Until a year ago when Yenin had Lauren Schneider kidnapped. Dmitry Volikov had the hots for the woman at the time, and he rescued her and brought her to Chicago at the same time Mikhail had come to Chicago when his sister arrived from Russia. Dmitry and Lauren had since fled the country to escape Yenin.
This had put a serious strain on every one of their relationships with Yenin. Leo followed Mikhail and Dmitry to Chicago and moved in with Alena and Mikhail before hooking up with Dr. Katie. Ivan arrived just over a month ago. That left Sergei and Nikolav. It had only been a matter of time.
And now was the right time. If the two of them hadn’t decided to bail from Vegas on their own, Mikhail would have taken it upon himself to press the issue sooner rather than later.
The group of them had seemingly performed an intricate dance with Yenin for the past year, one in which neither side acknowledged what they knew about the other party. But after rescuing Haley from Ted Christianson’s house, the entire precarious balance between Yenin and his six fighters had toppled.
It was no longer a matter of each party pretending they didn’t necessarily know what the other was up to. It was right out there for all to see. Yenin’s men kidnapped Haley Sullivan. She was alive to tell about it in detail. Which meant it was no longer a secret that Anton Yenin had kidnapped many homeless people as well.
For what?
That was the question. What the hell was he up to in his lab, and why were so many people dying as a result of his experiments?
Or more importantly perhaps, why had Haley lived?
Oh, yeah. The dance was over. The proverbial “he doesn’t know that we know that he knows that we know…” was finished.
Mikhail knew exactly what Yenin did this time. Plain as day.
And Yenin could no longer deny he knew the fighters were not in the dark concerning his malicious practices.
What next?
Mikhail had walked to the small supermarket so deep in thought he couldn’t remember getting there. And he cringed. He needed to be on top of his game. Lives were at stake. Currently Haley’s more than anyone else’s.
Mikhail grabbed a cart and made his way quickly down the aisles, grabbing fresh produce, milk, cheese, lunch meat, and anything else he thought Haley would like. It wasn’t hard. He’d seen the contents of her fridge when he emptied it. Easy to emulate.
In less than half an hour, he was back at her apartment.
She hadn’t moved.
At least he didn’t think so.
She sat frozen in the same spot he’d left her, although she had tucked her feet back under her and leaned to one side.
She jerked to sitting as he shoved his way into the apartment hauling several bags in each hand.
He set them in the kitchen on the table and turned toward her. “You okay?” How many times was he going to ask that?
“Guess I should have gone with you.”
“Why?” he asked as he unloaded the bags onto the table.
She licked her lips and took a deep breath. “I’m a mess. I’m not usually like this. I swear.”
He put the carton of milk he held in the fridge and left the rest to head her way. “Haley, don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m surprised how put together you are as it is. Most people would be freaking out. You haven’t even cried since the first day.”
“I don’t feel safe. I’ve never felt so unsafe. I’ve always worked with the downtrodden. It’s my life. How will I ever go back?”
“Well, you’re safe now. And that’s not going to change.”
“How can you say that? You don’t know. You can’t guarantee my safety. Anything could have happened while you were gone. Someone could have been waiting for just the right moment when you left the building to come in here and bust my door down.” She righted herself, setting her feet on the floor.
Her hands shook on her lap.
Mikhail took up his spot on her coffee table again, his face inches from hers when he leaned forward. He couldn’t resist cupping her cheek. “Someone was waiting outside for me to leave you, Haley. The FBI. Two of them. I never would have left you if I thought you were in any danger. I didn’t actually like leaving you even knowing those men were out there, but you needed food. And it didn’t seem as though you were going to be able to leave the apartment just yet.”
Her eyes widened. “The FBI’s watching me?”
“For now.”
“I really am in danger.”
“Well, I’m fairly certain the man who runs the lab where you were held is Anton Yenin. He’s not someone to fuck around with, and he’s probably furious you were rescued. Besides, three of his men were killed in the house Monday, including Dr. Ted Christianson. Anton has got to be pissed.”
“Was he the guy who owned the house? The short guy with the glasses?”
He nodded.
“He was a doctor?”
“Yes. Specialist actually. Epidemiologist.”
“Lord.” She shuddered and set her small fingers over his on her cheek. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
He smiled slowly. “I’m not just gonna leave you. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.” He pushed to standing, mostly because if he didn’t, he feared he might lean in and kiss her. And she wasn’t ready for something like that.
He needed to find a way to use his big head to think. His little head was misbehaving of its own accord. Why did she have to be so damn gorgeous? All that flowing red hair… Those deep pale green eyes… Smooth skin like alabaster…
Mikhail turned away, fearing he might actually moan. He’d had every intention of making other arrangements for her as soon as she was coherent today. But that was not going to happen.
No way could he bring himself to abandon her, and she wasn’t up for it, either.
Haley followed him to the kitchen. “You knew exactly what to get…” she whispered, leaning over the back of a chair.
“Sit. What are you hungry for? I’ll make it.”
She pulled out the chair and lowered her sweet self onto it. “Whatever’s easiest and quickest. I’m starving.”
