by K. J. Dahlen
“Watch your manners little girl,” Barshan advised.
“Go to hell,” she retorted. “I didn’t ask to be here in the first place and now, it seems I cannot escape this madhouse.”
“Sazon is holding you here at the request of Nikoli and Sergi,” Yuri informed her “Your brother asked them to keep you safe until this matter can be resolved.”
Ana shook her head. “This isn’t their fight. They shouldn’t stick their nose into this.”
Yuri chuckled. “I’d like to be in the room when you tell Nikoli and Sergi that.”
Ana frowned. “Why is that?”
Yuri smirked at her. “Because you don’t tell the leaders of the Bratva in Russia and New York that anything is not their business.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Sazon moved them out to the office and began making plans with Yuri and Barshan while Ana paced back and forth. He was watching her under the guise of listening to Yuri and there was something about her pacing that he couldn’t figure out.
“What is going on inside your head now little one?” he finally asked. “You seem to be working yourself up into a tizzy.”
“I left something in my car that I don’t want to lose.”
“Like what?” Sazon asked as he leaned back in his chair.
Ana stopped her pacing and turned to stare at him. “My dog for one and my blade for another.”
Sazon raised an eyebrow at her statement. “You brought a blade with you? What kind of blade? Like a knife or something?”
Ana sneered. “It’s something more than a knife.”
Barshan got to his feet. “Where did you park your car?”
“Why?” she asked. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to retrieve your things.”
Ana smiled. “Not without me you’re not.”
Yuri shook his head. “We can’t let you out of our sight. Sergi wouldn’t like it if you escaped custody and we can’t waste our time searching this entire city looking for you if you happen to be lucky enough to get away.”
“I’m sorry I’m such an inconvenience but I never asked to be stuck here in the first place. Remember that.”
Yuri stalked over to where she stood glaring at them. Leaning in close, he took a firm hand to her chin and squeezed her flesh. “Listen to me you little hellcat, we’ve treated you well so far but that can change without warning. You’re in our city now and you came here with mayhem on your mind. We were asked by a man we both respect and honor to find you and hold you and that’s what we’re going to do. So keep up with this snarky attitude and the only thing you’ll see is an eight by ten room with no handle on the door.”
Ana glowered at him but didn’t say anything for a moment. “Fine, but I want my dog and my blade. Please.”
Yuri motioned for Barshan to escort her to her car to retrieve her things.
After they left, Sazon stared at his brother for a moment then said, “I know you had to do what you did but I cannot allow you to hurt her. I will protect her even from you.”
Yuri was surprised by the softly spoken warning words from his brother. He stared at the other man for a moment then smiled. “So that’s how it is.”
Sazon shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not sure yet, but maybe.”
Yuri chuckled. “Well, good luck in your quest my brother. I do not envy you the next few days. Courting a woman with vengeance on her mind will not be easy.”
Sazon ignored his comment. “Do you know who is coming here with Sergi and Nikoli?”
Yuri nodded. “Serval others, including it seems the head of the Italian mob, Leon Vincinti and some members of a New York Motorcycle club. Her brother Drago knew one of them and they are coming in his place. Since Michael went to Houston, one of the MC members knows someone in another MC not far from there and they are covering him, so we could have many people converging here.”
Sazon was stunned. “Why did they bring so many unknowns in to this situation? This isn’t like Sergi and Nikoli at all. They have always preferred to work alone.”
Yuri nodded his own agreement with Sazon’s assessment. “Apparently, when Michael murdered her grandfather he stole something very valuable from the old man. Something his family has been hiding since before Tzar Nikolas was killed. The family wants it back and Sergi and Nikoli want to see it, along with Leon Vincinti.”
Ana and Barshan returned with a huge dog just then and Ana glared at Yuri. “Since you seem to know everything already anyway, allow me to tell you that Michael stole a pair of long daggers my great grandfather Vladimir Curcovic forged for Tzar Nikolas himself at the bequest of his Tzarina.”
Her angry words brought the room to silence as each of the three men absorbed them.
While they were silent, she carried her things over to Sazon’s desk, placed her bag on the floor, and carefully laid a long wooden box on the desk. She glanced at her dog and motioned for him to sit. Turning the face the men, she looked at Yuri first. “What else did my brother tell this Sergi guy?”
Yuri frowned at her for a moment then asked, “Vladimir Curcovic was your great grandfather?”
Ana nodded.
“How is that even possible?” Barshan wondered out loud.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Everyone has family. When the troubles began in Russia, the Tzarina wanted Vlad to escape the country. She knew he was too valuable to still be there if things went wrong for the royals. Not only was he a skilled blade maker but he knew everyone’s secrets as well. Both political and personal secrets. Secrets so damaging that no one would be safe if they were told. He came here to America and lived a quiet life. He changed his family name and raised his only child in the mountains of New York. My grandfather did the same, only he raised two families after our parents were killed when Drago and I were younger.”
Sazon glanced at the box on his desk. “What is that?” he asked motioning at the box.
“My blade.”
He frowned thinking the box was bigger than it needed to be for a knife. “Can we see it?”
