by Lietha Wards
The determination and menace was still in his gaze, challenging her. She shook her head. “Somehow, I don’t think that would help. Just kill him…after I leave. I don’t like to see the mess.”
“Why?”
His question brought her attention back to him. “Why?” She tilted her head and smiled.
He nodded. “Why are you doing this to your father?”
She didn’t have to answer, but she did. She had nothing to lose or gain, but why not grant a dying man his last question. “My mother.”
“Your mother?”
“That bastard killed my mother. I overheard him talking to Ivan about a year ago.”
“You knew?”
“I’m sure you figured out by now that I’m not angel like Katya. I knew everything since I was fifteen. I listened in on what I could after that, made notes, paid attention. I know everything; his businesses, contacts, shipments, and where his whorehouses are. He’s disgusting. My mother’s death was the deciding factor.”
“Do you have any idea how this has affected Katya? This shit you pulled. She’s terrified to be by herself.”
“I had to make it believable.” She shrugged. “Katya is strong. She’ll get over it.”
“It sounds like she’s heard that a lot.”
She pressed her mouth into a thin line. “Don’t lecture me about my family. You know nothing of what we’ve been through. Katya’s capture was necessary.”
“As was the abuse?”
Her delicately manicured brows arched.
He looked at birthmark. “Your man there, left enough bruises on her body to rival a gang beating. She’s so terrified, that she can’t be left alone for ten minutes.”
She turned and looked at him.
“He’s lying,” he defended in a thick accent. “She got hysterical and we had to calm her down, but that’s it. Maybe we got a little rough, but it was necessary.”
“Ask her yourself,” Ryan suggested.
She gave a prolonged stare to her man before she turned back to Ryan. “As I said, she’ll get over it.”
Ryan realized that she didn’t know the extent of what Katya went through. Regardless, now that she did, her lack of concern was disgusting. “So, are you just going to walk away after you’re done destroying your father?”
Silence.
“I didn’t think so. I’m beginning to understand there is more of your father in you than you admit.”
“You do not need to know what I have planned.” She leaned forward and ran a finger down his thick chest to his hard abdomen while clucking her tongue again. “Such a waste.”
“You’re no better than he is. Give it a few more years, a few more murders, and you’ll be a spitting image.”
That hit a nerve.
She abruptly stood up and moved the chair aside. “You’re wrong about me, about us.”
“Somehow I don’t think I am. This isn’t my first rodeo Miss Nickolov. I know a power hungry psychopath when I see one.” That hit a nerve.
She gave him a hard look before she glanced at her watch. “I’m done here. We have somewhere else to be. You should have taken my offer. We could have been good together.” Her eyes assessed him again.
“I don’t like used goods.”
There was definite fury in her expression now. She abruptly turned away to the man standing beside him. “You know what to do.” She then left the room with the other two men, including birthmark, following her.
The remaining man pulled out a gun and started screwing on a silencer. He watched Ryan’s expression as he did it. “For a man about to die, you don’t look too scared.”
“Who says I’m going to die?” was his wry response.
He tilted his head. “What can you do?” He smirked.
“Well, I picked my cuffs.” Before the other man reacted, he shot forward, grabbed the gun, sticking his finger behind the trigger so he couldn’t depress it. Then he pulled hard on his arm, yanking him across him. “I did warn you. You shouldn’t have hit me.” he breathed in his ear. In less than a second he had his thick arms around his neck, snapping it. “For Katya.” He released him, and the body flopped to the floor. He bent over and retrieved the wire off the floor that he used to pick his cuffs and proceeded to work on his ankle restraints. It was sewn into the waistband at the back of his slacks making it easy to reach. No pat down could detect that but an easy reach if you were cuffed behind the back. Thankfully they didn’t tie him and they left his pants on.
He took the gun went over to the door, knocked twice and stood aside. “Open the door, it’s done.” Again, perfect Arabic. He heard the latch on the door and as soon as it moved, he threw his weight against it, and shoved it open surprising the man on the other side. He shot him in the chest killing him before he could get out a word. He crouched beside him and patted the dead man down, found another gun and a cell phone. He tucked the gun in the back of his pants, activated the GPS on the phone and dialed a familiar number He quickly stood up and stepped over the body moving quietly down the dark hall; one hand on the gun, the other holding the phone while he spoke. “Where the hell am I?”
He knew the silencer they were going to use on him was for Katya’s benefit. She was still here somewhere. He’d kill them all to find her.
When he was done conversing on the phone, he tossed on the floor and turned a corner, both hands back on the gun. His sharp eyes taking in everything. This was a big old house and all the windows seemed to be boarded up. Only thin slats of light made the way between the boards of visible windows. It was a maze of darkened hallways with hanging low watt bulb every now and then. A man came out of a side door, Ryan shot him between the eyes and moved on. Then he heard her.
God bless that rage of hers. Her voice carried down the dark corridors to him. He followed the sound.
He paused at another corner and peeked quickly down the hall. Two men stood in front of a windowless door. He heard them arguing. Then one turned and banged on it, “Shut the fuck up already.” Same heavy accent.
