by K. J. Dahlen
A solitary door opened from the second vehicle and two underbosses and Piotr Petrov got out.
“Viktor,” he greeted me. “It’s been a long time.”
“Not long enough,” I responded.
“Oh Viktor, you don’t mean that. You’re part of the family. You always have been,” Boss Petrov smiled greedily, probably counting all the malicious ways that I’d made him a rich and secure man over the years.
“I’m calling in my favor, Pakhan.” I said the words clearly and loudly, hoping that all the men had heard me call it in.
Boss just shook his head. “You know it doesn’t work like that, Viktor. The favor is good for one moment, for one person only. It doesn’t encompass everything.”
“Then let Anya go safely. That’s my favor.”
He thought about it, his eyes narrowing. “I’ll consider it, but that means that you’re mine. You’re mine, Viktor. A weapon to use as I see fit.”
“No!”
I heard Anya’s voice somewhere behind me. I seethed. Could she not follow one order once in her life? “Anya, get back in the car.”
She walked up next to me, clasping my hand in hers. “We’re married. You cannot sell me to the highest bidder, nor ransom me, nor have me for yourself. I’m Viktor’s. I belong to him. I’ve lain with him. I carry his child.”
I looked at her, stunned. Was this a game? Suddenly I was overcome with the desire for it to be real, to see her swollen with my child. To see her pregnant, take care of her. To hold our son or daughter. I wanted it more than I’d wanted anything before.
Boss Petrov didn’t notice my look of surprise since he was staring at Anya. “It cannot be.”
“It is. So even if you shoot Viktor now, everyone will still realize that I’m damaged goods when my belly grows full with our child.”
I realized she was right. Petrov was in a tough spot now. He couldn’t ransom her to Ramone, if not only had Pakhan let his underboss marry her he’d also knocked her up.
She was a genius. I could call in my favor to have her be unharmed. “Anya goes free.”
“No,” she said quietly. Then in a much louder voice, she called out to Boss Petrov and the man in the vehicle. “Viktor has called in his favor to protect himself. You will let him leave, let him out of this… family… forever. He’s worked hard for you. He will protect all your secrets—you know he will. I promise you he will never tell anyone, or this deal is void. In exchange, I will not go to Boss Ramone and tell him what you’ve done. For he is my—” She paused, gripping my hand. “Ramone is my family, and will be family to this baby. And Viktor and I will remember your mercy and grant you favor with Boss Ramone.”
I stared at her, disbelieving that she would try to negotiate with Petrov. I would be proud of her, if I didn’t want to spank her first.
She tossed her platinum hair, her voice cool. “Do we have a deal?”
Boss Petrov stared at us for a solid minute, probably running all the possible options. Then he gave a curt nod. “Da. The deal is done.”
I let out a sigh of relief after he turned his back, positioning myself in front of Anya in case the deal suddenly went south or he reconsidered. But he didn’t. He got in the SUV and drove away with the three other vehicles. Not a single drop of blood had been spilled, not a gun been fired.
It was too easy.
I turned to Anya. “You little fool.”
But I couldn’t stay mad after what she’d just pulled. I caught her up in my arms, swung her high while she laughed. When her feet were back on the ground, I pulled her tight and kissed her. “You are a fool. But you just saved our lives.”
She smiled back, eyes shining. “Now there’s just one problem.”
“I know. We have to contact Boss Ramone and convince him of the same deal.” I was already thinking of ways we could do this where she wouldn’t be placed in any danger.
“No,” she interrupted my thoughts, tugging on my arm. “You have to get me pregnant.”
A rush of blood when instantly into my cock, straining against my jeans. “I’m sorry?”
“Well, I’m not really pregnant yet, I think.” She blushed. “But we can’t let them know that. You have to get me pregnant. And quickly.”
Anya was my wife. And she’d just saved my life. The only thing I had left to do was have sex with her? Repeatedly? Until she grew pregnant?
Yeah, I think I could do that for the rest of my life.
I was still in an utter state of shock that this could actually be playing out this well, this seamlessly. “I can’t believe it’s done. It’s over. Not more watching behind our backs, no more protective custody.”
The truth was that I didn’t really believe it. But she seemed so pleased with herself that I couldn’t bring her down.
She laughed. “So I can leave the house?”
“I think that could be arranged.” I pulled her close, breathing in her fruity scent and burying my face in her hair. “I definitely think that could be arranged.”
We shared a long, searing kiss. Then she looked up at me. “Where to?”
“We go to the mall,” I said, incredulously.
She smiled at me and we drove to the mall, where she bought every piece of clothing under the sun until the car was full and we had to come back later to pick up the rest.
Anya was happy and it felt like we were a real couple. Except that her and I both knew this was just to satisfy the mob. Our story wasn’t done yet. I still had no idea how she really felt about me, or if she understood that this was now the rest of our lives.
