by Nic Saint
She reached out a hand, only vaguely remembering the location of the light switch. Her hand crept along the nightstand, searching in vain. Then, her heart hammering in her throat, she finally found it. Immediately, a soft glow illuminated the small space.
Eyes wide, she sighed with relief when she spotted a fawn-colored cat on Diana’s desk. “God, you scared me!” she whispered on a laugh.
The cat, its eyes blinking against the light, meowed once, a plaintive sound, then gracefully jumped from the desk, and padded off, its tail high, indignant that its nocturnal peace had been so rudely disturbed.
Stalking to the door, it opened it a crack, and disappeared.
Laura grinned. She’d been scared into a decline by a mere cat!
Lying back, she remembered the dream she’d had before waking up. She’d been atop a mountain, staring into the abyss, knowing her old life was over.
No more math classes. No more feats of mathletics.
She dismissed the thought. There was life after The Blue Moon. This ordeal would soon be over and then she would go back to her old life, picking up where she’d left off. She’d find another job, and she would finish her year, graduating with honors.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the lingering effects of the sad dream. She didn’t want sad. She didn’t need sad. She needed resilience and strength of character. Dignity and poise in the face of adversity. Just like Alex.
Alex… She remembered his strong arms. How he’d looked at her, brought her to the edge of insanity with his hot mouth and his wickedly agile fingers… Then rejected her.
Don’t be a fool, she admonished herself. He doesn’t give a hoot about you. Doesn’t care one bit. He feels guilty, perhaps, for putting you in this position. And perhaps there’s some measure of physical attraction, but nothing more.
She sighed, wondering about her own feelings toward the man. She’d always considered him a good friend, the only decent guy at the club. And if she was absolutely honest with herself, had to admit she’d always had a bit of a crush on him. Now? She remembered how she’d practically thrown herself at him. How she’d seduced him with her tender curves, opened her legs for him. The intense longing she’d felt hadn’t dissipated with sleep. On the contrary, her keen yearning had only intensified. If only he were here now…on her, inside her…
She could feel the hot need pulsating between her thighs, and knew she was wet again. Imagining his hands on her, his lips, his devilishly delicious tongue, she bucked her hips, and let a hand slip between her slippery folds, stroking into the heat. On a deep moan, she threw off the covers, and drew up her nightgown to reveal the triangle of her sex. The coolness of the night air did little to diminish the rising heat. Increasing the pace, she touched a finger to her burning clit and felt the waves of desire wash over. Her body undulated wildly as she imagined it was Alex moving inside her, his girth fulfilling the keening hunger in her blood.
She bit her knuckle to suppress the cry of relief when her climax slammed into her, her belly muscles quivering, her legs thrashing, her fingers wet and her pussy a roiling cauldron of throbbing heat. She lay still, panting in the aftermath, then realized with surprising finality that she’d fallen for the handsome young enforcer. She’d fallen in love with Alex.
Pushing her nightgown into place again and covering her now shivering body with the comforter, she turned to her side, a smile on her lips. She was in love. Like a silly teenager falling for the football god. The geeky mathlete with the foolish crush. God! She shook her head, and felt a laugh bubbling up. This was so not like her!
Then the laugh slowly dissipated as she thought of the way he’d kissed her, and wished he would do it again. Lying perfectly still now, she smiled as sleep covered her like a warm blanket. And she would have drifted off again, if not the same noise that had startled her out of her slumber returned, and her breath caught in her throat. It was a scratching sound, and it came from the window. She looked over, and when she saw the face of the man plastered against the pane, she froze in horror.
He was looking straight at her—eyes speared wide—a lascivious grin on his hideous face!
Then she was up and making a mad dash for the door.
She was screaming even before she reached it.
CHAPTER 18
Laura’s screams raised the roof and woke up the house. Alex, who’d been sleeping fitfully, was the first out of bed. As he raced along the hall, he almost bumped into Laura.
