by Brook Wilder
“Where are we going?”
“To do what I should’ve done a long time ago,” I mutter and pull out into traffic, heading to Andrei’s mansion on the other side of the city. “No one threatens my wife or my child.” The twins might think I’m not a threat, but they’re damn wrong.
Chapter 17
Danya
“Brother,” Andrei exclaims with a fake smile as he opens the front door. “This is an unexpected surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“We need to talk. Now.” I barge past him, Lukas right behind me. He closes the front door and locks it. Andrei might not know it, but his two guards out front are currently knocked out in the bushes. I’m not taking any chances. Not tonight.
Andrei lifts a tumbler filled with whiskey in a toast. From the smell wafting off him, he’s been at it for a couple of hours. “By all means then. Come in, Danya.” He shoots back the drink and flips over the glass. “Care for some?”
“No.”
He shrugs and walks around me deeper into his house. “Suit yourself.”
Lukas gives me a nod then plants himself at the front door. I follow Andrei through the foyer, then into the study that’s two doors down from the front door. Once we’re in, I close that door but leave it unlocked in case Lukas has to get in here. There are no guards in the study, but I know my brother. There are at least two more inside the premises.
“Where’s Camilla?”
Andrei blows out a heavy breath as he pours his glass nearly to the brim with whiskey. “Not home yet. I’m sure she’s having a fantastic time with the other wives and Nadia. She was thrilled to spend time with Stella.” When he turns to face me, his eyes are narrowed and the hand holding the whiskey shakes. “Did you really think you’d win this game if your woman all of a sudden showed up pregnant?”
“It’s not a game, Andrei. This is our lives.” I pace around the room, knowing his eyes have spotted the pistol tucked at my lower back. “Your wife threatened mine tonight.”
“Is that so? Camilla’s got some claws on her.”
“More than just claws.” I reach his desk then sit down in the high-backed executive leather chair behind it. Andrei glowers, but he’s never intimidated me. Ever. Probably what pisses him off the most. “You and your wife will stay away from Stella, understand me?”
“Maybe your wife should learn her fucking place,” he spits, then drains his glass. “Why haven’t you taught her a lesson yet, huh?”
“Stella doesn’t need me to teach her anything,” I reply stiffly, recalling exactly what I said to her during our fight.
I have to stay focused, but right now, Stella’s back at the house, probably destroying it in spite of me. And the baby. What kind of stress did our fighting put on our child? That precious life growing inside her is the second reason why I’m here. I square my shoulders and hold my brother’s glare that looks so much like our mother’s. Whatever my brothers are plotting, it’s going to tear a hole right through the Ivanov family business. Their way of making deals and stabbing their allies in the backs will start a war eventually. There’ll be blood in the streets like the people here have never seen before. I’m ending this feud tonight.
“I’m going to give you one chance,” I tell my brother as I tap my fingers on his desk. “Just one. Tell me what you’re plotting with Aleksandr and Francesco, tell me all of it, and maybe I won’t sink you in the harbor.”
“You are in no position to threaten me.”
“Aren’t I? Out of the three of us, it would appear you are the one with no ground to stand on. Tell me, is Camilla pregnant too?”
The tumbler pauses halfway to Andrei’s mouth and his brow wrinkles. He lets out a furious shout and chucks the glass into the bookshelf on the far wall. Whiskey and glass go everywhere as he stands there, chest heaving as he fumes at me.
“We will have this family. Not you, understand me? No one will recognize a baby born to a Russo bitch.”
My fingers pause, and slowly, I stand. “If you lay a hand on Stella, you or your wife, it’ll be the last thing you fucking do. Now, your plan, Andrei, what is it?”
He cackles. “You really think you’re going to get me to tell you?”
“You will one way or another. I was hoping to spare you a little pain tonight, out of brotherly love and all that shit.”
“Brotherly love, huh,” he repeats. “Not sure dear old dad would’ve agreed with you.”
“I’m not Mikhail.”
“You’re right. You’re weaker even than that crotchety old bastard. He should’ve died sooner. Then none of this would’ve happened.”
I’m around the desk in a shot and there are only a few feet separating us. “That legislation you’re pushing through, is that because it’s what you want to do or your new wife? And do you really think Francesco will keep you around once the Ivanovs are gone? Last I checked, you are one unless you’re going to take your wife’s name.”
He leans in closer and whispers, “Who says I haven’t already?”
I keep my face blank to hide my shock. Does Nadia know what the twins have done? Considering how the Ivanovs are treating them like they’re still God’s gift to the world, I’d say no. Shit. They’ve switched sides and become the enemy right under my fucking nose. My hands curl into fists. If I hadn’t been so busy keeping Stella out of trouble, I might’ve picked up on their game a hell of a lot sooner and stopped it. The emotional war I’ve been fighting since marrying Stella threatens to tear me apart all over again. Damn that stubborn, reckless woman for never understanding the bigger picture. It couldn’t ever just be about her and me.
