When I went downstairs, the house appeared empty, so I left quickly in case my father was lurking somewhere.
After checking my car for tracking devices, I drove to the address Drago sent me-- some strip club off the highway. Why the fuck were we meeting here?
I saw Drago’s car parked far away from the other vehicles in a darker part of the parking lot to the left of the club. The rest of the parking lot was incredibly well-lit, particularly for a strip club. I pulled in next to his Mercedes and got out.
Drago was leaning against the hood of his car smoking a cigarette, looking far more relaxed than I felt. He looked over to me and flicked his cigarette away, smoke coming out of his mouth making him look like the dragon his name resembled. Upon a closer look, his shoulders looked tense and his expression was closed and tight. His gray eyes looked like two chips of granite. No, Drago was not as relaxed as he had initially appeared.
“What the fuck happened?” he demanded.
“My father confronted me about, talked about a traitor in the organization. He identified you by name as the main problem and wants me to get rid of you. To give me a greater incentive, he mentioned abducting Hannah and her sister and sending them to some fucking whorehouse in Thailand.”
Drago frowned. “Hannah’s your girl?”
“Yes,” I answered, although it still felt strange to claim any girl that way. “I’ve got twelve hours to take you out.”
Drago snorted and shot me a look indicating he thought the likelihood of capturing and assassinating him as highly unlikely. He wasn’t necessarily wrong. He’s a trained killer and high-level operative in a criminal organization. Although I fight regularly and have some training as well, I’m also only a high school senior. The odds are pretty clear. I punched him on the shoulder anyway. “Shut the fuck up.”
Drago innocently shrugged his shoulders. “I didn’t say anything.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay, what are we doing? You mentioned in your other text that Roman has Rossi girl. So, we can move forward to take him out?”
Drago nodded his head. “Yeah, but he’s not going to be easy to get to now. He knows people are trying to take him out. Your father is like a cockroach, Nikolai, he always survives,” Drago uttered bitterly. “I have some men who are ready to move on him at my command. Was he home when you left?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t see him when I took off, but I wasn’t exactly looking for him either. Do you think he knows I’m working with you?”
Drago took out another cigarette and lit it. He took a deep drag and continued to ponder my question. “Probably. He loves to fuck with people’s minds, and none more than those close to him. He probably suspected and used this as a way to expose you, one way or another. If your loyal, you kill me, or at least you try,” he shot me another mocking look, “if you don’t, or I respond in a way that demonstrates your lack of loyalty, then he knows for sure you are not to be trusted.” He shot me a pointed look. “You also become his next target.”
I sighed. “Okay, so what are we doing to handle him?”
“Your father is wily, but I’ve worked with him for seven years and know his habits, where he will hide.”
Before we could continue, we both became distracted by an argument at the door of the club. It looked like some kid was arguing with the bouncer. The bouncer quickly tired of the argument and grabbed the kid by the shirt and shoved him against the side of the building closest to us. They probably didn’t notice us because we were in the dark, but we were only about ten feet away.
“Take your rich, over-privileged, under-aged ass away from club and do not fucking come back,” the bouncer shouted in the kid’s face, his fist drawn back, anticipating any excuse to punch the shit out of this punk.
“Fine! Let me fucking go,” the kid yelled, sounding embarrassed and trying to save his pride. The bouncer moved slightly to his right and I caught the face of the kid and smirked when I saw who it was. Fucking Jeff Connors.
The bouncer then threw the kid down on the ground and he landed about five feet away from where Drago and I were now standing. From this distance, I could see the fading bruises I had left on his face and felt a surge of satisfaction. In fact, it was taking all my willpower not to go over there and finish what the bouncer had started.
Connors picked himself up and marched past me and Drago, then turned and turned to take a closer look at me. He gasped in a combination of fear and surprise. Then his face lit up with a shit-eating smirk. “Does Hannah know this is where you hang out? That you fuck strippers on the side?”
