by Beth Abbott
Unfortunately for him, the photos Hannah had provided them with hadn’t done the woman justice, which was probably why when he’d been looking at them for more than a week, he hadn’t managed to stir up an ounce of interest. Coming face to face with her, however, had stirred up considerably more than that! Hell, every inch of him was coming to life, and in this situation, that was probably not a good thing.
Hollywood slowly lifted his head and looked at each of his team-mates in turn. Were they having an instant reaction to the Russian woman as well?
They didn’t seem to be reacting, but then again, none of them had enjoyed the feeling of having Niko’s chest pressed against them. And thank God for that small mercy.
He glanced at Kellen last, and was surprised to see his friend staring straight back at him, with half a grin on his face. Kellen looked like he could hear every thought going through Hollywood’s head and knew exactly how much discomfort he was in.
“Dear God…” He prayed. “Please don’t let Kellen be able to see my hard-on through my pants, hmm? Please let his grin relate to the fact that he has x-ray vision and can see through Niko’s shirt.”
Hollywood casually stretched his long legs out in front of him, making sure his crotch was obscured from view, not only from Kellen, but also from Niko and her boyfriend.
Kellen grinned at him again. Shit! He figured the guy knew exactly what was going on, even if it was just through pure guesswork.
If only he’d had this reaction to her from her photos, he’d have known what to expect when he met her in person. But, of course, apart from the fact that they hadn’t been particularly flattering, when they’d been looking at the photos, all he’d had in his mind was that this woman was trafficking other women, which in his book made her every bit as bad as her brother. She was evil. End of story.
That was a problem now, though, because it didn’t matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t see her in those stark black and white terms.
And that just made no sense at all, because she was still the same person, and still responsible for other women’s misery.
Why could he not get his head to accept the facts? Niko Federova was not some Californian beauty queen, who did charitable work and wanted to bring about world peace. She was a cold, calculating, human trafficker, who profited from the pain and suffering of others, without so much as a twinge of regret.
Even if she did have magnificent breasts.
A sudden turn to the right had everyone sliding along the bench, and before he could put his hands out to block her, Niko ended up sprawled across his lap, her hands pressed into his groin as she fought against being thrown further down the van.
Drago had slid down the bench as well, and was adding his weight to Niko’s, making it harder for her to pull herself upright.
As he felt her hand press on his erection, Hollywood heard her indrawn breath as she must have realised what she was holding onto.
As the van straightened, Drago slid onto the floor, leaving Niko space to pull herself up.
Her hand withdrew like she’d been scalded, and her face had a look of shock on it that he hadn’t seen on an adult female many times before, telling him that his secret erection had most certainly not gone un-noticed.
Drago scrambled to his feet and leaning over the partition, yelled at the driver in Russian, smacking him around the head.
His team-mates had all slid along the bench and slammed into each other, with Evan and Logan being crushed into the back doors.
“Sorry about that.” Drago apologised after smacking the driver again. “The fucking idiot knows to slow down when we approach the yard, but apparently likes to play jokes on his passengers.”
“If he does it again, I’ll turn him into a fucking eunuch.” Niko muttered, still red-cheeked and flustered from her surprise.
“Just promise me that he’s not going to be driving one of the lorries, hmm?” Logan growled in his Scottish burr. “Cos if he is, I can’t see you having much cargo left to auction by the time we get to Rotterdam.”
Drago looked at the Scot and grinned.
“He might be driving one of the supply vans, but we’ve got a couple of experienced guys to drive the other trucks.” He confirmed. “Good guys who’ve been with us a long time.”
The van slowed gradually and drew to a very sedate halt, the driver obviously not wanting to be slapped around the head anymore.
Before anyone had a chance to move, the door was wrenched open, and Hollywood looked into the face of the ugliest, scariest fucker he’d ever seen.
Now this guy looked exactly like his picture, and Hollywood’s reaction to him was exactly as expected, and precisely the one he’d practised in front of the mirror.
He didn’t flinch, and his eyes remained steady, staring at the man who’d hold their lives in his hands.
“These are the auctioneer’s guys?” He grabbed Niko and hauled her out of the van.
“Yes, all six of them, exactly as expected.” Niko nodded, and Hollywood could see that she was nowhere near as confident in front of her brother as she had been without him around.
They climbed out and almost subconsciously stood in a line, waiting for him to inspect them.
Ilya stared at each of them in turn.
“Don’t fuck with me, or you die.” He snarled. “Don’t fuck with my cargo, or you die. Don’t fuck with my women, or you die. Are we clear?”
Hollywood resisted the temptation to shoot back a witty retort. He had the feeling the punishment for that might be death.
They all nodded in affirmation which seemed to satisfy Scarface.
“Right then. Get your stuff stowed away in the trucks. We’re leaving in five minutes.” He pointed to three large trucks. “Your driver will be in the red one.”
One red, one white, and one blue truck sat in a row, engines facing the exit, ready to head out.
Ilya pointed to a shabby building.
“If you need to piss, the bathrooms are that way.” He grunted. “You won’t get a chance for another four or five hours, so make the most of it.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Ilya spotted a woman climbing out of a car, and he was off, stalking towards her as if on a mission.
