by KJ Dahlen
“God, I hope so. Ivan will burn that compound down in any respect but if she’s not there anymore, hell won’t have room for the souls he sends there.”
Rani then asked, “Is Ivan a good man? You know him better than I do at this point, is he a good man?”
Daniel moved to lay on his back. He still had her wrapped in his arms and when she laid her head on his chest, he told her, “Ivan is a good man. He’s stern and he can be harsh if you cross him but deep down, he is a good man. He’s got a certain code he lives by and he told me once he lives by the laws his own father set down when he was a child. He’s strong willed and not many can get by him and he’s a man you never want to get on the wrong side of but he’s a fair man.” He paused. “I do know that whenever he mentioned your mother, he would look so saddened. It seemed to be the only time he showed such emotion.”
“My mother never spoke about him, so I didn’t know anything about him until I left that night. She was saddened often. Even when Begian wasn’t being cruel. When I became a teen, I finally asked her. ‘Was it sadness because she missed her family?’ She gave me an odd reply.” Rani halted as she thought of it. “When the light of your world is vanquished, you become blind to life itself. Then she would hold me and say. ‘Though I have your light and that makes me want to live.’ Then she told me of Ivan the day I left. And I guessed this was the love, the person that she’d missed so much. She’d spoke of him for all that time though.”
Daniel nodded. “I can see why. Begian wouldn’t have allowed you or her to acknowledge Ivan at all.”
She nodded. “But my mom wasn’t as obedient as he would have ordered her to be either.”
Daniel looked down at the top of her head. “Oh, yeah? What did she do that he didn’t know about?”
Rani giggled and looked up at him with mischief in her eyes. “She taught me Russian. But she told me that I could never let him know. She said she couldn’t let me be completely unschooled. She did teach me things that he didn’t know about and that would be our biggest secret. Mine and moms. We would sneak out at night just to look at the stars. She would take me with her to gather desert wildflowers too.”
Daniel grinned. “She was preparing you for a life she hoped you would have.”
Rani nodded. “And she knew she might not live to see that life. Didn’t she?”
“Yes baby, she did, but she also gave herself some hope. By telling you your dad’s name she was hoping he still cared enough about her to come and get her.”
“And I’m glad he is doing just that,” Rani whispered in the darkness.
Daniel laid his head on hers. “We should try and get some sleep now. The sun will be up in a few hours and I know they will be making plans to go to Del Rio. You’re going to need your strength tomorrow.”
Rani closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. For the first time in a long time, she wasn’t afraid to sleep. Afraid someone would come and try to hurt her. Or hear that awful sound—the sound of Begian shouting and yelling.
She knew Daniel would keep her safe and she trusted in that.
All too soon, the sun was up and someone was pounding on the door.
Daniel groaned and opened his eyes.
Rani woke up at the same time as she stared at the door and frowned.
Daniel sat up and grabbed his jeans. Pulling them up, he walked over to the door and opened it.
Tate and Ivan were on the other side.
Ivan looked into the room and over at the bed too see his daughter sitting there obviously naked, holding a blanket up to cover herself. Ivan snapped his eyes at Daniel and glared at him. He took a step toward him
Tate stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder.
Ivan shrugged Tate’s hand off his shoulder and shook his head.
Tate spoke to Daniel, “We got video pictures of the compound and we need Rani to identify the members.”
Daniel nodded and was about to close the door when Rani called out Ivan’s name. She got out of bed as she wrapped the blanket around her, then went over to her backpack and began rummaging through it. She found the letter her mother had given her and walked over to the doorway. She held out the letter.
Ivan stared at her for a moment before he looked at the letter. His eyes widened when he saw the writing and recognized it. “My Anya wrote this, didn’t she?”
Rani nodded. “Da, eto lichnoye ot neye. It is for you personally.”
His eyes rounded. “Ty govorish' po-russki?”
Nodding, Rani smiled. “Mom made sure I knew how to speak it. So when she told me to run, she wanted me to find you as soon as it was safe for me to do so. She finally told me your name and said I would be safe with you. Then she wanted me to give you this letter. She said you would know what to do with it.”
Ivan reached out and took the letter from her. “Da, thank you child.” Then he glared at Daniel again, turning away from him, he walked down the hall.
Tate just looked at his son and sighed as he shook his head. Then he too, turned and walked away.
Daniel sighed hard and slowly closed the door. “Well sweet thing, I guess they know now.” He turned around to her and smiled.
“Do you regret it?” She had to ask.
Daniel frowned at her. “Hell no, I don’t regret it but there was another way to do this.” He pulled her into his arms. “I will never regret claiming you. And no, I’m not giving you up either. So don’t think you can change your mind either. Letting you walk away from me isn’t going to happen, so get that thought out of your head right now, woman of mine. You do belong with me and I will fight like hell to keep you.”
Rani smiled. “Who says I’m leaving? You wanted me, you got me, and you better keep me. I don’t have much but whatever I got is yours now.”
“You are all I want sweet thing. I got enough for both of us.”
