Sitnikov nodded. “You let her go.”
Ash shoved a frustrated hand through his hair, spiking it up. He wanted to tread carefully, but he was also a blunt man.
As though sensing his discomfort, Sitnikov said, “Speak your mind. I will not have you killed today.”
Ash snorted. “I believe it. This place is too nice to spray with blood.”
Sitnokov laughed out loud slapping his palm on the desk. “That is funny, American.”
“Yeah.” Ash looked at the harsh man skeptically, picturing a crazed Al Pacino in Scarface. Funny wasn’t how he would describe this situation.
“You want blunt, Russian? I’ll give it to you straight,” Ash said sitting up in his chair and staring the other man in the eye. “You’re sister acts like a spoiled child half the time I’ve been with her and like a world weary siren the other half. She covers herself in makeup and plays games that will get her into trouble if someone doesn’t watch over her. She tried to kick my damn ass in my own house. If she’d tried that trick on any other cage fighter, she’d have ended up bleeding and broken. She’s a walking contradiction. If she were any other woman, I’d say she wasn’t worth the trouble, but I can’t stay away from her. So yes, I’m here to see her. To try to talk some sense into her and convince her she’s better off with me than here, where her dangerous games are indulged.”
The atmosphere in the room became so tense that Ash began to wonder if Sitnikov was rethinking his ‘no killing in the costly den’ policy. Finally, Sitnikov rolled his shoulders, as though to ease some of the tension. He got up and paced to the liquor cabinet and poured himself another drink.
“You are right about one thing. My sister is impulsive. And yes, sometimes childlike. But it is clear to me you have no real understanding of her. You have let your assumptions blind you to her true self.” Sitnokov glared at him, tossing back the clear liquor. “I am disappointed. I had believed you might be the man to teach my Anastasia that life needs not be so complicated.”
Ash wanted to defend himself, but something Sitnikov said echoed Anya’s parting words. He assumed he knew what she was about. Maybe he was wrong. “Tell me about her then. Tell me why a twenty-four year old woman still lives with her brother. As far as I can tell she has no job and no educational aspirations. Tell me what I’m missing.”
Sitnokov made an angry sound. “You know nothing!”
Ash nodded. “Then enlighten me.”
The other man visibly dug deeply for the patience he was not known to have. Finally, he spoke. “Anya was only five when I brought her and our mother, Nadia, to this country. She was born late in our mother’s life, unexpected but still very cherished. She has always been a precocious, outgoing child. Her love of life came from our mother. When Nadia died only one year after our arrival here, Anastasia was devastated. She had no mama and no papa to care for her. Only an older brother who was married to the mob. Yes, I indulged her, but not out of the ordinary.”
Sitnikov paused as if the memories were too much. Ash sensed something else coming. Something that would explain why Anya was the way she was. He needed to hear it, even though he suspected he wouldn’t like it.
“When Anastasia was fourteen, she was kidnapped by my enemies, men that did not adhere to the rules of our world – the rules forbidding us from touching family. She was to be sold as a slave and shipped overseas, far out of my reach. This was to be punishment for my success, for taking business away from them.” Sitnikov paused again and then reached for the bottle of vodka. He drank straight from the bottle this time before slamming it down. “They decided to take the time to rape her before shipping her out. The bastards knew taking her virginity would take away from her value on the foreign slave market, but thought it was worth it to increase my suffering when they sent me the photographs.”
Ash felt sick. He felt as though he might actually vomit on the expensive rug that was swimming beneath his feet. After the nausea passed, a rage engulfed him, so intense it dwarfed anything he had ever felt before. He gripped the arms of the chair tightly so as to not act on the fury.
“Dead?” he gritted out. He could only manage one word.
Sitnikov watched him, his expression satisfied. Ash wasn’t sure if it was his reaction to Anya’s story or if it was the memory of what he did to the men that hurt his sister. “Oh yes, quite.”
