A Fated Night

by Kay Loren

“That’s amazing.”

  “I should have known,” Jeana chuckled. “He’s always been obsessed with fishes and the ocean.”

  The ocean. It was funny how one word could trigger her to miss someone so much.

  “Well, I’ll let you get to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” Jeana hugged her close and then left the room.

  A poster on the wall beckoned her over. Her hand traced over the cool blue color and then over to the large Blue Tang fish that stood out the most amongst all the other fish in the sea. Tears filled her eyes when she thought about Nikolai. I wonder what he is doing this very moment. I hope he isn’t angry with me for how I ended it.

  It pained her to think of him hurting because of her but she had to do it. She didn’t want him caught up in her messy crap even more than he was. And now that she knew Michael was in the mob, it was better she ended it when she did. Before things got too deep and Michael found out.

  She stroked her stomach while she laid down in bed, lost in her thoughts. The thought of Michael possibly being her child’s father scared her. Then there was the possibility Nikolai could be the child’s father as well. The thought brought a smile to her face. She imagined him tossing a child up into the air while at the aquarium.

  But then that vision quickly ceased when a wave of tears came over her again. What kind of mother would I be? She didn’t even know for sure who the father was because of her own stupid actions and she was regretting it all now.

  Sleep finally took her in the early hours of the morning. She thought she would escape her reality in her dreams but she kept on dreaming Michael and Nikolai, fighting. They were fighting on a field and she was in the middle of it all, screaming as blood drenched the wild brown weeds.

  Chapter Twenty- Five

  Nikolai rubbed his eyes with a yawn. It had been almost two days since he had heard anything from anyone. Audrina was no where to be found and with all the added security around the house, he was tense. Everyone was on high alert, expecting something to happen at any given moment.

  Sergei came into the room with a cup of coffee in hand. “Svetlana said to stop giving you coffee.”

  Nikolai rolled his eyes and took the cup Sergei offered gratefully. He took a sip and cursed when it burned his tongue. He hadn’t slept in nearly two days and he was irritable from the lack of sleep and stress. Coffee and ibuprofen were the only things helping him manage to stay alive.

  “Have you talked to our men at the airlines?” he asked, rubbing his temples.

  “Every half hour. She didn’t board a plane…. Nikki has been trying to get ahold of her but her phone is off,” Sergei informed.

  Nikolai sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. Where is she? She could be anywhere right now and it drove him crazy to know she might be in danger. The thought of her smooth skin and pregnant belly soothed him for one quick moment. It had been a month since he had last laid eyes on her. He missed her beautiful smile, the sweet smell of her skin and the feel of her in his arms. Each thought of her that went through his head only made him angrier with himself. He felt he could be doing a lot more at the moment to find her.

  The phone rang startling both Nikolai and Sergei in their quiet state. Nikolai stayed frozen while Sergei picked up the phone without a second thought.

  “Da?” he answered. He listened intently for a few moments before glancing at Nikolai. “Yeah he’s right here. Hold on,” he handed him the phone quickly.

  Nikolai pressed the phone to his ear. “Yes?”

  “Good evening Mr. Stratauv, it’s Jack Harrison.”

  The Chief Deputy of Deep Falls? Nikolai looked at the phone with furrowed brows. Jack Harrison was a no nonsense man who vowed to terminate organized crime in his city with Nikolai being his number one target. Him calling -let alone attaining his unlisted phone number- was shocking.

  “What can I do for you Mr. Harrison?” Nikolai sighed. He was in no mood to talk yet he was intrigued.

  “I hear you are looking for a certain somebody,” he stated. “A woman.”

  Nikolai sat upright, his full attention piqued. He didn’t answer.

  “Sunset Inn,” he said upon hearing Nikolai’s hesitation. “Room 203.”

  Nikolai didn’t know how to react. This could be a trap, he thought. He had agents, cops, working men and even a few politicians on his payroll but no bribe was good enough for the morally correct Jack Harrison. Why he was calling with this precious information stunned him beyond belief.

