by Roxie Rivera
Had she attacked Lalo in self-defense? Was the cartel’s golden boy dead? Were his men chasing her?
“Shay! Calm down.” He used his most commanding voice with her, hoping it would calm her down and help her think straight. “Where are you?”
“I’m behind the Arena? I think? I don’t know what to do.”
The fear in her voice cut him deep. He squashed the pet names burning the tip of his tongue. This wasn’t the time to coddle her. He needed to keep her from panicking. He needed to be firm and give her quick instructions that would keep her safe and alive until he could find her.
“Can you get to one of the restaurants on Fondren? There’s a couple of fast food joints there.”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll stay on the phone with you. I’m only a few minutes away on Hillcroft. I’ve been looking for you.”
I’ll find you, he silently swore.
Navigating the late night traffic proved tricky. He kept his ears perked and focused on the sounds coming from his speakers while his eyes were trained on the busy road in front of him. Every single intersection was agony. He just had to make one left onto the freeway and then he would be so close to her.
“Shay? Are you there?” She was being unnaturally quiet, and it worried him.
“Yes.”
“Can you see those restaurants?”
“I think so. Yes. I’m almost there.”
“Good. Keep moving. I’m coming for you.”
Every muscle in his body tensed as he raced toward the Arena. Flashes of violent memories from his time as an enforcer taunted him. All of the awful, terrible shit he had done haunted him now. Was Shay about to pay the price for his misdeeds? Was the universe going to settle that score by hurting the only woman who had ever tempted him to lower his defenses?
A sharp intake of breath and a rustle of clothing heightened his concern. “Shay? Is something wrong?”
“Lalo’s guys are in the parking lot. I can’t go there.”
He swore rudely and tried to think of a better option than asking her to hide. His mind recreated the surroundings of the Arena Theater. “There’s that dim sum restaurant on the other side of the parking garage. If you can’t get there, stay hidden. I’ll find you.”
As the sounds of her staccato breaths and the swish of her jacket echoed in his SUV, he gauged the traffic in front of him. The vehicles were creeping along the freeway as the backup of cars entering and leaving the concert venue caused a backup.
“Oh, God. Oh, God! Oh, God!” Terror drove her voice into a higher octave.
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “Shay? Shay! What is it?”
“It’s the truck that was at my house earlier! Shit. Shit.”
Judging by her hard breaths and the whoosh of fabric, she was racing now, sprinting like an Olympian toward the finish line. He couldn’t even imagine how scared she was. He had faced men with guns and knives and crowbars and worse during his many years in the mob, but he had never been afraid. He had been an arrogant prick and a man who enjoyed the explosion of adrenaline that came with brutal bloodshed.
He thought he had left that man behind—but he was wrong.
Listening to Shay running for her life? It had unleashed the monster inside him. With each terrified sob, the shackles chaining down the violent man he had tried to lockup and forget busted free. He was going to hurt someone tonight. He was going to hurt them badly.
“I’m on Southwest Freeway. I’m almost there. Just keep moving, Shay.”
She didn’t answer. She just kept running and panting and panicking. He heard the whine of brakes and car doors opening and closing. She whimpered like a cornered puppy, and his damn heart shattered in his chest.
“Oh, God.”
“Hold on, Shay!” He made a last minute decision to get off the freeway. Pressing on the accelerator, he beat the yellow light at the intersection and made a squealing right turn onto Bellaire. He had a vague idea of where she must have ended up and hoped his instincts were right.
Another call beeped in the background. Hoping it was Boychenko, he slapped at the touchscreen. “Roman?”
“Yeah?”
“Get over to the parking lots next to the Arena. The ones behind the dim sum place and that car stereo store,” he clarified. “Shay’s cornered. I’m on Bellaire. I may need your help.”
“I’m there.”
The call ended, and Shay’s picked right back up but he could only hear faraway sounds. Had she dropped the phone? Had it been taken from her?
There was suddenly a cry of pain ricocheting around the cab of his SUV. Shay began to beg and plead for her life. He couldn’t breathe. Was this it? Was he going to hear the end of her young and promising life?
The universe gave him a lucky break when he needed to make a left turn across three lanes of traffic. There were no cars to be seen as he floored his accelerator and entered the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant. He went straight through the parking lot and started weaving his way through the rabbit’s warren of intersecting lots and loading and delivery docks for the businesses on that block.
Just when he started to despair, he spotted a truck parked at an angle in a dead end space between two buildings. He quickly slammed the brakes, reversed and then threw his SUV into drive. With his gas pedal jammed to the floorboard, he clenched his jaw and unlatched his seat belt. The bright lights of his SUV lit up the scene before him, and the blood pumping through his veins started to boil.
He was reduced to his most primitive state as he took in Shay on her knees and half naked in only her bra. There was a man standing behind her and two standing off to the side. The one in front of her held a baseball bat up to her cheek.
Beat. Hurt. Kill.
His brain stopped forming complete thoughts. The primal male instincts to protect and defend overwhelmed him. He was out of his SUV before it had even come to a full stop. Hell bent on destruction, he stormed across the pavement and headed right for that stupid bastard with the baseball bat. The other man was taller by an inch or two and well-built but he seemed startled to see someone rushing him.
