Walking in my eyes clash with the fucker that has been tied to a chair to await us. I thought he would be a Castilian, but this son of a bitch before me is Russian. When Dimitry told us that Bjorn had joined with Artur, I thought he would be using his men for the dirty work. Well, apparently I was wrong and he prefers to use his own men.
I fist my hands to try to keep them away from his neck. All I want to do is strangle him slowly until I see the life leaving his eyes. I stand against the wall, knowing that Alexey will want to ask him some questions first.
Alexey looks down at the guy and frowns. “What’s your name?”
The guy looks up at Alexey and grins like the idiot he must be.
“You think we’re playing? You don’t answer my questions, and I will get Nik to get it out of you, and trust me, he is dying to get his hands on you.”
At Alexey’s comment, the guy looks over at me. Interesting, that means he knows who I am.
“Fuck you,” the guy says.
“I don’t have time for this asshole today. Nik, you know what to do,” Alexey says as he turns and walks out. Vlad pulls up a chair and sits down as if readying himself for a show. Well, if it’s a show he wants, it’s a show he will get.
Pulling off my jacket, I roll up my sleeves. When I’m ready, I walk up to the motherfucker. “You know who I am; therefore, you know what I do. You want this the hard way or the easy way?” Not that I will let him get out of this without suffering.
I step out of the way as he spits, just missing my pants. Before he even closes his mouth, I punch his face, hearing his nose crunch under my fist. “What is your name?” I ask, but once again, the asshole doesn’t answer. I pull one of my guns from where I keep it in the waist of my pants, and his eyes widen before I shoot and blow his kneecap.
“I gave you a chance. Now you will tell me everything I want to know the hard way,” I grunt as I walk towards the back of the room and pick up a container with fine salt. Approaching him once again, I pull a pinch of salt out of the container and drop it on his wounded leg. His screams are music to my ears. “Your name?” I ask once again.
“Ste . . . phen.”
“Who were you trying to kill?” I ask with a raised brow as I take a step back.
“No one . . . was a warning,” he states.
“A warning to who?”
“You,” he replies as he glares at me.
“Did the order come from Bjorn?” At my question, he lowers his head without answering. Taking more salt out of the container, I drop it again on his leg.
“Fuck . . . motherfucker,” he screams as he struggles in his chair.
“Answer the question,” I state.
“Yes,” he roars angrily. That confirms our suspicions that Bjorn knows I’m here.
“Where is Bjorn?” Vlad asks from where he’s sitting.
“Fuck you,” Stephen says angrily, which has me punching him again, this time in his stomach. He jerks in his chair as he gasps for breath. Leaning down, I pull up the leg of my pants and pull out the knife that I keep in a holster. As I start to stand, I bring the knife up the inside of his leg, cutting deep enough for him to hurt but not bleed out.
I continue interrogating him for another two hours before we are satisfied that we have all the answers we will get from him. As I lift my gun to end his miserable life, he squints up at me and mutters, “You will regret the day you crossed Bjorn.” Without another word, I shoot him between the eyes. Holstering my gun, I pick up my jacket and follow Vlad out of the room.
“Well, now that we are sure Bjorn knows about you and your woman and son,” Vlad says as he rubs his hand over his face, “maybe you should go away for a while.”
“Niet.” I will not run again. Bjorn can send his men, and I will kill them all. I see Vlad looking at me from the corner of my eye as we make our way to the lifts. Vlad knows me. He knows that I’m not the running away kind of person. If it weren’t for Vlad and Alexey’s father, the Pakhan, sending me here when I killed Bjorn, I would have stayed in Russia.
“Fine, but you know that he will never stop until he is killed,” Vlad grunts. “We need to take precautions. Your woman and your son need to be protected at all times.”
“Da,” I agree. I want them to be safe. I will have to explain the situation to Raven. How will she see me once she knows what I have done and what I still do? I have never worried about anyone’s opinion of me except for hers. I know I’m a bad person. I didn’t choose this life—it chose me, and I’m good at it. I’m respected in the Bratva, not only for what I do but because I am loyal and just.