“Vanya, get your fucking ass back in that car, you stupid bitch!” Hollywood heard him yell, and the woman turned and hightailed it back to the Mercedes without argument.
“He seems like a decent enough chap.” Evan’s quip was so unexpected, even Niko chuckled.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard him called ‘decent’ before.” Drago laughed. “I wouldn’t suggest you call him that to his face though.”
“Don’t tell me… if I do, I’ll die?” Evan suggested.
“Probably.” Niko nodded, wiping the smile off Evan’s face.
Hollywood stared after Ilya Federov as he climbed into the Mercedes and sped off through the gates.
It was funny how meeting the big boss had seemed to put everything else into perspective. It was like a lightbulb moment. Maybe Hannah had been right after all, and Niko wasn’t the hard-hearted trafficker they’d thought she might be.
Or maybe it was simply wishful thinking on his part, that he wanted to believe she wasn’t a monster.
After all, he’d never known anyone with breasts like that be truly evil, had he?
Chapter 29 – Niko
Niko leaned over the sink and scooped up the cold water to splash on her overheated face.
Mortified!
Not a word she’d ever used when describing herself, but there was always a first time for everything.
She lifted the hem of her shirt to wipe the water out of her eyes, and as she did, glanced at her image in the filthy mirror. Her skin was still beetroot red, and her expression still showed the shock of finding her hand firmly wrapped around Hollywood’s cock.
His very large, exceptionally hard, and erect cock, if she wasn’t mistaken. And she wasn’t.
Niko held her trembling
hand out in front of her. If her hands were maybe five or six inches wide with her fingers spread, that meant…
Oh, dear Lord…! She’d already been shocked by his girth. But that meant his length was … Wow!
Niko leaned forward again and splashed more water on her face.
Her experiences with the opposite sex had been confined to her brief relationship with Vasili, Roman’s father, and that had lasted just a few short months before he’d gone missing.
Because they’d had to spend a lot of time meeting in public places, to stop Ilya from finding out about their relationship, that meant that the number of times they’d managed to be alone and with easy access to a bed, were probably still in single digits when he’d vanished.
And while she’d never reached a place where she was comfortable enough to study Vasili naked, she wasn’t left in any doubt that he had been nowhere near as well-endowed as Hollywood. Nowhere close!
“NIKO!” Drago banging on the door had her jumping back from the sink. “Get out here now. Roman’s here and we’re ready to go.”
“Oh, my God! Roman!” She’d almost forgotten about her son for a moment.
Niko grabbed her backpack and yanked the door open to find Drago waiting outside for her.
“You sick or something?” He looked at her suspiciously, obviously noticing her heightened colour.
“I’m fine, Drago.” She scowled at him. “Now, where’s my son?”
“Vanya’s mother just showed up with him. He’s introducing himself to the new guys.” Drago grinned.
Niko darted out into the brightly lit unit, covering her eyes quickly as the glare almost blinded her. When her vision was fully restored she looked around to find Roman, but while she could see Vanya’s mother and one of her sisters about fifty metres away, her son was nowhere around.
“Where is he?” She demanded, striding forward, her long legs covering the distance in seconds.
“He’s fine, lady. Look.” Vanya’s mother pointed towards the new guys, to see Roman in Hollywood’s arms as he and Kellen showed him the outside of the truck.
Roman wasn’t usually quite so comfortable around strangers, and Niko was shocked to find him with one arm around Hollywood’s neck while the other rested on Kellen’s shoulder.
Damn it, she had hoped to avoid Hollywood until she could look at the man without blushing and remembering his hard shaft.
Now she not only had to look at the tall, dark, and gorgeous American, knowing that he was hiding an impressive package by any man’s standards, but to top it off, he seemed like a natural with kids. Did any man have a right to so many gifts?
She groaned inwardly at the thought of having to spend days in close confinement with the guy.
Life sure did like to kick dirt in her face!
Not wanting to startle her son, she set off at a slower pace and walked casually up to the men.
“Mama!” Roman shrieked. “I got new friends. This is H, and this is Ken.”
Niko couldn’t help but smile at her son’s excitement.
“H and Ken?” She asked, throwing a sideways glance at Hollywood.
“We tried the boy with Hollywood and Kellen, but they were a bit of a mouthful for him, so he settled on H and Ken.” Hollywood grinned.
“They’re coming with us today, mama, and H is gonna drive the truck.” Roman announced proudly, as though driving a truck made H a very special person to know.
“Yes, he is, baby.” She reached out and took her son from the big American. “And we have to leave right now, so let’s get in, shall we?”
As if on cue, the other men turned towards the trucks they’d been assigned to, and Kellen turned toward the passenger door.
“Do you want to sit up front? There are three seats.” Kellen asked.
“I’ll go in the back with Roman for now.” She shook her head. “Drago had it fitted out so Roman could travel safely, so I’ll stay with him while he explores and tires himself out. Once he’s asleep, I’ll come up front.”
Hollywood took Roman from her while she climbed up, and then handed him back to her before looking around.
