by Nic Saint
Joanna knew this moment would come, and she’d feared it as much as she had yearned for it. A part of her had hoped they would go their separate ways after the episode that had done so much to change her life. She loved him, and perhaps he loved her, but that still didn’t make it right that he’d done those horrible things in his past.
He’d been a Mafia don’s main enforcer, and she couldn’t even begin to contemplate the kind of violence he’d inflicted. She had only to think of the night he’d shown up at her house, sledgehammer in hand, to know he was a bad man, and she should heed the still, small voice inside that said never to associate with him again.
Yes, they slept in the same bed, and she had nursed him back to health, but that didn’t mean he could simply have his way with her whenever he pleased. She’d postponed the dreaded moment, but now she could no longer put it off.
Pushing his hands away, she quietly stated, “We have to talk, Vitaly.”
“I know something else we have to do,” he muttered, sliding his hand along her back and pressing her against him. Oh, God, how much she wanted him—and how strongly she felt she needed to get away from him lest her body brought her deeper and deeper into this unholy association with a known killer.
Finally, she found the strength to resist him and pushed back against his chest. “No, Vitaly. I—I can’t.”
This time, he did stop, and glanced up with a look of surprise. And pain.
She quickly averted her gaze, not able to bear the hurt in his eyes. She had to be strong now, lest her future was destroyed as surely as Viktor’s bullet would have.
“I—I don’t think we should be together any longer. It—it’s just not right.”
There. She’d said it. Now if only she could keep away from him, she would be fine. Just fine.
CHAPTER 23
“You can’t be serious.”
His blood had turned to ice. He simply couldn’t believe she would do this to him. Not now, when he’d given up everything for her—risked his life to be with her.
“I am,” she confirmed, holding up her head in a gesture of defiance. “I know that you’re an honorable man, Vitaly, and I’ll always be grateful for what you did for me—how you helped me and saved my life. But the fact remains that you’re…”
He scowled, his temper rising. “That I’m what?”
She hitched up her shoulders, then dropped them. “You know what you are, Vitaly. You told me so yourself. No need to go into all that now. I’m sure you had your reasons to do what you did.”
He felt his heart constrict and balled his hands into fists. When she jerked back, he understood what lay at the heart of her sudden change of mind. Fear. She feared the stone cold killer that he was. More than anger, the sudden jerk elicited a desperation and sickening sense of gloom. He hung his head, his fingers relaxing, and lay back against the pillow. “You’re afraid of me.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Not… afraid,” she ventured. “Just…” She sighed, her hand lifting in a feeble gesture. “I just don’t think we have a future together, Vitaly. You’re a killer. I’m an English teacher. It’s just not in the cards.”
“Then why are you in my bed?”
“Fate has thrown us together for some reason. Don’t ask me why. It is fickle that way. I just know that I couldn’t justify being involved with a murderer, no matter how merciful he’s been to me.”
“I admit I haven’t been a choirboy, Joanna,” he intoned in his deep, rumbling voice. “I have hurt people, yes. I have been Yury’s enforcer for over a decade, and in that time I’ve broken bones, drawn blood and inflicted more pain than I care to remember, but…” He shook his head. “I’ve never killed a man who didn’t deserve it. I’ve never hit a woman. I’ve never laid a finger on a child. I’ve worked for an animal, that’s true, but I’ve always stopped myself from becoming one. If anything, I’ve protected people from Yury’s wrath.”
She eyed him curiously, seeing him in a whole new light. The man she’d seen for the first time looming up from the forest, bow and arrow in hand, had appeared like an avenger of old—a man poised to pounce on his enemies and slay them without mercy. Now, as he finally opened up about who he was and what he had done, she could see he was not the man she’d made him out to be.
“Are you telling me you’ve never killed?”
He shook his head slowly. “I won’t sit here and lie to you, Joanna. I have killed. But I want you to know that every man I’ve killed had it coming. I know you will find that hard to believe, yet is it the God’s honest truth. I’m not asking you to look at me and see an angel in human form, but I’m asking you to consider me a man of honor.”
