Leonid

by KJ Dahlen

  His bedroom was big with its huge bed. As big as he was, he appreciated his supersized bed. The windows faced the east to catch the early morning sun and as the sun rose in the sky, it would light up the masculine furniture in its dark wood. His huge drawer dresser and walk in closet held his wardrobe while the dark wood desk taking up most of the back wall held his laptop and other items.

  Still, he liked his room and it was better than anything he’d had back in his homeland. From his bike to his wardrobe, everything was rather high quality, even if well worn. He grew up in poverty and despite his uncle’s position, he had no such connections nor wealth. Here, he’d earned it all himself and he had a tidy sum in a bank account as well. He had no family here and no woman. Not that he wouldn’t like to have that. He just didn’t.

  He had to wonder what it felt like though. To have what Red had. A strong love between him and a woman. He always figured that was just for the few and the lucky. He had no problems getting women. No, they came on to him, but there’d never been anyone who had captured his attention for more than a couple of days. He stripped his sweats and t shirt off, then tossed them into the hamper.

  His feet padded over the floor to the bathroom and he turned on the shower. He turned and spotted his reflection in the mirror. His deep green eyes seemed troubled. Yes, he wondered about his Uncle coming and what he had to say, but that wasn’t it. He felt unsettled, like his stomach was churning and he had no idea why this was. Before he could worry over it, he took a leak and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt so good and as he soaped his body, he felt the scars he’d just looked at in the mirror. The life he’d chosen was hard on his body but that just meant he’d become too good in doing what he did. He was still alive and that meant something.

  He looked down at the tattoos he wore. Each one meant something only to him and he read his accomplishments on his skin. He had a couple of lions and those were for his name. They also represented the hunter in him. The never back down part that kept him alive back in Russia. He did have the Hell’s Bloodhounds tat as they all did and he wore it with great pride, but it did cover a bullet scar as well. No one had ever asked about his body art and he didn’t mention it either. He had most of the scars left over from Russia, but he also had 2 newer ones he’d gotten here in America. He shrugged his wide shoulders. One country from another meant no difference in the trouble a man could get into.

  He finished the shower and now felt better. That workout had worked up a sweat for sure. Drying himself off, he walked naked back to his bedroom and got dressed.

  When he got to the kitchen, he made a pot of coffee and from the main room window, he watched the front lot with it trees and all the bikes parked in a row. The hot strong brew he was sipping warmed him as it hit his belly and he realized he felt on edge. Something was coming and it was big. This was the part that he hadn’t shared with Red. He didn’t because it was just a feeling. Not something, Leonid could pinpoint.

  The other men started to roll in and it was time to start the day.

  Chapter Two

  Two days later, Leonid met his uncle at the private plane reception at the Minneapolis airport. His uncle was old and maybe not so feeble but he was still an imposing figure to Leonid. He always seemed bigger than life when Leonid was growing up and it was hard to let go of childhood memories.

  And he still traveled with an entourage of three bodyguards. Leonid never liked the men his uncle surrounded himself with, there was just something he didn’t trust about them.

  “Hello Uncle.” He nodded respectfully.

  “Nephew,” Vlad acknowledged his greeting. “I assumed you have a vehicle here?”

  “Da, I brought a car. Your men will have to ride separately,” Leonid advised them. Better for him too, he didn’t feel right that his Uncle’s men would sit at his back.

  “Da, that is fine I want to talk while we ride back anyway.” His uncle snapped his fingers.

  One of the men walked over to the car counter and rented a vehicle. They collected the luggage and when Leonid and Vlad took off the rental car followed them.

  “So nephew, how far to the place you call home?” Vlad asked.

  “About an hour Uncle,” Leonid told him as they left the city behind them. After a few minutes, he said, “Ok you’re here now, can you tell me what this is all about?”

  Vlad sighed as he looked out the window and was silent for a few minutes. Then he began to speak, “Many years ago I belonged to a special group in the KGB. We were both KGB and Bratva and we answered to only the High Council. We traveled the world under false names and set up our own network of spies and traitors. We were keeping an eye on what was happening here, not only socially but also in the politics. We put our own people in place to steal secrets and cause trouble.” He paused and shrugged. “We were caught in a cold war with this country and several others at the time. We knew if we were caught, we could be hung for treason, but we did what we had to do at the time.”

  “So why come here now?” Leonid wanted to know.

  “We had an ally in the general area. We used his farm to meet and have planning meetings at. We would often go there sometimes just to relax. Alexi and I grew up in the same area and he volunteered to come here and set up a place the KGB could have as a center for our activities here on American soil.” Vlad looked out the window but he didn’t seem to be watching the scenery they passed.

  Leonid glanced over at him. “Why did you come here now, that is my question.”

  “My friend Alexi recently passed away. He had family here and the farm we always met at was what left to his granddaughter. His only child a girl, died years ago with her husband leaving the child alone in the world as Alexi never claimed her. Anyway, we need to go to the farm and collect whatever was left there years ago. We cannot allow anyone to know we were ever there. The Americans would never understand our missions here. Russia would lose whatever concessions she has left if they had the evidence we spied on them. Oh, they think we did, but they never had any evidence of our deeds.”