As the lift stops at my floor, I walk out. “See you later,” Vlad says as the doors close behind me. Walking to my apartment, I open the door, and the first thing I notice is the soft music playing in the background and the smell of baking. Closing the door quietly behind me, I stand for a minute and just take in the feeling of rightness overwhelming me. I thought that I would never have this, that it was beyond my reach. That my life would not allow for a family, but now that I have one, I will do everything in my power to keep them by my side.
I quietly make my way towards our room so that I can get cleaned up before Raven sees me, as I’ve got blood splattered on my clothes from the time that I spend torturing that asshole. After showering and a fresh change of clothes I make my way back into the living room.
“Nik.” I look towards the kitchen and see Raven standing there looking at me. My eyes travel over her beautiful flawless face with her big brown eyes that can show so much love, her luscious lips that give me so much pleasure. I look down her neck to her perky breasts straining against her T-shirt. My hands are itching to pinch her nipples the way she used to like and make her gasp for me. I see the signs of her nipples pebbling and know that she can see the passion in my eyes.
I take a step towards her and see her tense, but I don’t stop. I continue approaching. Her tongue slips out to moisten her lips. “What are you doing?” she murmurs as I place my hand on her upper arm and pull her closer towards me. Instead of answering, I lower my head and take her lips in a blistering kiss that leaves us both breathless. My hardness strains against my slacks. Pulling her flush against my body, I hear her gasp, which makes me groan.
I have missed the feel of her against me. There has never been anyone who has ever felt as good to me as she does. My hands roam her back, lowering until they are squeezing her ass and she is pushing up against my erection. I have dreamt about having her in my arms in such a long time that I know if I don’t slow down, this will end way too quickly. Breaking the kiss, I move my lips down to nuzzle her neck and feel her shudder in my arms.
“Nik.” I know that I want to take it slow, but her murmuring my name breaks any control I was still holding on to. Placing my hands under her perfect ass, I pick her up against me and take the few steps to reach the couch. We both tumble onto the couch, One of my hands moves up to cover her breast, squeezing gently until I feel her hand stroking my cock over my pants.
“Fuck,” I murmur as I sit up. In one motion, I pull her T-shirt off. I will have to go slow next time because there is no way I can go slow right now. “Luke?” I ask suddenly. I remember I haven’t seen him.
“He’s taking a nap,” she murmurs, which is all I need to hear before I am ripping her bra open while she undoes the button of my pants and pulls down the zipper. Her beautiful rosy nipples are pebbled in passion. Lowering my head, I take one in my mouth and hear her gasp of pleasure. “Oh,” she murmurs as I bite gently.
“Raven . . . I need you now,” I grunt as my hands undo her jeans and pull them off.
“Yes,” she says as I pull down my pants, and then I’m plunging deep into her. Both of us gasp in pleasure. I stop when I’m completely sheathed to let her adapt to my size.
“You ready for me?” I grunt, and at her nod, I start to move. My lips find hers as I plunge repeatedly. We are both gasping for air, our bodies moving to their natural rhythm.
“Nik, please
.” She gasps as I move faster. I can feel the tingling down my back as my balls tighten. Plunging harder, I bite down on her lower lip and feel her muscles tighten around my cock.
“Raven,” I roar as my essence spills into my woman. Her nails groove into my back as she comes undone in my arms. “You’re mine, and I am never letting you go again.” I see her eyes lower, and I know she isn’t sure about our relationship. I know that I will have to show her that this time, I will never let her go, that this time I am keeping her and Luke by my side and anyone who tries to take them away will have to go through me.
I should have done that the first time, but I thought I was doing the right thing. I just hope that in time, Raven will forgive me, because I can’t forgive myself for letting her go through everything by herself.
Pulling myself up, I look deep into her eyes. “I promise I will never let you go again, Raven. I’m sorry about walking away before, but I really thought I was doing the right thing.” I see a tear slip out the corner of her eye as she nods; it feels like a knife being plunged deep into me knowing that I hurt her. I have been shot before, tortured, but nothing is as painful as seeing my woman cry because of me.
“I know,” she says. Sitting back on my haunches, I look down at the perfection that is Raven. Her skin is flushed with the aftereffects of our lovemaking. I stroke my finger from her throat down between her breasts to her navel.
“Mama.” We both tense as we hear Luke cry for his mother.
“Oh,” Raven mutters as she hurriedly tries to get up while she pulls her shirt together. Bending down, I kiss her forehead.
