Diamond Days (Born Bratva Book 6)

by Suzanne Steele

  No, this wasn’t good. Now they had a name and may already have an address. He would have to move and do it quickly.

  How the hell did they find out about his chocolate?

  He must have gotten careless and left a wrapper behind during his most recent visit to see his little bird. Well, there would be no more of that, then. He would miss watching her undress, his binoculars capturing even the smallest detail. There was something exhilarating about spying on a woman. Stripping her of her beautiful innocence gave him a sense of power. They hadn’t even met but he knew every detail of her body, from the dimples at the base of her spine to the fact that her nipples were a lovely shade of pink. Like perfect little morsels of candy. Knowing he was defiling her without her knowledge, simply because he could, always got him hard. Now that fucking brother of his had even taken that away from him.

  It wasn’t fair. Alexander Glazov got all that was good in the world. He was lucky to get a few scraps from the table. All that was about to change, though.

  He hadn’t been afraid of Glazov up until now. He had thought he had the upper hand, but he had underestimated his brother and the tenacity of the people who work for him.

  A fucking candy wrapper was going to be his undoing. How typical.

  No way was a lifetime of planning going to be undone by his addiction to chocolate. He wouldn’t allow that to happen. He was too close to getting the woman who would set him free -- and rule by his side.

  He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. He needed to think. When he glanced over and saw a woman staring at him from her van, he gave her the finger and sped down the road toward his house. That damn brother of his was messing everything up—again. He hated him. He was going to crush him, wrench everything away from him and leave him a cold and empty shell of a man.

  Glazov would have to learn to live with the same pain he had learned to live with. If he let Glazov live at all. Hmm. Now that was something to think about.

  Piece by piece, he was going to tear Alexander Glazov’s world apart and turn it to dust.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The crack of gunfire sent birds scattering from tree limbs. Nothing said romance like an hour of target practice out in the middle of nowhere – or as far into the middle of nowhere as it was possible to be on the Bratva compound. Oleg and Natasha had decided on an hour of target practice to ensure they were ready for a firefight, should it come to that.

  “Hey, Oleg, you ever notice how silent the woods are after the sound of a gunshot? Everything scatters and the only thing that’s left behind is an eerie stillness.”

  Oleg shook his head ruefully. “You really do think of the weirdest shit, girl. Where’s your ear protection gear, anyway?”

  “It’s why you love me, and I don’t see the point in using protective gear that I won’t have out in the real world.” She ignored Oleg’s scowl and continued, “We should have told the old guy at the store not to say anything about us looking for Maverick.”

  “That would have raised his suspicion. The way we handled it was fine. We kept it easy, you know, like a normal, everyday conversation. The last thing we want to do is attract attention and have this guy run before your father can kill him.”

  “I don’t know if the stupid son of a bitch has the sense to run. Do you think he’s really my father’s half-brother? This is the exact reason my father won’t tolerate infidelity in marriage among our cell. It causes drama, which is a distraction, and he says it messes with the Bratva blood lines when you’ve got kids outside of your marriage.”

  “I don’t think he has any ties to your father. He’s just a delusional, sick fuck who is jealous of your father and obsessed with your mother. The problem is, the fucker believes it himself, probably because somebody told him that’s the way it was. Such waste. It’s a shame, really; poor fuck doesn’t realize he’s messing with a dangerous man.”

  “We need to get eyes on him.”

  “I don’t want just my eyes on him. I want my hands around his throat, squeezing until I wring his last breath from his body. But I will save that honor for your father.”

  “I like it when you have your hands around my neck.”

  “Woman. Do not distract me. I need to think of nothing but tracking this man down like the dog he is.”

  “The way you hunted me, you mean?”

  “I didn’t hunt you. I protected you – even though you were a shameless cock tease the entire time.”

  “Lapochka, you know yours is the only cock I want to tease. And such a nice, big, heavy cock it is, too...”

  With a growl low in his throat, he turned toward her and started walking. She waited until he was close enough to reach out a hand for her, then she took off running with Oleg close behind her.

  “Okay, now I’m hunting you, Roksana. You’re going to get it now, girl.”

  She tore through the woods and he gave chase, but eventually made a big deal of telling her he was giving up and returning to the SUV. While he doubled back to the vehicle, he plotted a suitable punishment for her naughtiness, only to have her run right into his arms and wrap all four limbs around him like a little monkey. He squeezed her tightly and took her down to the forest floor.

  “Awful nice of you to wear a skirt today. I do love easy access.”

  He lay on his side next to her and unzipped his pants. As she ran the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip, he made a show of pulling his cock out and slowly stroking it, giving special attention to the bell end where a drop of pre-cum glistened.

  “Sometimes I think you want us to get caught having sex in a public place. I think you like the idea of having an audience,” Roksana mused aloud, her eyes riveted to the sight of her husband pleasuring himself.

  “The fear of being caught only adds to the allure. And a fantasy is one thing, but having an audience would mean that someone other than me would see this,” he said as he unbuttoned the front of her top, exposing her lacy lingerie. “Or this,” he added as he possessively cupped the apex between her thighs. “And I will not allow another man to look upon you.”