When she turned away from him, he took her hand in his. “I’m not a monster, Joanna,” he said softly.
“I know,” she murmured, enjoying the feel of his calloused hand on hers, the warmth as he enveloped it within his strong fingers. She looked up and gave him a smile. “I know you’re not, Vitaly. It’s just that…”
She couldn’t explain it and felt she was doing him an injustice by failing to do so, but she couldn’t deny the strong abhorrence of violence she’d always felt. Her father had been involved in so many shady deals she’d turned away from him in disgust and hadn’t spoken to him in years. She simply couldn’t see herself getting involved with a man who went around breaking bones and spilling blood for the likes of Yury.
Quietly, she stood. “I think it’s best if we go our separate ways, Vitaly. I’m not the woman for you, and you’re not the man for me.”
And with those words, she silently stepped from the room, unable to look back at the man she left behind. And as she did so, she felt her heart breaking.
He watched her leave, his mood plummeting to the depths. And yet he understood. She was right. He was a killer, and he could hardly expect a woman of her caliber to learn to love him, knowing what he’d done in his past. It wasn’t as if he’d killed for his country. He was a soldier, yes, but the cause he’d vowed his allegiance to had been far from noble. A young man, he’d linked his lot with a Russian mobster, and now he was to face the consequences.
As devastating as her confession had been, it bore the mark of honesty and integrity, and he commended her for it. In fact, it made him love her even more. She was right to walk away from a life such as the one he’d led. He loved her and wished her something better than what he had to give.
He ground his teeth as he thought of the heartache he’d already caused her these past few days. No more, he vowed. He would see to it that she could be free once again, not a prisoner in Bogdan’s golden cage.
She would walk out of here, head held high and looking into a bright future if it was the last thing he did.
Slowly, he rose from the bed and walked over to the dresser where Bogdan had supplied him with a fresh set of clothes. As he got dressed, he knew what he had to do, and also knew from experience this purpose would fuel him—lend him the strength he needed. With the same single-minded focus he’d brought to his gruesome work, he strode from the room, leaving nothing but a small pile of bandages and the shattered hopes for a future alongside the woman he loved.
CHAPTER 24
Joanna returned from her nocturnal walk in the garden and lowered herself onto the very same bench Bogdan had been seated upon when she and Vitaly had made their wild dash to freedom. Ram lying at her feet, she closed her eyes, listening to the soft hooting of an owl in a nearby tree, wondering if life by Vitaly’s side would ever be as peaceful as this quiet scene. She dared say not. Once a killer, always a killer. He’d never lose that violent streak. It ran in his blood. She simply would never be at ease, she knew. Always looking over her shoulder, fearing some fiend from the past had returned to wreak his vengeance upon her husband.
Her husband. The thought of marrying Vitaly sent shivers running down her spine, and she drew her coat closer to her trembling frame, though she knew the sensation hadn’t been elicited by the coolness of the night but the though
t of sharing Vitaly’s life—Vitaly’s bed.
She sighed deeply. Why did she have to go and fall for a gangster? She, a nice girl from Lincoln who’d never hurt a fly, in love with a man who was the epitome of everything she’d always feared and abhorred.
A man of violence, he’d called himself, and he was exactly that. But she knew from experience he was also a man who could love deeply.
She sat back, her weary bones slumping, and when she heard a voice behind her, she didn’t look up.
“Nice night, isn’t it?”
“It is lovely. Did you just return?”
Bogdan joined her on the bench and lit a cigarette. “Yep. Meeting of the chamber of commerce. A snorefest, as usual.” He frowned as he took a long gasp. “Where’s Vitaly?”
She shrugged. “Upstairs in bed.”
“No, he’s not,” Bogdan returned. “I was just upstairs and your room is empty.”
“He must be around somewhere. He would never leave the house. As he told me so himself, it isn’t safe out there.”
