by K. J. Dahlen
Sazon blew his breath out loudly. “So in order for you to claim anything, we need him to admit what he did and tell the world who you really are? Should be a piece of cake.”
Chapter Ten
“Come on baby,” Mikial urged her to her feet. “We need to get you something to eat.”
Pepper shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“Yes, you are,” Mikial insisted. “You aren’t going to let a man like Leon Knight take away your appetite. Your body needs something to digest.”
“He’s right,” Raven agreed. “I think we all need something to eat. Maybe we can use this downtime to think of something else to try.”
“I do need to call Sami and see how she’s doing,” Pepper remarked. She looked over at Yuri. “She’s still protected isn’t she?”
Yuri nodded. “She is. My man along with the police are watching over her.”
“Oh, good.” Pepper exhaled. “She got hurt because of me and I owe her for that.”
Mikial wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t think she blames you for it. You didn’t tell Oscar Mann to run her down. That’s on him. You would never harm anyone.”
“I know but he used her to try to get to me,” Pepper reasoned. She turned her head and gazed out the window. “He’s still out there. He could be watching us even now.”
“We are in the penthouse,” Yuri pointed out. “He can’t get to you here. My men are everywhere. You are safe here.”
Pepper nodded then looked at Mikial. “That’s what we thought at the safe house. We thought we were safe there too, because he didn’t know where we were. But he found us.” She shuddered. “I have this feeling we aren’t as safe as you might think.”
Just then, they all heard a ping at the window. Turning, everyone could see the hole in the glass. The glass itself didn’t shatter but Yuri grabbed his phone and made a frantic call while Mikial, Sazon and Barshan hustled the women out of the living room.
“What the fuck?” Sazon grumbled as he quickly drew his weapon.
Mikial and Barshan did the same as they took up a protective mode. Raven and Pepper were huddled together within the circle the three men made.
Yuri was alone in the living room for several minutes then someone pounded on his front door. When he answered it, several more voices could be heard. After a few minutes, Yuri came to the doorway and motioned for everyone to come back to the living room.
Pepper ad Raven could see a couple of men boarding up the cracked window while more men stood guard at the doorway to the hall.
“What’s going on Yuri?” Raven asked.
Yuri looked over at Pepper. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t think anyone could get to you here and I was wrong.” He motioned to the window. “I didn’t think he’d try it, not here but the bastard did. Oscar Mann got a shot off. The window didn’t break but he did try. He may not have known it but the windows here are bullet proof and shatter resistant.”
“Did he get away again?” Mikial asked.
“No he did not,” Yuri stated. “My men were able to get to him before he could sneak off. Kosta nabbed him before he could escape to the streets. They are holding him downstairs.” Yuri grinned at his brothers. “The poor man was so rattled when my security guys showed up before he could escape that he fell down a flight of steps.”
“Sounds like the man’s just plain clumsy.” Barshan snorted.
“Can I see him?” Pepper asked.
“Why?” Mikial frowned.
“I need to ask him some questions.”
He came over to where she was standing. “What kind of questions?”
Pepper bit her bottom lip. “I need to know if he was ordered to kill me or merely scare me. I need to know if Leon ordered my death.”
“Why would you want to know the answer to that question?” Sazon asked her. “Hasn’t that bastard hurt you enough?”
“Baby, we’re going after Leon no matter what you find out, so why bother?” Mikial asked.
“I don’t want to see Leon, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if I never saw him again, but I need to know if he wanted me afraid for my life or whether he wanted me dead.” She shrugged.
Raven went over to her and laid her hand on Pepper’s arm. “Honey, I doubt the man knows the answers you seek. He’s a mere tool for Leon. Leon is a smart man you know that. He set things up eighteen years ago to rob you of your identity. For the love of Mike, he left you at four years old on the streets of New Orleans. He left you bloody, bruised and scared to death. You’d just witnessed your mother’s murder. But that’s on him, you were never at fault for what he did. He was supposed to be the grown up, the adult but to my mind, he’s nothing more than a fucking coward.”
Raven raised her hand to brush Pepper’s hair out of her face. She smiled at the other woman. “You grew up alright. You’re beautiful, you had parents who really cared for you, and now you’re family just got bigger. You belong with us now too.”
Pepper’s gaze swung around the room and found acceptance in everyone’s eyes. Then she looked at Mikial. What she found in his eyes melted her heart. He opened his arms and she went to him, planting her face in his chest.
Mikial chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.
“Does the fact that Yuri got a hold of Oscar Mann mean it’s safe for me to go outside now?” she asked.
“Not without one of us with you.” Mikial gazed down at her. “We may have Oscar in custody but who knows what else Leon has up his sleeve. I want one of us with you at all times until Leon is down.”
“But what more can he do to me?”