“Oh, brother, you have no idea who you’re really messing with,” Andrei says.
“Who else are you working with? Can’t just be Francesco and wasn’t Vlad.”
Andrei spits on the carpet. “Fucking Vlad. He kept getting in the way. And no, it’s not Lev either. He’s too suspicious of us, always has been.”
“Then who the fuck is backing you?”
Andrei barks a laugh. “Like I’d tell you.”
“You will before the night is over, I can promise you that.”
“The big, bad Danya coming to interrogate his brother.” He fakes a shiver then bursts out laughing. “I’m terrified, really. But you know, if you planned on taking me tonight, you should’ve brought more men.”
Andrei is the smarter of the twins. He always has two men out front, at least two around back, and at least two inside. Lukas might be the only man he saw, but on our way over here, he called in backup. As I open my mouth to remind Andrei of why Mikhail placed me in charge of our tactical force, a gunshot rings out. Andrei sprints for the study door to make his escape, but I’m faster. I snatch him by the shoulders and throw him back into the room.
He crashes into his desk with an “oof” then comes at me with his fists. I block his first two punches then catch a glimpse of steel in his right hand as he brandishes a knife. I jump back as he swipes at my stomach, then pivot and nail him in the side of the head with my fist. He staggers as more gunshots echo in the house, followed by men shouting and bodies thudding to the floor. Andrei shoots a quick glance at the door, then bellows, enraged, and comes after me again. I grab his wrist with the knife and flip him easily over my head.
When he hits the floor, the knife comes free of his grip and then I’m on him. I punch him three times in the face, blood spurting from his nose, when a sharp pain draws a gasp from me. He cackles as he twists the knife into my calf until I deck him again then slide off.
“Fucking twat,” I mutter as I grab the hilt of the small blade and carefully pull it free.
I barely get it out of my skin when Andrei’s boot finds my face, knocking me into the bookshelves. Books tumble around me, blocking my sight momentarily. A sharp pain slices down my right arm. I lunge forward, risking him stabbing me as I tackle him to the floor for a second time. We wrestle over the blade. He winds up pinning me to the floor, the tip of that knife aimed for my th
roat. The crazed look in his eyes makes me push back harder and I start to lift the knife away. Slowly, I turn it so it’s pointing at him. His leer turns into a panicked frown until I manage to shove the knife to the side, grab him by his shirt, and bash my forehead into his. I kick his stunned body away from me. As I stand over him, wiping sweat from my brow, I realize there haven’t been any gunshots in the last few seconds.
With the knife trained on Andrei, I start for the door, but then it opens. I brace, waiting for Andrei’s men, but I should’ve known better. Lukas and four of my men enter the study.
“Clear,” Lukas informs me. “No sign of Aleksandr.”
“Where is he?” I demand from Andrei as he spits blood onto the floor.
“Like I’d fucking tell you, asshat.” He cringes as he pushes against the floor to stand. I grab his shoulder as I crouch in front of him and place the dagger at his throat.
“Where?”
He licks his lips, wincing as his tongue moves over the split skin. He tilts his head to the side, seemingly not having a care for the blade pressed against his skin. “That was always your problem. You’ve got a code, man. You’ve always had one. You won’t kill me.”
I dig the blade in deep enough to draw blood and he straightens. “You sure about that?”
He shrugs casually, then his eyes narrow and the crazed look is back. “You know what I am sure about? If you kill me, Stella won’t be safe. Ever. We’re going to tear that baby from her belly and watch your woman bleed to death and you won’t be able to do a damn thing—”
I slash the blade across his throat, cutting off his threat. His eyes widen in surprise as he flails to stop the bleeding. I shove his hands aside and let him bleed. We’re covered in the hot, crimson spray, and as the light dims from his eyes, I whisper, “Enjoy hell, you sick son of a bitch.”
He gurgles and sputters then sags against me. Dead. I just killed my own brother with no solid proof he’s involved in Mikhail’s death or a plot against Stella and myself. If the rest of the family finds out before I can prove it, the family will come after me. I stand, my clothes sticky with Andrei’s blood. His threat against Stella plays out in my head. Seeing her lying on the floor drenched in blood with my brothers standing over her. I shout and kick his dead body over and over until Lukas says my name, snapping me back to reality.
“We can’t leave him like this,” he says.
“Any of our men fall?”
“No.”
“Good. Burn it, all of it,” I tell him. “I want this place to be a pile of ashes.”
It will take time to sift through the debris and the dead bodies we pile into the study with Andrei’s. Lukas returns from the garage with gasoline and lighter fluid. We douse the place then drive away as the first flames flicker to life. I don’t stop until we’re halfway back to the mansion, then pull off to the side.
“Danya?” Lukas asks.
I rest my head back and shut my eyes. “Need a minute.”
“You want me to call the men? Tell them to get Stella ready to leave the city?”