“He’s right about that,” agreed Bogdan thoughtfully. “Though I might have some good news for you. I’ve been talking to a friend who’s in the business of making people disappear.”
She lifted her brow. “Another murderer?”
He eyed her a little strangely. “Not exactly. He works for the Government. Relocates people for the witness protection program. I explained to him your situation, and he says he could possibly spirit you out of here and provide you with a new set of identities.”
She looked up in surprise. “Bogdan. That would be wonderful. Do you think your friend could really arrange that?”
“I’m sure he could. He owes me one. Only problem? You wouldn’t have much choice in the matter. I mean, they only have so many places where they can relocate people to. You would have to accept what he offers. Which could be some Podunk hellhole in the middle of nowhereland.”
She shook her head enthusiastically. “I don’t care. I’ll take any place. Any place they have.” Then a thought struck her. “You don’t think we have to stay together, do you? I mean…” She wrung her hands, her private affairs really none of Bogdan’s business. “If at some point we decide to split, it wouldn’t pose a problem?”
He took a thoughtful puff from his gasper. “I shouldn’t think it would. People get divorced all the time, even couples in witness protection. Why? Do you anticipate a rift between yourself and Vitaly?”
She hesitated, then decided to plunge ahead. Over the course of the last few days, she’d grown quite fond of Bogdan. The man might be a gangster, but he had a kind heart. “I don’t think Vitaly and I are really suited for each other, Bogdan. I mean…”
He nodded. “You object to his violent past.”
She was surprised at how easily he’d grasped her point. “Exactly! I mean, he is a killer, and even though I care for him a great deal, I just don’t see us staying together.”
He leaned back, swinging up his leg, so it rested on his knee. “I’ve known Vitaly for over a decade now, and he certainly is a killer.” He glanced over at her, and his voice softened. “Can I tell you something personal, Joanna?”
“Of course.”
“I’ve never seen Vitaly quite like this before. He’s really in love with you, you know? Heart and soul smitten to the core. And for what it’s worth, I think you’ve made him a better man already.”
“I don’t know about that,” she murmured.
“Well, I do. We’ve been friends for a long time, Vitaly and me, and this is the first time I’ve ever known him to be in love.”
She gestured helplessly. “So am I. But…” She worried the convoluted tresses dangling down her shoulder as she stared up at the stars, then closed her eyes, pained by the memory of the man she’d given her heart to. “He’s a monster, Bogdan,” she whispered. “How could I ever give myself to him?”
“He’s not a monster, Joanna. Not by a long shot.” The soft urgency in his voice had her open her eyes and look into the kind, bearded face. “He’s one of the most honorable men I know.”
“But he works for the mob.”
“An unfortunate choice of a troubled young man. Over the years, he’s grown and matured into a man of honor in a dishonorable profession. In spite of what anyone says about him, Joanna, know this: Vitaly has never—“
“—killed a man who didn’t deserve it. I know. He told me. But what does that mean? No one deserves to die. We have a justice system in this country that leaves no room for people who take the law into their own hands.”
She realized it might seem naive to a man like Bogdan, but she still said it, for it was what she believed deep in her heart. If people started meting out their own brand of vengeance society would crumble and soon chaos and the law of the jungle would take over.
Bogdan merely shook his head. “You have the wrong idea about Vitaly.”
“That may be so, but he has done little to convince me otherwise.”
Just then, Bogdan’s phone chimed, and with an annoyed grunt, he picked up.
She returned her gaze to the stars, Bogdan’s words ringing in her ears. Vitaly was an honorable man in a most dishonorable profession. Words. Mere words.
Bogdan’s gasp had her look up, and when his eyes grew round as saucers, and his jaw drooped, she felt an icy hand clutch around her heart. Even without knowing what had happened, she knew with a sickening certainty it involved Vitaly.
When Bogdan finally lowered the phone and spoke the fateful words, her fears were borne out by the facts. “Vitaly’s gone and kidnaped Yana and Tatyana. He’s taken them hostage and is holed up in a hotel downtown, refusing to return them until his demands are met.”