Ryan flipped around the corner quickly and shot them both before they could take another breath.
He then opened the door.
Katya was standing in a small room like his but at least it had a bed and a crude sink and toilet, but with no privacy. Apparently Anna was intent on keeping her for a bit again. His attention went to her. She’d been crying.
“Oh my God! You’re alive!” she rushed forward and threw herself at him, sobbing. He grunted when she slammed against him. She backed off. “You’re hurt.” Her hands moved over his body. Oh God, what happened? I thought you were killed in the car crash. No one would tell me anything.”
“It looks worse than it is,” he whispered. There could still be some of Anna’s men within hearing distance. As for it being worse than it was, he was sure that rollover cracked a rib, but he wasn’t going to tell her, or let it slow him down. He cupped her head in his hands. “Are you hurt?” his eyes searched hers and the concern in his voice was evident.
She lowered her own voice to match his figuring out that they weren’t alone. “No. I’m okay. Just scared.” Her voice sounded shaky and she was trembling.
“Did that bastard touch you again?”
“No. I never saw him. They just threw me in here and left. No one even spoke to me this time.”
Good. Obviously they were too busy with him. “We’ve got to get out of here. Fast.”
“I’m not arguing.” She moved in front of him to go first and he stopped her by grabbing her arm.
“No, stay behind me.” He handed her the spare gun. “If it moves, shoot it.”
“What?” She stared at the weapon in shock.
“I mean it Katya, don’t hesitate. Remember who these people are. Remember what they did to you.” He stared at her. By the shocked expression on her face, she was having some trouble absorbing what he said. “It’s them or you. Nod if you understand.”
Slowly she nodded. She didn’t know if she c
ould, but she wasn’t going to second guess it. These were the people that tortured her, and most likely killed her sister, and obviously were going to kill Ryan. She took a deep breath. You can do this, Kat.
Ryan quickly peaked out of the door before he looked back at her and nodded. Then he stepped out.
She followed him out the door and gasped at the two dead bodies lying floor. “Oh my God. Did you—”
He turned and held a finger to his lips cutting her off. She snapped her jaw shut and nodded. There was a low wattage incandescent lightbulb hanging from the ceiling that lit the way. The floor was still cement, and no other visible light in the hall. No windows or anything this time. The entire walls were made of cement. Much like the cells they were in. Well, there had to be an end to this hall somewhere. He listened for a moment. There was no other sound. “Don’t look Katya. Come,” he whispered over his shoulder as he led the way down the long dark hall.
She hesitated, still looking down at the two bodies, despite what he’d said. Then she stepped over them quickly and followed closely behind Ryan. He reached back twice and touched her, to reassure her, but never said a word. He moved with the stealth of a panther; silent and deadly. She just couldn’t figure out how a man of his size could move so quietly. All she could hear was the shuffling of her own feet.
The house seemed fairly deserted. Just as he thought that, he’d heard something. He paused at the noise. It was above them, footsteps. There were still more people there. Yet, he’d not met another person where they were. He continued to move forward cautiously. Finally there was a door at the end of the hall. He tried the knob and it wasn’t locked. Well, Anna probably didn’t expect him to live long enough to escape. He opened it slowly. Daylight streamed in. They were in an above ground basement. It was bright and both of them had to take a moment to let their eyes adjust to the light.
It was then Katya noticed he had no shoes, or socks besides his shirt. Yet he moved like none of it bothered him. You’d never even know he was injured if it wasn’t for all the blood.
He put his finger to his lips and stepped out scanning the area quickly. He then came back and took her hand leading her to the outside grounds. It was deserted and it looked like they were somewhere deep in the middle of who-the-hell-knows-where. Anna’s crew seemed a little scarce. That let him know that she wasn’t here anymore. There was a black SUV parked around the side of the house. He put his hands on the back of it. No alarm. “Get in.”
“But how are we going to—”
“Get in Kat, I’ll wire the bloody thing.” He didn’t have to. The keys were in the ignition. Obviously they were in the middle of nowhere.
Kat got in the passenger side and quietly shut the door as he started the vehicle and slammed it in reverse just as several men came running out of the house. “Get down!” When she didn’t move, he grabbed the back of her head and roughly pushed her forward putting her head between her knees. Then he spun the big SUV around in a spray of dirt and dust, flooring it. It lurched forward fishtailing as he raced out of there.
Glass shattered and bullets whizzed all around her. She covered her ears and screamed. She heard him grunt, but the vehicle kept a breakneck speed bouncing on the uneven gravel of the road.
Soon they were out of range and he told her to sit up. Ryan’s shoulder was bleeding.
“You’ve been shot!” She quickly tore a piece off her shirt and put pressure on it.
“I’ve had worse.” He felt it go through. It was clean, and no bone was hit. He’d heal.
Worse? Her mouth fell open. He kept his eyes on the road, still driving at top speed. The vehicle bounced and swerved and if she didn’t trust that he knew what he was doing she’d be more worried about an accident. She glanced over her shoulder to see if they were being followed. Then she flinched as an explosion rattled the SUV. Smoke and fire burst up through the top of the trees behind them. “What—“
“I called in a favor,” he answered. “They won’t be bothering us anymore.”
