by Rucker, Shay
Cassidy looked at Kragen, who shrugged. “Like I said, a misunderstanding.”
“They didn’t come here to welcome me back home, Detective.”
For the first time since he’d entered the building, Cassidy looked at Kragen as if he were something other than an attempted-murder victim.
Kragen leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. “Like I said, it was all a misunderstanding. My men are loyal to me to a fault, and sometimes they behave in ways I do not condone to protect my interest. Will the ambulance be here soon?”
Cassidy nodded. “It’s gonna hurt like hell when they pull that knife from your thigh.”
“Not a knife. It’s a kukri, custom-made,” Zeus corrected.
“Sabrina, my fiancée, went missing a number of years ago.” Kragen informed them. “When I finally found her, men who were not as loyal as the ones who died today, chose to kidnap her, knowing I would pay any amount they requested for her release. I am a very rich man. Today my men may have acted prematurely when they learned another male was in the apartment posing a possible threat to my Sabrina. I couldn’t know the lethality of the man’s response.” He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes before continuing. “I came to San Francisco last night for business, as well as to verify if the Sabrina I’d been engaged to was the same woman before me. She is.”
“I’ve never met this man in my life,” Sabrina told Cassidy. “He’s delusional.”
“She likes using that word,” Zeus said to no one in particular.
“It’s not that I like it. It’s that these last couple of days have put me in direct contact with people who could be certified as such.”
The piercing wail of sirens grew louder and more irritating the closer they came.
Detective Sedgwick came out of Sabrina’s apartment and nodded to Cassidy. “Two men dead inside, both armed with some deadly hardware.”
“Armed but not dangerous,” Zeus said, his eyes glinting with what she recognized as humor. Sabrina didn’t think the cop, Sedgwick, was conscious of gripping his chain.
More cops arrived and processed the scene and asked a million more questions. Kragen was taken to the hospital when she secretly wished he would go straight to hell via the morgue. With all the traffic and the dead men awaiting the coroner, her apartment no longer felt like hers.
“Are you going to be okay?” Detective Cassidy asked. Maybe because she’d been staring at the same spot on the wall above Zeus’s new television since she’d sat down. It had to be blood.
“I’ll be okay, Detective. I’ve survived worse.”
“Well, I’m sorry you had to. If we hadn’t been pulled away, we could have stopped this from coming to your door.”
“But you didn’t,” Zeus said, coming up behind Detective Cassidy.
“Keep pushing it. I may still arrest you.”
Zeus shrugged. “And cause your already strapped department time and money? Go ahead. I’ll be out in enough time to make the five o’clock news. Bodyguard arrested for stopping a second kidnapping in almost as many days. Won’t be a good look for you, Cop.”
Wow. Forget the fact that he’d strung more than two sentences together. Zeus had just shown he was capable of solid reasoning.
Cassidy looked embarrassed. “We had a unit sitting on her place, but there was a report of a domestic situation where the perp was threatening to shoot himself and his wife and kid—”
“And Kragen just happened to show up when the detail was sent away.”
“You think he had someone watching the place as well?” Cassidy said.
“Don’t you?” Zeus challenged.
“We’ll look into it. Ms. Samora, do you have someplace safe to stay tonight?”
“We’ll manage,” Zeus told the detective.
“Well, could you manage without cutting or stabbing someone?”
“Probably not.”
Detective Cassidy closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his forehead. “Didn’t think so. I’ll be in touch soon.”
“Thanks, Detective.”
Zeus frowned. “Why thank him?”
“I’m thanking him because I appreciate how he’s handled this situation and because it’s polite, Zeus.”
Detective Cassidy nodded toward her and left the apartment with his partner.
Bride walked farther into the apartment and plopped down next to Sabrina. “I need a drink.”
“Me too,” Sabrina said, leaning her head back and shutting her eyes.
