In His Sights

by Nikita Slater

  He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Mack shot him in the head. He stepped off the body as Backer twitched for a few seconds and then settled. Mack took his phone back out and called Jane. She answered on the second ring.

  “Backer was killed during apprehension,” Mack said, no inflection in his voice.

  “What the fuck, Hudson!” she yelped. “You were supposed to take him alive.”

  Mack grunted and leaned against the wall of the alley. “File says he’s a dangerous criminal and can be brought in dead or alive. I chose dead.”

  “Dead means $5000 less,” Jane complained and huffed out an annoyed breath. She seemed to be even crankier pregnant than not pregnant and that was saying a lot considering Jane Sitnikov was a beast on most days. “Are you losing your touch? Do we need to get you a temporary partner during my absence to babysit you during apprehensions?”

  Mack straightened and glared at the dead body. “Don’t even try it, partner, unless you want more dead bodies. This guy was shit-talking about your sister, threatening her and shit, so I shut him up, okay?”

  She was silent for a moment, and then, “Did you make him suffer?”

  Mack grinned into the phone. This is why he could always count on Jane to have his back. She might be tiny, but she was a blood-thirsty little hellion. “Didn’t have time. Guess I’ll have to torture him in hell when I get there.”

  She snorted. “See you at supper Friday, asshole.”

  She hung up on him.

  Mack pocketed his phone and reached for the body. He would drop it off at the morgue, go fill out the paperwork, collect his bounty and head home to his woman. God, he liked the sound of that last part.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Lucy has a tattoo now,” Jane blurted out, in a weak attempt to interrupt the tense stare-off between Vladimir and Mack.

  It worked. Both sets of eyes swung first to her and then to Lucy. Mack looked completely unamused and he knew about the tattoo, though was still coming to terms with Lucy’s new body modifications. Lucy stole a look at her new brother. Vladimir looked… annoyed. And annoyed Vladimir seemed to Lucy to be a very bad thing indeed since he was a notorious Russian mob boss with the ability to make an annoying sister-in-law disappear if she became too much of a hassle to care for.

  She gave him a toothy grin and said, “Just a small one behind my ear where my hair covers.” She swept her hair aside and tilted her head so he could see it if he wanted. She had no idea if he looked or not but waited for about twenty seconds and then let her hair fall back into place. When she looked back up, Mack and Vladimir were once more murdering each other with their eyeballs.

  Family dinner was not going well.

  Lucy shoved more potatoes into her mouth and concentrated on chewing and swallowing. The cook had outdone herself, making all of Lucy’s favourites in honour of having Lucy back in the house for the evening. The two had gotten along great during the weeks Lucy’d been a guest in the mansion when she’d first moved to the city. Unlike Jane, Lucy loved certain domestic chores like cooking. Lucy and Anita had swapped cooking tips and recipes. Lucy had also helped out in the kitchen once in a while.

  Unfortunately, Anita’s delicious cooking was going to waste this evening since everything Lucy put into her mouth tasted like sawdust. Mostly because both Mack and Vladimir were armed to the teeth, deadlier than a pair of pissed off rattlesnakes in a barrel and had barely said a word since she and Mack had entered the house.

  “Lucy got her belly button pierced,” Jane blurted out, once again doing a dismal job of trying to distract the lethal men.

  Lucy glared fireballs at Jane as Vlad once more swung an unamused glance toward the young woman he considered his charge while she lived in his city. She badly wanted to kick Jane under the table, but decided her older sister got a pass due to the whole pregnancy thing. Plus, Jane was looking decidedly green while she extra-mashed her potatoes on her plate and didn’t touch any of the other food except the orange juice Vladimir insisted she drink.

  “Do you require an extra bodyguard, Lucy,” Vlad said mildly, though anyone with sense could feel the edge of disapproval vibrating through the room. “Apparently one is insufficient to keep you out of trouble.”

  Lucy’s mouth fell open. She hadn’t thought of Alexandr’s safety when she’d gone on her reckless hunt for freedom and fun. She was quick to assure him. “No, thank you,” she choked out, dropping her fork onto her plate. “I think I’m finished with the piercings and tattoos.”