“You blew them up?”
“No, I called someone who blew them up.”
Should she feel shame at the satisfaction she felt over that? No. One look at the condition of Ryan, told her definitely not. They would have killed him and her. “Is this what Jackson was talking about?”
“No.”
She should know he wasn’t going to tell her what incident the Colonel was referring to, and maybe this just wasn’t the time.
A drone zipped overhead and disappeared into the tree line.
Katya saw it and looked at Ryan. If he saw it, which she was sure he did, because she knew now that he didn’t miss anything, he said nothing. “What have I gotten myself into?”
“You didn’t get yourself into anything. The circumstances of your birth did that,” he answered coolly.
She sat back in her seat staring at him with her mouth open again. He sounded so casual—cold, and they had just been through hell. “Ryan, I don’t know you right now.”
He gazed back at her taking his eyes from the road for a moment.
She waved an arm at him. “This person, right here, is someone different. You are in an altered state altogether. You are no bodyguard and not the person I thought you were. Tell me the truth.”
She was right. He wasn’t the same. He was indifferent and distant when his training kicked in. It probably was a little intimidating, but this cool, calm demeanor is what made him survive some pretty perilous situations. It eliminated fear, it made his reactions and senses heighten, it made him good at what he did.
He’d only known how to be this way his whole life and never considered what it looked like to her. Of course she didn’t know or understand that. She deserved an explanation.
He glanced in the rear view mirror. No one was behind them and he doubted anyone would be. He then pulled over behind a brush of trees, cut the engine and faced her. “The truth?”
“Yes, Ryan.”
“You really want to know?” He was giving her an opportunity to back out. She may not like the things he was going to tell her.
She nodded. “I have to. I don’t want any more secrets.”
His eyes glanced off the roof of the SUV for a second considering what to tell her. “No, I’m not a bodyguard.”
“Then what are you?”
“I’m a man with skills, special skills, that is out to avenge my brother’s death.”
“What?”
“I’m the man that’s going to destroy your father, Katya.”
It took her a moment to absorb what he just said. She gaped at him. “What? But why?”
“He was responsible for my brother’s death.”
Her eyes watered up as his words hit home and tears spilled down her cheeks. “My father killed your brother?”
“He didn’t necessarily pull the trigger Kat, but he gave the order. I know that’s something you don’t want to hear right now, but It’s the truth. Like you said, he’s a murderer.”
“How—what?”
“He was a Miami detective, uncover in a drug operation. He’d been in your father’s organization for three months.”
“How do you know it was my father for sure?” she repeated.
“Because I have a way of finding things out. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t a hundred percent sure.”
She buried her face in her hands. “I just can’t think about this right now.”
“Katya.”
She looked up at him with an expression of shock and dismay.
“It was an execution.” He pointed to his forehead. “A single bullet here.”
She covered her ears. “I can’t hear this anymore.”
“You asked,” he reminded her. “He was last heard from at your father’s house. They found him a dumpster, Katya. My brother. My flesh and blood!” He could have said so much more, but this wasn’t her burden to bear. He could have told her that he knew that Georgy begged for his life. Peter would have made him. He also knew that t
he last thoughts his brother had were of his family. No child should grow up without a father.
She honestly wanted to deny it. To not believe what he was saying, but she knew it was true. She knew exactly what her father was capable of because those men told her everything. She knew he destroyed lives—families, but it was still hard to swallow. Now she was in the middle of it all. She slumped back in her seat. Was any of her life real? Did she even mean anything to him, or was she just a way in? “You used me to get to him?”
“I used the opportunity. I was there to do a job, and I was fully intent on doing it until I got to know you.”
“I don’t believe you. You are no better than them! I let you know how I felt about you! Yet, you used me to do a job?”
“I know you are upset.” he looked down at the middle console for a second, in thought. “If you remember correctly, I did my best to discourage you.”
Her mouth fell open in disbelief. “Discouraged? I said four whole words and you crumbled! Some discouragement!” She struck him in the shoulder. The same one he’d been shot in. He grunted in pain, but she didn’t care. Tears poured down her cheeks. “You tell me right now—right now Ryan, the truth. I need to know how you feel about me. Has it changed? Am I still a job?”
“No, Kat. You’re not,” he answered softly.
She took a shuddering breath calming her voice. “Then what am I to you exactly.”
He lifted his hand and moved a strand of hair behind her ear, leaving his thumb on her cheek. He never said anything, he just looked at her for a moment and surprisingly, as angry as she was, she let him. She was everything to him. He’d never felt like this about anyone before. “You mean more to me than anyone in my life at the moment.”
Kat searched his eyes, saw the emotion there. Here he was again. The man she knew. She pursed her lips and nodded. “I don’t think I can trust you Ryan.”
He released her. “Everything about your life has been a lie. I’m the only real person you have.”
“You lied to me, too. Oh my God, Ryan! You have no idea the kind of life I’ve had! It’s like I’ve been kept in a cage my whole life! Do you think you did any better?”