  He jerked his tie loose as he rose up onto his knees. He easily held her by her wrists, wrapping the length of fabric around them to secure her as he settled in between her legs.

  “You better not leave me out here, Oleg. I’ll kill you if you do.”

  He pushed up and into her, ignoring her threats. The snug fit caused a rush of pleasure at the base of his spine that stole his breath at first, so much so that he would not allow himself to move for fear of losing all control and ending this interlude before it had even begun. Roksana was always so tight, even as her body adjusted to his size.

  She felt the orgasm bearing down on her from just the sensation of being so thoroughly filled. Maybe Oleg was right, maybe there was something about fucking in public that turned her on.

  As Oleg began to move inside her, he was overwhelmed by the urge to take Roksana and mark her, inside and out. He was driven by a primal desire to spill his seed deep within her…to see her belly swollen with his son. His mind conjured a vivid image of a life taking hold in Roksana’s womb, and it sent Oleg into what amounted to a mating frenzy. He used his arms and his torso to hold her in place like a damn caveman, his cock pounding into her at a punishing pace.

  She felt the change come over him and didn’t question it, simply ground her hips into his, driving him inside even deeper. Her pussy craved the sweet contact as his cock moved in long, lush slides along her slick inner walls. Without warning, her thighs clenched and her belly fluttered with a thousand butterflies – telltale signs that an orgasm was imminent.

  They found their release together. He groaned in triumph as his cock pulsed with seemingly endless jets of cum. Her inner walls clenched around his length, pulling his essence ever deeper within her womb.

  It was with great reluctance that they eventually straightened their clothes and returned to the SUV.

  “We need to find him, Oleg. Every day that b
astard is out there, my mother is in danger. I grew up expecting an attack from one of our established enemies, but this…this caught all of us totally off guard.”

  “We’ll find him,” he reassured her as he started the engine. “Failure is not an option; it never is. You know this.”

  “I don’t like the idea that this guy knows more about us than we do about him. What are we supposed to do? Wait around for him to try to kidnap my mother before we can do anything? By then it could be too late.”

  “You’re letting your emotions cloud your thinking, and that will get us both killed.” Without warning, he wrapped his hand around her neck, squeezing the slim column of her neck as he squared his jaw. “Woman, you were born Bratva, so act like it. We can’t afford any fuck-ups.” He released her abruptly and pulled onto the road that would lead them home.

  “You know what?” She asked as they neared the main residence. “You just gave me an idea.”

  Oleg glanced over at her with narrowed eyes. He returned his attention to the road with a scowl as he ran their conversation through his mind, word by word. Suddenly he exhaled and shot her an impatient glance as he began to white-knuckle the steering wheel. Sometimes being intimate enough with someone to be able to read their mind was a real bitch.

  Fuck it. He didn’t like what she was thinking one damn bit, but trying to change his wife’s mind once she got something in her head was nigh impossible. His best bet was to let her do what she had in mind. At least that way he could keep her safe.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Killing the man in the store had been unplanned but, in hindsight, far more exciting than he would have anticipated. He had wondered if he might have lost his touch wielding a knife, but it had all come back to him. He guessed it was a lot like riding a bike, once you learned how to handle a knife the knowledge never left you. It had been exhilarating to watch the old man’s eyes fill with fear and then seeing the life leave them as his body slumped to the floor.

  He looked over at the television while he made a sandwich at the kitchen counter. The evening news anchor was reporting on the man’s death. Well, that didn’t take long.

  The police were treating it as a robbery gone wrong but he knew better. Only he understood that it was so much more than that. Maybe the occasional killing would help him fill the time as he waited for the perfect opportunity to execute his plan.

  He still hadn’t decided if he would kill her. At first, he had been quite against the idea, but the more she allowed the monster’s depravity to sully her body and soul, the more he was warming to the idea. And the agony it would bring his brother did make the thought more tempting. But he knew perfectly well that, although he might fantasize about it, he doubted he would go through with it because of the spell she had unknowingly cast on him. She was a goddess who had claimed his soul. When it came to her, he lost all ability to think rationally.

  He couldn’t wait until the day Kathleen would gaze at him and call out his name with need. Once she understood all he had given up for her, only then would she truly appreciate his sacrifice. Even the man he had killed this morning had been an offering, a sacrifice, for her.

  By tomorrow the robbery would be old news. The old man would be just another statistic. Polite society would chalk it up to some junkie robbing a convenience store, and life would go on. Things like that always happened to ‘other people’ or so the public liked to think. It was what made people feel safe. But she was the only thing that would ever make him feel safe.

  He wouldn’t be able to bring her back here now. He would have to leave before they found him. He would need to find another place, remote enough that her screams wouldn’t be heard. Perhaps he would rent a place on the river. It bothered him that he was being inconvenienced like this. He had gone to so much trouble to make sure everything here was perfect for her arrival.

  He consoled himself with the thought that it didn’t matter where he took her. The only thing that mattered was they would be together for eternity. He pulled on his coat and headed out the door. He needed to hurry if his plan was going to work.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Woman! Have you lost your damn mind?” Glazov bellowed in a voice that made the kitchen staff cringe as they prepared dinner on the ground floor.