Jaw clenched, neck tight and scowling, Alexei titled his forward and slammed his forehead into the man’s nose. The man cried out in pain but Alexei wasn’t done yet. Ignoring the ache spreading through his own head, he wrenched free the bat and cracked the man across the stomach before landing another blow to his ribs. The man dropped to the pavement in a bloody, gasping heap.
Armed and dangerous, Alexei turned his attention on the next closest target. One well-aimed strike to the ribs and a blow to the front of that one’s knees sent him down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the third man shake free from his stupor and run. Alexei let him go before turning his attention to the man standing behind Shay.
This close, he could finally see why the man was standing there. He had tied Shay’s elbows and wrists together in a brutal knot that contorted her slim shoulders into an unnatural and painful position and then had looped a length of the rope around her neck. The fucker held onto the other end and pulled it tight like a leash. Blood trickled from Shay’s nose and soaked into the piece of cloth—a man’s handkerchief—that had been shoved into her mouth to gag her.
Growling with fury, he unleashed hell on that bastard. A blow to the shoulder sent the man stumbling to the side. Alexei followed him as he staggered away from Shay and then cracked him across the chest with the bat. The man had tried to block the blow but succeeded only in breaking his hand. It took another two hits, one to his knees and one to the middle of his back to drop him for good.
Panting for air and high on adrenaline, Alexei whirled around to search for the fourth man. He was taken aback to see Boychenko striding toward him with the other man at gunpoint. Hands in the air, the man marched forward as if heading toward the gallows. For a moment, Alexei considered taking the bat to him but then he decided Shay had seen enough violence tonight.
Turning back toward Shay, hi
s heart beat erratically as he watched her shoulders shake with silenced sobs. He crossed the distance between them and crouched down in front of her. Headlight beams illuminated her beautiful face. She gazed up at him with wet lashes and leaned into his touch when he cupped her cheek. That simple movement of seeking his warmth and reassurance threatened to break him.
Very carefully, he pulled the gag from her mouth and tossed it aside. He didn’t bother trying to undo the knots in the rope. He pulled a small but razor sharp knife from his pocket and used it to cut her free. When the knife was safely back in his pocket, he shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it around her bare shoulders.
“Are you hurt? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?” He looked her over as quickly as possible but it was difficult to tell in the dark. She shook her head, and he decided to wait until he got her some place safe to check her more closely. He quickly gathered her small body in his arms, cradling her close to his chest, and carried her to the front seat of his idling SUV. He fastened her seatbelt and turned up the heater before closing the door and returning to Boychenko.
“You need to get out of here, Alexei. Now,” the kid added forcefully. “You don’t want to be here if the police show up.”
Nodding, Alexei gathered up Shay’s things. Her jacket was ruined with the blood splatter from the beatings he had given those men. He grabbed the bat, rope and handkerchief because he didn’t want to leave behind his fingerprints or her DNA. As he picked up the personal items that had tumbled out of her purse, he spotted a folded up note. He didn’t mean to read it but his eyes flicked over it before he could stop himself.
The threatening words scribbled on the paper sent a new flash of rage burning through his body. Note in hand, he strode back to Boychenko and placed the dented, bloodied end of the bat right against the skinny man’s jaw. The man shook with fear as Alexei pressed the weight of the wooden implement into his skin. He made sure that nervous gaze was on him as he laid it all on the line.
“You go back to Mueller, and you tell him that my girl is off-limits.” He balled up the note and roughly shoved it into the man’s mouth, scraping his knuckles on crooked teeth but barely registering the pain. “You tell him he knows where to find me if he wants to settle this.”
And then, just because he was so angry, Alexei sucker punched the man right in the stomach. He kept his fist buried in the man’s soft belly and brought his mouth close to the man’s ear. “I’m going to gut the next one of you skinhead fucks that gets within five hundred feet of Shay. Do you understand?”
The man coughed and nodded enthusiastically. “Ye-yes,” he stuttered out a raspy reply around the paper jammed in his mouth.
“Good.” Drawing back his hand, Alexei glanced at Boychenko. The young enforcer jerked his head, silently telling Alexei to beat it and fast. He didn’t waste time apologizing to the kid for dragging him into this mess. There would be time for that later.
He opened the passenger door behind the driver’s seat and placed Shay’s purse and jacket there along with the bat and the other items he had collected. He slipped into his seat, fastened his seatbelt and quickly backed out of the narrow rectangle between the two buildings. Glancing left and right, he chose a path out of the interconnected parking lots and headed for Bellaire.
The sight of flashing lights up ahead and the blare of police and fire sirens rattled him. He exhaled a breath of relief when he realized they were responding to a collision up ahead. As he navigated the slow crawl of traffic, he could feel Shay staring at him. Thinking of what he had just done back there and of the violent way she had seen him react, he feared what he would see if he finally found the courage to look at her.
When he slowed to a stop behind a line of vehicles waiting for the minor accident to be cleared from the intersection, he glanced at Shay. Her bruised and bloodied face saddened him more than anything in the world ever had. He leaned over to retrieve the extra monogrammed handkerchief he kept tucked away in the glove box and wet it with the bottle of water sitting in the center console.
