The Darkest Hour: The Surrender Series - Book 4

by Lauren Smith

  “The police are coming. I called them, but we can’t be seen here.” Hans looked down at the body behind the desk.

  Royce nodded. “What’s the story?”

  “The story is we have to go. Now. Wipe our prints off anything we touched. Take the stairs back down. We can’t be seen, can’t be interviewed. If Vadym is as powerful as you say he is, we won’t last ten minutes if we end up being taken in by the police.”

  “Good point,” Royce said. “Let’s roll.”

  Hans waited for Royce and Kenzie to exit and he stayed behind, using a cloth to wipe down the handles of the door before he jogged to catch up with them as they reached the stairs.

  “Royce, what was he saying about an oviraptor nest?” Kenzie kept pace with him as they raced down the stairs.

  “A year ago I was called in to assess the country of origin for a rare find, a complete fossilized nest of oviraptor eggs that had been recovered after a smuggler raid. The ownership of the nest was in dispute. I happened to be in Mongolia on another dig and was called in to verify the origins. Mongolian authorities were unable to claim the nest, and the Russians firmly believed it was from their country near the border between Russia and Mongolia. When a dispute arises, they bring in an outside source—like me, someone who wouldn’t benefit from the situation—to study the fossil specimen to determine the country of origin. I came in and ran soil samples and other examinations to conclude the nest was from the Bayanzag area of Mongolia.”

  Kenzie paused as they reached the landing to the seventh floor.

  “Bayanzag?” Her eyes widened. “You mean the Flaming Cliffs? That’s where Roy Chapman Andrews found the first discovery of dinosaurs in the Gobi Desert in the 1920s. It’s illegal to remove fossils from there.”

  “Right. And that’s exactly why the Russians need me. If I lie, it will carry a lot of weight. The Mongolians would be too afraid to challenge it, and someone like Vadym can claim it and sell the fossils as Russian finds. He has enough power, I imagine, to cut through any red tape that would stop most smugglers.”

  “So, the oviraptor?”

  “It seems Vadym was the man behind the oviraptor nest sale. But because of me, the Mongolians were able to claim ownership of the nest. It’s now in Ulaanbaatar, in a protected museum.”

  “So Vadym wants payback, right?” Hans suddenly chimed in, catching up to them. “That’s what shitheads like him do. All these mobsters have serious control issues and what they think is pride, and you definitely wounded his. He wouldn’t have forgotten. I bet he’s been hurting to get you back.”

  “It sounds like it,” Royce said. He’d put a target on his back, and he hadn’t even known it. Now Kenzie was sharing that target, and it was all his fault.

  As they reached the first floor, Hans poked his head out of the stairwell doorway into the corridor. “The police are waiting to catch the elevator. I told them what floor Abramov was on. If we act natural, we might get out without being questioned.” He held up his hand, indicating for Royce and Kenzie to wait. Then he started walking into the hall, hands shoved into his coat pockets. He got past the elevators, the police still not looking his way. So he nodded at them with the barest lift of his head.

  “Okay, let’s go. Play along.” Royce curled an arm around Kenzie’s shoulders, pulling her close as they walked down the hall. The police officers glanced their way, their heads covered with furry hats that Royce had always thought was a stereotype rather than a reality, like Mounties wearing red uniforms all the time.

  Royce nearly laughed. The entire situation was so damned awful, but he held it together and only glanced at the police officer as they passed. The man nodded in greeting at him as the elevator closed. Royce exhaled in relief as they slipped out into the chilly air, the police left far behind. They joined Hans, who was already farther down the sidewalk. He’d given them space to seem less suspicious, but the farther they got from the building, the more he let them catch up.

  “That was fucking close.”

  “I shouldn’t have called them,” Hans growled. “I thought the professor might have been able to pull through.”

  Royce shook his head. “No, whoever attacked him knew the right spot to strike, even though we interrupted the attack. There was no way to stop the bleeding.”

  “We didn’t know that at the time,” Kenzie said. Royce tightened his arm around her. There was no chance he would let her go now. After everything they’d been through together, he didn’t want her to pull away, to hide anything from him. She’d been shot at, chased, and had now witnessed a man bleed to death before her eyes. That wasn’t the apple pie, sweet life she was used to.