“He can finish what he started eighteen years ago,” Barshan advised her. “He’s got so much more to lose now than he did then. You showing up and claiming to be his daughter would show a spotlight on his dirtiest secrets. He’s running for Attorney General in the next election. He filed his papers last week. This is a scandal that would derail his entire family. And McKenna is old money. Granted, Leon has money too, but she’s the one with backing. He might be a brilliant attorney but she would wipe him out if they ever divorced.”
“I thought you said Timothy Flynn was her cousin?” Pepper frowned. “If it’s her family with the money and the background why is he such a dangerous criminal?”
“Flynn is the black sheep of the family,” Yuri informed her. “His bad behavior began in high school and got him kicked out of several boarding schools. Most of the time, his family couldn’t stand being around him. They never knew if he was going to go off on one of them or not. He left when he was eighteen under dire circumstances and he’s never been back. From the rumors I’ve heard, his family made it very clear he wasn’t welcome anymore.”
“What were the dire circumstances?” Raven asked.
“His grandfather was stabbed to death and no one will name the person who stabbed him,” Yuri stated.
“Oh, my god…” Pepper whispered in horror. “Flynn killed his own grandfather?”
Yuri nodded. “It’s only rumor mind you, but everyone believes it to be true.”
“Why would he do something like that?”
Yuri shrugged. “From what I hear, it happened because his grandfather refused to give him any money from his trust. He told him he had to wait until he was twenty five to get any of the money, same as the rest of his cousins. His grandfather told him that he had to get off his ass and get a job, unless he was going to go to college. He had to figure out what he really wanted out of life and learn to find his own way. The money would still be there when he reached his majority and then he could spend it anyway he liked.” Yuri shook his head. “Flynn apparently, didn’t take the news well. Rumors were the walls were covered in his grandfather’s blood by the time Flynn got done. When he was done, he opened the door to his grandfather’s study and walked out of the house dripping blood from the end of the knife in his hands. No one tried to stop him. He got into his car and drove away from the estate. He hasn’t been in contact with his family since then. I
t’s been almost twenty years since then.”
“Well, I guess he made his own way in life,” Pepper said out loud. “With no one to hold him back, he’s gone wild and crazy hasn’t he?”
“From word on the streets, he’s built his own empire of thugs and creeps that the law doesn’t even touch,” Raven interjected. “He doesn’t let anyone tell him no.” She turned to Mikial. “If he is the one trying to become a silent partner, you’d better be careful. Not many people refuse him and live to tell about it.”
“He’s nothing more than a bully.” Mikial scoffed. “I will not bend over for bullies. Let him come at me head on.”
Raven shook her head. “That isn’t the way he works. He likes to hurt those who give him grief. He’ll drive you mad with pain before he takes you out. That’s the way he works.”
Mikial swung his gaze to Pepper. “You aren’t going anywhere. You and Raven are staying here under the protection of Yuri’s men until this is over.”
Pepper raised her hand and laid it on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Leaning into his body, she placed a kiss over his heart. “I would die if anything happened to you. I need you so much. I need you like I’ve never needed anyone before. With you, I feel safe and loved. That is something I’ve never felt before. I couldn’t remember my mother but I had this place in my heart no one ever reached before I met you. Now you’ve filled that place and I can’t imagine life without you in it. Please be careful when dealing with this guy. He isn’t a good man and I won’t be able to breathe without you.”
Mikial closed his eyes in disappointment. She still hadn’t said those three little words he wanted to hear. He just wanted her to say she loved him. He’d said them but she hadn’t yet. She’d said everything but so he knew how she felt but he still wanted her to say the words. He didn’t let anything show when he did open his eyes. He gazed into her eyes and softly touched his lips to hers. “I love you too, baby girl.”
Then he looked around the room at the three men that meant the most to him. He could see them grinning but he didn’t care. He had to give her everything he could. She was his whole world just as it was meant to be. “I’ll keep you safe, you are my woman.
“Yes, I do the same as you belong to me,” she whispered back. “You just remember that big guy. You belong to me too.”
There was a knock on the door and when Yuri answered it, it was room service. They entered and set up the buffet in Yuri’s kitchen. A few minutes later, everyone was sitting around the table talking about the next step.
“Okay,” Yuri started. “We have Oscar in custody, so I suggest we ask him what his boss wants to do.”
“Yeah right.” Barshan rolled his eyes. “Like he’s going to tell us anything. So far, he’s only been toying with us. Shooting out the glass to spook us. Cowardly crap.”
“I agree.” Sazon nodded. “He’s been playing us. Scaring the women is nothing more than a game to him, but I think he’s got an agenda. I don’t know what that is just yet, but he’s been pushing us toward something.”
Pepper frowned and looked over at Mikial. “You don’t think Oscar is trying to distract us do you?”
“Distract us from what though?” Yuri asked.