Ana nodded then stepped out of the way as Yuri came forward to open the box. He went very still for a moment then reverently reached inside and pulled out a short sword. Turning with it in his hand, the other two men gasped at the sight of the blade.
“What the hell?” Barshan swore softly as he stared at the beautiful weapon in his brother’s hand. “This is your blade?”
Ana nodded as she gazed at it. “This is a smaller replica of the blade my grandfather forged for Michael. I’m too small to handle a full sized blade but I can handle this size very well.”
Sazon snapped his head around to stare at her. “You don’t mean to use this against Michael in a fight, do you?”
Ana stared at him and nodded. “Of course, I do. He murdered my grandfather by stabbing him in the back with a sword he made. I plan on challenging Michael to a fair fight but he will meet my sword either way.”
“You are out of your tiny mind if you think I will allow that.” Sazon growled at her.
“You have no say in this matter. No say at all,” she reminded him. “I have the right of challenge.”
“Michael outweighs you by a hundred pounds or more. He’s taller and stronger than you are,” Sazon retorted. “His reach is longer and he’ll make mincemeat out of you before you can touch him. I will not allow it.”
Ana stood up straight and squared her shoulders. “You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do. You’re not my father nor are you my brother. You have no authority over me at all. If I choose to meet my grandfather’s murderer then I will meet him. This is a matter of honor, my families honor, not just a whim.”
Sazon stalked over to her and got right up in her face. His eyes were as angry as her own. “I may not be your father or your brother but I will not allow this.”
Before she could protest, his lips crashed down on hers and the kiss they shared was brutal. Lightning struck them both as his lips burned hers. When she opened her mouth to protes
t the invasion, his tongue entered into her mouth. Ana groaned from the heat they generated then grabbed his shoulders and hung on while the blaze enflamed them both.
Sazon broke the kiss and moved away from her but they were both breathing heavily.
Ana opened her eyes slowly and when she did, she blushed bright red.
Yuri and Barshan were standing there grinning at her in bemusement while Sazon was still glaring at her.
Ana snapped her fingers for her dog and turned walking slowly into the bedroom off the office.
Yuri carefully laid the sword back in its box and closed the lid. He turned to his brother Sazon. “You have some amends to make I believe. Sergi and the others will be here possibly as early as tomorrow or the next day. We are going to need her onboard with us before Michael gets back here to the city. You need to tame her attitude before she meets Sergi, as he is not as forgiving of disrespect as you and I are.”
Sazon exhaled a deep breath. “She does have a point though. Why are so many people getting involved in this situation? Sergi isn’t one to allow others to interfere with his operations.”
“Her brother Drago went to his friend a member of the MC. The president of the MC called in Leon who in turn got in touch with Nikoli. Sergi and Misha were in New York on their way here when Nikoli got the call. When they heard what the story was, everyone was intrigued. They all want to see the blades Vlad made for the Tzar if Michael still has them. That is the real quest here, recovering those blades. They are over a hundred years old and from rumors, they are very beautiful blades. They would be worth their weight in gold if they are the true blades of Vladimir Cucovic.”
“Yes, they are very famous blades,” Barshan added. “Blades from a true artist. They would indeed be spectacular items to own.” Turning to Sazon he asked, “Would Michael be likely to still have them?”
Sazon let out a disgusted grunt. “In the few days I’ve known the man he is too egotistical not to still have them. I don’t know the man all that well but I get the feeling he feels he’s entitled.”
“Entitled?” Yuri queried.
Sazon nodded. “You know the type, he feels he’s entitled just because he might be bigger or stronger than the next guy. He’s a bully type that would push people out of his way just because he can. Those types don’t make good fighters and I was going to put him in the ring with The Beast just to give him a bit of humility.”
Yuri grinned. Sazon had a fighter known in the circuit as The Beast. Not only was this man huge, but he took no shit from anyone. Standing nearly six foot nine inches tall at around four hundred pounds, he would and could beat anyone he came up against.
“That, I would have paid to see,” Barshan quipped.
Sazon turned his gaze to the closed door between them and shook his head. “Yeah, me too but now, I think Michael will never see the inside of the cage.”
Yuri laid his hand on Sazon’s shoulder. “Even if she could use the sword, you could never allow the two of them to do battle. Michael would kill her without even thinking about it. As you pointed out, he’s bigger and stronger than she is. She wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”
“I know that and you know that but how do I convince her of that fact?” he asked his brothers.
“Yeah, good luck with that.” Barshan smiled. “Some women are more stubborn than men and she does seem to have a particular hard on for this man.” Shaking his head he added, “I think it will be nearly to impossible to persuade her to leave him to Sergi’s wrath.”
Yuri motioned to the sword. “Maybe you’d better put that away where she can’t get to it.”
Sazon took the box and placed it in his office safe. Closing the door, he locked the tumblers then went over to his bar and poured the three of them some vodka. They all lifted their glasses while Sazon made the toast. “To very stubborn women and their men. May they both survive the taming.”
All three men slammed the liquor down their throats then Yuri and Barshan took their leave.
Sazon sat down at his desk and picked up some paperwork. His mind was in the bedroom but he stuck it out working in his office for the next few hours.
