by K. J. Dahlen
“It was used to shoot Frankie Briggs. Then the shooter got out of town, along with his sister. That’s how we came to be involved.” Yuri nodded. “The pair of them are now under our protection.”
A knock came on the door to the office and when Yuri answered it, he took the written message and read it. When he sat down again, he addressed the whole room, “I just got word that Frankie Briggs is still among the living. He’s in hospital and possibly paralyzed for life. He refuses to say who shot him and was worked over before being found. Now I know the boy who shot him didn’t beat him, so there were others involved in the beating. Word is also out that Caulder is looking for the person who shot his brother and left him on the streets to die.”
“Shit,” Slade swore. “We need to get back. Our families aren’t safe.”
“Our men will protect our families,” Kimber reminded him. “But if Caulder is spouting off, he’s stirring up the people against us.”
“I can get more men over here to help,” Pappy stated. He turned to Yuri. “What’s your girls’ plan?”
“Her plan is to bring in the state police and turn over evidence that will bring down Mrs. Harris and her boys. “
“Her boys?” Kimber asked.
“Caulder and his brothers.” Yuri picked up his pen and twirled it in his fingers. “Harris is blackmailing more than half the authorities in Baton Rouge. Not only that but she’s running a stable of underage girls.”
“Can this be proved?” Jackal asked.
Yuri nodded. “She claims she has the evidence but only she knows where it is.”
Jackal hung his head. Then he looked up at Yuri and Nikoli. “The two biggest forces in Baton Rouge are us and the Kings. Banger felt the same way about drugs and guns as we do. We know they’re out there but we don’t want nothing to do with the trade. I realize that not everyone feels that way and while we’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve never clashed on that. Now that Banger’s gone, his second, Luca might not be strong enough or have the numbers to stand up to Caulder by himself. Caulder likes to use force and bullying to get what he wants. Plus, some of his men want the extra income from the sales but some of them don’t. If Caulder has men watching the entire town, he’s got trouble in his mind.”
“That’s where this girl, Stevie has a plan that comes into play,” Nikoli stated. “She claims there are people out there that will work with you guys to stop Caulder.”
No one said a word for a long time then Jackal nodded. “Ok, let’s do this then. I’m not willing to give over my city to this scumbag.”
“Gentlemen, we don’t normally bring in the police into matters such as these. We like to take care of our own affairs,” Nikoli reminded them. “But this isn’t our city and we have no say in the affairs. I will tell you something though. Our counterparts in the Ukraine would like to step in and assist in the reorganization of the city structure.”
Jackal turned to look at his cohorts. Then he turned back to Nikoli. “And if we don’t want the mob in our town?”
Nikoli shrugged. “That is between you and them. I have no standing in the matter.”
“Hey, let’s face that bridge when we get to it,” Pappy said. “Let’s just worry about Caulder first. We have to stop him and get his mother under control before we can do anything else.” Looking over to Yuri he asked, “Did your girl know which cartel Caulder was making plans with?”
“No, but my IT guy found evidence it is the Martinez cartel from the southern Texas area.”
Nikoli turned his head and frowned. “Are you sure about that?”
“As far as I know, why?” Yuri asked.
“I know the man in charge of this cartel and this doesn’t sound like him at all,” Nikoli admitted. “Cordell Inendiaz does not use street thugs to run his business. He also runs a tight ship. I can’t imagine him doing something like this. This deal is on a promise Caulder can’t give them until he gains the run of the city and he doesn’t have that yet.”
“So what are you saying?” Pappy asked.
“I don’t think Caulder has the deal set up yet. I think this man is promising more than he can deliver. I think he already knows the cartel will not forgive him if he cannot produce what he says he will. Everything he’s done is working up to the final act. He can’t do this on his own, he’s relying on the work of others to get him where he needs to be. He’s one brother down now and his whole plan might be falling apart right before his eyes. If we bring his mother down and he loses his edge, I think the man will self-destruct.”
“But not alone,” Pappy added. “He’ll want to bring Stevie and Benny down with him.”
Nikoli nodded. “And everyone that tried to stand in his way. It might get very dangerous in your city for the next little while until this is settled.”
“Then we’ll just have to keep an eye on things won’t we?” Jackal stated. “You tell that girl we’ll take all the help we can get. We can’t do this alone either.”
Yuri nodded and got to his feet. “I’ll be in touch as soon as we have a contact person for you.”
“You do that.” Jackal shook his hand.
“We’ll get more men over there too,” Pappy stated. He looked at Nikoli and Yuri. “Thanks for the heads up on this.”
“Of course.” Nikoli nodded. “We aren’t the bad guys here.”
“I’m beginning to believe that.” Pappy nodded at him.
“I’ll pass the message along to Stevie and get her help lined up for you,” Yuri said.
When everyone left them alone, Yuri got up and poured them both a glass of vodka. Handing his glass to Nikoli, the other man asked a question, “So what was that all about at Roman’s house?”
Yuri sat down and leaned back in his chair. Nursing his drink, Yuri mused over the question before he spoke, “I’m not sure. Roman was almost a teenager when we met him and he had his own secrets. He would never speak to us about a certain time in his life and we respected that, mostly because we all had our secrets.”