Berserk, she screamed something about intruders—about men trying to crawl in through the window. He burst into her room, ready to grapple with whomever had the nerve to break into his home, but when he got there, it was too late. The intruder was gone.
He saw that the glass had been cut. A circular incision made, part of the pane removed so the prowler could jiggle the lock.
Flinging the window wide, he checked outside for a sign of the nightcrawler, and that’s when he saw him. A man, dressed in black from head to foot, streaking along the quiet and deserted street. His feet slapping the wet pavement, he didn’t look back, and didn’t slow his retreat.
Alex could have gone after him, but would never have been able to catch the bastard. So he pulled his head back and when he looked up, saw that Laura had returned, and was anxiously staring at him from the door. He crossed the room and took her in his arms before she could utter a sob. Then she was crying convulsively against his chest.
“There, there,” he murmured, uncertain how to proceed. He held her in his arms, rocking her gently, wiping the damp tresses from her brow and kissing the top of her head in a soothing motion. “Everything’s all right now,” he murmured against her temple. “Everything is fine. No one can harm you now.”
To comfort a woman like this was a new experience for him. He was used to hustling guys who didn’t want to be hustled. Breaking up bar brawls and dodging beer bottles on a boisterous Saturday night. Dodging fists and doling out some well-aimed knuckle sandwiches himself. But he’d never taken a woman in his arms who trembled like a scared little bird, and comforted her against his chest.
And now that he did, he felt something bloom inside. An expanding sensation of warmth that was foreign to him. Something he’d never before experienced. He didn’t know whether he liked it or not. What was this strange effect Laura Armstrong had on him? Was he going soft? Was he losing his edge? Or was he merely starting to care?
When Mom and Dad came bursting into the room, followed by a very sleepy looking Robert, he felt a little sheepish, sitting here like some big lug, Laura wrapped up against him, and he told them in quick, precise words what had happened, assuring them all was fine now.
Dad walked over to the window, and when he saw the circular incision, his face turned grim and hard. No one broke into the Petrov home and lived to tell the tale. This had never happened before. Ever.
“I’ll call the others,” Dad muttered, and stalked off. Even though it was the middle of the night, this was not a time to be coy about propriety. His brothers and uncles would be here in no time, and they would make sure they found out who was behind this. Who had dared invade the sanctity of their home.
Rob stared dumbly at the window, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, then yawned cavernously. “Nice job,” he muttered. “Smooth and round. Pity we weren’t here to catch him. We could have shoved him. Would have made a nice splat.”
Anna was more interested in the safety of the people protected under her roof than figuring out the whys and hows and whos. “How is she?” she inquired solicitously. She’d taken a seat at the foot of the bed and gave him a weary smile.
He merely shook his head. He didn’t like to think what this was doing to the mild-mannered woman. She was a college girl, not a member of a known Mob family, or a woman used to living on the edge, dealing with danger lurking around every corner. He was afraid what this situation was doing to her state of mind.
“We need to do a better job,” he muttered.
“First thi
ng in the morning you’re taking her to the cabin,” Mom said.
This was news to him. “When was this decided?”
“It was decided.”
“How long?”
Mom shrugged, and he closed his eyes. So he would be out of rotation for a couple of weeks, huh? He stared down at the woman in his arms, her face even paler than usual, her eyes closed now, the flood of tears having ceased.
She wouldn’t like this, he knew. Wouldn’t like this one bit.
“Is there no other way?”
Mom merely shook her head, and he knew she was right. It was the only solution. So he nodded his consent, and Mom stood, then placed a hand on Laura’s cheek, the hint of a weary smile on her face.
Laura was his charge now, and he would take good care of her.
His gaze returned to the window, where Rob still hung, leaning out.
“This guy must be some sort of freak,” his brother was saying. “No ladder. No spikes. Simply scaled the wall. Like spiderman.”
