Undercover Intentions

by Sapphire Knight

  “You won’t touch me!” I declare, backing toward the wall. I have nowhere to run, to hide. I could dart for the door, but he’s much too big and powerful compared to me. His strength mixed with his cousin’s is no match for mine if I were to try to escape and go on my own.

  “Susan, bring me her dinner,” he commands, and the maid dutifully brings in a tray full of wonderful smelling foods. Viktor stares at us both, not bothered in the slightest that his cousin is keeping me locked away. He’s a gorgeous man, but he’s void of any emotions. He’s scarier to me, because he clearly supports everything his cousin’s doing, but doesn’t show an ounce of emotion with any of it. At least Beau’s calm until I push him; then he explodes and flies into an angry outburst.

  “I’ll spit it all out,” I warn. It’s juvenile, but that’s what he’s reduced me too. He’s treating me as if I’m a child, so I’m acting like one in return.

  His stern gaze meets mine, his irises ordering me to submit, but after giving in my entire life, I refuse to anymore. “You’re testing my generosity.”

  “I don’t want it. Keep your charity.”

  “That’s it!” he shouts. “Vik, grab her and hold her arms.”

  “No!” I scream scampering back into the corner of the room. My arms and legs fly, attempting to ward him off, but it’s no use. I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve never fought anyone off me before. I was never permitted too. I simply had to obey them, whoever it was at the time.

  Viktor easily hauls me up, holding my arms tightly and turns me so I face Beau. He towers over me like a tall building—strong and imposing—dwarfing me.

  “Get off me! Let me go!” I yell, tears already running down my face even though I don’t feel like I’m crying. That’s how much my adrenaline spiked during our little scuffle. My heart’s pumping so fast, it feels like it may fly out of my chest, yet my body’s absolutely exhausted. At this rate, it’s simply my mind still holding on, helping me fight. I should’ve eaten this last weekend while he was away. Maybe then I’d be a better match.

  The sweet Beau I first encountered is gone. In his place is an angry man, pushed past his limit, stressed and ready to get his way. His arm shoots into my hair, ripping my head back, his hot breath panting over my cheeks as his chest heaves. “You will fucking eat. So help me. I didn’t risk my fucking life to save yours for you to act like an obnoxious brat!”

  I open my mouth to argue that he didn’t come to save me or anyone else, but Nikoli’s sister. I don’t get a word out as he stuffs a chunk of bread in my mouth, holding his hand over my lips so I can’t spit it out.

  “Chew it,” he demands lowly as tears leak from my eyes. “I’ll keep you like this all night long if I have to. You can chew your food, or I’ll drug you and have Susan feed you with a tube. Which do you want?”

  He wasn’t lying, saying the Mafiya blood ran through his veins; he does have it in him. Beau could be a very powerful man in the underground if he ever decided to take control of things.

  Chewing the lump of dough enough to swallow, more tears fall from my eyes.

  At this moment I absolutely cannot stand him. I hate my savior in the same sense that I’ve grown to love him, and that feeling makes me even angrier inside at him.

  His breathing slows down the more I chew, the rage in his eyes dimming as he watches me. After I swallow half of it, he moves his hand away, peering down at me. I’m so furious inside, I can’t help myself. He’s beautiful, but I’m oh-so-fucking broken. Using the remainder of the food I’m chewing, I spit it out, all over his face.

  The room grows silent, only filled with heaving breaths from all of us.

  Beau doesn’t even speak. His hands become tight fists and I slam my eyes closed, waiting for the blow that’s sure to follow. The Master never would’ve stood for such behavior from one of his pets. I’d seen a girl do it before to one of the guards—Nick. That’s where the idea to spit at Beau came from.The Master had Nick beat her to death in front of us as a lesson on misbehavior. Now I can only expect the same in return.

  Will Beau do it or will his cold cousin be the one to finish me off?