He held up a loaf of bread. Some sort of expensive, whole-grain, all-natural, brown shit. He’d never eaten anything like it before, but a moldy loaf of the same variety had been on her counter.
Next, he found shaved turkey and slices of Havarti. He’d gotten them from the deli.
As he went to work making her a sandwich, he heard a sob and lifted his head to find a tear running down her face.
She quickly wiped it away. “You…”
“It’s no big deal, woman. I just got some groceries. No need to cry.” His voice cracked. She got to him. The woman was going to bring him to his knees soon.
And that wasn’t his style. He usually liked his women on their knees. In front of him. Head bowed. Hands clasped behind their backs.
This woman? Haley Sullivan?
He shuddered.
She melted his heart.
Their fingers touched as he handed her the sandwich. Again it felt like electricity ran up his arm. She lit him on fire.
When she moaned around the first bite, he jerked upright. “Babe, don’t do that. Jeez…”
“Do what?” she asked as she swallowed.
“Make little noises when you eat. You’re so flippin’ cute, you’re killing me.”
She smiled. Broadly. “You think I’m cute?” She sat up straighter and took another bite.
He rolled his eyes. “You have no idea, do you?”
“About what?” She reached for the bottle of water he pushed across the table and opened the top.
He ignored her, forcing himself to finish making a second sandwich. After it was ready, he sat across from her and eyed it suspiciously. “Will I lose my man card if I eat this?”
She giggled.
The sound went straight to his cock.
“I won’t tell anyone. It’s good for you. Healthy. What do you normally eat?”
He shrugged. “Take out. Fast f
ood. Cheap easy stuff.”
“And you’re able to maintain that sexy body eating shit every day?” She sucked in a breath as soon as the words tumbled out.
“You think I’m sexy?” he said, rewording her own question of moments ago. He stuffed the corner of the sandwich in his mouth and bit down. It wasn’t bad.
She shrugged. “In a rugged, living-on-the-edge, super-hero kind of way.”
He set the sandwich down to laugh hard. “Such interesting adjectives. I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.”
She grinned and continued eating.
When they finished, she helped him put the rest of the groceries away and then leaned against the counter. “I hate that someone put shit into my body. And I hate it even more that I don’t know what it was.”
He faced her, grabbed her biceps, and waited for her to tip her head back and meet his gaze. “I hate it too. Hopefully Katie or someone else can figure out what the hell was injected in you and if there’s anything we need to do about it.”
She lowered her head again and set her forehead against his chest.
His heart raced at the contact.
He was in so much trouble.
»»•««
Anton Yenin slammed the phone down on his desk and leaned back in his chair. “What the fuck is going on with my people?” he screamed.
The men sitting across from him both flinched.
“I send one man out with simple instructions, and he gets both himself and two of my employees killed in hours. And what the fuck were they doing?”
Dayton cleared his throat. “It would appear all three of them were attempting to steal the blood samples from Dr. Kathryn Schwan’s clinic. Apparently they didn’t consult each other. Dr. Ted Christianson actually stole the samples. Your men Boris and Erik got there after him. They never knew Ted stole the samples. So they took the doctor’s ex-boyfriend hostage in order to make a trade.”
“A trade for what? The blood? The blood I neither wanted nor needed? Are they all stupid?”
“It would seem that way, sir,” Millings stated.
“What the hell would I need those samples for? I have plenty of blood samples from all six fighters from the last twelve years. I don’t need more.”
“I guess they didn’t think it should remain in Dr. Schwan’s hands, either. Thought they were being helpful.”
Anton’s blood boiled. “And they didn’t think this would simply make matters worse by raising a red flag? I mean, the bitch is sleeping with one of them. Leo Gulin. All she’d have to do is take another vial if she wanted.”
“We realize this. Apparently it didn’t occur to Ted, Boris, or Erik.”
“And they’re all dead. Thank God.”
“Never understood why you kept those two idiots on your payroll anyway,” Millings commented.
Anton frowned. “Not for their intelligence. I can tell you that. They’ve been fucking up for years. I only kept them on my staff to create a distraction by following my fighters around. I knew they were too stupid to be undetected. Hopefully Mikhail and Leo noticed they were being followed and lost sight of the bigger picture.
“Those fighters are mine, and I don’t intend for them to forget it. That dick Abram Gromov might think he could bully me by taking over my men while I was in the slammer, but he’s mistaken. They’re mine. And I intend to get them back. If Boris’ and Erik’s stupidity planted even half of that seed, I’ve succeeded.”
Dayton lifted a brow, infuriating Anton.
Anton glared back. “What happened to the redhead?”
“She left with Mikhail Dudko,” Dayton added.
“Of course she did.” Anton pushed to standing, slamming his hands on the desk. “I want her found. I want her back in my lab. You hear me?”
“Finding her isn’t a problem, sir. We know where she is.” Millings lifted his face. “She’s at her apartment. With Mikhail. But getting her is another story.”
“Find a way. Find a hole. The damn feds can’t possibly be watching her every second of every hour of every day.”