Chapter Eleven
The crowded interior of Randy’s living room felt like barbed wire wrapping around Zeus’s neck, cutting through skin, preventing blood and air flow to his brain. He was light-headed from the need to destroy everything around him just so he could fucking breathe. He looked at his supposed Brood mates: Price, Big Country, Bride, Lynx. He needed distance from all these fucking people, with their words and needs and noise.
Sabrina reached out and placed her hand on the small of his back, rubbing gently. The blade dancing through his fingers lost some of its momentum and quieted against his palm.
He needed to protect Sabrina, keep her safe, and he couldn’t do that here with all these bodies pressing him in. He couldn’t do it in a building where his shoulders nearly touched walls every time he moved.
He wanted, he needed her again, but the space was crowded with Brood members. And Randy. He didn’t like that he kept thinking about Sabrina. Nothing but his consciousness and the spirit of the blade should command his attention this much. The blade began to move through his fingers again.
He cut his eyes to the side and looked down at Sabrina. “You need to move away,” he told her.
His voice was rough, but talking was hard. He needed silence and separation. When she pulled away, the wildness inside of him grew instead of lessening. This fucking assignment was causing him a disturbance. And Sabrina looked at him with the same wary speculation she’d had back in the warehouse. He closed his eyes and let the blade dance.
He didn’t like the idea of her not trusting him completely. He really didn’t like Coen sitting on the couch next to her, ready to take his place.
The blade picked up speed.
In this tight space he could kill every Brood member in under sixty seconds. There was no one in their organization better than him at the up-close kill. Cizan was gruesome with his hands, but Zeus had the blade. The other Brood members might get a few shots off, but he could walk away with a few bullets lodged in his flesh. He nodded. They could all be dead in a under minute, and he’d be able to leave with Sabrina.
“It was still a bold fucking move for him to come here in person, knowing she had some kind of protection.” Lynx said.
“Yeah. How y’all think Kragen found out about Sabrina being back home so quick?” Big Country asked.
“You thinking—”
“I’m knowing. Them boys ain’t have a clue where we were, but they knew Zeus was inside and knew he had backup somewhere. He had his men prowl around the building this morning, drawing us away to track them. They pull the detectives off the place with that report of a domestic dispute; then Kragen and his other goons walk right up to the goddamn door pretty as you please. Only a rat in OPD working for Kragen could help clear the ballroom so quickly. The cops are the only ones who knew Sabrina was back home. Only stands to reason a cop told Kragen that Sabrina had professional assistance.”
“The detectives?” Zeus asked, half hoping it was true. Then he could give Sabrina a good excuse when they found Detective Cassidy with that damn pen shoved through his covetous eye. And I know covetous, Zeus thought. The nuns had tried to teach him not to covet for years. Outside of blades, and now Sabrina, the lesson had stuck.
“Don’t reckon I know if it’s the detectives, but I’ll find out,” Big Country said.
“You know you can’t stay here,” Price said to Sabrina. Zeus knew this. He hadn’t planned on keeping her here anyway, but it was better for Price to say it instead of him.
Seemed like it was her job to fight against any suggestion he made. “We tried it your way. It’s time we took you back to Mama’s House, where…”
Zeus wasn’t taking her back to the Brood’s haven. Sabrina shook her head no, as if she agreed with his unspoken thought. Zeus held his tongue, waiting for Price to conjure some of that diplomatic bullshit. It would make it easier when he gave his suggestion.
“I can’t stay here tonight, I know that, but I’m not going to Mama’s,” Sabrina said.
“You can always come and stay with me, Bree,” Randy offered.
She shook her head. “Any other time you know I would, but I can’t accept the idea of you being more caught up in this. I’m thinking between the cops and the Brood, even if Kragen’s released, it would be insane for him to try anything else, but…”
“He seemed sane to you?” Price asked. “When he had you kidnapped, or when he was talking as if you were his long-lost love, or when you saw what he did in those photos, did any of it seem sane?”