“One thing my mother taught me... rabotay radi togo, chto khotel...”
Daniel pulled back a bit and stared at her.
She giggled. “To work for what you wanted,” Rani explained. “I’m not afraid to work for what I want and what I need. I plan to work beside you, not behind you or in front of you but beside you to get what we need.”
Daniel smiled. “That sounds good to me.” He leaned toward her and kissed her deeply. They both got involved in the kiss as if they’d never kissed before.
Chapter Eleven
Finally, Daniel reluctantly pulled away from her lips. “Ok, right now, we have to grab a shower.”
Rani stared at him. “T-together?”
Daniel laughed. “Yes, and I can... scrub your back.” He gave her a green eyed wink.
She flushed.
“Oh man, so much fun...” He grabbed her and dragged her to the bathroom.
Rani giggled as she allowed him to pull her along.
He turned the water on and got it warm. Then motioned for her to get in.
Once they were situated behind the glass door, he soaped his hands up and ran them over her body. He then reached around and stroked her clit.
Panting as he played with one of her nipples and her button, she was being driven insane.
After another minute of pleasure torture, Daniel eased her up to the wall. “Hang on tight, sweet thing,” he warned to her ear.
Rani sighed as she shifted her stance and made room for him to slip into her.
Daniel nudged her opening with his cock. The fact that he’d slipped inside her without any problem told him she was ready for round two just as much as he was. She groaned when he filled her up and then it was his turn to groan.
She was still so tight he fit inside her like she had been made just for him. Warm, wet and tight, he thought she might be too sore to take him but she let him in with ease. Maybe the hot water helped, he knew it wasn’t hurting as he began to stroke in and out of her. Each stroke was harder and deeper than the last.
“Please don’t stop,” she begged him while panting when he slowed down.
“I’m
not stopping but I need you to turn around. You’re driving me crazy and I need to get in deeper,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled out and turned her around. Crowding into her, he pushed himself back inside her and she moaned long and low. This was a sound he knew he wanted to hear from her. He ground his pelvis into her ass. Pulling her hips back, just a bit he slammed into her again and again.
Rani began pushing her hips back as he thrust into her core. He was deeper than before and he wanted nothing more than to be buried inside this woman forever. She braced her hands against the wall and gladly took the pounding he was giving her.
When he reached around and began playing with her clit again, she ignited and screamed out his name. Daniel covered her mouth with his hand and exploded inside her. For a moment, neither of them could move then slowly, Daniel began pulling back.
For a moment, Rani didn’t move.
Daniel reached out and peeled her away from the wall. “Are you okay?” he whispered as he moved her closer to the water.
Rani nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Neither of them said a word but when Rani began washing her chest, Daniel snatched the wash cloth away from her and took over the job. He dropped the wash cloth and began running his own soapy hands all over her body.
He licked his lips as he grasped her breasts and held them. Their fullness fit into his hands just right and he groaned as he pinched her nipples. Daniel smiled. “I can’t get enough of you.”
Gasping, she laid her body against his wet chest.
He let out a sigh. “But we have to get out and get dressed. Today will be a long one.”
Rani nodded as she smiled at him.
They both got out and Daniel insisted on drying her off. “I love your tight little body, Sweet Rani. Built just for me.”
Rani stared at him. “You say such wild things, Daniel.”
He raised his head. “Wild? No, the truth. You are so beautiful Rani. From the top of your head...” He reached out and tapped her wet hair. “To...” He dragged a finger down her naked breasts as she shivered from his touch. “To your sweet pussy.” He grabbed her mound. “So beautiful. And not just outside. Your eyes are fill of life and I hope I am seeing a love there.”
Rani took a huge breath as she nodded. Her cheeks went utterly pink.
He stared at her blushing. “God damnit, you are adorable.” He pressed his fingers to her lips. “We will be able to traverse through all that. After we rescue your mother.” Then he turned around to get some clothes.
They were both dressed and ready to go a few minutes later.
Together, they both walked toward the kitchen. When they arrived, everyone looked up at them.
Rani held her head high and looked back at them one by one.
This morning, there were women in the group.
Daniel introduced them as Annie and his mom.
Annie, she saw was working with Harry on her own computer and between the two of them, they now had a complete picture of the compound.
They even managed to get close enough to take photos of the members as they walked around the compound. While Daniel got them both some coffee, Rani sat down at the table and began looking at the photographs.
She paled when she saw one photo. It was of a woman. Tears rolled down her face as she studied the woman. The photo was blurred but you could still see the swollen flesh on her face even if the bruises were disappearing. She turned to Daniel, grasped him around the waist and cried.
Daniel looked around at the others and didn’t know what to do.
Ivan took the photo and studied it for a moment then shook his head. “That’s my Anya isn’t it? Your mother?” he asked.
Rani finally pulled away from Daniel and nodded. She lifted her teary eyes to him and said, “I know she doesn’t look like she did when you knew her but years of living hard and taking beatings will do that to you.” She wiped her tears away and began looking at the photos again. She tapped one photo and told them, “This is Boris, he’s one of the ten that goes to town every week. Tapping another one, she called him, “Mikial.” Then another and another as she named the ten people Begian trusted enough to let them do business beyond the walls of the compound.