Spiderman. Right. He had a pretty good idea who was behind this. The Gorevs were a rival family, working for the Demiakovs. They would simply love to muscle in on Petrov ground. Show their employers they were the only game in town. If they got their hands on Laura, they could offer her to Yulian Gornakov. For a price. Or to the Gorevs to dangle before Yulian, proving their superiority once and for all. In any case, she represented a bargaining chip for these men. Nothing more.
He now wondered what this would mean to his family. Petrovs worked exclusively for the Gornakov family. Had done so for years. If a war broke out, they would all be affected, not only his family, but Petrovs all over the country. The other clans most likely had been informed already, told to be on high alert.
As he stroked Laura’s hair, he felt a mixture of rage and helplessness bubble inside his chest. And something more. Something indefinable. Something that went much deeper, and touched the heart.
CHAPTER 19
When Laura finally awoke, the events of the night were but a vague memory—a nightmare that had suddenly become too real. But then Alex had been there, and had stayed with her through the rest of the night, hugging her to sleep, his warm body comforting against hers. They had slept together for the first time, but it hadn’t been exactly what she’d expected. He’d been her keeper, adamant not to leave her alone.
When a bunch of strange men had arrived, swarming all over the place, he’d carried her to another room in the back of the house, and when he’d laid her down to rest, had snuggled up beside her. She’d quickly found fitful sleep again. Once or twice during the night, she’d awakened on a scream, only to feel his presence. She’d taken his arm and wrapped it tightly around her, in a bid to find safety, and the moment she’d felt him stir, had stilled, safe in the knowledge he was there.
A shaft of light fell on her face. She started when she became aware of a figure at the foot of the bed, then relaxed when she saw it was Anna. She pushed strands of tousled russet from her face, then noticed she was alone in the bed. At some point during the night, Alex must have returned to his own room. She blinked against the light. Outside, darkness still clung to the streets. “What time is it?”
Anna smiled. “Time to get up.”
Groggily, she rubbed her eyes. “What happened? Who was that man last night?”
Anna’s smile faded. “No need to concern yourself with that, honey. Just let the men do their job. They’ll find him soon enough.”
She groaned. “This is all my fault. I brought all this trouble on you.”
“Nonsense,” said Anna decidedly. “You’re not to blame for what happened. The only one to blame is that horrible man Boris.”
“He was a horrible man, wasn’t he?”
“As horrible as they come. I should know. Like you, I worked for him at one time.”
This surprised Anna. “You used to work at The Blue Moon?”
“I did,” confirmed Anna with a nod. “Until I met Valery.” She smiled. “He was working in much the same capacity as Alex. Protecting the girls, making sure nothing happened to them, keeping the peace on a Saturday night. When he saw me, he said it was like a bolt from the blue, lightning striking out of a clear blue sky.” She lowered her eyes and ineffectually adjusted her dress. “Well, you know men. They like to exaggerate.”
Laura felt touched by the story. “I’m sure he wasn’t lying.” She hadn’t realized that Boris was that old. If Anna worked at the club, this must have been thirty years ago.
As if reading her mind, Anna went on, “I was still a young girl, about your age, in fact. Boris was the one who started that club, and it’s sad to see that thirty years on, he was still the same horrible person he was back then.”
“Well, he won’t be bothering anyone now,” said Anna, for the first time glad that Alex had done what he’d done.
Anna folded her hands in her lap, the picture of serenity, and gave her a small smile. “No, I guess he won’t.”
“Do you think Alex is in big trouble?”
Anna’s smile faltered. “Yes, he is, honey. Boris is Yulian Gornakov’s cousin, the man my family works for. He’s the head of the family.”
Laura sank her face into her hands. “Perhaps I should just disappear. I have an uncle in California. Maybe I should call him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if I stayed with him for a little while.”
“They would find you,” spoke Anna softly.
She looked up. “The man who broke into my room last night?”
She gave a shake of the head. “That was something else. There’s been a rivalry with another family here in Brooklyn for years. They’ve wanted to take over some of the positions my family has held, and they probably figured that if they caught you and delivered you to Yulian, this might be their big break.” She lifted her shoulders with a sigh. “At least, that’s one theory. At this point, nobody knows for sure, really.”