  And it’s all my fault.

  She stared up at him, her doe-like eyes as brown as chocolate and full of horrors a woman like her should never have to see.

  “Let’s get out of here, Hans. I need to buy some things for tonight.”

  “Things?” Kenzie asked.

  “If I’m going to the club tonight, I’m going to need a few toys.”

  “I’m still going with you, right?” She came to a stop by the large lake near the university grounds.

  “No chance. You’re going to stay in the room. I’m not letting you get within a mile of Vadym.”

  Kenzie’s lips thinned, and he saw that rebellious spirit he loved so much flare to life. She wasn’t a brat, and she didn’t fight him just for the sake of fighting, but she fought for what she believed in. It made him fucking hard as hell when he knew a battle with her was coming. Not because he would force her to agree, but because he loved how brave she was. Most TAs didn’t argue with their professors because they felt it put their jobs at risk.

  “I came here with you, I showed you I could obey commands. I showed you that I trusted you, and now you need to trust me. I know you think I’ll be safer in the hotel room, but you’re wrong. I’m safer with you and Hans. I agreed to come here knowing all the risks. These guys tried to kill me. I want to see Vadym face-to-face and…”

  “Kenzie, you don’t understand. You think we’re like Batman and Robin, but you can’t just tag along on this mission. It’s clear we’re at even more risk than I expected.” Royce wanted to hug her, to pull her in his arms, but he had to keep his distance. He wasn’t going to talk about cold-blooded murder while holding her. “When we go to the club tonight, we’re taking him out. It’s…” Royce struggled for words. “It’s not going to be pretty. I don’t want you to see me do what I have to do.”

  Kenzie’s dark-brown lashes fell as she closed her eyes for a brief instant, and then she glared at him. There was a chill to her eyes, a resolve he’d never seen before.

  “You said he’s involved in human trafficking. It’s not murder to put down a monster like that. We end him, and we try to save anyone we can. I have to help. I’d never forgive myself if I sat out of this fight.” She drew the collar of her peacoat around her neck and continued to stare him down.

  Royce glanced toward Hans. The bodyguard was studying Kenzie with an approving gaze. He shrugged when he noticed Royce looking his way.

  “Your call,” Hans said. “She’s right about one thing, though—she might be safer with us than at the hotel. We have no idea how much Vadym knows about us right now.”

  Royce stroked his jaw, surprised by Little Mac’s unflinching stare.

  “Fine. But you must stay with me every minute. And if we tell you to get out of there, you do it, even if it means leaving us behind. Can you agree to that?”

  He saw a flash of hesitation, but then she nodded.

  “Good.”

  He only prayed that she wouldn’t get hurt. He couldn’t think of anything worse than losing her. His little grad student had wormed her way into his heart, one he’d protected like a fortress, yet there she was, buried deep inside, making him feel vulnerable and exposed.

  13

  Kenzie held her breath as she snapped the expensive black bra around her torso. The silky set was given to her by Royce earlier in th
e day, and they were definitely on the slightly too-tight side, making her feel restless and uncomfortable, even though the fabric was smooth and light against her skin.

  As she adjusted the lingerie and looked herself over in the mirror, her thoughts turned from the elastic biting into her ass cheeks toward the things Royce would want to do to her once he saw her in the lingerie. She squeezed her thighs tight and slipped a shimmering knee-length gold sheath dress over the lingerie, then slipped on the black heels and finally a black coat with a fur collar.

  She stepped out of the bathroom unnoticed by either Royce or Hans, who were caught up discussing their strategy for the night. Royce wore a black suit and a blue-gray shirt with a steel-gray tie. His wild, wavy dark hair had been tamed back a little, and he was leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he listened to what Hans was saying. He looked intimidating and gorgeous and too wonderful to be real. But he was real, and at least for a short time, he was hers.

  Hans had cleaned up nicely as well, but he looked far less comfortable in his suit than Royce given the way he fidgeted and tugged at his collar.