“But all that happened when he thought he was in control. He’s exposed himself. It would be idiocy for him to do anything else knowing you guys are protecting me. And if he does, the cops will have to act.”
“There’s something you’re failing to understand,” Price said, frustration coating every word. “He knew about Zeus. He knew about the detectives. He didn’t know about Bride, but he was smart enough to plan for the likelihood that Zeus brought backup to help keep watch. The point of all of this is that he came anyway. Men like him don’t give a shit about who they’re facing off with because they think they’re smart and powerful enough to come out on top. So trust when I say he will keep trying.”
“And if you go missing anytime soon, he has the perfect alibi if he’s locked up in the big house,” Big Country added.
“All I’m saying is give me a couple of days,” Sabrina said. “If you don’t want to stay with me, don’t. Call Mama and tell her I’ve waived my right to protection.”
Zeus clocked the exact moment Price’s patience snapped. Saw the tick in his left eye, the clenching of his jaw. The other man took a step toward Sabrina, physically crowding her. “The day you dictate what my team will or will not do is over. You’ll—”
Zeus threw his blade close to Price’s right shoulder, causing the other man to lunge to his left or risk being impaled like Juarez had been. Unlike Juarez, Price found his footing instantly and came up with a nine millimeter aimed at Zeus’s head.
“Mothafucka, you let loose one more blade in my direction, and I’ll fill you with so many holes everyone will think your nationality is Swiss.”
Zeus nearly smiled, satisfied with the other man’s reaction. He was quick. And unlike Juarez and Coen, he wasn’t a pussy.
“Don’t threaten what’s mine. Don’t get in her face. Then we’ll see how everything goes.”
Price’s aim held. Zeus could tell he wanted to shoot, wanted Zeus to give him a reason, and Zeus didn’t blame him. He was an unpredictable threat, and Price already had his hands full with Sabrina and managing the rest of the people on his team. It would be easier for Price to shoot and deal with the consequences later. Unfortunately, the consequence for Price would be his own death. The spirit of the blade sang that truth out clear and strong.
“I get this is your job, Price, but it’s also my life, and I refuse to allow another man to control how I live it, even if he believes it’s for my own good.” Sabrina didn’t blink as she spoke to the man still pointing a weapon at Zeus.
He liked that. Liked how his woman didn’t back down. He folded his arms over his chest and watched her, her chin in the air, eyes steady on the threat, forehead creased in a slight frown.
He felt…something. An emotion. Proud. He felt proud of Sabrina. When was the last time he’d felt the emotion for anyone? Once he taught her how to work a blade, she would be the closest thing to perfection a woman could ever hope to be.
He inhaled. Swore he could smell the scent of her just there, between her legs. He remembered being there, the taste, the feel. Blood pumped low and strong as his dick remembered too.
“We’ll hole up someplace close,” Zeus said, though all he could see was Sabrina’s breasts as his mouth sucked her nipples. He heard the echo of her guttural moans as he tried to hammer through her. “No surveillance or security detail to bring attention. Just her and me. We’ll go to ground and surface only if we have to. If Kragen gets out of jail—”
“With his money and connections, he’ll be out,” Big Country said.
“Then he’ll be looking for another opportunity to take her,” Lynx added.
Price lowered the gun, holstering it behind him. The man seemed almost sullen over the fact that he didn’t get to shoot. Something was off about Price. With all the Brood.
“All right. Take her to ground, and we’ll lock it down here,” Price said. “London’s left England and is headed our way. He’ll be the inside track into Kragen’s world of privilege. Between us and London, we should have Kragen facing serious charges and prison time, or dead, within the next couple of weeks.”
“Who’s London?” Sabrina asked.
“Pretty boy with prettified words,” Big Country said.
“He’s a cousin to the Brood from across the pond,” Price told Sabrina easily. “He got some high class ways us average folk don’t seem to know nothing about.”
Zeus didn’t understand why most of the team was smiling. He’d never met London. He’d only heard about him in bits and pieces, but the fact that he was pretty with pretty words made him want to keep Sabrina far away from the man.
