by K. J. Dahlen
Deter held her for a moment then urged her toward the bed. “Come Malyshka, we should get some rest while we can.”
Galen put her hand on his chest as she raised her gaze to meet his. “What is this Malyshh...Whatever you just said?”
He smiled. “It means um... in American...baby girl?”
She gasped.
He tilted his head at her. “What is it?”
She smiled as she shook her head. “That’s what my family calls me. “
He smiled back at her. “Well, it fits then. It is pronounced maleeshhka”
Galen stared at him for a long moment and then looked over at the bed. “Rest only right?”
Deter ground his teeth. “Yes, rest only. I am not how you say, a wolf.”
She chuckled then whispered, “I feel safe with you. For the first time in many months, I feel safe. Right now, I need that. When I was taken, I didn’t know what would happen to me. Would I be raped? Would I be killed? Would I be beaten within an inch of my life? That kind of fear is hard to let go. The fact that none of that happened is also hard to let go. Snake let me know right from the beginning what he wanted of me and it wasn’t pretty. He tried to break my spirit and he almost did. I need some time to feel safe again.”
Deter held her a little closer.
She laid her head against his chest.
The moment he saw her bound in that dirty room, he thought she was a broken angel and he couldn’t stand the fear in her eyes. She was right, she needed time and while in the end, it might not be the way he desired, he would give her that time.
He didn’t want her broken, but he did want her. So for now, he would hold her because he couldn’t seem to let her go.
~*~
Four hours away, Bull and the others in the Brava Victor Security offices gathered their things together. They would be leaving for Baton Rouge in fifteen minutes.
They had been going over the information they had on this Tegan Averin when Galen’s call had come in. As soon as she called, Mustang began the trace and Bull had kept her on the line long enough to get a fix on her position.
The more information he was able to gather on her situation, the better he and the others liked it. When the man with the Russian accent disconnected the call, he’d known exactly where they were. Just moments later, they got another call. That call was from Joel Beck.
“I got a line on my girl,” Joel told him.
“Yeah, so do we,” Bull informed him. “She called us too.”
“Thank god.” Joel swore softly. “At least I know she’s alive. She said Frankie was with her. Did she say how bad Frankie is hurt?” Joel worried.
“Yeah, they’d tried to strangle her and she couldn’t do more than whisper right now.”
“Did she tell you who rescued her?”
Bull sighed. “Joel, I spoke to one of the men who rescued them. He sounded Russian. They are after the same dirtbag we’ve been looking for this whole time.”
“Did he give this bastard a name?” Joel growled.
“Yeah, he did. Tegan Averin.”
There was a long pause before Joel spoke again, “Well, that should make it easier to find the sonofabitch.”
“Where are you right now?” Bull asked.
“New Orleans. I had a lead on the boats coming and going from the port.”
“Well you’re in luck then, we’ve narrowed down our search area and pinpointed where the call came from. The girls are in Baton Rouge.”
Joel let out a sigh over the phone. “Thank God, I can be there in less than two hours.”
“Don’t go in there without backup,” Bull warned. “It’s two a.m. here and we can be there in four hours. Give us that time. We don’t want to lose the girls or you and if you bust down the door, those Russian’s are gonna shoot first and ask questions maybe never. They’ll just bury you where no one will find your body, then disappear.”
“Just send me the fucking coordinates. I’ll find them and I’ll wait but not too long, so you better hustle your asses and get here.” Joel growled.
Bull sent him what they knew and within minutes, they were on the road to Baton Rouge.
~*~
Joel’s insides were shaking. He’d been frazzled ever since he got that voicemail. But he had to say he’d felt so relieved at the same time.
All these months, he’d searched for who had taken his daughters. Both of them had disappeared. He almost gave up hope of ever finding them.
Now, he followed the coordinates Bull had sent him and when he was close enough to walk the rest of the way, he stopped his vehicle and armed himself. He glanced at his watch yet again, and figured the others were close. He had scoped out the area while he waited and found a single large cabin in the distance. He’d stayed away but he was getting antsy. If his daughters were in that cabin, he needed to know and know now, not later.
It was close to dawn now. The shadows surrounding him weren’t as dark as before but the sun wasn’t peeking over the horizon yet.
He had already figured a way in without them finding him before he found his girls. There were no signs of life from inside the cabin yet and he didn’t know anything about the men inside but he would and if they hurt his girls, they wouldn’t live long enough to know that was the wrong thing to do.
He sensed them more than saw them as the rest of his team arrived.
As usual for these men, they simply appeared one by one, as they joined him silently.
“What have you got?” Judge asked in a quiet voice as he studied the cabin.
“There could be a few. As there are six or seven bedrooms there. I circled the building but didn’t get close enough to see in through any of the windows but there is one window open in the back.”
“Any sign of anyone up and about yet?” Bull asked as he hunkered down.
“No, I haven’t seen anything yet, but dawn is almost here.” Joel swung his gaze over to Bull. “Did Galen say how many men were there?”