Ash nodded jerkily. “Finish,” he managed to say.
Sitnikov took another swig of the expensive vodka and sat heavily in his massive leather chair. “I hunted them almost from the moment they took her. I was much closer than they thought. My men and I took them out while they…while they were still hurting her. They were vicious with her, brutal while they broke her tiny body. It was bad. Quite bad. But not as bad as it could have been. There were six men there, only two had a chance…” He trailed off unable to finish.
Ash didn’t press him. He didn’t want to know more. He now understood how Sitnikov had rocketed to his position of power from being a common street thug. He had taken out an entire criminal faction in bloody revenge for his sister. He likely left no one alive who would talk about what had happened to her. Which was why not even Khalid had known. Hell, most of the city barely even knew of Anastasia Sitnikov’s existence.
Sitnikov laughed bitterly. “Sadly, she got over it before I did. She was never quite the same happy person that she once was, but she became more independent over the years. And for the record, she is attending school. She takes literature classes through an online university. She would have moved out years ago and probably attended a regular university and gotten a job if I hadn’t begged her to stay. I am the sole reason a twenty-four year old woman lives with her brother. I cannot bear for her to live alone, unprotected, where she could be taken again. I taught her how to defend herself, but…”
“I understand,” Ash said quietly.
He finally did understand. He felt like the asshole she had called him. She might have a few issues, but it was a miracle the woman could function at all after what had happened to her ten years earlier.
“She hasn’t been as happy as she could be,” Sitnikov said heavily. “I had hoped, when she met you, that perhaps she could find happiness with someone else, someone capable of protecting her.”
Ash nodded. He opened his mouth to assure the Russian that he intended to do exactly that when the door burst open with enough force to shake the entire room. Boris charged into the room, eyes wild, speaking rapid Russian. The only word Ash understood was ‘Anya’.
Sitnikov surged to his feet, ignoring the bottle of Vodka that fell, spilling across the floor. He spoke to Boris, his voice low and furious. Boris left immediately.
Sitnikov turned to Ash, his eyes glowing with fury. “She has been taken again. It is time to prove to me that you mean what you say.”
Ash felt something inside his body explode in fear and rage. He also came to his feet, demanding, “Where is she?”
“Come, I will explain on the way.”
The Russian mob boss reached into his desk, pulled out a gun and tossed it to Ash. Without another word the two men left the office, an atmosphere of deadly intent following them out to the waiting SUV.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Anya gritted her teeth in pain as a rope tightened around her wrists. “Ease the fuck up, you twat!” she snapped at the guy securing her to a chair.
He responded by tightening the bonds even more.
Anya fantasized about all the gory things she was going to do to his scrawny ass when she, a) got loose, and b) found something sharp and pointy, like the knife that lived in her boot since her last kidnapping. She had already tipped them off to her self-defence capabilities when she’d fought like a wild cat after they grabbed her. She hoped those cracks she’d heard as they struggled to get her into the trunk of a car were broken bones. If not then she’d be sure to remedy that situation when she finished exacting her revenge on her friend, Idiot Twat, who couldn’t tie a knot to save his life.
>
Anya continued to think vicious, bloody thoughts so she wouldn’t give in to the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. She knew her brother would come for her. Eventually. Anya just hoped he found her with enough time to rescue her while she was still alive.
Her heart broke over the way she had left Ash. He could be such an asshole, but he was her asshole and she loved him. And he didn’t know the truth about her. She never gave him a chance to understand her properly. Now she would probably die before she could truly open up to him and tell him he was wrong in his assumption that she was just a playgirl that liked kinky games. That thought made her extra angry, so when the bastard responsible for her most recent kidnapping entered the room, she wasn’t as careful as she maybe should have been.
“Hey, it’s dead man walking,” she smirked and tried to look casual, which wasn’t easy to pull off when tied to a chair. “Any last thoughts before my brother guts your worthless ass and ships the entrails to your momma?”