  She took another step into the room, and Royce turned, his eyes locking onto her and then sweeping over her dress. Her body responded the way it always did with him. Heat pooled low in her belly, and she fought off a shiver of need.

  “So? Do I look okay?” she asked. She personally thought she looked pretty good. The gold dress hugged her curves, and the black heels made her legs look fantastic. She’d been able to get her hair to curl a little, and even her makeup wasn’t too bad.

  “You look—” Royce began, then cleared his throat and tried again. “You look good, kid.”

  Hans snorted. “He means you look fantastic. Forgive the boy for being tongue-tied around a pretty girl.”

  Royce shot the man a glare, and Kenzie couldn’t help but giggle. Hans had a soft side, one that he only seemed to reveal around Royce. He probably wasn’t aware of it, but she saw that look of fatherly approval on his face. From what Kenzie now knew about him, it didn’t surprise her. The loyalty of the people in Royce’s life was immense, and yet he seemed unaware of it at times.

  He’s too lost in the pain of the past to see what he has now.

  Kenzie couldn’t help but think of her own family. Her parents were so boring, so normal, but in the best possible way. Her brothers, Michael and John, were both attorneys in Manhattan. She had never known real fear or pain until she’d met Royce. But despite the danger, he made her feel alive, and she felt that being with him, even for just a little while, would change her. And she believed she was changing him too.

  She closed her eyes, burning the sight of him looking at her like that into her memory. She was so close to falling in love, a feather could have knocked her over the edge. She’d be forever lost in his brown eyes, lost in his drugging kisses, and yet…not lost at all. He made her feel her own strength and sense of self.

  She wasn’t just someone’s kid sister, a student with a promising future, or even a sex object to fill some need. From the moment they’d met, he had encouraged her to be the best version of herself. She was proud of her achievements, standing up for her theories and research and charting the course of her own career. That was the kind of man any woman would love.

  “Ready to go?” Royce’s deep voice pulled her from her thoughts.

  “Ready as I can be.” She laughed, trying to ignore the flutter of nerves inside her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he promised as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

  “Right.” She gripped his wrist as he cupped her face, and they looked deep into one another’s eyes.

  “Come on, kids, time to go. Stop making googly eyes at each other. Plenty of time for that after we leave Moscow with one dead Mafia dickhead behind us.”

  That reminder of reality snapped them out of the spell. They stepped back from each other, and Royce waved for her to follow Hans into the hall. “Let’s go.”

  A black SUV was waiting outside for them. Kenzie sat beside Royce in the back seat, while Hans took the seat next to the driver. The day had passed so quickly that Kenzie was shocked to see that night had fallen. It was nearly ten, the time when clubs and bars would be thriving throughout the city. She didn’t see the street where they were when the car finally stopped. A crowd of people stood in the line by the front door.

  “Did we get a confirmation from Dimitri that we can get in?” Hans asked Royce.

  “Yeah. He just texted me. He’s inside with your girl, Hans. He’s got our names on the list. Vadym isn’t there yet.”

  The bodyguard huffed something under his breath that sounded like, “I don’t need a woman.” Kenzie bit her lip to hide a smile. She couldn’t picture the bodyguard indulging in BDSM. He was still very attractive, with a hint of silver in his dark hair and serious dark brown eyes, but he’d never once shown a hint of unprofessionalism around her except when he cracked jokes at Royce’s expense.

  Royce helped Kenzie out of the car and paid the driver in cash. She wasn’t used to wearing heels, and the ones Royce had given her made her feel off balance. She just prayed she wouldn’t have to run in them. If everything went as planned, they would deal with Vadym discreetly and leave. Just as they reached the steps leading up to the Black Diamond Bar, Royce pulled Kenzie close and slipped something into her hand.

  “What—”

  He kissed her hard. “Hide it under your dress,” he growled against her mouth.

  Kenzie kissed him back and slid the flat object up her dress, tucking it into the garter holding up her hose on her thighs. The object was slender but cold and heavy. Then Royce released her with a possessive smack on the bottom and led her to the club door, past the line of well-dressed men and women waiting to gain entrance.