For a guy still wearing my bruises, he was awfully bold. I popped off the side of the car and started marching toward him. As if just realizing that I wasn’t in a cage, or behind a Plexiglas wall, Connors jumped and ran as fast as possible to where I assume his car was parked.
“You better keep fucking running, Connors. Don’t forget, if you so much as speak to Hannah, I will break every bone in your fucking body!” I threatened to his retreating back. I wanted to chase him and beat him down, but I had other things to worry about at the moment.
Fuck. I needed this shit like a hole in the head.
I looked back at Drago and saw him chuckling as he took a drag off his cigarette. “What?” I said pugnaciously.
“If ever there was a reminder that you were still in high school. Jesus Christ, Nikolai. That little fuck is going to tattle on you back at school to your girlfriend?” I was tempted to make a comment about his interest in Katya but didn’t feel like getting more sidetracked.
“Shut the fuck up, Drago. Let’s get back to figuring out what to do about my fucking father.” I played it off like I was aggravated with his teasing, but I was more aggravated when I thought about how I was going to explain this to Hannah. And she was obviously going to find out. I was going to fucking kill Connors.
Drago flicked away his cigarette, looking serious again. “I know a place your dad likes to go, a girl he likes to fuck, he sometimes he goes there to lay low. Since she’s one of many girls he visits, I don’t think he realizes we know about her, but we do. One of our guys likes to fuck her, too.” Drago smirked at that last line. “He can ask her to text him when your dad shows up and take him out.”
“What if he doesn’t go to her?”
“We’ve got people all over the place who are happy to sell him out. We’ll find him,” Drago assured me, but I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable until my dad was found and eliminated. I was still in shock at how quickly things had changed. I hadn’t liked my dad for a long time, and I didn’t feel guilty assisting in his execution, particularly in light of the things he said about Hannah and her sister, but fuck, it was still surreal.
As if Drago understood the direction of my thoughts, he put his hand on my shoulder. His stern face showing as much compassion as a person as hardened as he was could show. “I know this isn’t easy, Nikolai. I know you are struggling, but I also know that you understand it’s necessary.”
I nodded my head wordlessly. He was right.
“Keep me notified,” I said tonelessly as I turned to get in my car.
I never did find out why the fuck we met at a strip club.
Chapter 39
Hannah
Today was turning into a total pile of shit.
I was on top of the world last night, feeling so close with Nikolai, and so physically exhausted I drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep almost immediately. When I woke up, I had several reminders of my previous night’s activities, namely a number of incredibly sore muscles, tenderness between my legs and lingering stickiness that was making me feel the need to shower urgently.
After getting up, groaning for a full minute and hobbling my way the shower. I felt a lot better after standing under the hot water for twenty minutes straight. While I was dressing, my sister knocked on the door, probably more than irritated at my extended grooming time.
“Come in,” I answered.
“Jesus, it took you long enough to
shower. Did you go mud wrestling last night after I went to sleep?” Emmy asked sarcastically, frowning in irritation. Her guess wasn’t completely off base.
“Ha ha. I just felt like taking a long shower,” I responded defensively. I darted my eyes to Emmy’s to see if she noticed.
She frowned in suspicion, then rolled her eyes at me and pushed past me to turn the shower on again for herself. “Maybe you should save your long showers for evenings, not school mornings,” she said exasperatedly.
I didn’t respond because she was right, and normally I would never have taken so long, but circumstances sort of dictated my shower time.
“Hey, I talked to Katya Petrov about you yesterday,” I said in an attempt to distract her from her irritation.
Emmy immediately twirled to me, her black eyebrows by her hairline. Emmy peppered me with questions. “You did? What did you say? What did she say about me? Does she know who I am?”
I laughed, pulling my long hair into a French braid. “Jesus, calm down. I told her about you and she thinks she knows who you are.” I said generously. Katya had no idea who the hell my sister was, but I didn’t want her to feel bad.
“Really?” Emmy gasped with excitement.
“Yeah, she wants to meet up with you at school some time. If you see her, talk to her. She wants to be friends.” I made sure I sent Katya a picture of my sister, so she’d know who the hell she was and wouldn’t freak out when some strange girl came up and started gabbing to her.