“Do you think they’ll let me break the yellow tape to get a few things?”
“If they don’t, we’ll wait till they’re gone and act like we got permission.” Lynx grinned.
Zeus knew she wouldn’t need anything more than a toothbrush, and they could get one of those on the road. He planned on keeping her naked and in bed for the next two days, more if he had his way.
“What about Randy? Will he be kept safe too?” Sabrina asked.
“Swap out one of these men with the mute, and I’ll be right as rain,” Randy said from his spot near the kitchen entrance.
“Thought we were besties,” Bride mumbled into the shot of rum she’d pilfered from Randy’s cabinet.
“Have you people ever considered an intervention?” Randy asked Price.
“Why? She’s got one of the steadiest, most reliable gun hands in the Western hemisphere.”
“She’s not staying with me,” Randy said.
Price tossed Zeus a satellite phone. “If there’s a problem, hit number one.”
As the Brood discussed weapons and surveillance issues, Sabrina closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the couch. Zeus reached for her hand and placed it against the small of his back. He saw her smile faintly, stroking again. Her touch relaxed him, allowed him to tolerate the Brood for another thirty minutes, but five seconds after the thirty minutes, he walked to the door and opened it. The Brood members all looked his way, then gathered their shit and exited the apartment.
Price—the last to leave except for Bride, who remained tucked up on the bench seat—paused beside Zeus. “Don’t let her out of your sight, and don’t let her sweet talk you away from your duties. The desperation in Kragen’s actions makes him even less predictable. He’s seen her, knows she’s within his reach; he’s more dangerous to her than he’s ever been, Zeus. Sabrina, this sat phone is for you. Hit this button, and we’ll be able to locate you no matter where in the world you are.”
“Thanks, Price,” Sabrina said, reaching for the phone.
“Thank Mama,” Price said as he left the apartment.
Zeus pulled Sabrina up from the couch. “Let’s go. Remember to pack light.”
“Where are you taking me?”
He didn’t answer immediately because he was watching her breasts as she stretched.
“Zeus?”
“Not far.”
“In Oakland?”
“No.”
When they had packed the car and were heading down I-880 South, Sabrina turned toward him, skin glowing in the afternoon sunlight.
“You going to tell me where we’re headed?”
“To one of my getaway spots.”
His place was enclosed by nature and made him feel like the last hunter-gatherer in the world. She would like it. It was bigger and more comfortable than her inner-city shack, and they would be allowed to do the things he liked to do in all the ways he liked to do them…but together.
Once they were at his cabin, she would want to do everything she could to show her gratitude.
* * * *
Maxim lay in the hospital bed, contemplating the last few hours.
His lawyer and Reed had already spoken with the police and DA, and they’d negotiated a way for him to go back to his hotel suite before the evening was over. Once there, he would devise a way to be with Sabrina again.
Sabrina. She was magnificent. Worth every moment of time he’d spent searching for her. Their time away from each other had allowed her to mature like a fine wine. Her body was tighter, more athletic, and the loss of weight made her appear slightly taller than he had remembered her. Her hair no longer hung like inky black silk just past her shoulders but was a riot of multihued twists that seemed to match her new confidence.
A part of him grieved over the memory of who she had been, over her lost innocence and vulnerability, of who they had been together. He felt shame because he hadn’t protected what they had more vigilantly, but he’d been younger, less experienced in successfully fighting his parents for what he wanted. Like a simpleton, he’d sought their acceptance of her and, in doing so, had betrayed her, betrayed their love, their connection, and justly so, she’d left him. It wasn’t until she was gone that he’d truly embraced his strength and capabilities. He’d been weak and had yielded to the pressure of his family instead of being the man of conviction she’d needed him to be. She was angry and unwilling to open her heart to him. She didn’t know that, like her, he had changed. Become stronger. More powerful than even his father.