“And he’s never talked about this man Rosco Pavel before?”
Yuri shook his head. “There were rumors back in Russia about this man Rosco Pavel. I have heard of him before but it was so long ago, I didn’t put it together until now.”
“What did you hear?” Nikoli asked quietly.
“Nothing good, I assure you.” Yuri looked troubled. “I hadn’t realized the man was here though.”
“What troubles you so?”
“If what I heard is actually true, then Roman won’t be his only victim here. Rosco won’t stop until he gets his hands on Benny. If he finds Roman is here as well, it could be an all-out war between the two of them.”
Nikoli sat back and now he looked troubled.
Stevie left her brother asleep on the sofa a while after Yuri and Nikoli left. Struggling to get to her feet, she made her way down the hall to the closed door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly on the wooden panel.
When Roman didn’t answer, she tried again.
After a long moment, the door was yanked open and Roman glared at her for a moment. “What do you want?” he growled.
Stevie swallowed hard. “I need to talk to you and I’d rather not do it in front of Benny.”
“I don’t have anything to say, not to you or anyone else. Please leave me alone.” He growled.
Stevie frowned. “Look I don’t know what you’re problem is but I need to talk to you about something important and it cannot wait. So you’re going to have to deal with it.” Pushing past him, she entered the room and looked around. When Roman had stormed down the hall earlier, they had listened to several crashes. Benny had listened for a while then retreated into the safety of her arms. Yuri and Nikoli had gone home before the crashes sounded through the household.
Stevie knew where Benny’s fear came from. She understood the uncertainty he felt with every new crash. Now surveying the damage, she had to shake her head. She noted the crashed lamp and broken glass shattered on the floor.
He had stripped his bed, the blankets and sheets were thrown into the corner. A stack of books were on the floor but you could see where they’d hit the wall. The sharp corners had left a hole in the wall.
She hitched up the blanket that covered her and turned to face him.
He closed the door behind him and simply glared at her. “What the fuck do you want?”
“I need to know what kind of danger my brother is in with this bastard, Rosco Pavel.”
Roman’s eyes and facial expression darkened. “He is in no danger at all. Rosco won’t get close enough to him to breathe the same air.”
“But can I trust your word?” Stevie began wringing her hands together. The movement bothered her shoulder a bit but she ignored the pain.
The blanket slipped off her shoulder and Roman could see her creamy skin. His eyes darkened again but this time it wasn’t anger that shadowed his eyes. He raised his gaze to meet hers.
Stevie caught his gaze and froze where she stood.
Roman took a single step away from the door then stopped. When she didn’t run, he took another step closer. Again, she didn’t run away, so he closed the final distance between them. His hand grasped her shoulder and he gently pulled her toward him. “If you don’t want this tell me now and I’ll leave you alone,” he whispered harshly. “But know if you stay, I won’t stop until I’ve had my fill of you.”
Stevie stared at him but didn’t say a word.
Roman took that as assent and crashed his lips down on hers. The zing of electricity zapped them both and Stevie gasped. Roman slipped his tongue into her mouth and deepened the kiss even more. He eased his hands under her blanket and pulled her closer to him. Her body seemed to fit his perfectly and he ground his hard erection into her hip.
Stevie groaned and rubbed him back.
Now it was Roman’s turn to moan.
Suddenly, Stevie broke away and took a step backward. Her breasts were heaving as she stared at him in confusion. Lifting her fingers to her mouth, she broke her stare and rushed from the room.
A moment later, her door slammed and Roman closed his eyes feeling a loss he couldn’t explain. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t dare. His cock surged when he thought about how she felt in his arms. He could only wonder what it would feel like to touch her bare skin, to feel her body against his own, but he knew he couldn’t. He could never drag her down to his level. He’ hadn’t gotten hard in a very long time. This shocked him to the core. He just couldn’t push this. It would kill him to see the look of fear in her eyes.
He went back to the door and slammed it shut, closing out the rest of the world leaving him to the horror of his own memories.
It was almost dark out when his door opened again. Roman spent the longest time just staring out his window, lost in the past. It was a call from Yuri that brought him back to the present. He needed to talk to Stevie and he had to pull his mind back from what happened this afternoon.
He found Benny and Stevie in the kitchen.
Stevie was laughing at something Benny had said when she noticed him watching her. Her laughter died as she stared at his expression.
Benny saw her change and turned his head to watch him come over to them. He took notice of the look in Roman’s eyes and swallowed hard.
“What is it?” Stevie whispered.
“Yuri made contact this afternoon with the President of the Advocates and when he explained what was going on, Jackal said they would work with your people to stop Caulder and his faction. He just needs to know who to contact in order for them to work together.”
“Of course,” Stevie whispered. Looking away for a moment, she turned back to him. “Of course, he might have to really hunt for the man I have in mind. Silas went underground when we left the city. I asked him to watch out for himself and our friends in case Caulder got a bug up his butt.”