Very gently, he dabbed away the blood drying under her nose and trickling along the curve of her chin. When she was clean, he dropped the folded up handkerchief in a cup holder. Her long dark hair was such a mess. He carefully uncurled the lime green elastic that held her tresses in a ponytail and combed his fingers through the messy strands. He had no fucking idea what he was doing but he couldn’t stop gliding his fingers through the silky waves. The scent of her shampoo filled the air and inspired thoughts that were better suited to another time and place.
Gathering up her hair, he managed to tame it into a simple, low ponytail. “It’s not very pretty,” he apologized, “but it will do.”
Her sweet mouth slanted with a timid smile. In a voice that was raw and thick from crying and fear, she whispered, “Thank you.”
Marveling at her reaction, he held tight to the ends of her hair. “How is it that you can still smile after all that?”
She slowly reached for his hand. The tips of her fingers peeked out from the too long sleeves of his suit jacket as she shyly and uncertainly grasped his wrist. He swallowed hard as she tugged his arm down and slid her hand on top of his. “You came for me, Alexei.”
That quietly spoken statement struck him with the full weight of the responsibility it carried. For most of her life, Shay had been on her own. Her father had been killed in a car wreck. Her mother had run off and left her in Shannon’s care. Though her older sister had done her best, Shay seemed to have been the more responsible one in that household. So how many times had she needed help and been on her own? How many times had promises been broken?
Burrowed deep in his jacket, with her knees pulled up to her chest, she reminded him of a little wounded bird desperate to take flight and escape. Not to escape him but to escape the hard life of poverty and heartbreak she had known since birth. In so many ways, she reminded him of a younger version of himself. Her drive and ambition matched his, but she was infinitely more talented and kind-hearted and good than he ever would be.
Suddenly, he understood what needed to be done. There was no use in fighting the inevitable. He was going to give her the chance that no one ever gave him. He was going to give her the break that she so desperately deserved.
Still holding her hand, he shifted out of park as the traffic began to move. He had a destination in mind. It was the one place he had always told himself he would never take her, but it was also the one place where she would be safe, safe from Lalo and Mueller.
And me…
He was honest enough to admit to himself that that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of her if he took her into his home. She was temptation on two legs, and he refused to put her in a situation where she felt pressured to say yes. A little distance between them was the perfect solution.
“Ptichka.” Little bird.
“Yes?”
Interlacing their fingers, he lifted her hand and placed a tender kiss on her soft, warm skin. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
One word.
No hesitation.
No question.
It was all the permission he needed to keep her.
Chapter Five
Dazed and still in shock, I clung tightly to Alexei’s hand as he drove through the city. I tried to get my bearings but my brain was so fuzzy I finally gave up. Wherever we were going, I would be safe. Not even the faintest glimmer of doubt existed in my mind now.
The bat rolled around on the floorboard behind the driver’s seat. When I closed my eyes, I could see Alexei storming right up to the leader of that crew and slamming his forehead into that jerk’s nose. I could hear the crunch of bone and the shocked curses from the men who knew they were next. The thud of wood slamming into bellies and knees echoed in my ears.
I was no stranger to violence. A childhood of loser boyfriends trailing my mother into our home had taught me more about cruelty and meanness than any one person needed to know.
Even with all that ugly history behind me, I still couldn’t quite believe what I had just witnessed. One single man taking out four others without a gun or a knife? With just his bare hands and a bat? It was breathtaking and terrifying.
I glanced at my hand clutched in his. Those hands that had just committed such brutal violence had also tended to me with such tenderness. Alexei swiped his thumb side to side along my skin, the small gesture soothing my raw nerves. The two sides of this complicated man intrigued and unsettled me. Until tonight, it had been easy to categorize our friendship. There were lines and boundaries, and everything fit neatly in a friendship box.
But now? After watching him unleash hell on those men? After witnessing what he was capable of doing to protect me? After the way he had just cleaned my face and fixed my hair and now held my hand? That box had just been obliterated.
What does he want with me? A different question, one that made my stomach pitch with anxiety clamored right on the tail end of that one. What does he want from me?
Because that was the real question, wasn’t it? Nothing in this life was free. A man like Alexei, a man who had survived prison and escaped the mafia to become a successful, wealthy businessman wasn’t going to stick his neck out for me without expecting something in return. Would I be able to meet his price?
He’s not Lalo. He won’t make you trade your body for his protection. He’s not a monster. He’s a good man.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.” My voice was still dry and rough after all that crying and running. “I’m fine.”
“You’re not dizzy? Are you hurting anywhere? Bleeding?” He gave my hand a light squeeze. “I can take you to an emergency room if you need one, Shay.” His grip tightened. “If they hurt you…”
“You got there in time,” I said quietly. “They were just getting started when you showed up.”
He muttered something in Russian, something angry and harsh. His grip changed and he threaded our fingers together again. “And before those skinheads found you? When you called, you said Lalo was bleeding.” He paused, and I could see the profile of his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he kept his gaze fixed on the windshield. “Your shirt is missing. You were crying. Did he—?”