Dayton stood next. He faced Anton head-on, which pissed him off even more. “We are the feds. Don’t forget that. We’re part of the detail in charge of ensuring she’s safe. From you, I might add. And if you want us to continue to feed you information, you’re going to have to find someone else to snatch her and some other way to make it happen, because if we compromise our position, we’re no longer any good to you at all.”
Anton leaned in, furious. “And I’m paying you twice what the fucking government pays you to make things happen. I can also make you both disappear in a fucking heartbeat.” He snapped his fingers between them. “Don’t you forget that.”
Dayton’s face turned a dark shade of red. “Fine. Let me also point out that if we’re caught, we lose our jobs and go to jail, and you lose your fount of information. So, it isn’t in your best interest to put us in a position that risks your operation.” He stepped back, his lips pursed.
Good. He needed to wipe some cocky off his face before Anton found a way to make him disappear. “Get a bug in that apartment.”
Millings cleared his throat. “That’s going to be difficult, sir.”
“Why? What’s so hard about it?”
“We’ve already met at the field office. There are men stationed to guard the building twenty-four seven. We haven’t been assigned that particular detail yet. We don’t have access.”
Anton straightened his spine, setting his hands on his hips. He couldn’t hold back the sarcastic retort. “When it’s your turn to watch, how about you walk into the apartment and plant one?”
Millings cocked his head to one side and narrowed his gaze. “Because we aren’t the only ones with access. Someone would just sweep the place on the next shift and destroy our bug.”
“Find a way. Figure something out. Get me more information,” Anton responded. He pointed at the door. “Go. Get out.”
Dayton nodded and left the office with Millings on his tail.
Good. Anton hoped he put a bit of the fear of God in the men. They worked for him. Not the other way around. And if they didn’t get the job done right, he would have them taken out of the picture in two seconds flat without getting his hands dirty.
If they even thought of double crossing him…
Chapter Three
Haley paced the center of her apartment, running her hands through her hair. Frustration caused her to do it, but it felt so good having her hair washed properly and blow-dried for the first time in weeks, she couldn’t resist.
“I know you need the exercise, but you’re wearing a hole in the carpet.”
“I know I’m being a greedy bitch, but for some strange reason, I don’t trust my life to anyone else right now.”
Mikhail finished tying his shoe and stood. “I’m only going to the gym. I’d trust my own life in Ivan’s hands any day of the week. He’s like a brother to me. You’ll be safe with him. I’ll drop you off there.”
She stopped pacing and faced him. This was ridiculous. The man had a life to lead, and she was behaving like a child. “This gym. Could I go with you?”
He hesitated, his brows furrowed. And then he lifted both shoulders. “Sure. If you like to hang out in an enclosed space filled with sweaty men who cuss and grunt and groan while they lift weights, punch bags, and get their asses kicked in the ring.”
For the first time that day, she relaxed. “Sounds perfect.”
As he grabbed his duffle bag and hung it over his shoulder, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the message. “It’s Leo. He wants us to come by the clinic after the gym.”
“Okay. What for?”
“Katie has a few questions for you.” He shrugged.
She grabbed her small purse, hooked it over her shoulder, and followed him to the door. How many people would have questions for her and for how many weeks or months? She feared it would be a long time.
Not that she didn’
t want her kidnappers caught. She wanted that more than anything. No one should have to go through what she’d been through for two weeks, especially if the outcome was often fatal.
How many homeless people were missing now? Those other rooms she passed at the strange lab must have had people in them. Probably homeless people. Perhaps even people she knew. And they were undoubtedly dead now.
She swallowed over the realization as she followed Mikhail down the short hall of her third-floor apartment toward the steps. The fight to keep from crying all over again was tough. She knew those people. They were human beings. Just because they were down on their luck didn’t mean they were more expendable. Who would do such a thing?
“You okay?” Mikhail asked. They’d reached the ground floor, and he turned to face her, his expression leery. “You don’t have to go with me, you know. Ivan can come here. Alena can too for that matter.”
“Who’s Alena?”
“My sister. She lives with me. Well, Ivan’s staying with her now. And two other friends of ours from Vegas are moving here next week. They’ll probably stay at my apartment too.”
“That’s a lot of people. Good thing you have someplace else to stay.” She forced a smile.
“Thank God,” he teased.
“One question.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you think there were other kidnapped people in that medical facility and they were the missing homeless?”
His set his hand on her shoulder. “Yes.”
“Do you think…?” She sucked in a hitched breath, unable to finish her question.
His voice lowered as he stepped closer, his thumb stroking her neck. “Many of them are dead.” He didn’t sugarcoat it.
She nodded, pursing her lips to fight back the tears.
His hand slid down her arm to grab hers, and he hauled her against his side as they stepped outside.
“We have to stop them,” she muttered as soon as she was situated in his black Jeep Wrangler. It was an older model, but well cared for. Mikhail took pride in his car.
He turned to face her after starting the engine. “We will. But it’s going to take time. The FBI has been working on this for years.”
She gasped, gripping the dashboard as she twisted to more fully face Mikhail. “That Russian Mafia guy has been killing homeless people for years?”
Guard (The Underground Book 3) Page 3