  “And that would change if they went to the farm?” Leonid asked.

  “Da, it most certainly would.” Vlad nodded, as he looked troubled. “There is always the chance they may never find the meeting rooms but we can’t take that chance.”

  “Why?” Leonid snapped his head over to his uncle and frowned.

  “The KGB still has powerful enemies. Russia has enemies within her own government as well. Those people would use this evidence to crush an already struggling nation trying to rebuild itself, then walk away and start their lives over somewhere else.”

  “Where is this place?” Leonid asked.

  “It’s a small farm on the Wisconsin side about halfway by Danver City. Maybe an hour’s drive from Red Wing.”

  Leonid didn’t say anything for a long time then he commented, “Why did your friend Alexi allow his granddaughter to grow up alone, thinking her family was gone? Wasn’t that a bit cruel on his part?”

  Vlad shrugged. “He did what he did, I can’t explain it.” He didn’t say anything for a moment then suggested, “My friend Alexi had only one child, a daughter. I think it was a blessing he never had any more children. Alexi was old school and a very harsh taskmaster. His daughter Sonya left home as soon as she could and made her own way in the world. When she left him, Alexi shut the memory of her down like she never existed. From that day on, she was no longer his child.” Shrugging his shoulders he said, “I am surprised he left his farm to Sonya’s daughter at all.”

  “Your friend sounds like a hard man Uncle,” Leonid stated shaking his head.

  “I agree with you on that point. Alexi never should have had any children. He was not father material at all.”

  River Collins entered the attorney’s office in Rochester, Minnesota at a loss. She didn’t know why she was here at all. Her parent’s estate had been placed into a trust when they died but that had been turned over to her a long time ago. The breeze caught he
r brown hair and blew it up slightly, revealing the undertones of every color from gold to dark red. She looked into the vehicle and smiled at the dog inside.

  Snapping her fingers, Sammy jumped out and waited while she clicked his leash to his collar. Sammy was a service dog and her best friend. She never went anywhere without him and hadn’t since the day she got him five years ago.

  She was slightly over five foot six inches tall and slim but the breeze flattened her clothing showing off her full breasts and slim belly. She felt more comfortable in jeans and a tank top. Today, she wore her jeans but she wore a button down top with short sleeves and her work boots. They were hiking boots because she never knew where she would end up while she worked. All this was her everyday garb.

  She’d lost her parents when she was eleven years old and when no other family came forward, she went into the foster system. When she aged out of that system, she inherited her father’s trust and she used the money to go to college and begin her adult life.

  Now at twenty eight, she was established and had a good career. One that she loved in fact. She was used to being alone. She’d been alone for seventeen years now. So why she was here was anybody’s guess.

  An hour later, she left the attorney’s office in a complete dismay. Confusion, anger and the greatest sense of betrayal flooded her being. She just found out she had a grandfather all these years and that he had recently passed away, leaving her a small farm in Wisconsin. The attorney representing her grandfather’s estate had no more details than that but she didn’t need to know more than that.

  She sat down on the bench outside the office feeling stunned. Sammy sat as close to her as he could get, just to give her moral support. She lifted her hand and began scratching behind his ears. There’d been someone left in the world all these years and he hadn’t wanted her. He had known about her from the day her parents died. But she hadn’t known about him until today.

  Something happened to her the day her parents died and for the life of her, she still couldn’t remember that day. All she could remember was waking up to a loud rush of chaos. Red and blue lights were flashing and there were strangers in her house. She remembered being in a tremendous amount of pain and she couldn’t get her voice to work. She tried to call out to her parents but her screams went unnoticed. No one paid any attention to her. Then she saw two stretchers being hauled out in front of her and they were covering the bodies of her parents. They were covered in white sheets stained with blood. Her mother’s arm was hanging down one side and she could see her wedding rings, so she knew it was her mother on the stretcher. She tried to get to her feet and go to her mother but she couldn’t get her body to move. All she could feel was pain and bewilderment. She didn’t know what was happening and she’d been so scared.

  After that, River couldn’t speak, or cry, she just sat there numbly staring off into space. That was all she could remember of that day no matter how hard she thought about it. What happened, next she couldn’t say. She didn’t remember anything for several weeks after that. Then her world changed and not for the better. She’d been told she couldn’t go back and that this was her new reality now. Foster homes and being in the system with no family to take her in.

  But there had been family. Now to find this out all these years later, it was more than confusing. Why? Why had this man even left her something in his will, if he never wanted to know her?

  So seventeen years after her parents died, she found out she had a grandfather. His name was Alexi Vasin or it had been. At this point, she wasn’t sure how she felt about him as her mind had gone entirely blank at the news. She had had a grandfather all this time and he’d let her suffer after her parents were killed.

  It sure didn’t say much for family did it?

  Chapter Three

  River pulled over, parked on the side of the highway, and just stared at the farm on her right. Her dark metallic grey SUV sat up high enough, so she could get a good view of the farm from where she’d parked. A huge grey barn stood out in the front with the words Red Hawk Ranch in bold letters on it. She could see the main house and several out buildings in the background as well. A wet nose bumped into her face and she chuckled at turned to see a pair of dark brown doggie eyes staring back at her.

