The Moscow Affair

by Taylor Lee

  His ragged moans drove her lust higher. She was stunned at her response. The other night she had been tentative, afraid. Now she was bold, audacious. She couldn’t get enough of him. Of his taste, the sexy smell of his sweaty body. His musky male odor. She wanted more. His hard arousal bruising her hip thrilled her. Gratified that he wanted her as much as she wanted him. His haunting words flashed through her lust-addled brain. But she shoved them down. Maybe she wasn’t the kind of woman he fucked—but dammit tonight she was. She’d waited her whole life for this. And if one night was all she got from him she would take it, every bit of it, and live her life thankful, without regrets.

  Kisses weren’t enough. She wanted to touch him, press against him. She wanted it all and she wanted it now. Her fingers caught in the wiry curls at the top of his pants. Feeling wanton, brazen, Nicki tugged at the button on his pants, needing to see and feel that throbbing member pressing insistently between her legs.

  Rafe choked at her touch. Any thought he’d had of holding back, testing her resolve was lost at her erotic touch. With a harsh groan, he scooped her up in his arms and strode toward the sofa. Growling in her ear all the outrageous things he wanted to do to her body, he’d barely laid her down on the soft cushions before they were tearing at each other’s clothes. He ripped open the buttons on her pants, then stripped them down to her ankles and jerked them off. She was panting, whimpering in frustration as she tugged at the tight snap at his waistband.

  He grasped her hands and shook his head, “No, No. Wait, Princess. Let me look at you first. Jesus, baby. I want to touch you and taste you. Do what I’ve been dreaming about since the first day I saw you. Yes, Nicki? Yes?”

  At her sob of consent, he grasped her legs and positioned her bottom on the edge of the sofa. Dropping to his knees in front of her, he bent her legs, opening her to his gaze. She cried out and thrust her hips toward him, a blatant invitation.

  Groaning in anticipation, Rafe gazed at the triangle of lace-edged satin covering her mound. He reveled in her sexy underwear. It screamed sensuality. Pulling her closer, he spread her legs and wedged his broad shoulders between her thighs, breathing in her heady odors. He grinned at the audacious jewel buried in her belly button then grasped the top of her thong and ripped it off.

  His grin froze. His gasp lodged in his throat. Not sure he would ever again take a full breath, he gazed at the sight below. Instead of the tangle of red-gold curls he’d expected, she was bare except for the brightly-colored sinuous Boomslang snake, its protruding tongue audaciously pointing to the treasures below.

  Too stunned to do more than stare, he barely heard the sound of Grayson’s voice through the din of air rushing through his ears. Only the sound of a key turning in the lock and Nicki’s horrified cry, wrenched him back to the present. Grabbing for her pants that he’d tossed to the floor, he covered Nicki’s body with his bare torso, shielding her body from view the best he could.

  Grayson stood in the doorway his mouth open, his eyes wide.

  “Goddamn, Rafe. Nicki. Christ. I’m sorry as hell. If I’d known you were here, Nicki…”

  Rafe’s voice was hoarse, ragged.

  “Jesus, Grayson! It damn well better be important.”

  Grayson held up his hands in front of him warding off Rafe’s furious glare.

  “Hell, man, in a million years I wouldn’t want to interrupt this scene. But you gotta come. Both of you. Bernie’s on the line. He’s been trying to reach you. He’s heard from the kidnappers. They’re tired of waiting. The stakes just went up. Exponentially!”

  Chapter 15

  “You got any blow, bro?”

  Not hiding his revulsion, Boris glared at the ebony-skinned man they called Jamal. The smartass tipped the bottle of Boris’s best vodka to his lips and chugged the equivalent of four shots. He was decked out in what appeared to be the gang’s regulation uniform. A doo rag tied back his shoulder length dreads. Gang tats covered most of his available skin. A Miami Heat sleeveless bro-tank with armholes ripped to his waist made certain that the tats covering his abs were also visible. His baggy pants hung down past his ass, showing crack high boxers, his only nod to modesty. A pair of LeBron James Hyperdunk sneakers that Jamal proudly claimed set him back a cool $350 completed the disgusting picture.

