Not to mention my boss. When they delivered the car today, I thought he was going to have a seizure the way he looked at me suspiciously. I bet he has been going through the books since I left this afternoon to make sure I haven’t been siphoning money from him. Knocking on the door, I hear Luke talking happily inside.
“Hello, dear,” Dory says as she opens the door. Walking in, I see Luke sitting on a blanket on the floor, his toys spread around him.
“Hi, Dory, how was he today?” I ask as I make my way towards him.
“Mama, look,” he says when he sees me. His little hand is holding up a magazine that it seems he’s been tearing out pages from.
“A magazine,” I say as I lean down and kiss him on his chubby cheek.
“He was good, dear. I have just given him some juice and a little mash with two fish fingers,” Dory says as she sits on her couch next to where Luke is.
“Thank you, Dory. How are you feeling today?” I’ve been worried about her, as her health is starting to fail, and without the means to get medication, her arthritis will get worse quicker than necessary.
“I have my days, dear. Today is a good day,” she says with a kind smile.
“I will bake you some of those butter biscuits you love so much and bring them over tomorrow morning when I drop off Luke,” I promise as I start to pick up the pieces of paper Luke has spread around him.
“That’s kind of you, Raven. I do love those biscuits of yours.”
“Me want biscuit,” Luke says as he starts to stand.
“Mommy is going to make some nice biscuits, and then you can have one,” I promise. As I pick him up, I look around for anything I need to take with me. “I will see you tomorrow morning, Dory. If there is anything you need, just let me know.”
“I will be fine, don’t worry.” She stands and walks us to the door. As we slip out and say our goodnights, I can hear her locking herself in. I hurry towards our apartment. Just as I’m about to slot the key in the lock, the guy who was leaning against the wall earlier rounds the corner of the building and walks towards us.
My hands start to shake as I try to hurry and open the door before he reaches us, but I don’t make it in time.
“Have you got any change for me?” he says when he stops a few feet away.
“No, sorry,” I say as I finally manage to open the door. Before I can step inside, he takes hold of my wrist. I don’t fight, as I know it will be useless fighting against him, as he is bigger and stronger than me. Also, I don’t want to frighten Luke more than necessary.
“Don’t lie to me, doll. Just give me what you have, and I will go quietly.”
As I’m about to toss my handbag at him, a thickly accented voice says from behind me, “I would let her go if I were you.”
“Mind your own business, dude. This has nothing to do with you,” the guy says with a frown, not letting go of my wrist.
“It is my business. She is under Bratva protection. You want to carry on, I will make sure you stop breathing.” At the mention of the Bratva, the guy drops my wrist and takes a step back. I see him pale as he lifts his hands into the air.
“No harm done here,” he says as he starts to back off.
I look over my shoulder at my saviour and see a middle-aged well-built man, a scar down his cheek to his neck. I would run from this guy too if he didn’t just help me.
“Are you okay?” he asks with a raised brow
“Thank you, I’m fine,” I say as I step inside my little apartment. Turning towards him, I see his gaze trained at the end of the building where the guy disappeared. “I don’t think he will be back,” I state, regretting it the minute his gaze clashes with mine.
“Da, he will stay away,” he states as he turns on his heels and walks away. I close and lock the door behind me, my hands still shaking with fright. Looking at my wrist, I see the guy’s fingerprints. That’s going to bruise.
“Down,” Luke says as he starts to wiggle. Only then do I realize how tight I’m holding him.
An hour later, I’m about to place Luke in the bath, when I hear a knock on the door. I instantly tense, but then I remember that Nik said he would be coming over. Wrapping Luke in a towel, I walk towards the door.
“Nik?”
“Da,” I hear him say. Unlocking the door, I step back as he pulls it wider and walks in. He looks at Luke wrapped in a towel and smiles. “Am I in time for your bath?”
“Me bath,” Luke says excitedly, and I see Nik grin at him.