  “Oh Sammy, what are we doing here?” she whispered and she reached back to scratch the Husky’s ears. “We don’t belong here at all do we?”

  The whole place looked deserted and there were signs of neglect as she started her vehicle and drove up the long driveway. When she got to the farmhouse, she stopped her car and shut off the engine.

  She opened the door and got out. Leaving the door open, Sammy joined her and together, they began looking around the dooryard. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Someone she was related to had lived here until just recently. She wondered if her mother grew up here or if she had grown up somewhere else. It was hard for her to picture her mom as a little girl. In truth, it had been difficult for her to remember her mother much at all anymore. Her memories of her parents had faded over the years.

  The place just seemed too quiet at the moment.

  Sammy began sniffing the ground and investigating the new area.

  River walked slowly toward the house. Her eyes searched the exterior and she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. She would never know the man who lived here and for that, she did feel sad. He never got the chance to know her either and in the end, they were all each other had for family.

  As she was about to step up on the wrap around porch, a sound drew her attention. Sammy ran over to where she stood and was on alert as they both saw a vehicle and several bikers turn into the driveway.

  River shielded her eyes against the bright sun and watched as the car pulled up next to her own vehicle. There were three men inside and none of them looked happy to see she was there.

  But she had the right to be there, they didn’t. She grabbed Sammy’s collar and held the big dog back.

  One of the car doors opened and a huge man got out as bikes pulled up and parked. When the engines shut down, the silence was almost eerie.

  “Can I help you?” she finally asked.

  “Who the hell are you?” the big guy asked with a growl.

  “Who the hell are you?” she spit back.

  “Leonid, what’s going on here?” one of the bikers asked the large man who stood facing her. “You said this place would be empty. Who is she?”

  The tall man called Leonid turned to answer him when his gaze swung over to the barn area and he reacted without thinking. “Everyone get down!” He bellowed then he rushed toward River and tackled her to the ground.

  Seconds later, he growled, “Tell your dog to release me,” he commanded in her ear. Sammy had a good grip on the man’s shoulder and could have done some real damage if Leonid tried to get away from him.

  “Why should I?” she asked as she struggled to catch her breath. He was laying full on top of her and she was starting to panic just a bit. When he first took her down, he’d knocked the breath right out of her body for a moment.

  Before she could give the command, the shooting started. several shots were thrown at the group in rapid fire and everyone scrambled for cover. Some of the men began shooting back and River flinched and tried to get away from the huge guy on top of her but there was no way he was moving.

  “Call the damn dog off!” He growled.

  River gave the command and immediately, Sammy let him go. The dog moved to be near her and Leonid rolled off her. He put himself between her and the shooter while his gaze began scouting the area for where the shooter might be.

  More shots were exchanged and River curled up into the fetal position with her hands over the top of her head. The bikers were all shooting back and every time one of them fired a shot, she flinched.

  Then everyone heard the crash of boards breaking and they witnessed a truck bursting through the other side of the barn. He must had busted out through one of the walls. The truck
broke through the fence closest to the barn. The huge vehicle was swaying as if the driver was having a hard time keeping control of it, but he kept right on going, bouncing over the field in between the barn and the road. After a few minutes, the truck turned on the highway and with his wheels squealing, it roared down the road.

  The men hunched behind their bikes got to their feet and turned to look at the girl still laying on the ground.

  Her dog was standing between her and them as he growled and showed his teeth when Leonid took a step toward her.

  “Hey.” Leonid frowned as he looked down at her. “Are you all right?”

  River could hear him, she just couldn’t answer him. Sammy nudged her a little closer and after a few minutes, she began to clear her head. Sammy nudged her again and her head began to clear a bit more. She slowly lowered her arms from the top of her head and peered up at the man standing over her.

  Sammy nudged her again and she responded in kind just like she had done a thousand times before. She hugged the huge dog. “What the hell do you people want here?” Her voice was faint and still full of fear.

  Leonid opened his mouth to speak.

  River held up a hand to stop him from answering. “I don’t even want to know, just go. You don’t belong here.”

  “And you think you do?” He growled.

  “Oh, hell no. I know I don’t belong here but the old man that lived here was my grandfather. I don’t think he wanted me when he was alive, well I don’t want this place now that he’s dead.” She shook her head. “I just wanted to see the place my mom might have grown up on.” She looked around the farm and shook her head. “This was my last link to my family, you know?” She got to her feet and dusted off her jeans.

  Finally, as she got her focus back and stopped shaking so badly, she stared at the man in front of her and then glanced the others. She shook her head. “Well, I’ve seen it now, and you can fucking have it.” She held out a set of keys. When he didn’t take them, River dropped the keys in the dirt at his feet. “I don’t know what that was all about and I don’t really care. If Alexi Vasin knew I was out there all this time and I really have no reason not to think he did, and he didn’t bring me here after my parents died. So, I don’t want to be here now. I’d thought I could give him the benefit of the doubt but now, I’m not so sure. Fuck him and fuck you too.”