  “First of all, you piece of shit, I’m not your bro. And second, no, I do not have any “blow” and if I did, the last person I would give it to is you. Third, not that you would understand, but civilized people do not guzzle Stoli Elit Vodka out of the bottle.”

  The big man was 6’4” and clocked in easily at 280. His scowl should have frightened Boris into silence but at that moment the Russian had bigger worries than the scum sitting around the table stuffing their faces and downing his premium vodka. Each of them was playing with a weapon of some kind: knives, police issue Glocks, custom made Sig Saurs, at least four AK47u’s, plus a goddamned machete decorated the table. After ten days of dealing with the riffraff, Boris barely noticed their deadly paraphernalia.

  Exiting down the hallway, Boris hunted for Aiden. Without knocking he barged into the large room that Aiden had claimed as his office. The floor to ceiling windows overlooked the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Boris’ “partner” was lounging behind a huge desk that he’d had delivered several days earlier, along with a trendy suite of matching office furniture. An overstuffed wraparound Italian sofa and matching armchairs encircled a 60-inch television. The whole package cost nearly fifty thousand dollars. Naturally Aiden had the invoice sent to Boris.

  Aiden threw him an insolent frown.

  “Wassup, Boss Man Boris? Immigration on your ass, comrade?”

  Boris choked back his anger, refusing to telegraph that the acid burning his gullet threatened to spill over any minute. Swallowing the bitter bile, he focused on his despicable nemesis. He lowered his bulk into one of the black leather chairs in front of the desk. It’d cost him $2,500.

  Looking at the cocky young man grinning at him, Boris was glad that at least Aiden dressed like an entrepreneur and not a reject from the mean streets of Harlem. He should look good. According to the invoice from Barneys, his GQ wardrobe ran Boris close to $5,000 for this outfit alone. When he’d objected, Aiden had flipped him off saying that being the partner of such an important man as the famous import/export financier Boris Lubvick required classy rags.

  “Aiden, this is serious. If you’re going to be a 50/50 partner you need to step in and control those animals out there. I swear to God if one of those Neanderthals so much as touches any of the girls, we’re done. Finished.”

  “Easy, Boris, my man. What makes you think my boys are shaggin’ the merchandise? While they don’t give a shit what you have to say, they do listen to me. And at least for the time being, those high-priced pussycats are off limits.”

  Aiden pulled a 10-inch blade out of his lizard skin boot holster and started to carve what looked like a gang symbol in the $10,000 desk.

  Grinning at Boris’s gasp, he quipped. “Just makin’ sure you know who this belongs to. To clarify, Boris. While the pussies are off limits to the animals, as you delicately refer to my men, the rules don’t apply to me.”

  Boris jerked up.

  “Dammit, Aiden. Don’t you get it? If we’re going to auction off the girls to the highest bidder they have to be in pristine shape. No marks anywhere, do you understand?”

  “I understand Boris; the question is, do you?”

  Boris did his best to hold his gaze, but for the life of him, every time he looked at Aiden, the image of that unfortunate disemboweled man loomed up in his sight. Staring at his shoes, he choked on the bile swirling in his mouth. He dragged out a filthy handkerchief and spit the loathsome expectorant into it.

  Aiden continued as if Boris hadn’t coughed up his guts into a filthy handkerchief.

  “Look man, givin’ credit where credit is overdue, I gotta say, you surprised me. The idea of double dipping—getting a ransom plus holding an auction for your high level inter
national cronies—is a brilliant move. But whether I shag those girls or not is none of your fuckin’ business. Damn, Boris, you’re not so naive to think that any of them are virgins! Still got unpopped cherries? Hell, most of them have been screwing up their lives since they were in junior high school. If their daddy’s didn’t get to them sooner. And not to get your panties in a bunch, there’s only a couple of them in the pen that I haven’t already sampled. As for the rest? It’s only a matter of time, my man, a matter of time.”

  Boris lurched to his feet and staggered toward the door. He couldn’t face the supercilious asshole another minute. Every second in Aiden’s presence confirmed how close he was to losing control. Of the biggest venture he’d ever engineered.

  He stopped at the doorway when Aiden called out.