The foul-mouthed, worse-smelling ringleader of the kidnappers stepped up to her. “You think you’re so clever little girl?”
She eyed him with disdain and said, “There isn’t much competition in the room, now is there?” He was sweating profusely and constantly fidgeting with his low-slung jeans and t-shirt. She suspected he was probably high.
He reached out, snatched her by the neck and pulled her forward, dragging both girl and chair toward him. Anya choked as he squeezed the breath in her throat. She used the slackening pressure on her wrists to wriggle them and hopefully loosen the rope Idiot Twat had tied so badly.
“Not so smart when you can’t speak, bitch.” He tossed her backward so hard the chair rocked back sharply before settling. “Maybe I should cut out your tongue? I don’t know who your brother is and I don’t really care. It’s your fuck buddy I’m after,” he spat.
Anya froze in the chair and then started laughing. “You don’t even know who my brother is?”
The three men, Smelly Leader, Idiot Twat and Super Fugly stared at her like she was crazy.
“Seriously guys, this is priceless.” She would have wiped tears from her eyes if her hands weren’t busy elsewhere. “Vladimir Sitnikov is about to take down that door, dismember you while you’re still alive and you have no fucking clue exactly who it is you’ve stolen.”
Idiot Twat and Super Fugly looked uncertain for the moment, but Smelly Leader continued to look smug. “Lie all you want bitch. We ain’t seen you hanging with Sitnikov or his men, you’ve been shacking up with Asher Bowles. I’ve been waiting some time to make Asher pay for going legit and screwing me over on a fair bit of cash in a street fight he never showed for.”
“This is about Ash?” Anya asked incredulously.
“You’re his woman. Something he finally gives a fuck about. I been waiting years for him to care about something. Thought I was going to have to kill his damn dog just to get my own.”
Anya was even more upset that he’d thought about killing Bane than the fact that he had kidnapped her. Hurting animals just wasn’t right!
He eyed her and picked up a piece of hair from her shoulder, running his fingers down the feathery length. He rubbed the bright blue section between his fingers. “You ain’t half bad for such a mouthy bitch. Thought you were too skinny, but now I see you up close, there might be some possibility here if you close that fucking mouth and start acting a little more grateful for your life.”
Smelly Leader cupped her breast and squeezed, hard. Anya seriously thought about vomiting, but thought there was probably a better use for her mouth now that his hand had drifted close enough. She sank her teeth into his arm until she tasted blood. He screamed and yanked his arm back so hard his flesh tore.
Grossed out, Anya unlatched her teeth and spat.
She had barely a second to look up when his fist smashed into the side of her head so hard she crashed to the floor still tied to the chair. His next move was to kick her in the stomach, which caused the chair to jump back a few feet and hit the wall.
“You’re dead, you fucking bitch!”
Anya lifted her head a few inches off the floor and grinned, blood trickling from her mouth. “Bring it on, Smelly.”
* * *
“Drive faster!” Ash snapped at Boris.
Boris ignored him.
“There is no point in harassing my man,” Sitnikov said, sitting back against the leather seat in deceptive relaxation. “Her panic button went off twenty minutes ago. We have her GPS location. Unless they killed her immediately, which we could not do anything about anyway, they will not have much time before we arrive.”
“They’ll have enough time,” Ash snarled, his voice cracking.
Sitnikov stared at the younger man thoughtfully, but said nothing more. Truthfully, the Russian was barely holding himself together. He was perfectly willing to burn the city to the ground to ensure Anastasia’s safe return. As it was, there would be no need. His intelligent young sister had managed to push the panic button on her purse, alerting them to her predicament and exact whereabouts. Provided she hadn’t been separated from the accessory, they would track her to the kidnapper’s location.
“Here,” Boris said into the tense silence, bringing the SUV to a sudden stop in front of a dilapidated warehouse in the river district.