  “Jesus,” Hans muttered. “Popular place, huh?”

  “Guess so.” Royce stepped in front of the doorman with a tablet in his hand.

  “Robert Anderson and two guests,” Royce said. It was a fresh alias created just for the club. The man scrolled down the screen and said something to the larger man behind him, who was monitoring the door. Then they both stepped back and let Royce, Kenzie, and Hans go inside.

  The hard rock music was so loud it shook the room. The bass seemed to try to change the beat of Kenzie’s heart, and she had to focus on breathing. The darkness of the club shocked her the deeper she went, and she struggled to adjust to it. After a moment she saw lights near a bar and some dimly lit areas. The scents of sex and sweat filled the room, but unlike the Gilded Cuff, the air here was thick with it.

  They passed by a young woman being flogged while strapped to a Saint Andrew’s cross. A panicked shiver shot through Kenzie.

  “You okay?” Royce leaned down to whisper in her ear.

  “Yeah.” She slipped her fingers through his, ready to stay connected to him as they moved more deeply into the club.

  It was nothing like the club back on Long Island, which had been elegant, refined, and sensual. Even though people in the Cuff had been getting aroused at the various scene stations where Doms and subs performed agreed-upon scenes, it’d been beautiful and tasteful.

  This place felt nothing like the Cuff. It was clear that many of the submissives weren’t here willingly. The pleading eyes, tear-stained faces, the terror and screams coming from the scene stations—here was a hell like nothing Kenzie had ever seen.

  “Royce…” She gripped his hand tighter, her heart racing.

  “I know, babe. I know.” The look of cold rage on his face told her he felt the same. They had entered Dante’s Inferno. This was not BDSM. People who lived that lifestyle knew that activities between patrons had to be safe, sane, and most importantly, consensual. There was none of that here.

  “Anderson?” The tall dark-haired man who called out to them was gorgeous and, given his accent, Russian. He wore his suit the same way Royce did, like a second skin.

  “Dimitri.” Royce greeted the man quietly as they stood at
an open spot near the bar.

  “As promised, a woman for your man.” Dimitri nodded toward the beautiful blonde next to him, who smiled politely at Hans. She wore a slinky black dress and killer heels. She was also older than Royce but younger than Hans, perhaps in her early forties. She winked at the bodyguard. Hans paled and nodded back at her.

  The man called Dimitri grinned. “Tatiana, you will keep Mr. Brummer company tonight.”

  “Of course.” The Russian beauty took Hans by the arm and led him a small distance away, placing a hand on his chest, speaking quietly.

  “Tatiana?” Royce chuckled.

  Dimitri grinned and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “She’s actually Interpol. She’ll behave, I promise. But she might make your Boy Scout blush a bit.”

  “A bit?” Royce’s laugh deepened.

  “So, who is your charming guest?” Dimitri asked, his eyes on Kenzie.

  “This is Annabelle Gordon,” he said with a nod. “Annabelle, this is Dimitri Razin.”

  Dimitri put her hand to his lips, and she flushed a little. He then raised his head to hers.

  “Don’t be afraid, Ms. Martin,” he whispered against her ear. “I assure you, we are all here to keep you safe.” Apparently he knew who she really was. She answered with a small nod. She couldn’t deny that Dimitri was gorgeous. There was an intensity to him and a haunted look in his eyes that stole her breath. For a second her mind blanked of rationality as she imagined Dimitri kissing her…while Royce touched her. Two men, two hungers to match her own… The forbidden fantasy made her shiver, and she banished it quickly.

  “Thank you, Mr. Razin.”

  “Now, shall we have a drink?” Dimitri offered.

  “God, yes,” Kenzie blurted out.

  Dimitri smiled as he turned to the waiter and ordered two glasses of scotch and a bottle of water.

  Kenzie frowned as she was handed the water bottle.

  “Seriously?” she muttered. Right now she needed a real drink.

  Royce slipped his arm around her waist. “Got to keep you safe and alert, babe. Nothing but water, not until we’re far away from here. At these kinds of clubs, someone could slip a roofie in your drink.”