  “One more thing, Boss Man Boris. At the party on Saturday night, I’ll be picking the girls. I’ve been pimping since I was expelled from Sister Carmelita’s fourth grade class for lookin’ up Mary Kate O’Reilly’s little plaid skirt. At the tender age of nine years old, the good nuns decided I was irredeemable and kicked my ass to the streets. I’ve been an expert pussy picker since. On Saturday night, in ten seconds I’ll know how much money each one of those little candy asses will bring in.”

  When Boris demurred, Aiden added, “Your job is to see that each of their daddies understands what’s at stake. Make it clear: So much as a murmur to the authorities and we start sending body parts to Mom and Dad. And remember Boris, our ace in the hole is that money is nothing to these filthy rich bastards. They care a hell of a lot more that their priceless property, their ‘innocent’ young daughters don’t disgrace them publically. And what could be more disgraceful than being raped by one of those ‘animals’ out there?”

  An evil grin quirked his lips.

  “Fuck, just think about it. A side by side shot of Jamal next to one of those pedigreed little heiresses? On every breaking news cable show? The news vultures’d cream their pants for a story like that! They’d run it 24/7 for months! Trust me, Boss Man Boris. Those pure little girls’ daddies would give their left nut to prevent that from happening. Not the rape you understand. Just the publicity. They’re more afraid of a press release than they are of coughing up a million bucks. The more I think about it, Boss Man, it’s a great idea. Let’s have a little fun with those proud papas. Let’s send them a few rap sheets of the men who are taking care of their little girls. Let them start envisioning some of the possible fallout. See if that ransom money doesn’t start pouring in.”