Bull shook his head. “No man. She did ask for a few days and the guy with here told me they were hunting the same man we were looking for. Neither of them said why or anything else but she told me her and Frankie were safe. These men offered them protection.”
“You said they sounded Russian, right?” Joel asked.
Bull shrugged. “Yeah, he had an accent. He also said your girls would be ok and that they would call us back in a few days. But that we should just wait for them to call.”
Joel scoffed, “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.”
“What do you want us to do Shadow?” Judge asked him.
Joel’s call name was Shadow and had been for longer than anyone cared to say. He had earned that name by being the best there was at infiltrating some places without letting anyone else know he was even there. “I’m going in and seeing what I can find. If I find the girls, we’ll be back, maybe without waking anyone else in the house. If we don’t come out before they get up and get rowdy, I want you guys to come in and get us.”
“Maybe we should just call the number Galen called from and let them know we’re here and that we want to parley,” Bull suggested.
“Nope. I want to surprise these bastards.” Joel shook his head. “I have to see my girls for myself before I trust anyone with their damn care.”
Judge looked angry. “But you don’t know what you’ll find when you get in there do you? You surprise some men and you eat a bullet before you get the answers you’re looking for. Be smart on this Shadow.”
Joel turned his head to glare at his boss. “My daughters are in that building. One of them was kidnapped off the streets by a man who would have sold her into the sex trade. The other one I’ve heard was almost strangled to death. I have to see them with my own eyes before I can lose this overwhelming sense of panic that I’ve felt every day for the last three months. I’ve hung in there for this long and I can’t wait any longer. I damn near lost my mind when I saw that surveillance tape of them taking Baby Girl and I damn
near lost it again last night when I got her call. I need to see them.”
Judge glared at him for a moment then he sighed. “Ok, I can see that you’re not going to listen to any advice we can give you, just know that we’re here for you if you need us.”
Joel nodded. “I’m going in. Try not to shoot me if you hear gunfire ok?”
They all shook their heads at his lack of any real fear.
A few moments later, Joel raised the open window and slipped inside the darkened room. He heard gentle snoring coming from the bed and he tiptoed over to check the opponents. He was more than a little surprised to see his Frankie laying there with a man. They were both clearly naked and they were snuggling together. Her head was on his chest and his arm was around her holding her close.
Joel just stood there for a moment, stunned. Without even realizing it, his hand reached down to his belt and he silently unsnapped the knife at his waist. His hand wrapped itself around the hilt of the blade pulling it from the sheath with barley more than a whisper.
Placing one foot in front of the other, he went to the other side of the bed and found himself looking through a red haze as he squatted next the man sleeping on the bed. Lifting the blade, he laid it on the man’s throat.
The man opened his eyes and they were a deep, intense green.
Joel leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Give me one good reason why I don’t kill you right this moment? Why is my daughter naked and in bed with you?”
The man was careful not to move as the sharp end was held against the carotid artery in his neck. His eyes deepened in color as though he felt a fury that matched Joel’s. As if protecting her, his arm tightened against Frankie.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Moving carefully, Frankie reached out her hand to capture her dad’s wrist. “Please... don’t hurt him.... daddy,” she whispered brokenly in a strained voice.
Joel’s eyes never left the enemy’s face. “Give me one good reason why.”
“Because— he’s a— good man.” Her voice came and went but her father got the message.
He took his eyes off the very still man and got a glimpse of her. The sun was lightening the shadows in the room and he could see the bruises on her neck. He growled with rage and pressed the blade down on the man’s neck.
“Daddy—he didn’t hurt me—please don’t—kill him.”
Chapter Eight
“Daddy—don’t hurt—Viktor...”
Joel closed his eyes at his daughter’s whispered plea and lifted the blade from Viktor’s neck. He opened them again and glared at the other man. “That doesn’t explain what she’s doing naked in bed with you, you bastard.” He growled.
“I didn’t force myself on her if that’s what you’re wondering,” Viktor told him. “She came to me willingly.”
Joel looked down at the other man’s chest. At first, he frowned then his frown turned to a glare as he recognized some of the tats he wore. His hand slipped down to his side but he never let go of the knife. “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing here?”
Viktor frowned at his particular questions. Then he looked down at his chest. Looking puzzled by Joel staring at his red star tat.
“Baby, I think you better get some clothes on now. We have to get the fuck out of here.” Joel didn’t take his eyes off this Viktor.
Frankie slipped out of bed and quickly threw some clothes on. She was afraid of what her father might do next. She glanced back at the two men often but neither of them moved.
Holding her hand against her throat she asked, “What are you going to do daddy?”
“Never you mind that girl, where’s your sister?” Joel never took his eyes off Viktor.
“She’s here somewhere I’m just not sure where,” Frankie admitted.
Joel took his eyes off Viktor for a fraction of a second as he again saw the vicious bruises on her neck, just long enough for Viktor to move his hand under his pillow and grab his weapon. When Joel looked back at him, he found himself looking down the barrel of a 9mm Makarov in Viktor’s hand. Yes, a well trusted Russian weapon.