“Would you like to bathe him?” It would be nice for them two to spend quality time.
“Umm, maybe I will watch this time and bathe him next time,” Nik says with a worried look on his face, and I just barely contain my amusement. A man as tough as Nik, who has other men scurrying away from him in fear, and here he is, afraid to bathe his son. Turning, I walk back to the bathroom and hear Nik’s footsteps behind us. Reaching down, I place Luke in the bath. Stretching over, I grab his bath toys and drop them in the water.
Luke loves the bath, but it’s easier if he’s distracted. Otherwise, we end up with more water on the floor of the bathroom than in the bath.
“Water, water.” He kicks his legs and takes his rubber boat and starts to dunk it. “Boat,” he says with a happy laugh.
“Yes, baby, it’s a boat.” From the corner of my eye, I see Nik pulling off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves, and then he kneels next to me. Luke stops playing and stares at him pensively before he stretches out his hand to give Nik the boat.
“You want me to play with you?” At Nik’s question, Luke smiles and starts to splash with his hands. “Next time I will have to take more clothes off, won’t I?” Nik asks as he looks at me with an amused look on his face as his shirt gets wet with Luke’s enthusiasm.
“He gets a little excited. He loves water,” I say as I start to wash his body. Nik places the boat in the water and starts to play with Luke, making him laugh in joy, until suddenly, he stops and grabs my arm by the elbow. Startled, I look up at him and see an angry frown on his face.
“What’s this?” At his grunted words, I look down and notice that he is looking at where the assailant grabbed me. The marks are now blue, but anyone can clearly see they are finger marks.
“Didn’t my babysitter tell you?”
He frowns, an angry look crossing his face. “Explain.”
“It was nothing. Some guy grabbed me.” He tenses, a look coming across his face that I’ve never seen before. “He wanted money, but your guy sent him scurrying.” Nik’s eyes snap down to my wrist before he lets go of my arm and stands. I see him look in his jacket, and then he pulls out his phone and dials.
“What are you doing?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer, and then he speaks in Russian. A minute later, he puts his phone back in his jacket. He walks back to the bath, squats down, and then his hand is behind my neck and he pulls me towards him. His lips crash down on mine, and he kisses me thoroughly, only breaking apart when Luke starts to call me.
“I will be back tomorrow,” he states, and then looks at Luke, his hand stroking his hair. “See you tomorrow, Luke.”
I am still reeling from the kiss when I see him walking out of the bathroom. A minute later, the entrance door closes. What the hell just happened?
I hurry Luke’s bath and then start with the biscuits. Where did he go? It was obvious when he arrived that he was planning on staying a little while, but when he saw the marks, he changed. I wish I knew Russian. Then I would know what he said to whomever he spoke to.
When I finish with the biscuits, I put Luke to bed and then clean up before preparing for bed myself. I toss and turn, not only because Nik confuses me but because the kiss we shared keeps repeating in my head. I’m in so much trouble. How am I going to keep away from him when he does things like that?
Nik has a healthy sexual appetite. He used to make me scream with passion. Only once I was sated did he take his own pleasure. Not having him around has been torture, not only becau
se of the pleasure he gave me but because of the way he used to make me feel. When he was gone, I felt alone. I felt like there was no one who actually cared about me.
I needed that feeling that only he has manged to give me, the feeling of being wanted, being the most important person in someone’s life. Nik used to go out of his way to make me feel happy. When he was gone, everything was grey. I can’t go back to that. I can’t let him get to me the way he did before.
Then there is also the problem of him being in the mafia. It’s not something I can change, but it’s something I can try to keep my son away from. I don’t want to keep Luke away from Nik, but I also don’t want Luke to be brought up in a world of violence, and even though I haven’t witnessed any where Nik is concerned, I’m sure there is violence in his world.
Then my thoughts go back to this afternoon and the man who attacked me. In my world, there is also violence. Will Nik be able to protect us from this? He seems to think he can. I worry that if I don’t agree to Nik’s proposal of living at his home, I am stopping Luke from having a better life. A life with things I will never be able to give him, a life away from his father.