We could never get that divorce, we could never split up, never change our minds. I’m not sure that she’d fully realized that yet and I couldn’t help feeling like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
17
Anya
Viktor was at work and the house was empty, but I no longer felt like a prisoner. I could come and go as I wanted, buying as many clothes and trinkets that I could. I felt like Cinderella in this big house, spending my husband’s money, but he assured me that it’s what he wanted. It felt a little bit like I was being bribed, but I didn’t mind. I knew it was his way of saying that he wanted me happy. Viktor wasn’t a man of many words, so he did his best to show me and I was just fine with that.
Gleefully, I noted the address of the antiquarian bookshop I’d just been looking up. I wanted to buy my husband a gift, and in some ways he was very easy to buy for. I stepped out onto the front stoop and walked into the first black car that I saw. After I’d gotten in, I noticed that it was the same driver that had approached me the last time.
I froze. Was he really a federal agent, undercover or something? Obviously if he were, Viktor didn’t know about it. I would be betraying him by not saying anything about my last conversation with the driver, but at that point I didn’t fully trust Viktor either.
I didn’t know what to do, what to say. Would I incriminate Viktor or myself by saying anything at all? Or risk the force of the law, myself? Maybe he worked for Ramone or Petrov, and this was a trap. Or he worked for Viktor, and this was a test.
Either way, I decided that if he kept his mouth shut, then so should I.
After we were on the interstate, he opened his mouth. “Are you being held against your will?”
I sighed. “No, I’m Viktor’s wife.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, ma’am. Are you being held against your will?”
“Absolutely not. I want to be here. I want to be with Viktor.” And that was the truth, I realized.
I did want to be with Viktor. I think I’d always wanted to be with him. He was brave, and honest, and kind. Sometimes, he was even almost sweet in his affection, at least lately. I could tell he wanted me, and that was enough for me right now.
The driver cleared his throat, interrupting my reverie. “The offer still stands, miss. We’re going to take down your husband with or without your help. It might not be a bad idea to be on this side of the law as opposed to t
he other side.”
“Are you threatening me?” I asked, coldly.
“Not at all, ma’am. Just letting you know that we’re bringing down the force of the American government on his head. We’re just biding our time right now, but his time here is coming to a close. And then you’ll be a widow with a mafia baby. They’ll fight over territory again, this peace will be over, and one of the sides will force you into the ‘family business’, and will force your child.”
My hand unwittingly went to my belly. I didn’t know if I was actually with child yet, but I hoped so. I wanted Viktor’s baby, wanted that closeness and security of our family. “Viktor will kill you before he’ll let that happen.”
“I don’t think that’s the way it’ll go, you see? I think he’ll give up without a fight, especially when we tell them that we have you in custody and that we’ll make sure you go down with him if he doesn’t give himself up.”
I gasped. “You wouldn’t do that. I’ve not been part of this at all. I’m innocent, and so is my child. And Viktor has moved on. He’s finally out of the mafia.”
“Good, then he can confess and we can put Piotr Petrov behind bars in his place.”
“We can’t do that.” I twisted my hands together. “It would nullify the deal that we made and our lives would be in danger again. Can’t we just talk to someone about this?”
“Unfortunately not. This is a one-time only offer that I’m offering to you. My superiors don’t even know that I’m offering it. I just have a weakness for a pretty face, and I’d hate for you to get caught up in this mess.”
Was this guy deranged? Was he seriously trying to hit on me right now, after threatening my husband and family? “I’d like the name of your superiors, please.”
He stayed quiet.
Unease filled me. It did seem weird that he was offering me some kind of ‘deal’ that even his superiors didn’t know about? That didn’t seem like the military that I had learned about. They had chains of command, protocols. It’s what made them different than Russian politics.
When I looked out the window, I noticed that we were driving by the exits we should have turned off on. “Where are you taking me?”
He didn’t answer.
Now I was scared.
I thought about Viktor. He didn’t know I had left the house or where I’d gone. The last few days, I’d used my new freedom to leave during the day to shop or grab dinner for us. He wouldn’t think it odd. He wouldn’t know I had disappeared until it was too late.
Stealthily, I slid my cellphone out of my pocket. It only had one number in it, so luckily I just had to hit one button and it was dialing. When I saw the timer pull up, I knew the call had connected and I started to talk before the voice on the other end could.
“Where are you taking me? I know we’ve passed the exits for the mall so I know you’re not driving me there in this car.”
Again, I received no answer. But at least I’d gotten Viktor the information he hopefully needed to find me.
I prayed that he would find me in time.
18
Viktor
I heard the words on the other end, heard the strain in her voice.
My whole world suddenly just crashed around me. For a moment, I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Then my training kicked in.
I logged into my laptop, triangulated her call until I knew approximately where she’d been at the time of the call and where she must be going. I assumed she’d taken one of my cars, and I silently seethed that one of my drivers had done this. Who had betrayed me in such a fashion?
I jogged down the stairs to the basement ramp and found my car. I peeled out of the lot, stalking them at ninety miles per hour on the interstate. Whoever had her, he’d never get away with this.
The dots on my phone’s map, echoed on the screen in the dashboard, edged closer together slowly. I knew I was catching up, but the panic in me made me feel as though I was practically walking instead of speeding in an expensive car.