  Viktor’s hands release me, and I’m trembling so badly I can feel myself shake. At the sound of the door slamming, my eyes fly back open. I can’t help my curiosity to see if it was only the maid leaving or if it was Viktor as well. However, there’s no one there. I’m completely alone.

  Beau has even abandoned me after my outrageous behavior. He was so harsh with me though. I’m meant to be free now, yet he’s forcing me to eat, forcing me to stay in this house.

  This isn’t freedom; this is a new locked cage with a new master, and I’m merely his little dove, left to sit inside.

  Falling to my feet, I’m all cried out. I’m so upset the shakes won’t stop and I can no longer cry. There’s nothing to cry over, because I know I’m already dead—it’s just a matter of time. This is the Mafiya, and they won’t put up with someone like me, causing problems and disrespecting them.

  Furious isn’t a strong enough word to describe how livid Sasha’s made me. Hasn’t she looked in the mirror? She’s been damn near starved to death, yet she refuses to eat. Her frail little body is so malnourished, I was afraid Viktor was going to break her when she started swinging at him.

  We had the doctor pump her full of vitamins and vaccines when he first saw her, but if she refuses a nutritious diet, she’ll end up killing herself. No one will have to torture her or sexually abuse her; she’ll put her own body through misery.

  Stubborn woman.

  Seeing her like that had me on edge, but at the same time, I’m so damn proud that she’s found her fire inside. She’s learning to fight back—to shout and cry, to argue and throw things. She’s come far and it’s only been a month’s time. If she ends up gaining anything from her time here, it’ll be that she’s not afraid to speak up for herself.

  Sasha’s full of so much passion and strength, if only she could see it herself. After everything she’s been through, she’s got one hell of a fight swirling through her, ready to burst free. She’s so fucking resilient if only she’d let me help her.

  She’ll never be strong enough to go anywhere if she doesn’t start listening to me. And her thinking I’d take her to Russia. Not a chance while she’s in this condition and he’s still running loose.

  I’ll take Sasha to visit one day if she wants, but only after the leader of this sex organization has been caught and put to an end, along with any of his contributors. I want them all and I want them dead. There’s no amount of sentence the justice system can offer that would match the heinous crimes these fuckers have committed against women. The only type of justice I can see fitting is killing them all and offering women out there a sense of peace, even if they aren’t aware of it.

  I’m shocked at myself right now with how I just treated her. I physically stuffed her mouth full of food. She had me so wound up though. She was shouting at me and demanding I let her go along, straight into the danger. There’s no way I’m allowing that to happen. I want her as far away from it all as possible.

  I never should’ve let her hear our conversation this morning at brunch. I wanted her to at the time in case she had anything to add to it. I wasn’t expecting this to come from it though.

  I’ve never struck a woman before, not even undercover when I’ve been around some really nasty ones. I had a chick stab me and pull a gun on me, yet I refrained from hitting her then. Sasha was another thing entirely. I wanted to wring her neck to get her to listen to me. I’m not the controlling type to tell a woman how to live her life. I’m not attempting to be her father, but this was infuriating. Just once I want her to listen to me and just fucking obey.

  It’s for her safety and well-being, nothing else. That’s a lie; it’s for my own peace of mind as well. I can’t stand the thought of losing her after merely finding her.

  My cousins’ wives aren’t in this life and my mother was pushed from it as well. It’s all about sa
fety and protecting those we care about. This life…it seems to be becoming more and more my own way of life as well.

  One more week left, and I don’t know if I can go back to being a cop. I think I may have sunken too deep this time to swim my way out like I have in the past. I’ve been undercover for months at a time, but this search for Niko’s sister has plagued me for five fucking years. It’s been like a cancer, taking over my body, piece by piece. It’s consumed too much of me now.

  I don’t even want to return to bust some meaningless asshole. I want to devote my time to helping those that mean something to me. I’ve grown more selfish this past month, that’s for sure.

  When I look at myself in the mirror, I no longer see Officer Masters staring back at me. My reflection shows a tormented man seeking retribution, of a man ready to dole out punishment. Someone no longer standing behind the law, but ready to be his own judge, jury, and executioner of the guilty.