I continue fighting with my own thoughts until the early hours of the morning before I finally fall asleep, and even in my sleep, I dream about Nik.
NIK 7
I can’t explain the fury running through my veins. When I saw the marks on Raven’s arm, I was ready to kill. Any man touches my woman, and he will have to answer to me. What I want to know is why Artur didn’t tell me.
I trust Artur enough to entrust Raven and my son’s life in his hands, but I will have to insist that he will inform me immediately about anything that happens to them. As I stride towards where Artur is waiting for me, I take a deep breath because if I don’t calm down, I will punch him the moment I reach him. I know he stopped what could have become uglier, but just thinking that anyone got close to them is driving me crazy.
“Nik,” Artur greets as I draw up to him. His features are tense, and he is standing stiffly, awaiting my wrath.
“If anything happens to one of them, I am to be informed immediately. Do you understand?” I will make sure that all the men know that Raven and Luke are under my protection.
“Da.”
“I want the guy who touched Raven,” I order. I will make sure that son of a bitch knows that he messed with the wrong woman. I will wait no longer. Tomorrow, I will get her things moved to my place. Enough procrastinating—she will need to realize that they are not safe in this neighbourhood, and wanting it or not, they belong with me.
“We will bring him to you,” Artur says before I turn and make my way to my car. I had planned on spending the evening with Raven and Luke until Luke went to bed, and then I was going to talk to Raven, but when I saw the marks, I had to leave. I am not fit to be around them when in this killing mood.
I make my way back home, but instead of going to my apartment, I go to the gym. I’m going to need to work off some of the fury pushing to explode. Usually when I question or torture someone, I am calm and collected. Never have I been so out of control like I am now. I know that having Raven and Luke in my life is dangerous for me. They are my weakness, and if anyone finds out, they will try to get to me through them.
Tomorrow, they are moving in here. After that, I will relax and figure out a way of keeping them safe. With Bjorn in the picture, I can’t let my guard down. If he finds out about my son, he will make sure to try to get to him. I will die before I let anything happen to either one of them.
Walking into the gym, I see that Vlad is training. I don’t know what has gotten into him lately, but I have noticed that his temper has been volatile.
“Nik,” he calls as I walk in, “didn’t think I would see you here. Didn’t you go to see your woman and your son?” He has stopped punching the boxing bag and is now looking at me.
“Da,” I state. I could tell Vlad what happened, but I’m not in the mood to talk, and knowing him, he would more than likely want to be there when the men bring in the asshole. I know that Vlad has my back like I have his, but in this instance, I want the guy all to myself with no assistance from anyone.
“You want to fight?” Vlad knows me too well. He sees that I don’t want to talk but that I need to work out my demons.
“I’m going to change. Be right back,” I answer as I make my way to the changing room. I usually have training clothes in a locker here in the gym, as sometimes I come directly here instead of going to the apartment first. When I come back out, I see that Boris, Vlad’s bodyguard and best friend, is standing next to him, talking.
Boris has put his life on the line a few times for Vlad. I know that Vlad confides and trusts Boris. As I draw closer, Boris looks up and inclines his head in greeting before he turns and leaves. “Is everything okay?” I ask when I see the frown on Vlad’s face.
“We have had eyes on the building for a few days.” At Vlad’s words, I tense. We have never had anyone being so brave as to stake out our building before.
“Who?” I ask. It’s either Catalonian or the FBI.
“We suspect it’s Bjorn.”
My anger returns. If it’s Bjorn, that means he knows I’m here and he is playing a game. Bjorn has always loved playing games, tightening the noose until a person feels so stifled that you make mistakes. Well, he won’t get anywhere near me or Raven and Luke. “We need to get your woman and son here as soon as possible.”
“I was thinking of moving them in tomorrow,” I state. “Do you think they know about them already?”