  Mack’s coldly furious gaze shifted from Vlad to her and she could feel the question there. Damn and double damn. Was she ever going to not be in trouble? She sighed, rolled her eyes and said, “Well, it’s not like you were going to have me killed if I pushed you too far. But him…” she glanced over at her sometimes super scary Russian brother-in-law who was watching their exchange. “He just doesn’t have the same attachment.”

  Vladimir threw his head back and laughed, dropping his cloth napkin on the table. He shook his head and nodded toward Lucy. “I have plenty of attachment to you, rebenok.”

  “Well that’s good to hear.” She smiled at him.

  “Still going to put another bodyguard on you though.”

  She groaned and looked down at her plate.

  “She doesn’t need any fucking bodyguards while I’m around,” Mack snapped, shoving his chair back a few inches from the table. “I’m taking care of her now.”

  Vlad raised an eyebrow and gave Mack a cool look. “You’ve been doing a great job. According to my man, she’s managed to leave your so-called protection on a few different occasions without your knowledge or consent. You call this taking care of your woman?” he prodded Mack, whose face reflected his growing anger. “We have a much different definition of protection, friend.”

  “Because you’ve never lost your wife?” Mack sneered, not even bothering to hide his contempt or the hand he dropped toward his sidearm. “How many times has Jane taken off on your watch? She’s sneaky as hell and fucking lethal. Good choice picking an American woman if you expect perfect obedience, friend.”

  Any amusement at their baited exchange dropped from Vladimir’s face the moment Mack brought up Jane. The Boss had zero tolerance when it came to Jane and it didn’t help that her bounty hunter partner was correct. Jane had a tendency to do what she wanted when she wanted to do it, which caused a fair amount of tension in her marriage.

  “You do not speak of my wife, Hudson,” Vladimir snarled, his own rage beginning to surface.

  “Your wife also happens to be my partner, Sitnikov,” Mack hurled back. “Or did you forget that little fact?”

  “Not a single day passes that I don’t remember the only thing keeping you alive is my woman’s fondness towards you and your skills,” he growled. “The moment this stops being true, I can assure you, Hudson, you will become far more endangered.”

  “Bring it.” Mack gave him a tight grin and raised his arms wide behind his and Lucy’s chairs.

  “Lucy’s been drinking alcohol too!” Jane blurted into the conversation and then shoved a mouthful of mashed potatoes and peas into her mouth. The moment she did, her skin took on an even darker shade of green.

  Lucy’s eyes widened in betrayal. “Jane!” she yelped. Then, glaring at her sister, all sense of loyalty gone, she said, “Isn’t this the table you and Vlad had angry sex on after you tried to beat him up? Isn’t that what you told me?”

  Jane had not in fact told Lucy anything of the sort. Anita had told Lucy that bit of juicy gossip, but it managed to deflect every bit of Vlad’s ire from Mack and Lucy and onto his hapless wife who was choking on the mouthful of potatoes that her throat refused to swallow. Vlad stood abruptly, his chair scraping back across the floor, and stalked around the table. He thumped his wife on the back and held a napkin up to her lips for her to spit the food out.

  She did exactly that and then pushed his hand away, moaning, “I think I’m going to throw up.”

  �
��You will not, Jane,” Vlad said with conviction, pulling her chair away from the table and bending her forward until her head was between her knees. He kneeled on the floor beside her, taking her hands in his and murmuring something for her ears alone, somehow managing to look like both a murderous mob boss and a concerned husband all at the same time. Jane started taking in long, deep breaths before releasing them through clenched teeth.

  Lucy began to feel bad about baiting her sister. She was caught a little off guard by Jane deflecting the tension between Mack and Vlad by continually throwing her under the bus. Even if she was pregnant and not in her usual fighting shape. They were definitely going to have a talk before doing this again. Lucy refused to become a scapegoat.