“Oh my god, Hannah! You are so awesome! I can’t believe this. Katya Petrov and me – friends!” I had never seen Emmy this animated, and she got really revved up about harp music. She was practically swooning.
“Jesus, Emmy, be a little cooler, okay? You can’t be this geeked up when you talk to her. She’s going to think you’re crazy,” I admonished her good-naturedly.
Emmy took a deep breath. “Right, right, I need to calm down. Got it. Thanks, Hannah,” Emmy said as she wrapped her arms around me from behind and ran to her bedroom with her clothes in her hands. I have no idea what she was doing, it wasn’t like she could pick a different outfit. She wore a uniform.
I got back in my room and checked my phone. I texted Nikolai before I got in the shower, but he hadn’t texted me back. I didn’t know if he was even awake right now, but I decided not to worry about it. There was likely a good explanation.
By the time I went to first period, he hadn’t replied to me and he didn’t appear to be in school. I started to get the same feeling in the pit of my stomach I had had the other day when this happened. I texted Ava and asked if she’d seen Nikolai.
Ava: Uh oh, disappearing act again??
Hannah: I don’t know. Maybe? Ughhhh.
Ava: I’ll ask around for you. Boys suck!
At the moment, I had to agree.
After the bell rang, I walked out of class hoping Nikolai would be there waiting, but he wasn’t. I felt disappointment and disbelief begin to swell in my chest. He couldn’t possibly be ghosting me, not after last night. He’d promised to communicate with me. I couldn’t believe he’d lied.
I started walking down the hallway, when the girl Jack had been kissing at the party last week, Jordan, stopped me. She was flanked by a couple of her friends, and strangely, terrifyingly, Jeff Connors. This day was just getting worse and worse. I looked briefly at Jeff and couldn’t help but noticed the still livid-looking bruises on his face.
“Hey, Hannah, have you seen Nikolai?” Jordan asked me in a sincere sounding voice, but her expression was nothing but spiteful. This was not going to be good.
“No, I haven’t. Are you looking for him?” I asked politely, trying to find the fastest reason to exit this conversation.
“No, and I don’t know where he is now, but I know where he was last night.” Jordan responded cryptically, but triumphantly.
I felt my stomach drop to the floor. Had Nikolai told these people that we’d had sex? I felt my stomach heat and tears prickle my eyes at his apparent betrayal. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, like I said I would, but I was starting to feel like a fool. I opened my mouth to say something, anything that would allow me to go find a bathroom stall to cry in when Jeff yelled at Jordan.
“Tell her! Tell her where he was!” Jeff whispered manically. Why the hell was he using Jordan as a mouthpiece?
“I will, calm down, you fucking spaz,” Jordan shot back to Jeff. It was the one time I looked on Jordan with fondness. Probably the last. “I just thought you’d like to know your boyfriend,” she said in the most mocking way possible. Bitch. “Was at the strip club off the highway last night. Did you know that? What’s the matter, Hannah, not putting out?” Jordan and her cronies laughed as she said this while Jeff just stared at me crazily.
What the fuck? He left me and went to a strip club? At the moment, I was processing dual, opposite emotions. One half of me was elated that he hadn’t shared with the whole school that he’d slept with me last night, the other was mortified and hurt that he had gone to a strip club. As I stared at them, dumbfounded, Ava slung her arm around my shoulders, guided me down the hall and into the girl’s bathroom.
“Are you alright?” Ava asked, compassion and pity stamped all over her face.
She knew.
“You heard, didn’t you?”
Ava looked pained. “Yes, I heard in my first period class and came to find you immediately after the bell rang. Have you heard from him yet?”
I leaned against the sink and stared at the ceiling, willing away the tears that were welling in my eyes. “No.”
“I’m so sorry, Hannah, but if it makes you feel better, it might not be true. I mean, Jeff Connors is the one spreading the rumor, and he has every reason to lie,” Ava said, putting her hand on my shoulder in a consoling gesture.