She turned to Mikial. “You said Leon has been on your case about a partner in the Import business. You don’t suppose the partner is Flynn, do you? That Leon is working with Flynn in some shady business behind the scenes?”
“That actually makes some sort of sense.” Sazon nodded. “But if Flynn is involved, the business isn’t going to be good or legal. He’s probably running guns or drugs or some other fucking shit like that.”
Yuri looked over at Mikial. “You did say that Leon has been pushing for you to make this deal right?”
Mikial nodded. “But he never told me who the deal was for. And he wanted to represent my interests as my attorney in the businesses we all run.”
Yuri shrugged. “Having your own attorney isn’t a bad idea to protect your interests, if that’s what you want.”
Mikial scoffed. “Why do I need my own attorney to protect my interests in the businesses we own? We all trust each other over every other person in this world. I am happy with you guys as partners. The five of us have been through too much together most of our lives. There is no way in hell that anyone could come between us.” He turned to Pepper. “These brothers of mine are my family. More than just by blood. At times, this may seem more important than you. I don’t want you to feel any less for it.”
Pepper smiled. “I know that silly man. I’ve been watching you all since we met.” She looked around at each of them. “You guys are a strong family and no one should come before that. Any woman worth her spit would never ask you to be put above your family. She would know her true place in her heart.” Then she smirked, “I would however, not object to being right next to them.”
“If Mikial accepts you as his own so do we,” Yuri stated. “You are the same as Raven and she belongs to all of us too.”
She looked over at Raven and saw the other woman nod. Turning back to Mikial, she asked, “What are you going to do if Flynn is the man Leon wants to set up as a silent partner? Both men are dangerous enough you won’t be able to turn them down without consequences.”
“The five of us are dangerous too,” Mikial reminded her. “We have ties to real power that we can bring down on them so fast, they won’t even see us coming. They cannot imagine our real power. We are part of something much bigger than anyone here realizes. We just have no need to talk about it and it goes much deeper than you think. The Bratva is more than a way of life to its members. Like your Italian or Irish mobs, the Bratva is stronger than we portray and like them, we believe in our commitment. Our bond is forged in blood and steel and we have raw and savage power to bring down on our enemy when it is needed. If Flynn thinks he’s tough, we will show him we are tougher. If he comes after us, we will bring the full force of the Bratva down on his head. Right now, he only thinks he has the power. If he messes with us, we will destroy him.”
Pepper could feel the raw promise in his words and she felt comforted by his statement. Glancing at the other faces, she saw the same resolve on each of their faces. She should feel fear but she didn’t. She felt cradled safely as if her mother’s arms were holding her. She knew these men would protect her as if she were one of their own, because she was one of their own as long as Mikial loved her.
Turning to him, she moved over and sat in his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she soaked in his love. It held her tighter than the arms that wrapped themselves around her body. Something clicked inside her and for the first time since she was a little girl everything felt right in her world.
Every day since she’d been found there was a fear deep in her soul that someone wanted to hurt her. No matter what she was doing that same fear would strike her anytime anywhere, most often when she least expected it but now that fear was finally gone and she knew it would never come back.
Pepper gazed at Mikial with true wonder in her eyes. For a moment, she couldn’t say anything and then the moment was gone.
An hour or so earlier…
Leon stood in his home office and gazed out over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The water looked calm but he knew the undercurrent was there waiting for the unsuspecting person to venture in and it would catch them unaware. The current would drag them under and wreak its own vengeance, holding its victim tightly in its arms until the struggle for survival was won.
Leon often thought about the promise the gulf held for him but he was a selfish man. He stared at the water and then looked around his room. He saw the polish of the fine wood, he could hear the soft ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner, it was a fine piece of the history of his family. The clock had been passed down from father to son for three generations. He could smell the scent of the lemon wax used by his staff to clean. He saw all the fine and expensive things he owned and he knew his wealth and power were
obvious for everyone to see and envy.
He was on the cusp of getting even more wealth and power in the next few months. He was strong now and people listened to what he had to say but his bid for the highest office of power in the state would soon be his.
He’d married for money when he married McKenna Taylor and she’d opened doors for him that he needed in order to grow his powerbase. For the most part, he’d kept his personal life far away from his public life with the exception of one woman. Jessie Carter. He didn’t like to think about that time in his past. It was over and done with.
That was until he’d seen the young woman on the streets a few days ago. He instantly recognized her but when he looked in her eyes, he hadn’t seen any flicker of recognition in her for him. For a moment, he thought his life was over until he realized she didn’t know him. Didn’t she remember him?
Before he could think anymore of the ramifications, his cell phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, he answered it. He knew who was on the other end and he just wanted this over with.
“Time is running out,” the softly lilted voice growled in his ear. “You only have three days left to get him to agree to accept the shipment.”
“I know that,” Leon snapped back. “I’m working on it. I can’t push this guy too hard or he’ll refuse just on principal.”