Then Pyotr asked her to point out Begian, she pointed to one of the photos that she wouldn’t look at any more than she had to.
“Do you know any of the others?” Gregori asked.
She nodded. “This is man he chose to be my husband. He found me twice and damn near killed me both times.” She tapped another photograph.
Daniel checked the photo and nodded. “Yeah, that’s the bastard.”
Ivan got to his feet and announced, “There will be more men coming today. They will help me storm the compound Friday morning, after the men go to town.”
Tate looked up at him and asked, “Do you need some help with this?”
“Net, this is my battle to win,” Ivan told him. “I would however, ask that Rani be allowed to stay here while I’m gone. I know her mother would not want her anywhere near the compound again. We can pick her up on our way back, once I know Begian won’t ever bother them again.”
“What are you going to do?” Rani finally asked.
Ivan turned to her and snarled, “I’m going to break down his walls and take back what is mine. I’m going to get your mother out of that hell and I’m going to seek justice for the crimes that bastard did twenty years ago. I’ve been looking for them both all this time, but I could never find them. Now, I know where he’s been hiding and the time has come.”
“Ivan, you should know something before you leave.” Daniel stood a bit taller and he never flinched as Ivan turned his glare at him. “I’m claiming Rani. With her approval of course, I would never force her but she is my woman now.”
Ivan turned to glare at his daughter. “Is this what you want?” He towered over her.
Rani stood to face him as well and nodded. “Yes, this is what I want. He is the man for me.”
“Bylad, you don’t even know him!” Ivan roared. “You just got out of a mess with Begian and now, you’re hooking up with the first man to find you. The first man to show you, he’s not an animal.”
Rani trembled inside but let nothing show on the outside. She’d stood up to bullies like Begian all her life. “Maybe, but I’ll tell you one thing, I would rather stay with Daniel for as long as he’ll have me than live with a man who knows nothing about how I was raised and could care less. I lived with one man who yelled, screamed, and hit me all my life. If Daniel does any of those things, I will walk out that door and never come back here. I know I can make it on my own and I’m not afraid to do that. I’m staying with him until I can’t anymore. He and I already know how we feel. And for once...I. WILL. BE. HAPPY!" She yelled. “Do you hear me? On svet vo t'me mira!”
Hearing these words in Russian, Ivan suddenly lost all the color in his face as he stared at her.
Nodding, she spoke quietly now, “Da, she told me this once. So, if you know of it and I can see that you do, then you know it is not just that Daniel rescued me. You know it is more than that. I may be your daughter but I’m full grown now.” She pushed away from the table and walked back down the hall.
They all heard a door slam.
Daniel looked over at Ivan. “You owe her an apology, my friend. I know our being together this quick doesn’t make sense to you but with some people, it is that quick. Call it fate or whatever you want but she’s been mine since the moment I found her. I looked at her and knew I found my soulmate. Just know one thing, I will never hurt her, and I will never give her a reason to walk away from me. I will protect her with every breath I take, even if it’s my last breath. And I will never give her a reason to doubt me or how I feel.” With that, he too, walked down the hall and shut the door again.
Ivan was left standing there like a fool. Then he whispered reverently, “On svet vo t'me mira...”
It was later in the day when Rani and Daniel joined the others again.
For the most part, Rani chose to ignore Ivan completely while she pointed out vital places in the compound for the men going in.
Ivan’s men finally arrived and they had to go over everything again to set their plans.
By early Thursday afternoon, they were getting ready to leave for Del Rio. They were flying out in the helicopters to get as close to Del Rio as they could get, without announcing to the world they were there.
Rani finally spoke to her father, “I want to go with you.”
Ivan raised his brows and looked over at Daniel.
Daniel stood and moved closer to Rani. “You can’t.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I can. I need to be there.”
“It is not safe!” Ivan roared.
Defiant, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I lived in that hell all of my life. I need to see it end. I need to see this done.”
Daniel shook his head but he could see that this was something she was set on. “I will be with you.”
She opened her mouth to argue.
He placed his fingers over her lips. “I will be with you. Did you think after claiming you that I wouldn’t be anywhere you are?”
She sighed in resignation, then showed them how she was able to get out of the compound but she couldn’t be sure Begian hadn’t fixed that breach. She pointed to a spot on the compound wall. “These are the cannabis plants. Around this time of year, they are high and cover a lot. There is a place in the fence line that is weak. My mom and I found it a while ago and we had plans to use it to get out when the time came. But before that happened, Begian made his plans to marry me off.”
“Where is this place?” Gregori asked.
Rani pointed out the place she’d escaped from. “We removed a few stones and I slipped through. There are also no cameras there, so I had a good head start.”
“He has cameras?” Ivan asked as he studied the map.
Rani nodded. Then she pointed out the towers that they had cameras on. “The whole compound is locked down when the men are gone as Begian knows he doesn’t have the same protection.”