Frankie gasped at the speed of Viktor’s move. Raising her hand to cover her mouth, she feared what might happen if she took her eyes off of either man.
Viktor sat up and aimed the gun right at him. His eyes filled with a hard glint.
Joel backed away from him. Raising his hands slowly, he didn’t take his eyes off the barrel of the gun.
“Not so fun is it?” Viktor growled as he stood up.
Joel moved his hand slowly and jammed the blade back in the sheath on his belt. Once it was there, he raised his hands above his head.
Frankie moved to stand between them. She lifted one hand and placed it on her father’s chest then raised her other hand and placed it on Viktor’s chest. “P-please...” she whispered brokenly. Tears rolled down her face.
The sight of her tears and the pain in her eyes broke Viktor’s heart. He lowered the gun in his hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders pulling her into his embrace. “I’m sorry malen’kiy.”
Joel startled at the odd name. “So am I Frankie,” he whispered as he noticed she wasn’t pulling away from this stranger.
Frankie laid her head on Viktor’s chest for a moment to get her emotions under control, then she lifted her head and turned to her father. Pressing her hand to her throat she whispered, “The—team outside?”
Joel frowned. He could barely hear her voice at all now. “Are you all right?”
Frankie shook her head. Moving her hand, she showed him the damage to her throat.
Joel winced as he took note of the black bruises around her neck that he had gotten a glimpse of before.
“She shouldn’t be talking at all,” Viktor replied loosening his hold on her. She moved away and motioned for her dad to join her.
Joel looked over at Viktor unsure if he should give the man his back.
Viktor looked at him with a green glow to his emerald eyes as he shrugged.
Joel figured he had to go ahead and trust the man wouldn’t kill him.
In the kitchen of the enormous cabin, Frankie grabbed a notebook on the table and wrote something down. Handing it to her father, she went over to the sink and filled the coffee pot with water to make coffee.
Joel looked down at the notebook in his hand and read, “Tell the team to come inside and we can talk about this. No one needs to get hurt here.”
Joel sighed deeply then went to the front door and gave a whistle loud enough to wake the dead.
Several doors down the hall opened and at least seven men rushed into the room, wearing nothing more than boxers, with guns drawn.
Joel raised his hands and turned around slowly.
Viktor came out of his room fully dressed and gave his men a command in Russian, “Nyet!”
They looked confused for a moment until Galen cried out, “Daddy!” Rushing to Joel, she threw herself into his arms and when they closed around her, she wept with happiness.
Then five more men came to the front door and joined the party.
“Stand your men down before this erupts into a blood bath no one wants,” Viktor told Joel harshly.
Joel loosened his hold on his younger daughter and motioned to his men. They dropped their weapons to their sides but they still had them in their hands.
“What the devil is going on here Shadow?” Judge asked as he noted the bare-chested men in the room. He took note of their tats and frowned.
“You know something, I’m not quite sure, but I think we should sit down and talk about it,” Joel suggested. “You wanted a parley, well this is your parley.”
Another man next to Viktor glared at him. “Why don’t we all get dressed and then you can have your fucking parley.”
Galen blushed and moved away from her father. “I’ll just go with Deter and get dressed too.” She turned and ran down the hall.
Joel watched as she went into the bedroom this Deter had entered. His lips tightened but he didn’t say
a word.
Viktor motioned for the remaining men to sit down. Then he helped Frankie pour and serve the coffee.
A few minutes later, his men joined them one by one.
When Galen came out of the room she was sharing with Deter fully dressed, she went over to her father and sat down on his lap.
“I’m so happy to see you again Baby Girl,” Joel whispered in her ear.
“I’m happy to see you too. I missed you so much.”
“I went a little crazy when I didn’t know where you were,” Joel whispered to her again
“So did I,” Galen admitted. “I thought I’d never see you guys again.”
Joel looked over at Frankie and saw the bruises on her neck in the full light.
Hawk was kneeling down checking her throat injury out while Viktor stood at her back, his hand resting on her shoulder as if to claim her while he glared at the other man.
Looking up at Galen Joel asked, “What happened to your sister?”
Galen shook her head. “I’m not sure. The first time I saw her was when we were carried out of the biker compound. She hasn’t been able to speak since then.”
“Did those bikers hurt her anywhere else?” Judge asked.
Viktor quickly raised his head up to glare at the man. “She was damn near dead when I found her laying in a cell in their basement. Someone hit her with something on the side of her head. Her hair was matted with dried blood and when she didn’t go down like they thought she should, they tried strangling her. She must have fought back until she couldn’t fight anymore. When I found her she was covered in scratches and she has more bruises that you can’t see under her clothes.”
Joel laid his head on his youngest daughter’s shoulder. “Thank you for getting both my girls out of that hellhole.”
Viktor nodded at him.
“What happened to them and where can we find them?” Judge asked.
Deter smiled faintly. “We sent them all to hell.”
Judge hesitated then looked at his own men. Then he turned to Viktor and studied him for a moment before he asked, “Who exactly are you guys anyway?”