  “Find her before Michael does,” Jack stated lowly. “He’s going through my men like wildfire trying to get information,” he hung up without another word.

  “What did he want?” Sergei asked when Nikolai put down the phone.

  “Audrina is at the Sunset Inn,” Nikolai said as he stood. He took three long strides over to the rack in the corner of the room and grabbed his coat. He had to hurry.

  “How do we know it’s not a trap?” Sergei asked. “He could be working for Michael for all we know.”

  That was a possibility yet Nikolai did not care. He had to make sure Audrina was safe. If she wasn’t there and it was a trap then that was a risk he was willing to take. He reached into the waistband of his slacks pulling out his gun and making sure it was fully loaded.

  As Sergei was putting on his jacket to accompany him, Nikolai shook his head. “No.”

  “No?” he asked.

  “You stay here.”

  “It might be a trap Nikolai,” Sergei shook his head and continued to gear up to go with him.

  “If it’s a trap then you take over,” Nikolai stated, concealing his gun. “You’re next in line. Everyone respects and fears you.”

  Sergei was taken aback.

  Nikolai had no heir and no other family but Svetlana who could not -and would not- ever take over Nikolai’s vast empire. Sergei couldn’t even imagine such a big responsibility even though he helped run day to day operations. Everything was happening too suddenly.

  “I can’t let you go by yourself,” Sergei shook his head. “I’m coming.”

  Nikolai let out an annoyed sigh as he paced over to the door. “If you disobey my orders one more time I will shoot you in the foot. “

  Sergei swallowed the dry lump in his throat and nodded obediently. “If you’re not back in an hour then I’m heading over.”

  Fair enough… Nikolai nodded and walked out of the room.

  “Where are you going?” Svetlana called from atop of the stairs when he reached the front doors.

  “Out,” he answered over his shoulder.

  “Where?” she asked as she quickly descended the staircase. “Why are you leaving?”

  Nikolai turned with an annoyed groan. She was already in front of him grabbing onto his forearms. She was small compared to him yet her presence commanded every bit of his attention.

  “I have to go,” he kissed the top of her head.

  “What is going on?” she held onto his thick arm with two of her small hands as he tried to leave. “You have the whole place covered with men and none of us can leave! You haven’t come out of your office! Please just tell me!”

  Her constant questioning and insistence upon knowing the situation over the last two days had annoyed Nikolai beyond his limit.

  “Just stop Svetlana!” he yelled in Russian.

  She shrunk back and looked at him with tears in her eyes. He had never so much as raised his voice once to her in her life. Her bottom lip quivered and he immediately felt bad.

  He placed a hand gently on her rounded face. “Please… Just listen… for once… I will explain it all to you later but for now just listen and stay inside.”

  After a moment of silence, she nodded and he hugged her close kissing the top of her head. Just then Nikki appeared from the foyer. She regarded Nikolai with a smile and then a nod in greeting. He had only spoken to Nikki once -months ago- yet something about her seemed genuine. She knew what was going on but never told Svetlana one thing.

  Sergei emerged
from the office and looked at Nikolai and then to Nikki who stood by the end of the staircase. He walked over to her and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Nikolai envied him for one slight moment. He had his woman right there in front of him yet his was out there all alone.

  “I’ll be back soon,” he promised. “If you need anything ask Sergei.”

  He kissed her on the cheek and left without another moment of hesitation. Once he was in the SUV, he determined that it would take him almost two hours to get to the Inn. In the rush and rage he was in, he knew he would make it sooner… He had to…

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Audrina looked around the small room with a sigh. It was plain and had no other necessities other than a full bed in the middle of the room and a bathroom with a small shower. White carpet and orange walls gave the room a dull glow and made the blue sheets and blue curtains look like a depressing shade of happy. It’s just for tonight, she reminded herself.