“God,” she groaned. “This is such a mess.”
“That’s why it’s so important you go somewhere safe, Laura,” Anna stressed.
She flapped her arms. “Somewhere safe? Like where? I thought you said nowhere was safe?”
“We own a small lodge in the Adirondacks, near Lake Placid. The whole family used to go vacationing there. Alex will take you.” She hesitated, then added, “You’re leaving in one hour, Laura.”
“A lodge?”
“In the mountains. You’ll be quite safe there.”
“You mean… like for a couple of days?”
Anna shook her head slowly, her gray eyes serious. “This won’t blow over in a couple of days, honey. This will take a little longer to sort out, I’m afraid.”
As she stared into the woman’s eyes, the truth came home to her. She was never going to get her old life back, was she? She bit her lip. “How long?”
Anna eyed her with a frown of commiseration before answering. “A couple of weeks. At the very least.”
She stared at the woman, incredulous. “You’re telling me I’m shacking up with Alex in some mountain cabin?”
“That’s right. Until we manage to resolve this matter.”
Laura slumped back against her pillow. This wasn’t really happening. This wasn’t really happening to her.
“But what about…” She swallowed. “…my life—my studies—my family…”
“Your aunt and uncle will be notified. I’ll talk to them myself. And your studies…” Anna sighed. “I’m so very sorry, dear. But I’m afraid your life as you know it is over. And will never be quite the same again.”
Laura felt herself sinking deeper into the slough of despond that had held her in its grip since the horrific events of the previous day.
This wasn’t really happening.
She wasn’t even aware she’d said the words out loud until Anna softly spoke. “I’m afraid it is, honey.”
CHAPTER 20
Immediately after breakfast, she was whisked away in Alex’s pickup, and then they were driving, the car eatin
g up the miles at a steady clip. She wasn’t too happy about this arrangement, that much was obvious, but she kept a brave face, and Alex had to admire her for that.
She could have been a total nuisance, but she wasn’t, not wanting to make a difficult situation even harder than it already was.
Before long, they’d left the city behind, and were driving along empty roads, passing through small towns and villages. They were cruising at a rapid clip, no words being spoken. She’d fallen asleep again, the restless night had taken its toll, and when he glanced over, he thought he’d never witnessed a more entrancing sight.
She was gorgeous, even with her hair a tousled mess and her face pale from lack of sleep and the intrusion suffered during the night. He had to resist the urge to reach over and touch a hand to her cheek. The memory of how they’d lain together returned in full force now that they were alone.
He didn’t know how he would endure the next few weeks. It was going to be just the two of them, holed up in the Petrov mountain lodge. Even though he knew it was for the best, he still wondered if another solution hadn’t perhaps been better. After all, this was Laura, the girl he’d had a crush on from the first.
And now they were going to play house. Spend every waking and sleeping moment together like husband and wife. Not husband and wife, he corrected himself. Brother and sister. She was like a sister to him, and he would make sure he didn’t cross that line.
When he’d held her that night, it had taken every ounce of self-control not to roll her over in his arms and kiss all her troubles away, then take the kiss deeper. Feeling the warmth of her body pressed against him had caused him to wonder about their relationship, and soon he’d had to leave the bed, his restraint stretched beyond endurance.
He simply couldn’t trust himself to be alone with her in the same bed. The soft feel of her tender flesh under his hands, the shifting of her body, the gentle caress of her hair, the steady beating of her heart, and her even breathing… He hadn’t slept a wink. And then there were the soft sighs escaping her throat from time to time. It was too much for him, reminding him he could have her if he wanted. The thin line between protector and lover—so easy to cross. He would have done so in a heartbeat, if not for the responsibility of his duty toward her had being so deeply impressed upon his mind. And then there was the fact she was so young, so innocent, and so vulnerable. He couldn’t possibly take advantage of the situation. It would make him not a hair better than Boris himself.