  Mack sat and watched the proceedings without saying anything, his arm across the back of Lucy’s chair his fingers tugging deliberately in her hair. She could feel his tension and was glad he’d finally decided to leave well enough alone.

  Vlad stood and gathered Jane in his arms, holding her against his chest. She made a weak protest, but he ignored it. “You will excuse us,” he said shortly, striding from the room. Lucy wasn’t at all surprised that he didn’t bother with any other pleasantries for his dinner guests. When it came to Jane, her health came first, and he would make no apologies for his behaviour.

  Apparently, Mack guessed as much too. He pushed his chair from the table. “I think we’re done here,” he said and helped Lucy up. “Thank fucking god.”

  “Watch it,” she said sharply as she gathered her jacket and purse. “I’m not going to pretend that was pleasant, but I love seeing my sister. And you were in large part to blame for this disaster, mister.”

  He snorted and guided her toward the front door with a hand at her back. “This was never going to go well, babe. Your dear brother-in-law has it in for me. He hates how connected I am with this family. Trust me, the moment you and your sister stop having any use for me, I’ll be six feet in the ground.”

  Lucy gaped up at him and was about to deny his words when a hulking shadow stepped in front of them, catching her attention. She squealed and threw herself into Boris’ arms before Mack could yank her back.

  “Boris!” she yelped happily. “How are you?”

  The giant bodyguard squeezed her tight and lifted her off her feet, swinging her around, smirking at Mack over her shoulder before setting her back on her feet. Mack grunted and crossed bulging arms over his chest while Lucy carried on with Boris. She could tell Mack didn’t mind as much as when other men touched her.

  “You tell him about the wedding invitation, pchela?” Boris asked nodding toward Mack.

  Lucy side-eyed her big boyfriend and shook her head. “Didn’t really get the chance,” she admitted. Which was totally true because they didn’t spend a lot of time talking when they were together. But she also hadn’t brought up the wedding invite because she knew it was going to cause tension.

  “What wedding?” Mack asked, his voice deceptively mild, his eyes on Lucy. He always seemed to know when she’d purposely kept something from him. But darn it, she really had forgotten.

  “King wedding,” Boris provided helpfully, naming the city’s shady billionaire banker.

  Lucy only knew who Tyson King was because Jane provided a few details after the invitations were dropped off. She’d been surprised to discover one in the pile for her and a separate one for Mack Hudson. Apparently, anyone with connections to the Sitnikov’s were invited to the social event of the year.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Mack demanded, looking down at Lucy.

  She puffed out a breath and shrugged. “Honestly, Mack, the invitations were dropped off weeks ago… before we were really a thing.” She’d been teaching some of the Russian security guys better English so they would fit in more seamlessly on the streets when the bride’s bodyguard, Laney, dropped the invitations off. “Sorry it slipped my mind. I’ll make sure you get it. It’s probably in Jane’s office.”

  He grunted.

  Unfortunately, Boris decided to pipe up. “When are you coming back to work with the guys?” Lucy flinched, knowing exactly how much Mack was going to enjoy the idea of her spending Saturday afternoons teaching Russian criminals English.

  Lucy’s head swiveled around to meet Boris’ gaze with a look that could kill. The giant bodyguard gave her a quick salute and disappeared into the mansion having effectively gotten her into trouble once more with her boyfriend. When was she ever not in trouble? Lucy glanced up. Yes, he was definitely upset about this new development. She was starting to think iPhones, donuts and orgasms weren’t worth the hassle of city life.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Does that make me crazy! Does that make me crazy… possibly…!” Lucy sang, twirling on her high-top running shoes, skirt flaring a little while she danced, coffee pot clutched in her hand. “Who do you, who do you, who do you think you are! Bless your soul! Do you really think you’re in control?”

  She grinned at the only customer in the diner as she stopped to refill his coffee. He smiled indulgently when she danced away from him still singing. She replaced the coffee pot and danced around Amber, grabbing the other woman by the waist and swiveling her around. Amber laughed, rolled her eyes, threw her arms up and succumbed to a few dance moves. There was no resisting Lucy when she was in a good mood.