  “Maybe I have,” Kathleen retorted scathingly, hands on her hips. “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder and seeing twice as many men in my security detail as the annoying number you usually insist follow me around wherever I go. If it’s me he wants, then put me to use!” she yelled as she jabbed a finger in his chest, too fired up to notice the deadly calm that came over him at the angry contact.

  “This is the perfect way to draw him out into the open. Hell, Glazov, even if the guy did kidnap me, you wouldn’t have any trouble finding me. In case you’ve forgotten,” she shouted as she yanked the collar of her robe off one shoulder, “you’ve microchipped me like I’m a damn pet. Hell, any veterinarian in town could find out who I belong to!”

  “Damn, bro,” Novak said as he cleared his throat. “You’re serious about keeping eyes on your woman.”

  “Like you aren’t, Novak. And put your clothes back on!” Glazov bellowed at Kathleen again, with a sidelong look at his cousin, who certainly knew better than to look at Kathleen while she had any skin exposed. “You’re just as obsessive about Katrina.”

  “True. Maybe I’ll put a tracking device in her too, or just threaten her with it. Looks like it promises to be the kind of fiery conversation I can really sink my teeth into.”

  “You don’t have a reason to go to such lengths. No one’s out there perving on your wife. Be glad,” Glazov muttered as he straightened Kathleen’s robe, his hands jerking angrily as he tugged the sash tightly around her waist. From there, he crossed to the big, bay window. He scrubbed his hands over his face, taking ragged, deep breaths as he considered the merits of finally collaring his woman the way he’d originally intended to all those years ago. Veterinarian, my ass.

  “Don’t need a fuckin’ reason,” Novak shot back. “My reason is she’s my woman and that’s all the reason I need.”

  “Point taken. That’s why I put the tracker in my wife. Now I’m wondering if that’s enough to keep proper tabs on her.”

  “You. Wouldn’t.” Kathleen glared at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. It had been years since he’d last brought it up, but it didn’t take a genius to follow Glazov’s one-track mind when it came to submission. Collar, my ass.

  “Wouldn’t. I.”

  “Whatever,” Kathleen said as nonchalantly as she could manage. “You’re both rabbit trailing. You should get back on track.”

  “I don’t care how you present the idea. I will not use my wife as bait.”

  “What about me, Father? Will you use me?”

  “I will not use any of the women in my life as bait,” Glazov fumed as he turned away from the window and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes landing on his cousin, who was looking entirely too smug. “How about we put a red wig on you, Novak? Maybe a push-up bra and some heels. Not too much, though. I’d keep it tasteful.”

  “That shit’s never going to happen.” Fucker…

  Glazov directed his next question to his daughter, Roksana, who had entered the room toward the end of the collar discussion. “Did you get a definite location on him?”

  “No. Just that it’s in the Kenilworth Road area. We had Dmitriy pull up a map for us. There’s not a large population in that area. It’s just a small, suburban neighborhood. He’s clever, it’s not the sort of place where we would have typically looked.”

  Glazov strode to his desk and opened the center drawer. He pulled a picture out of the drawer, sliding it over in Roksana and Oleg’s direction. “This is a picture of my father. I’d be willing to bet he looks a lot like him, even if only by chance.”

  “We don’t know if this guy is even your brother,” Oleg said with a frown as he looked at the picture and handed it to Roksana. “If he is
n’t, then it would, of course, be less likely that he would favor your father. Roksana might be right about using her as a lure. She can dress like Kathleen and with that red hair it will throw him off, maybe buy us a little time. Put a tracker in the hem of her shirt sleeve, or in her purse or something and we can track the guy.”

  At Glazov’s icy glare, Oleg shook his head. “I know, Pakhan. I don’t like it either, but with the way this guy is off the grid, it’s the only way we’re going to find him. We must bring him out of hiding or he’s going to catch us off guard again. And Roksana has been trained for something like this. No offense, Mrs. Glazov,” he finished contritely.

  “‘Mom’ will do nicely, Oleg,” she said, smiling as his cheeks heated.

  “The only issue with that,” Glazov responded, “is how he’ll react when he finds out he kidnapped the wrong person?”

  “Hold on a minute.” Roksana turned toward the small television that was mounted in a corner of the ceiling, holding her hand up for quiet as she listened to the reporter’s story on a murder in a small Russian import store. “Too late; he’s already caught us off guard.”

  Chapter Twenty One

  Waves lapped against the small fishing boat that was tied to the dock. The rhythmic sound soothed his frayed nerves as he studied his surroundings.

  It was perfect.

  The small fishing cabin was in a remote wooded area where there would be no threat of nosey neighbors with their incessant questions and prying eyes. He knew it was the perfect place as soon as he saw the old man lift a ground-level door that led down to a ‘root cellar’, which was just little more than an underground space with a dirt floor. Probably built for bad storms or maybe storing canned goods. Whatever intentions someone else may have had for the room, his plans were far more ominous.