“Yeah, about that…” Roman ran his fingers through his hair. “We have more information on the situation in Baton Rouge. Someone found Frankie and he’s in hospital. Someone beat the crap out of him after you guys left and the bullet Benny gave him might have paralyzed him. Caulder is not happy. We found a wanted poster out for Benny set up on a website online. Mrs. Harris has notified Social services that Benny has run away from her home and she’s got police looking for him all over the state.”
Benny began trembling. “Oh god Stevie, I’m gonna die for what I-I did.”
“No you’re not,” Stevie vowed. “No you’re not.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “We have to stand up to Caulder and his mother now. We don’t have any other choice. I’ll go back and get the stuff that will bury them both.” She gazed at the men.
“No you aren’t going anywhere.” Roman shook his head. “Neither you or Benny are going anywhere near Baton Rouge. Caulder would kill either one of you before you could even step foot in the city.”
“But I can’t get what I need to get if I can’t go back,” Stevie protested.
“Believe me, Caulder is looking for you and Benny. He’s got an army of thugs searching under every rock for you,” Roman warned. “You’ll have to find another way.”
Stevie shook her head. “I couldn’t put anyone’s life on the line to retrieve it. Not because I don’t trust them but because Caulder and his mother would kill to get it back.” Tears ran down her face. “I can’t and won’t put someone else in that kind of danger.”
“And I can’t let you go back there for the same reason,” Roman argued.
Nikoli picked up the phone and dialed a number. As he waited for the caller to pick up the call, he chewed on the end of his cigar. When the gravelly voice answered, he sent out a warm greeting, “Cordell, you old reprobate.”
“Nikoli? What the hell are you doing calling me?”
“I heard a rumor today and had to call to see if it was true.”
“What kind of rumor?” Cordell asked quietly.
“I heard you were thinking of opening a pipeline in Baton Rouge. Are you moving your operation to the river?”
Cordell was quiet for a long time before he broke the silence, “No I’m not moving to Baton Rouge. Why do you ask?”
“Well, because I have a problem involving your cartel. Some little pissant wants to set up a distribution point in his city and he’s going to start a war to clear the way for your cartel to move in.”
“The hell you say!” Cordell blustered. “You know me, that’s not how I work. That would draw an arrow right to me and I know better than to advertise myself like that. The federal government would never leave me in peace.”
“I didn’t think so, but this scumbag is bragging he has you in his pocket. I just thought you should know.”
“Thank you old friend. I’m indeed glad you called. I will look into this matter and settle it.”
Now it was Nikoli’s turn to be quiet for a moment. “I think if I were you my friend, I would stay away from Baton Rouge for the next little while. There is something in the air that might not be good for men like you and me.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“There are those out there that are going to clean the streets. It’s an operation that’s long overdue.”
“Well, good luck to them. I hope they’re able take out all the trash. If they don’t, I know I will.”
Nikoli hung up the call and relit his cigar. As the smoke rose over his head, he narrowed his eyes and sat back in his chair to smile in satisfaction. He may be Bratva but he wasn’t a monster. There were times when maybe you couldn’t tell the difference, but this time, the monsters were on the other side of the fence. God help them in the end.
CHAPTER SIX
Hours after they said goodnight, Stevie laid in her bed and couldn’t sleep. Her mind was racing from thought to thought. She looked over to the dark window and tried to see outside but the night shadows hid what was beyond the darkened glass.
She sat up in bed and her arm ached. Untying the wrap Sazon had put her in, she slipped out of the bandage. Closing her ey
es briefly, she felt the instant pain of her shoulder being out of place but the more she moved it the better her arm felt. Getting out of bed, she went into the bathroom attached to her room and snapped on the light. Observing her body in the mirror, she frowned.
She slipped off her shirt and yoga pants. Standing there in just her underwear, she looked critically at herself. She had to wonder what any man would see in her. She was small and too thin to be attractive to any man. Her breasts were good size but her hips were small.
Worry had given her dark circles under her eyes but her skin was clear when it wasn’t bruised and her hair was shiny even as short as it was. Her fingers barely skimmed her lips as she remembered the kiss she shared earlier with Roman. Closing her eyes, she tried to relive the excitement she felt when he kissed her. She could still feel the excitement but it was subdued now.
She’d never felt anything like what she felt this afternoon with him. She’d always been afraid of the sexual aspect before today. Sex had been a tool Mrs. Harris used against her and the other girls when they reached a certain age. She’d never had the urge to share her body with anyone before but when he kissed her earlier today, she knew there was something more she needed. Something more she craved and she knew only he could give her. She knew this because he was the first man she didn’t fear touching her.
Turning on the shower, she slipped in and washed her body slowly. The hot water felt so good and relaxed her sore muscles to the point that she could finally move again. Touching herself, she felt the tingles waking up. The more she touched herself, the more she knew she would go to him this night. She had to find out what more there was.
Turning off the water, she quickly dried her skin and wrapping the towel around her, she grabbed her clothes and turned off the light. The whole house was dark when she opened her door and took the few steps to his door. Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, she opened his door and stepped inside. Her courage almost failed her as she paused. Closing the door behind her, she dropped her clothing to the floor and moved over to the bed.