Ash was out of the vehicle before it fully stopped and launching himself at a dark shape that had separated from the building. He had the man’s throat in one giant fist and slammed him so hard into the brick building that the guy’s head hit with an audible crack.
Sitnikov got out of the SUV.
The guy saw him and his eyes widened in surprise.
“I know him,” Ash snarled into the other guys face. “I used to know this guy when I still used.”
“He does seem surprised to see me here.” Sitnikov frowned. “You kidnapped my sister, how did you not believe you would see me here eventually?”
Ash let up on his grip enough so the guy could speak. “Sister?” he choked. “Swear to god, we had no idea Mr. Sitnokov. Please… we didn’t hurt her.”
“Hmm, isn’t this an unfortunate mistake.”
Ash dropped the guy and turned to the building while Sitnikov made sure the guy would never repeat his mistake again. Wrenching open the door, he ran inside, heedless of any danger in his desperation to reach Anya. He stood in what looked like an empty detail shop. Hearing a scream from one of the back rooms, Ash launched himself toward the sound, terrified he was too late and knowing he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything happened to her.
* * *
Heart thundering, breaths coming in sharp gasps, Anya surveyed the scene before her. She turned to the door and prepared to leave when the door opened with so much force it separated from its hinges and skidded toward her. She jumped to the side and crouched, knife clutched in her bloody fist, prepared to take on her next attacker.
“Ash!” she gasped.
He stood surveying the scene with shock, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. “Did you do this?”
She glanced over at the three bodies scattered across the floor. She dropped the blade guiltily and rubbed self-consciously at a streak of blood that had splattered across her bare arm. She glanced at his face. He looked surprised, but not disgusted. In fact, when his icy blue eyes swept over her, searching for damage, she realized he was intensely relieved.
“Yes,” she breathed and launched herself at him. He caught her up in his arms and held her tightly. “They threatened Bane! It wasn’t right.”
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. He kissed her hair and rocked her in his arms. “I’m so damn sorry baby, I had no idea. I would never put you in danger. I should have known my old life would catch up with me eventually.”
“It’s not your fault, it could just as easily have been Vlad’s enemies,” she whispered, tears squeezing between her eyelids. “I killed their asses dead, so there’s no more threat to you, me or Ba
ne.”
“You killed them good,” he said, sounding impressed with her bloody handiwork. “I always knew you were a wild thing, baby.”
She grinned and leaned back in his arms far enough to press her lips hard against his and shove her tongue into his mouth. He groaned and tightened his arms until he was squeezing the breath from her. She sensed the need in him to make sure she was truly unhurt.
“Anastasia.”
Anya broke the kiss off and looked around nervously. Ash let her slide down until her feet touched the floor. She turned to her brother and stepped toward him. Vlad looked down at her, touching a smear of blood on her cheek with a frown. “It’s not mine,” she said softly. “Thanks to everything you’ve taught me over the years, I was able to eliminate the threat.”
“I couldn’t be prouder,” he said, pulling her into his strong embrace.
She sniffled against his chest and hugged him back, heedless of the blood she was smearing on his expensive suit. They may not be a typical family, but he was the only family she had, and she knew he loved her more than anyone in the world.
“I’m going to have to call the cleaner,” he said, pushing her back gently. “You made quite a mess in here.”
She shrugged. “Maybe I’ll get better with practice.”
“Not funny, Anastasia.”
Vlad turned and looked at Ash, eyeing the other man with some hostility now that the immediate situation was resolved. “I’m not happy that he is the reason you were dragged into this.”
Anya tensed, sensing the danger in his tone. “Don’t you dare Vladimir!” she snapped and then switched to Russian, speaking rapidly and vehemently. “It could have easily been one of your enemies that snatched me. No one in our world is invulnerable.”
He maintained a stony silence. It didn’t help that Ash looked like he was ready to throw her over his shoulder and walk out with her. While she was happy to have a boyfriend that would stand up to her brother, she didn’t think this was a particularly good time for an alpha display.
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