“Are we waiting for Drago?” He frowned, obviously not able to see Ilya’s sidekick.
Niko shook her head. Why did he think Drago would be travelling with them?
“Drago travels in one of the vans, or sometimes with Ilya, who drives his Mercedes.” She explained. “There will be anything up to a dozen other vehicles within half a mile of us at any time. Some join us along the route, and others drop out. But we don’t travel in convoy as it makes us too big a target for the police to resist.”
“Is the cargo on board already?” Kellen asked as he climbed up and pulled the door shut.
“It was loaded before we arrived.” She nodded, climbing through the gap into the back of the cab with her son. “The GPS will be pre-programmed with our destination, so if you lose sight of the trucks in front there’s nothing to worry about.”
She felt the rumble of the engine as Hollywood pressed the starter switch, and Roman squealed with excitement.
“Vroom, vroom!” He laughed, making Niko smile.
Yeah, vroom, vroom indeed!
Chapter 30 – Hannah
Hannah glanced at her phone as she walked into her office, quickly skimming through the dozen messages she’d received in the past five minutes.
She’d given strict instructions that the team were to check in with her at regular intervals. For security reasons, they weren’t allowed to leave the responsibility up to their partner. It had to be a call or message from their own phone or watch.
In fairness, she couldn’t fault her guys. No sooner had she landed back in the UK than her phone started buzzing with messages, each team member showing their personality in their message.
“Your boys all checked in?” She felt Danny’s arms snake around her shoulders as they walked, and she smiled up at him.
“Yup, they’re all good.” She confirmed.
“I thought the return flight was quite good, too.” He grinned down at her. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Hannah stopped and stared up at him.
“Quite good?” She mimicked. “Hold up there, buddy! We just renewed our membership of the mile-high club, through unusually turbulent conditions, and you’re being uncharacteristically modest, saying that it was just ‘quite good’? Who are you, and what have you done with my husband?”
Danny wrapped her up in his strong arms and pressed her against the wall.
“I’m right here, sweetheart, same old Danny.” He leaned down and grazed his lips across hers, sending sparks shooting through her lower regions as he always did. “I simply didn’t want to brag about it just in case you thought that the turbulence was to blame for me rocking your world again.”
Hannah chuckled, sliding her fingers over his chest and up around his neck.
“Baby, I think I can tell the difference between a Danny-induced multiple orgasm, and a bit of dodgy air-pressure.” She reached up on tiptoes to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Besides, there’s not a force nine gale or a category five hurricane that can rock my world anywhere close to the way you do it.”
Danny’s smile was as wide as she’d seen it for a long time, melting Hannah’s heart for the millionth time. How weird was it that a big, strong, confident man like Danny Simons still needed that tiny bit of reassurance that he was the centre of her universe?
Didn’t he realise he was her whole world, and so much more?
“How did I ever get so lucky as to snag a guy like you, hmm?” She grinned.
“A drop-dead gorgeous sex-God, do you mean?” He laughed.
“A drop-dead gorgeous sex-God, with a body made for sin, a heart of pure gold, and a mind that still keeps challenging me, every damn day.” She corrected him. “As well as the best husband and father on the planet, in my humble opinion.”
She could see the mist appear in Danny’s eyes.
“Honey, if I’m the best, it’
s because that’s what you bring out in me.” His arms tightened around her. “You deserve nothing but the best, and I know there’s a queue of potential suitors a mile long, still waiting for me to fuck-up. That makes me work as hard as I can, every day, to be everything you deserve. I’m not giving up the number one spot for anything.”
“There’ll never be anyone who can compete with you, Danny.” Hannah’s smile faded as she realised he was serious. “You’re it for me, baby. Every good thing in my life is because of you. I’ll never forget that, and I’ll never take it for granted.”
Danny stared down at her with so much love, Hannah wished they were somewhere private, so they could finish the conversation with actions not words.
“Do you reckon Tuck would let us borrow his jet for the week?” Danny wondered, his eyes shining. “Maybe your mom could have the kids, and we could just fly around the world a couple of times, non-stop? Maybe have sex every two thousand miles? My dick would probably drop off by the time we landed, and you’d probably have friction burns, but it would be so worth it.”
And Danny was back!
“I’m sure they’d both be fine with that.” She smiled. “But talking about the kids, can we get this meeting over with, so we can go home to them? Lily needs a new costume for her school play, and I promised I’d have it finished by tomorrow.”
“Look at you…!” Danny exclaimed. “Re-routing satellites, organising multiple agency assault teams, and now you’re telling me you can sew? Is there no end to your talents? Nothing you can’t do?”
“She can’t give us a progress report if she’s standing in her own office, when we’re still waiting for her in here!” David Roan’s voice interrupted them from JT’s doorway. “Unless she plans on yelling, maybe?”
Hannah chuckled, grabbing Danny’s hand, and leading him down the corridor. She was aware that he and JT had exchanged a few unpleasant words this week, so now was a good time to get them all back on an even keel.
“Patience is a virtue, gentlemen. Although, from the sounds of things, it’s not one that either of you possess.” Hannah grinned as she walked past David and flopped onto JT’s sofa. “So, waddayawanna know?”