  I’m corrupt.

  Family isn’t an important thing.

  It’s everything.

  -Michael J. Fox

  “I can’t believe you just witnessed that” I grumble, meeting my cousin’s amused gaze.

  He shrugs, waving it off. “No big deal. Elaina was a bit temperamental when we first met as well. You can’t lose control with them. Once they see what buttons to push, they open you up. That woman already has you wrapped around her finger, to be able to make you angry like that.”

  “I don’t know what it is about her. Anyone else and I’m like a damn stone, but one wobble of her lip and I want to break someone in two.”

  He chuckles. “She has you hooked. I can see it. Rest assured, that feeling is normal when you find the right woman.”

  “She has me something, that’s for sure,” I agree taking a spot on the sofa in my father’s sitting room. Sasha’s in her designated bedroom, yelling and throwing stuff it sounded like when I locked the door to keep her put. She was way too pissed off, I wouldn’t put it past her attempting to escape.

  “She’s stubborn, like my wife. You need to be careful. I learned the hard way with Elaina, and I was like you—ready to break someone in half.”

  “Don’t I know it! She may have been under their thumb when I met her initially, but I was right about my first impression; she has a fire deep inside that small frame of hers.”

  “You’re not letting her go with us, right? She would be an unnecessary distraction.”

  “Nyet. Definitely not. She’ll get hurt, and I won’t let that happen. I need to know she’s safe, so I don’t have to worry about her while we’re handling things.”

  “About that. You realize it’s not going to be handcuffing them and turning them over to a group of marshals or anything, right?”

  “Of course, Vik. I know how things work in your world. I’ve been sucked into it for a long time now.”

  “I just don’t want you questioning your morals and regretting anything. I understand if you want us to take care of them, so you’re not involved. I respect your career choices, even if they’re opposite from mine.”

  “I’ve come to terms with it; I don’t think I can return to the force after this.”

  “What changed your mind? You’ve fought against your roots—against your father—for so long.”

  “The things I’ve seen, the undercover life, the sex organization now, and the search I’ve been on for five long fucking years has swayed me. I have the utmost respect for those upholding the law, but I can’t do it anymore. I’m at my end. I’ve seen our justice system fail too many people on technicalities, some as simple as not having enough physical evidence, when we all knew they were guilty. Take Sasha for example, how long has this buying and selling of women been going on? I’ll tell you—forever. And we’re no closer to stopping it; in fact, the country’s more worried about drugs and politics to take off their blinders to notice the real atrocities plaguing the world today. On the opposite side of the law, I can do things my way—put more bad men down for good—than if I had the law backing me up. They’d more than likely bust Finn, a guy not half as evil as the motherfuckers showing up to the auctions all because the others have more money. Finn’s rich, but these guys rule the world. I’m done. I’m done letting them get away with it. Call me corrupt, call me damaged. Hell, call me a mercenary or the son of the former Bratva King. I no longer care, I want my own terms of justice.”

  He holds his hand out to me, and I shake it in return. “Well then cousin, welcome to the family business.”

  Part of me feels as if I’m signing my life away to the devil, while the other side feels like a burden has suddenly been lifted. I no longer have to do whatever I can to be the golden son, the complete opposite of my father. I’ll never be him. I’ll never be that type of evil. I’ll continue to hunt down men with so much in common as him, but I damn sure won’t be a fucking saint about it either. It feels so good to not have to fight against my nature, to not have to worry about not being good enough in everyone’s eyes.

  “Tatkiv will be pleased you’re joining us. Will you stay out in California or move closer to family?”

  “I’d like to be near you guys if you’ll have me?”

  “Of course, you’re always welcome. What will you do with the little captive?” He nods toward the ceiling, meaning Sasha.