Her heart beating a mile a minute, she breathed, “What are his demands?”
Bogdan’s face betrayed his strong emotion. “That you be granted safe passage and immunity.”
CHAPTER 25
There wasn’t a hair on his head that doubted how this would end for him, thought Vitaly with a grimace. Badly. After he’d left Bogdan’s house, he’d first wandered around, figuring out whether to simply barge into Yury’s place and put a knife to the man’s throat, demanding he let Joanna go and allow her to live her life in peace.
He’d immediately rejected the cockamamie plan out of hand as mere suicide. His men would never allow him to get near Yury. Though a handful of them would be loyal to him, a single trigger-happy fool would be enough to put an end to that particular mission.
No, he couldn’t risk torpedoing the only chance Joanna might have to flee Lincoln. Then it had dawned on him there was only one solution, and he’d set foot for the hospital, where he hoped Yana would still convalesce.
Arriving there, the two men Yury had posted at the door had turned a blind eye when Vitaly asked to say goodbye to the woman he’d grown to look upon as a baby sister. Once inside, he’d merely told her he needed her help, and she’d accepted to follow along with his plan after hearing him out.
Yana might be as stuck-up as her sister at times, she was a good kid at heart, and as she’d dismissed the guard detail, sending them both on separate errands, he’d wheeled her out of there without a problem. Then he’d had a stroke of luck. Arriving at ground level, Yana had spotted her sister arriving with Ruslan for visiting hour and had beckoned them over.
Moments later, they’d arrived in Ruslan’s car at the hotel, and he’d made the phone call to Bogdan, asking him to be his negotiator. All he needed now was a call from Yury, confirming that in exchange for his daughters, he would forget he’d ever laid eyes on Joanna Royale.
It wasn’t a bad deal, as deals go, Vitaly reckoned, and he was fairly certain Yury would agree. After that, Vitaly’s life was over, of course, but that was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make in return for Joanna’s life.
He paced the floor of the hotel room nervously while Yana watched a dating show on TV and Tatyana and Ruslan played a game of Angry Birds. He glanced over to the young people
and wondered when Ruslan would finally reveal his true feelings to the girl he’d loved for ages now. He knew it wasn’t his place to decide, but he couldn’t help thinking back to Spartak, and how Yury had reacted to finding out the man’s affections for Yana.
Back at the hospital, Yana had told him she hated her father—hated him so much for what he had done to Spartak that she wished he was dead.
God, so much bad blood, and all because of one man. Perhaps he should simply have killed Yury and get it over with. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t simply murder a man in cold blood, not even a savage like Yury. Not unless he was provoked and induced to kill or be killed himself. It was his code and had been regardless of Yury’s ridicule over the years. An enforcer with a code. What a joke.
His men respected him, though, and so did his enemies. The only one who’d never respected him was his own employer, it seemed.
As the minutes ticked by, he flipped his phone in his hand, willing it to ring with the reassuring message that Yury had agreed to his terms. When it finally did ring, however, it wasn’t Bogdan with the good news, but Joanna.
“Vitaly! What do you think you’re doing?”
He stiffened, the tone in her voice betraying both concern and upset. “I’m doing the only thing possible. The only thing that will give you your life back, Joanna.”
“I don’t need you to do anything for me. I can take care of myself perfectly fine.”
“Oh?” Anger rendered him monosyllabic.
“Yes. In fact, the perfect solution was just handed to us on a silver platter by Bogdan.”
As she explained the witness protection scheme to him, his face hardened. “Yury has ways of finding out the identity of anyone in that program, Joanna. He would still find you and come after you.”
She was silent for a beat, then said, “This is a suicide mission, isn’t it?”
The question startled him, and he started muttering a vehement denial of the ridiculous charge when he realized she’d spoken the truth. “It doesn’t matter,” he finally offered. “As long as you are safe, that is all that matters.”