talk." He looks to his wife, who barely breathes. "My wife will die, and I won't rot in jail for it. You may as well put a bullet in me now." His chin lifts in defiance.

  "You are a coward," I sneer. "Cowards don't deserve to die so easily. You will tell me what I need to know." I step closer to him and hit him with a blow to the back of the head and watch him slump to the floor at my feet. I look back at the men behind me. "I require the use of your basement," I look at Jake, who grins.

  "You got it." With no words spoken, Quinn and my brother lift James's limp body off of the floor. I toss my keys to Logan. "Throw him in the trunk of my car."

  "What about the mother?" my father asks.

  "Place an anonymous call to the proper authorities. From this moment on, she is not my concern." My words are cold and detached.

  A short time later, we've arrived at the clubhouse, and Gabriel unloads our guest of honor from the trunk of my car. My father joins me as we enter the clubhouse. "Any word on Maxim?"

  "Only that he is being taken to surgery as we speak. They wouldn't release any further details." Stepping aside, my father lets me enter the basement first, where The Kings wait for us.

  The air in the room is warm, humid, and smells of death. Rolling up my white shirt sleeves, I eye my prey as I circle the room. Jake and his men, along with my father, stand around the perimeter as my audience. I lock eyes with James, who is bound by his ankles and wrists to a chair in the center of the room. James watches my every move. Stepping up to him, I strike him with the back of my hand. Not allowing him to recover, I fist his hair, yanking his head back and bury my fist in his face. I feel the crunch of his teeth cracking against my knuckles. The rush I get from inflicting pain has me repeat the process a few more times until his face is a bloody mess, and his nose is at an unnatural angle. Releasing him, I roll my shoulders.

  I make my way to a nearby shelf where various tools are located. Eyeing a screwdriver, I pick it up, shove it into my back pocket, and then lift another item off the shelf. "Where did Novikoff take Leah?" I ask as I walk toward him with a pair of garden shears in my hand. When I get close enough, James spits at my face. "Go to hell."