  “I’ll keep her,” I reply honestly and an evil smirk overtakes his face. We’re more alike than I’d originally believed, but that’s fine, I respect my cousins a great deal. Family is everything in this life; it’s only taken me a decent portion of my own life to come to terms with that fact. No more wasting time. I need to forgive my father. Not for his sake, for mine. I need to move my mother out here, no matter how stubborn she is. I know she misses Victor, she always has. And most of all, I need to live this other part of my life for me, no one else.

  “With her so determined to assist us, we should leave sooner, before she has a chance to wiggle her way on board. Will Uncle have someone here to watch over her or should I send for some of my men to keep her in place?”

  “I agree, and I’m not sure. I’ll ask him. I need to put in a call to Finn too. I want him with us. When are we boarding?”

  “First thing, it’ll give O’Kassidy time to get here, or he can meet us in New York when the jet refuels if it’s easier. I’ll go home and get my men prepared for our trip.”

  “You’re the only crime lord I know who rises early.”

  “You’re surrounded by them, they’re disguised as businessmen on Wall Street, and I’m no lord, I’m the King,” he replies with a cocky smirk, reminding me of my father.

  “I stand corrected.” I grin and shake his hand as he leaves the room.

  “Eight a.m.?” I call after him.

  “Yep, just early enough to piss off my younger brother.” He chuckles, and I hear the front door slam shut.

  They’re all damn crime lords to me, but if I’m going to be more involved on this side of the world, then I should keep in mind the correct terms. Viktor is ‘King’ and Tate is the ‘Big Boss.’ Nikoli, Alexei, and Spartak are their Generals. What would that make me? I’m certainly not a soldier for them. Do I need a label to feel like I fit in with them?

  My father enters the room while I’m busily pondering my new title.

  “If I’m not a soldier to my cousin’s organizations, then what am I?”

  He doesn’t even blink, automatically replying. “You’re family Beau; you sit at the top with them. No need to worry over a job description. This isn’t your typical nine-to-five. It’s the family business and you’ll always have a place amongst them. Does this mean you’ve decided to give up California and your other life?”

  “As much as I know it’ll break your heart, me not being a police officer and all, yes, I’m changing careers.” It’s said with complete sarcasm. He’s always wanted me to take his place, but that’ll never happen.

  Viktor fills those shoes, and I’m not as jaded as to deal in weapons distribution or anything
else they have their hands in. I’ll continue to help them search, and I’ll shut down whoever I can find involved with the sex slavery.

  I’m counting on my father to keep his word to relinquish my trust fund. He promised me if I ever needed anything, he’d help, but for my trust, he’s always wanted me to be involved with the family. When I’m not busy, I’ll help my cousins with their various businesses. They practically own half of Tennessee. I’m sure they can use me somewhere that doesn’t involve breaking the law too badly. I’m not completely turned, after all.

  “Do not confuse me with not being proud of you, sin.” He’s always called me son in Russian. “I may not have embraced your cop career, but I have always been proud of you since the day you were born. Even more so with the man you are now.”

  “Spaseeba.” I nod and leave the room.

  I can’t handle when he gets like that, like a father should be. He’s not always been this way. Our relationship has mostly been full of tension or else nonexistent. He’s doing this whole new man, new outlook. I hope he’s truly trying to change and this isn’t his newest scheme.

  I don’t hear screaming anymore, not that I would down here, but I wonder if Sasha’s calmed down yet. I shoot a text to Finn O’Kassidy and let him know it’s time to play ball, and he needs to come here or else meet us in New York. After making myself a quick sandwich, I head to my room to pack. It’s been a long day and it’s damn sure going to be a long week. I need undisturbed sleep to be ready for whatever’s coming my way.

  The sound from my door unlocking has my stomach twisting. Last night I didn’t get to sleep next to Beau, and even through my anger toward him, I missed him. I’ve been thinking all morning about what to say myself and about what he’ll say about our argument.

  I’m sure he’ll apologize, and we can make amends. He’s never been unkind to me in the past, and I pushed him too far. I’m new to these discussions, and I have to learn the best way to get my feelings across to him without either of us exploding like yesterday.