“If we flee the night of the fire, they’ll be suspicious of my involvement. We’ll up the security at the mansion and stay put. For now. We also need to find Aleksandr. I want eyes on him at all times. Someone has to be backing them from my family. I need to know if they’re here in the city or abroad.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and scrunch my face to stop the headache blooming. The last thing I need is my extended family encroaching on the family business in the city. That’ll only make things worse.
Andrei is dead at my hands. And Stella, she’s going to still be pissed at me when I get home. How did I let our lives get so out of control? If it takes all night to make Stella forgive me and understand just how serious the situation has become, then that’s what I’ll do. I let out a breath waiting for guilt or grief to strike me as I stare at my bloodied hands. There’s nothing except the primal satisfaction of knowing one of my enemies is dead.
I throw the jeep in drive and pull away from the curb. Lukas’ cell rings and he answers it. “Yeah? Wait, what?”
“What’s wrong?”
He frowns, then hangs up. “Stella, she’s gone.”
The words take a second to sink in, then I yell, “What do you mean she’s gone?”
“They say they went in to check on her and she’s just gone. Her Mustang is there, but she’s not.”
I slam the accelerator to the floorboards and nearly kill us twice in my rush to get to the mansion. I barely throw the jeep in park and jump out, not even bothering to turn it off. The front door is open and three of my men stand on the porch.
“Where is she?” I shout.
“We don’t know, sir,” one of them replies. “We hadn’t heard anything in an hour, went up to check on her, and she’s gone.”
“How did she sneak out of this fucking house without anyone seeing her?”
The men don’t answer, and I charge past them and inside. I run upstairs, not sure what I’m expecting to find. Her room is devoid of her, but it’s not destroyed. I plant my hands on my hips as I run through the words we flung at each other. I drove her away. She called me out on my shit as I told her to, was worried about our baby being used, about Nadia stalking her, and instead of listening to her, I let jealousy eat away at me. I let my father and mother get inside my head. I let everyone in the family dictate my life and how I should run it even after I swore to myself I would not be like them.
After I promised Stella time and again I would not push her down but make her equal to me as it should be. I wander back downstairs and stalk around the foyer, noting the destruction left in the wake of our fight. She stood her ground in the face of my anger because she is strong and brave. And because she loves me enough to risk everything to save me.
“Jack Bennet,” I mutter, and Lukas frowns. “Find him.”
“You think she’s with him?”
“Right now, he’s her only friend. Find him and we find her.”
Lukas says he’ll take care of it and leaves me alone in the house. Everywhere I look, a memory of Stella flashes through my mind. Her coming up behind me to wrap her arms around me. Somehow she always knew when I needed her touch, even if it was just for a moment. Or how I’d wake up in the middle of the night to have her body curled against mine. The number of times we made love on the kitchen table and the desk in my study. A smile comes unbidden to my face as I remember the night she came home to find me wearing nothing but one of my shirts. How we laughed like giddy teenagers when I chased her back upstairs to follow her down to the sheets.
An eruption of fury bursts free and I shout as I bury my fist in the wall, adding another hole. I tell myself she’s safe with Jack, but my gut says she’s not. My gut says she’s in more danger than she’s ever been before and it’s all because of me.
She never would’ve run off if it hadn’t been for me.
“I’ll find you,” I whisper to the empty house. “You and I are far from over, Stella.”
Chapter 18
Stella
I ball up the tissue and stuff it in my purse. The tears have finally stopped flowing. I didn’t want to cry, but the second Jack picked me up and asked me what happened, I couldn’t hold the tears back. I told him everything about my fight with Danya and how I no longer had a choice. I said I would tell Jack everything I could, but he had to get me away from here before Nadia or Camilla came after the baby and me. I had a brief moment of guilt when Jack asked if I was sure I wanted to keep it. I considered one more time moving on without it, but after seeing Danya’s reaction to learning I was pregnant, there’s no way I can. Not now.
Jack gave me an odd look that turned cold for a split second. A voice in the back of my mind said I shouldn’t be trusting this man, but who else could I turn to? He would hold up his end of the deal. He was a well-known journalist. There was no reason for me not to trust him. Not like he was going to try and off me.
I sniff now and wipe at my eyes once mo
re as those nagging voices return. My stomach clenches and I’m unsure why I suddenly feel like a rat trapped in a cage. I glance out the window, then at the clock. It’s past one in the morning. We’ve been driving for a while and I sit up, trying to figure out where we are.
“How you feeling?” Jack asks quietly as he makes a right turn.
“Better. Where are we going?” I ask, doing my best to keep my tone light.
“Somewhere you’ll be safe,” he replies, but there’s a strange lilt to his voice that wasn’t there before. When we pass under a streetlamp, I catch the sneer on his face.
“Jack, where are you taking me?” I demand as my hand inches for the door handle.
“You’ll see soon enough.”