  She tossed her bag onto the bed and sat. She was exhausted. After leaving Jeana’s house early that morning, she took several buses and walked a couple of blocks before she made it to the Sunset Inn, a small lodging by the airport. She wanted to rest a short while before she purchased a plane ticket out of town.

  She stroked her belly. It was funny how much strength she actually mustered up just by rubbing her stomach. She knew she had to go on for the little life inside of her. She reached into her purse and ate the banana and trail mix she had brought along with her for the long journey ahead. She wasn’t hungry but she had to fill herself with something for the baby. After she was done, she closed her eyes and drifted off into the same dream of Michael and Nikolai in the field.

  A rap at the door woke her up. She bolted upwards, breathing heavily. The sudden intrusion had her frightened. Who could that be? She looked down at her phone seeing that she had slept for over an hour. It’s probably housekeeping, she thought. They’ll go away if I don’t answer.

  A sharp knock rattled again at the door. She didn’t budge. She looked at the lamp on the bedside table, staring up into the light and hoping whoever on the other side of the door would take the hint and go away. It must have worked, since the knocking ceased after one final third knock.

  Thank God… She nestled her head into the pillow again and closed her eyes. Familiar blue eyes came to mind and comforting lips pressed against hers.

  Suddenly, the door burst open with a loud crash. Her eyes sprang open and she quickly bolted upright in panic. Gino, she gasped when she saw him slam the door behind him. He was intimidating and scary to look at especially now that she was alone in the small room with him.

  Slowly, he stalked towards her like an animal hunting its prey. His dark eyes glared at her before he said, “Get up.”

  Audrina shook her head and held onto her stomach. How in the fuck did he even know I was here, she thought. The realization came to mind quickly after.

  Michael…

  “Get out Gino!” She yelled and scrambled to the other side of the bed to put some distance between them. The bed was the only thing keeping him from her.

  Gino growled before lunging at her. She tried to run but he caught her in his strong arms and swung her like a rag doll trying to get her to submit. All Audrina could think about in those few split seconds was her baby. She knew she had to defend the unborn life inside of her. She swung her head back as hard as she could feeling the back of her head connect with a hard surface, sending a throbbing pain radiating throughout. His tight grip loosened on her for a second.

  “Bitch!” she heard him curse before he regained an even stronger hold on her. He tossed her onto the bed while still maintaining a death grip on her. His legs wrapped around her, his front to her back and then he began to try and place a hand over her mouth to stop her screaming. She struggled to keep him from silencing her completely when she saw a white rag come into her view.

  She buried her head to the side to keep as much distance away from the rag and her face as possible. She could feel his hand slip in between the bed and her face. This is it, she thought as the rag closed over her face. Just as her vision began to cloud, she felt the weight of the bed shift followed by loud pop that had her ears ringing until darkness completely took over her.

  * * *

  Nikolai hurled himself at Gino just as he had stood up from the bed. By his sheer size alone he overpowered Gino instantly and tackled him down onto the floor where he tried to get him to drop the gun. Gino was much stronger than he looked. The gun in his hand was tightly held on to and with the other hand he landed a few good punches at Nikolai who had straddled him trying to get control.

  Nikolai finally managed after a while to get Gino to drop the gun. He went in on him, landing big punches over and over again to his face. Gino weakened and was beyond recognizable with each hammering fist Nikolai hurled at him. Nikolai glanced at Audrina who was laying unconscious on the bed with her brown hair fanning over her delicate face. She made no sound and looked as if she was dead.

  In an instant, Nikolai saw red. He took out his gun and shoved it into Gino’s mouth. What the bastard had intended to do with Audrina, Nikolai did not know but the possibilities that ran though his mind drove him to fury.

  “You’ll kill him!” a voice called from behind.

  Nikolai turned with his gun raised at the door behind him.

  Sergei stood in the doorway of the room with his hands up in the air. The look on Nikolai’s face terrified him. His blue eyes were darkened, blank… as if he was a machine and not man at all. Sergei had seen this look only one time in his life and the events that followed had always stayed with him. Nikolai was one second from going off the deep end.