“I guess that’s true, but, where is he? Why isn’t he responding to me?”
Ava sighed. “I don’t know, Hannah. Is something going on with you guys? Did something happen? Did you fight?”
I felt myself blushing as I shot Ava a quick glance. “Not exactly.”
“What happened, Hannah? You’re blushing! Did you guys fool around or something last night?” Ava switched gears from supportive friend to curious interrogator within seconds.
“We…. we had sex.” I blurted out and looked at her. Her eyes were bugging out and her jaw was hanging open.
“Oh my god, are you serious? That’s awesome,” she squealed. Then her expression dropped, and she frowned. “Wait a minute, weren’t you a virgin?” I nodded. “And you guys had sex for the first time, for your first time, and he isn’t returning your messages now?” Ava said sounding suspicious, disgruntled and confused.
My feelings exactly.
“Yep,” I replied as I grabbed a paper towel, wet it and wiped my face. I hadn’t really cried, but I’d teared up enough to affect my mascara. Mascara I had just started wearing a week ago. Everything is backfiring on me.
“Oh, Hannah, I’m so sorry. Let me find Jack and see if he knows anything,” Ava offered.
I shot her a curious look. “Are you that tight with Jack these days?”
Now Ava as the one blushing. “Well, not really, I mean, we talk, but it’s not like there’s anything going on,” Ava babbled out, indicating she wasn’t sure what was going on with her and Jack, and definitely not able to define it.
I smiled at her awkwardness. “Yeah, find out what you can. Besides being upset, I’m also a little worried. It’s not like Nikolai has the all-American family.”
Ava nodded. “Good point. You know, Hannah, one good thing happened; Jeff was so eager for you to know where Nikolai supposedly was last night, but he still didn’t dare talk to you. At least that’s one positive that came out of this,” Ava finished with a slightly forced glass-half-full tone in her voice.
In this moment, I had never appreciated her friendship more. I gave her an impromptu hug. “You’re right. Got look on the bright side.” I said, but we both kn
ew I was lying.
*****
Ava and I were walking to her car after school, when I saw Nikolai marching toward me, a grim expression on his face. I hadn’t heard from him all day and based on my current mood I wasn’t in any hurry to talk to him right now. Other than his expression, he looked awesome. Leather jacket, snug black t-shirt that did all the right things for his shoulders, chest and biceps and pair of jeans that did mouthwatering things for his backside and his front side. I felt my anger spike – not only had he blown me off all day, but now I couldn’t grab him and kiss him the way that I wanted to because he’d been acting like such a dick.
I turned right to walk around the front of one of the cars parked next to Ava’s Honda in order to avoid him. I looked over at her, noting her tense expression as she made her way to the driver’s side of the car.
“Hannah, what the fuck? I need to talk to you,” Nikolai insisted as he jogged up next to me and put his hand on the door to stop me from opening it. I turned and gave him my best look of utter disinterest.
“What?” I bit out.
Nikolai looked at me for a minute, slightly bewildered. Then he sighed and folded his arms over his chest, the picture of impatience and irritation.
“What are you so pissed about?” Nikolai asked, frowning.
I felt my face flush with outrage as anger froze my vocal chords. I just stared at him for a full minute, dumbfounded and infuriated by his idiocy and insensitivity. He’d blown me off the day after we’d had sex for the first time, not to mention the rumors about him hanging out at a strip club. I decided I wasn’t going to get fully pissed about that until it was confirmed. Ava was right; Jeff wasn’t exactly a reliable source.
“Are you fucking serious? We have sex for the first time,” I darted a quick look around the parking lot to see if anyone was near us. “I have sex for the first time and I don’t hear a word from you all day? You don’t respond to any of my messages? How do you think that made me feel?”
Nikolai’s frustrated expression quickly drops away and changes to one of surprise and regret. “Shit, Hannah, I’m sorry. I changed phones, my other one broke, and I don’t have your number and didn’t receive any of your messages.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out his replacement, a flip phone. A flip phone?
Nikolai (Dangerous Love Series Book 1) Page 21