Two hours later, the dog raised his head as the door to the bedroom opened and Sazon came into the room.
Closing the door behind him, he approached the bed and stood there for a moment. Snapping his fingers, he motioned for the dog to get down.
Dutcher obeyed his command. The dog sensed no harm to his mistress from the big man.
Sazon pulled his t shirt off and undid his belt, pulling it free from his jeans. He kicked off his shoes and socks then walked around to the other side of the bed, crawling in behind her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her to him and closed his own eyes, content just to hold her while they both slept.
The sun was just coming up and the light of the new day burst through the tiny window above the bed as Ana opened her eyes. Her head felt fuzzy this morning and for a moment, she didn’t know where she was or why she was so warm. The heat was coming from her back and it warmed her whole body.
Feeling a heavy weight on her waist, she reached down and felt someone’s arm. Startling wide awake, she tried to turn to see what or who was behind her when she heard someone growl in her ear, “Good morning.”
Those two simple words set her on fire, or maybe it was the set of lips nibbling on the back of her neck. Either way, she shivered in delight and tried to move away.
Sazon growled again and pulled her back into his embrace. “You aren’t going anywhere,” he whispered.
“What are you doing?” she licked her suddenly dry lips. His touch was igniting a fire inside her as she breathed in his scent. It was earthy with just a hint of sandalwood and citrus.
“You may not know this yet and I don’t want to scare you but you’re mine now. I’m claiming you,” he whispered in her ear. “I can feel your heart pounding in your chest just from my touch alone. So is mine.” Sazon smiled as he buried his face in her hair. “I’m never letting you go,” he warned her. “You belong to me now.”
Ana laid there for a moment then pushed away from him. Turning to see him, she shook her head slightly. “I belong to no one. I came here to right a terrible wrong and then I have to go home.”
Sazon frowned at her words. “I’ll take care of Michael.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Michael is mine to deal with. I must get the daggers back and then deal with him,”
Sazon smiled slightly. “We’ll get your daggers back and we will deal with Michael. The Bratva protects its own.”
Ana felt a tear roll down her cheek. “But I’m not Bratva.”
“You are now.” He brushed away her tear with his thumb. Then he leaned over her and kissed her. His kiss was gentle until she kissed him back, then his mouth got possessive and he moved over top of her. Their hips ground against the other and Sazon felt himself grow hard again.
Before they could go on, Dutcher growled and Sazon’s head snapped around to see the dog staring at the door to his office.
“Someone’s out there,” Ana whispered.
Sazon got up and pulled his pants together. Ana did the same. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her behind him and went to the door. Before he opened it, her reached into the drawer of the small table beside the door and pulled out a weapon.
Dutcher was beside them when Sazon opened the door into chaos.
Of the seven men waiting in his office, Sazon knew three of them. Yuri, Roman and Kosta. The other four he didn’t know but they looked like the type of men no one messed with. The four of them wore leather jackets proclaiming themselves to be Hell’s Fire Riders, whatever that meant. One man wore a patch claiming him to be President while another wore the patch of the VP.
“What the hell is this?” Sazon demanded as he stared at the strange men.
Yuri gestured at the strangers. “These men are here at Nikoli’s request.”
“I received a call from Sam Tory,” the President corrected Yur
i’s statement. “I don’t know this Nikoli person. Sam asked us to keep track of someone in Houston, a man by the name of Michael Tabrone. I sent four men looking for him while I came here to find out more about why we were keeping track of this man. My name is Pappy Masterson.” He motioned at the other men with him. “These are my men, Dewey Mann, Calico and Bear.”
Sazon glanced at each man as they were introduced. All the men looked tough but there was one man among them he probably wouldn’t want to cross and he was the one they called Bear. He was huge, topping well over six feet and close to the size of a real grizzly bear. His eyes however were cold and unforgiving.
“They came to the hotel and asked for me, so I brought them here,” Yuri explained.
“How soon will Nikoli and Sergi be here?” Sazon asked.
“Sometime this evening I think.” Yuri shrugged. “For some reason, they decided to cross country it.”
“That might be because Bones and Deke along with some of their buddies are coming along,” Pappy interjected.
Sazon frowned. “Who the fuck is this Bones you keep talking about? Never heard of him before now.”
“Sam Bones Tory is part of the Sin’s Bastards MC and he’s Deke’s dad. It was their man Jethro, otherwise known as Deacon, Drago Petroff went to with his story. Deke is the one who called your people into this situation.”
“Drago should have kept his mouth shut,” Ana grumbled. “All of this is unnecessary bother.”
Pappy turned to her and stared for a moment. “I take it you are Ana.”
“I am.” She glared at the man. “You should not be here.”
Pappy snorted. “This isn’t a job for a woman.”
Sazon’s hands curled into fists. “This isn’t a job for a motorcycle club either. This is a concern for the Bratva.”
“NO!” Ana cried out. “There are too many people involved in this now.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “Michael will notice all the extra people and take off with the daggers. I’ll lose him and them forever. You must all go home. Please just go home. I don’t need you here. I can’t let this man get away with what he’s done.”