  Sergei walked carefully towards Nikolai who was still planted on the floor. He approached him as if he was going towards a wild animal. “We need him for information… then after that... do as you will with him.”

  It took a while for Nikolai to register what Sergei said. After a few moments, the blank look in his eyes vanished. He lowered his gun and shook his head. He glanced under him at Gino who laid silently in a pool of his own blood, his breathing shallow. Sergei was right... he may know what Michael’s next plans are. He looked over to the bed, seeing Audrina motionless. He handed the gun to Sergei who had his hand outstretched before him before climbing off of Gino and scrambling up to the bed.

  He scooped her up into his arms, gently removing the hair that covered her face. Her delicate white skin and still body made her look like a porcelain doll. Seeing her in the immobile that state she was in -as if she was no longer living- made his heart clench with a feeling he had not felt since his mother had died. It scared even him that he was feeling that way.

  He reached down and splayed his hand onto her belly. A small, round bump could be felt from under her shirt making him smile to himself. In that moment he did not care whether the child was Michael’s or not. It was apart of Audrina and he knew that anything apart of her was something he loved.

  Sergei came over to the bed, leaning over her body in Nikolai’s arms and placed two fingers on the side of her neck. “She’s just knocked out,” he clarified after looking at the rag on the bed. “She’ll be up by the morning.”

  Nikolai sighed and pressed her close to his chest. He winced when her cheek went into his arm. He looked down at her, shocked that her cheek stained with blood. A quick inspection of her body showed she was not bleeding.

  “Bastard got you,” Sergei stated pointing to Nikolai’s arm.

  Just when Sergei pointed it out, Nikolai could feel his arm radiating with an increasing, throbbing pain. Gino must have got him right when he stepped into the room. He didn’t even feel when he got shot. All his focus was on was getting Gino and making sure Audrina was safe.

  “You should go,” Sergei said. “His people will come looking for him and I don’t want you anywhere near here. “

  Nikolai stood up from the bed and was about to pick up Audrina when Sergei quickly scooped her up in his a
rms.

  “Give her to me,” Nikolai growled when he saw her head roll back over Sergei’s forearm.

  Sergei shook his head and regained his hold on her. “Damn it Nikolai. You’re hurt and in no state to be picking her up. I got it.”

  Nikolai could feel his arm pulsate and start to nag him with each slight gesture that he made. As much as he didn’t like it, he allowed Sergei to carry her.

  Two of Nikolai’s men -Dimitri and Mikhail- walked into the room quickly and scanned the room. Sergei shot out rapid instructions to the two men in Russian and quickly they obeyed, going over to Gino and picking him up. Nikolai was grateful in that moment for Sergei who took charge of the situation. Sergei and Nikolai quickly got into the SUV -that Nikolai had drove over- laying Audrina down in the back and then the two of them getting into the front with Sergei taking the wheel.

  Quickly they pulled out of the parking lot and began the drive back home. Sergei glanced back in the mirror every few minutes making sure no one was following. Nikolai sat in the passenger seat quiet, deep in thought.

  He glanced at Sergei. “I told you to stay at the house.”

  Sergei glanced back at Nikolai and then shrugged. “I told you I would come down if you weren’t back in an hour.”

  “You made it there soon after I did,” Nikolai observed. “You disobeyed me and followed me right after I left.”

  Sergei sighed. “You left me in charge… So I tasked Alek with watching over the house and I sped down here… My first and foremost obligation is to protect you.”

  Though Sergei disobeyed his orders he could not fault him. Sergei had been with him since he was a teenager. A rough kid from the streets of Russia who wanted to be part of a brotherhood. He was a loyal soldier back then as just as much as he was now, constantly proving himself to Nikolai and even taking bullets and torture for him. He quickly rose through the ranks and by the time he was twenty, he was given the role of main bodyguard -and eventually underboss- to Nikolai.

  “I should have known,” Nikolai chuckled. “You are no different now at the age of twenty-seven than you were at fifteen.”