  His ugly laughter echoed down the hallway.

  ~~~

  Rafe sat at his desk peering up at the satellite image of Bernie Schwartz on four of the five screens. His team huddled around the table all staring glassy eyed at the grieving man.

  Rafe’s voice was calm, professional. Nicki gazed at him in admiration. Except for his devilishly tousled hair, no one would guess that he had rushed to the Cave from his office after helping her cover her naked body from Gray’s shocked gaze. Likewise, Grayson was sitting at Rafe’s side, quiet, and somber. Ever the controlled right-hand man.

  Nicki knew she couldn’t hope to mimic their calm demeanor. She’d rushed back to her room and quickly dressed. She hadn’t had time for a shower and when she shifted position, a light wafting scent reminded her of Rafe’s mouth and hands. Flushing at the thought, she looked down and allowed herself to relive the memory. Without the smell and the ache in her belly, she might have thought she’d dreamed the encounter. She felt his gaze and peeked up to see him watching her. Giving an almost imperceptible nod, he turned back to the screen. She swallowed hard and willed her pounding heart to quiet.

  At that moment, every prominent over-forty white man’s nightmare popped up on the screen. Six mug shots of scarifying men appeared. Two of them were Black, one was Asian, the others either Hispanic or Puerto Rican. All wore tats, most had scars testifying to their chosen profession. The Asian man’s left eye had been slashed and only partially opened. All had facial hair, dreads, or were shaved bald. To a man, they stared into the camera, daring the observer to approach. Their brooding anger was palpable through the screen. Somehow the camera had captured the consistent element of the group. These were dangerous soulless men.

  Rafe’s quiet voice was consoling.

  “Understand their intention, Bernie. The men on the screen may or may not be with Sophie. We don’t know. But the chance they might be is intended to scare the shit out of you. To terrorize you. My bigger concern is the man who is speaking. His accent is pronounced. We have to assume he is in some way connected to the Russian mafia. And while the Vory hasn’t welcomed racial minorities into their ranks, they are every bit as fearsome as the thugs on the screen— if not more so. Primarily because they have access to the international criminal underground that these hoodlums don’t.”

  Nicki was impressed that Rafe didn’t sugar coat the danger with any of the parents. He had been clear with each of them, indicating that given the Volkov signature it was likely that the kidnappers were involved with the international sex trade. A thought certain to terrorize even the most heartless parent.

  Rafe continued.

  “Normally in a kidnapping case, I advise the parents to work with the authorities. In this case, however, I continue to advise against it. Our connections with the law enforcement and clandestine communities are in place. We get the information we need without making the cases a matter of public record. What we’re focusing on now, Bernie, is to find out how they want the money delivered. Then we’ll go to work setting up the drop. But I have to warn you. The chances of getting Sophie back once they get the cash are extremely slender. They are playing for a bigger hand. We’re just not sure what it is at this moment.”

  What Rafe didn’t say, only implied, was that his tentacles in the law enforcement community were in fact quite strong. And only those rare individuals who valued trust and secrecy more than they valued bureaucratic rules were admitted to Rafe’s powerful inner circle.

  After he signed off with Bernie, Rafe stood up and began pacing across the front of the room. Running his hands through his unruly hair, he turned to the team, frowning.

  “This doesn’t ring true. I didn’t want to push it with Bernie because he’s already terrified, but this latest salvo is simply not consistent with how the Vory works. They don’t hire hoodlums, they have enough in their own ranks. Plus as I’ve said before, it’s a given in the sex trade that you take girls who have no public persona. No family to trace them. They want to hide their tracks not advertise them. You don’t snatch the daughter of a fucking presidential candidate.”

  He sunk back in his chair and hunted for his cigarettes. Finding his case, he took his time lighting one, thinking through the conundrum.

  “The primary inconsistency is the ransom demand. The Russian mafia is up to its ass in the sex trade but they make their money in volume. It’s more lucrative and doesn’t invite oversight. They’re not greedy and they’re not stupid.”

  He glanced over at Katya, who was participating in the meeting.

  “Katya and I have had numerous conversations with Vlad. He’s convinced there isn’t a direct connection to the Russian mafia. Indeed, his contacts agree with my analysis. Whoever is doing this is rogue, not following the established protocol.”

  He grinned at the irony. “If you don’t think there is a protocol in the crime syndicates, you don’t know the Russians. The Italians and the Sicilians are positively bohemian in comparison.”

  Taking a deep drag off of his cigarette, he mused.

  “I’ve also had a number of conversations with my personal adviser who’s as connected to the Russian mafia as anyone in the world, without being a part of it. He confirms Vlad’s findings.”

  Rafe made a point of looking at everyone except Nicki. While several of the men, Grayson and Caleb, and, of course, Katya, knew her true identity and the other men may have guessed, he didn’t discuss it. He also hadn’t told anyone, i
ncluding Grayson, of his misgivings. Yuri was holding something back. The term Volkov resonated with him. But whatever information he had, he wasn’t sharing with Rafe. That reticence alone made what he knew significant.

  “Look everyone, it’s 0400. I need you back here no later than 0700. Grab a couple of hours sleep. Tomorrow, I mean today, is going to be long and grueling.”

  Nicki looked up to see Rafe looking at her for the first time in the meeting. His next words shocked her.

  “When we reconvene, Nicki, we’re going to start with the e-mail you sent to Caleb outlining your findings. You’re onto something, as I knew you would be. I want the team to chew on your report and see if we can amplify it.”

  Nicki shot Caleb a scathing glance and he had the decency to blush. She should have known that he would run to Rafe, tattle on her, the same way her father had. How was she stupid enough to think that anyone would keep secrets from Rafe? Even when she expressly asked them to.

  As the men filed out, Caleb sidled up to her. “You know I’m in love with you don’t you, hotstuff?”

  “Right. It’s just that you love him more,” she sneered with a dismissive glare at Rafe, not caring if he overheard.

  Caleb laughed and winked at Rafe.

  “It’s not that, sugar cheeks. It’s just that as scary as you are, I ain’t never seen you cut off a man’s dick, shove it in his mouth and choke him to death.”

  Nicki gasped and looked up to see Rafe smiling at them both.

  “And he has?”

  “Draw your own conclusions, hotstuff.” Caleb pulled her up close and kissed her on the cheek. He lowered his voice. “By the way, I’m glad you didn’t go through with your plan. I hated the thought of chasing you all the way to Idaho.”

  Nicki shook her head in disgust. So much for her secret plan. What did she expect? Then again, they were the best investigative team on the planet. But she knew if she’d been able to put her plan in action, she had a better chance of beating them at their game than anyone else could. If she hadn’t wanted to be caught, that is.