I caught up with them just as they were turning off, breathing a sigh of relief. At least I had my eye on the car, now. That was something—for now, but not for long. I needed to see Anya. And I needed to kick the shit out of whoever was behind the wheel.
They pulled off onto a deserted highway until we got to a trailer in the middle of nowhere. I tailed them carefully, with my headlights off, driving a steady distance behind so they wouldn’t see me coming. I wished I had a way of getting Anya a message but didn’t want to risk that her phone was on and the driver would hear it ding.
Finally, they parked. I caught the gleam of her hair in the security floodlight as a tall man with a crew cut tugged her along the driveway. My heart stopped, then started again as he pulled her toward on their way to the trailer. I floored it, pulling in just before they reached the door.
I got out, my gun trained on the driver.
“Let her go.”
Looking irritated but not nearly fucking scared enough, he paused but didn’t release her. “I can’t. She’s my ticket out of here.”
“I can get you whatever you need. You don’t need to harm her.” I assured the man that I could get him out, and I would. I didn’t even really care what his deal was. I would do anything to save her.
“You don’t understand,” the man shouted, his grip tightening on Anya. “I can’t just leave. Now the government and the mafia are after me. She’s the only one that can save me at this point. I’ll give her to the agency that will protect me the most. I’ll be free.”
Okay, now I cared what his deal was, and his deal was done.
I closed one eye, and shot without a second breath. I heard Anya scream as he went down. I rushed to her side, grabbing her before she could faint. “Anya, it’s over. You’re safe.”
“B-But, he’s….” She was stammering, shaking.
“Go wait in the car. I’ll take care of this.”
She walked shakily over to my car and got in, looking away from the window as I took care of the scene and made it look like a suicide.
I’d done it before, but now I felt truly dirty as I covered up my crime. Overcome by nausea, I felt a cold sheen of sweat on my body. Fuck. I was getting too old for this. For the first time I felt tainted, as though Anya had gifted me with some of her purity. All I had to give her in exchange was a dubious past and an uncertain future.
By the time I got back into the vehicle, she was going into shock. I drove as fast as I could to get her home and away from all of this.
Things might not be the same for us after this. It was one thing to understand that I was in the mafia, but quite another to witness a killing in cold blood and watch me do my job—the job I’d been trained to do. Before, I could argue that I’d killed, but that I wasn’t a killer. It didn’t define me. But now I reeled from the stain of it on my soul.
As soon as I found a gas station, I went in and got her a cup of hot, strong, sugary tea. She was no longer shaking, but she was still pale. My black leather jacket was spread over her lap, and her fingers twisted the zipper nervously.
“Dobryj dyen.”
Her shy thanks reminded me of our first meeting, at the airport. Had she known what she knew now, perhaps she would have run the other way. Maybe she still should. For myself, I was both hopelessly in love with her and hopelessly no good for her.
“Vitayo.” My voice was gruff, almost hoarse.
“This reminds me of home,” she said after a few more sips.
I simply nodded.
“Thank you, Viktor. You are good to me.”
At that, I nearly ran us off the road. “What?” I shot her an incredulous look. “I just killed a man!”
“For me. You killed him for me. I knew you’d come for me.”
Her confidence in me made my heart swell so big it felt as though my ribs would crack from the pressure. “I killed him for me, printsessa. I’m not a hero.”
“I don’t agree.” Carefully, she placed her cup in the console.
>
We would not come to terms on this point. It was pointless to argue further. “Anya, don’t you realize how lucky you were?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Her voice wavered, and when I looked over her eyes were filling with tears. Hands shaking again. “He was your driver, how was I supposed to know?”
That was what infuriated me the most. He’d worked for me, or worked for someone who worked for me. Either way, I was ultimately responsible for what happened—or almost happened—to my wife. “You couldn’t have known,” I assured her.
“But I did.” Her voice was so soft, I almost didn’t hear it.
I froze. “What are you talking about?”
“I think he was a federal agent. He talked to me before, asking if I was being kept against my will. He offered to help me.”
Dear god in heaven. “Before? Before today?” And she hadn’t told me?
I glanced over to see her tentative nod. The remainder of her tea splashed on the gearshift as I suddenly veered off the road onto the shoulder.
“Viktor!”
With a click and a thunk, I was out of the car and throwing up on the side of the turnpike. I bent over, my hands on my thighs.
Unmanned.
19
Anya
I hadn’t seen Viktor since he put me in bed at home and left me. I’d been shocked, frightened, and then relieved when Viktor had come to save me. He had saved me without a second thought. Hadn’t thought about his safety, what could happen, or even why I was in trouble. He’d just reacted and saved us both.
But then he’d disappeared, leaving me to my own thoughts. And I couldn’t even try to discern his thoughts, since he wouldn’t look me in the eye.
I’d had enough of it, so I went to his office. The elevator was quiet, the ding subdued. I was glad that the office was empty than it had been the last time. Only the receptionist was there, packing up to leave for the night. I assured her that I knew where I was going and headed into Viktor’s office. His light was still on but his head was down, his hands scratching his head.