“Niet. If they knew about your son, Bjorn would have taken him already,” Vlad says as he rubs his hands over his face. “I have placed extra protection at your woman’s place tonight.”
No, that’s not good enough. I will go get them now. “I’m going to bring them here tonight,” I state as I make my way back to the changing rooms.
“I will come with you.” I suspected that he would. Therefore, I don’t say anything as I hurry to change. A few minutes later, we are making our way back to Raven’s apartment. When we arrive, I see a couple of our men stationed in different areas of the complex. Parking, I make my way towards her door, Vlad right behind me.
I know she will be surprised to see me again, and I also know she will not be happy to have to leave without agreeing, but I can’t give her any more time. I know that I was in the wrong by leaving the way I did without giving her a chance to decide if she wanted to be in my life or not, and now once again, I’m not going to give her the chance to decide, because there is no way I’m going to let anything happen to them when I went through three years of hell thinking that I was doing the right thing for her.
I see the light go on in her sitting room before I hear her voice on the other side asking who it is. “Open up, Raven,” I state.
“Nik?” she says in surprise. “It’s late, Nik. Come back tomorrow. I was already in bed.”
I hear Vlad’s choked laugh behind me. Looking back, I glare at him and see his grin widen. “Open the door, Raven. I need to talk to you now.”
I hear her grumble as the locks on the door are opened. “You can’t just decide to . . .” She stops when she sees that Vlad is with me. Her eyebrows raise as she looks back at me. “What’s going on?” I push open the door with my hand and then frown when I see that all she’s wearing is a short tight vest where we can clearly see that she isn’t wearing a bra, and sleeping shorts. Fuck, I’m instantly hard. “What are you wearing?” I grunt angrily.
“Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t really know that I was going to have company at this time,” she mutters angrily as she crosses her arms over her breasts. Fuck, that just makes it worse as her breasts squeeze together, making me want to place my hands over them.
“You and Luke need to come with us,” I state, and see her mouth open and then close again as she looks at me in surprise.
“Why?” she finally asks.
“You’re both in danger. There is someone who would li
ke nothing better than to get his hands on Nik’s son. Therefore, we need to get you to safety,” Vlad says as he steps up next to me. Raven tenses, and then her eyes look up at me in question.
“It’s true. We have to move both of you now. Go change and get what you need for Luke. I will carry him.” I see the fire in her eyes as she realizes that I won’t budge unless she complies. She doesn’t say anything else but turns and walks to the bedroom.
“You have good taste,” Vlad says in Russian, which earns him a dark look from me. I don’t care if he’s the boss’s brother. If he looks at my woman, I will kill him. I see his hands raise in amusement as he shakes his head. “Just a compliment.” He walks towards the couch and sits. “Now go get that son of yours. I want to meet the little man.”
Shaking my head in annoyance, I walk towards the bedroom.
Walking in, I see Raven bent over a bag on the bed as she tries to close it. My cock twitches as her ass moves under her shorts. This woman will be the death of me. I have always known that she was my downfall.
“Let me do that,” I say as I take hold of her shoulders and gently move her away from the bag. “The rest of your stuff will be delivered tomorrow. You don’t need to worry.”
She huffs angrily as she grabs a pair of jeans and a T-shirt lying on the bed and walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
When she finally walks out, I have already given her bag to one of the guys and have Luke in my arms tucked away in his blanket. She looks at me and then at Luke’s bed, picking up the fluffy dog that I have see him with, before she walks out of the room, not giving me another look. She’s upset, but she will have to let it go, because there is no way I’m going to let her go again. I know she wants me. I also know she is still hurt because of what I did, but now that she will be living with me, I will be able to change her mind.
I see that Vlad is already standing by the door, talking on his phone. When he sees us, he tells me to wait. I’m instantly on the alert. The only reason we should wait is if there is trouble.
TURMOIL: Bratva Fury (book 2) Page 5