  “And now that you are having the time of your life… well think twice… that’s my only advice!” The two women sang to each other completely off key until the song ended.

  Amber collapsed onto a stool, still laughing. “Where do you get the energy, girl? I’m way too out of shape for your shenanigans.”

  “Shut up, Amber, you’re not even thirty yet!” Lucy countered, still bouncing. “I’ve seen you get down and dirty in the club. You had plenty of energy for that.”

  “Tequila, it’s the perfect fuel for a body running on fumes.”

  Lucy sat on the stool next to Amber and contemplated the empty diner. “Another quiet one.”

  Amber nodded. “Yeah, Dalton was talking about maybe letting one of us go if it keeps like this,” Amber said worriedly.

  Lucy squeezed her arm. “If it comes down to that, I’ll definitely be the one to go. You know I don’t need this job the same as you and Kendra. I have my sister, or I can go back to the farm if I’m desperate. You need this job.”

  Amber laid her head on Lucy’s shoulder. “Why you got to be so sweet all the time, Luce? I don’t want to lose you. Who else is going to force us all to dance with coffee pots and bring in bounty hunter eye candy?”

  Lucy laughed and patted Amber’s back. “I’ll be around. You won’t get rid of me that easily. I’m like herpes, once you pick me up, I never truly go away. I just keep flaring up, causing an unbearable itch and pain when urinating.”

  Amber burst out laughing and swatted Lucy. “Ew, Luce! For someone that’s been hiding under a rock for twenty-one years, you sure managed to learn a lot in just a few months.”

  Lucy grinned. “Google and iPhones. Best. Inventions. Ever.”

  “Are you still coming over to my place tonight?” Amber asked.

  Crap! She’d forgotten about that. Lucy chewed on her lip. She knew how Mack would feel about her evening plans, especially on such short notice. He was definitely going to tell her he didn’t want her going, that he wanted her in his home at his beck and call. But she’d made these plans days ago and she shouldn’t have to run every little thing by him. She was an adult and she was capable of making decisions on her own. She was getting sick of the constant conflict every time she wanted a little independence.

  Decision made, Lucy said, “Of course! I wouldn’t miss it. I just need to make a phone call.”

  Despite her conviction, she really wasn’t sure how the conversation with Mack would go. Actually, that wasn’t true. She knew exactly how the conversation would go. And predictably, it didn’t go well.

  “I forgot that I promised Amber I would go to a thing with her tonight,” Lucy told him
, deciding it would be best just to tear the band-aide off completely. She leaned against the wall, peeking around the corner into the diner. They still only had a few customers, so she didn’t need to rush back to work. Dalton was pretty chill about personal calls as long as the waitresses didn’t take advantage of his generosity.

  Mack remained silent for a moment and then said, “Then unpromise her. I’ll be there to pick you up at the usual time.”

  Lucy frowned. Yup, pretty much down to the exact words, she could have predicted how this talk was going to go. “I’m not going to do that, Mack. I made a commitment to her. I’m going out with Amber after work and you can’t stop me.”

  “You think I can’t fucking stop you?” he growled into the phone. “You really want to make a challenge like that to a man like me, baby? How many days did it take until you could comfortably sit last time you challenged me?”

  Her breathing grew a little ragged as she thought of the consequences to her words. He was right. She really should think before she spoke. But she was getting sick of being bossed around all the time. “Look,” she said, going for a more conciliatory tone. “I’m not saying I don’t want to see you, Mack. I’m just saying I need to spend the evening with my friend. I’ve been at your place every night since… you know.”

  “Since we started fucking,” he said bluntly.

  She gritted her teeth. “Yes, and I need some girl time, okay?”

  “Not okay,” he said bluntly. “Be ready to go when I get there.”

  Lucy was left staring blankly at the phone because he’d hung up on her. What an asshole! She slammed the phone back into the cradle, giving brief consideration to the possibility that she might have broken the antique and stormed toward Dalton’s office. She gave a quick knock and shoved it open when he responded.