“I will go get him,” I state as I stand, fix my pants, and walk down the hall to the bedroom. When I enter, Luke is sitting in his cot, still rubbing his sleepy eyes. I had the men bring all of Raven’s things early this morning. I will have to discuss with her having Luke in his own room across the hall from ours.
“Hey, Luke,” I say, and see his sleepy eyes look up at me.
“Daddy,” he says, lifting his arms.
“You want out, don’t you?” I say with a laugh as I pick him up. “Don’t blame you, kid. I would also want out of a bed with bars on it.” Luke cuddles into my chest, still sleepy from his nap. I kiss the top of his head, and my heart tightens when I think of all the time I missed with him.
“You two look so alike,” Raven says from where she’s leaning against the door. Looking over at her, I see her dishevelled look, making me want to take her lips again in a frenzied kiss. Maybe someday we can have a girl who looks just like her mother. I tense at the thought. Where did that come from? I have never been one to think of having kids.
“Thank you,” I say as I approach Raven.
“For what?” she asks with a raised brow.
“For Luke. For taking care of him so well,” I say. “I know that it wasn’t easy, but you have done a great job.”
“Speaking of job,” Raven says, “I have to go to work tomorrow or I will be fired. Usually Dory stays with Luke, but I don’t know if it’s safe yet to take him there.”
I know who Dory is from Dimitry’s file. I know that she’s been taking care of Luke while Raven is at work. “You can’t go to work tomorrow. It’s not safe for you.”
She frowns and then shakes her head. “That’s just too bad. I will have to take my chances, because my boss sent me a message saying that if I’m not at work tomorrow, I’m fired.” She shrugs. I can see that whatever her boss said on the text must have upset her. There are certain tell-tale signs that I still remember from before. When Raven is hiding something from me, she has the tendency to not meet my eyes.
“Raven!” I call, waiting for her eyes to meet mine again. “You are not going to work. If you really want that job, it will be waiting for you when everything blows over, but for now, you’re not going anywhere.” I see her tense, readying herself to argue. “It’s too dangerous, trust me.”
“I need that job, Nik,” she argues. “I can’t stay at home. Do you know how difficult it is to get a job these days?”
Lifting my hand to her neck, I stroke the back of her neck with my thumb. “You are not going to work. Don’t worry about your boss.”
“You don’t know him, Nik. He will fire me.”
If he doesn’t fire her, I will kill him sooner or later for the way he treats her. Maybe it’s a good thing that it happens now. I have been itching to go pay him a visit since the car was delivered to her, and the guys told me how he insisted on knowing how she got the car.
“You don’t need this job. Actually, you don’t need to work at all. I want you to take care of Luke and do whatever you want to do that you haven’t been able to all these years. I can support you and my son.”
“Nikolai, I will not live off you,” she snaps as she tries to pull away to walk off, but I slightly tighten my hold on her neck, not letting her go.
“You are not living off me, woman. You are going to be living with me, sharing my life,” I state. “That means I will protect you and take care of you in every way.” With those words, I let go of her neck and step around her as I walk down the hallway to the kitchen with Luke still cuddling against my chest.
“Don’t walk away, Nikolai. We have to discuss this,” Raven says as she hurries behind us.
“There is nothing else to discuss, Raven,” I state as I walk into the kitchen. Seeing a tray with muffins on the counter, I take one. “Can he have this?” At my question, she frowns before she nods.
“You want cake?” I ask. He lifts his head and looks at my hand before he shakes it and lays his head back against my chest.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” I hear the worry in Raven’s voice as she approaches. Lifting her hand, she places it on Luke’s head. “Oh, Luke, you’re so hot.” She gasps as she takes him out of my arms into hers and starts to make her way back to the room.
“Is he sick?” I have never had to deal with a sick child before. The thought of my son not feeling good does not sit well with me. I had him in my arms and didn’t notice that he wasn’t feeling good. What kind of parent am I when I don’t even know how to tell when my child is sick?
Raven picks up the bag that she usually carries around with Luke’s extra clothes and pulls out a thermometer. “Let’s see, baby, if you have a fever,” she says as she places it in his ear. A minute later, it beeps. I can feel myself tensing as I wait for the result. Luke is lying quietly, something I have come to realize isn’t normal for him.
“You are burning up.” She gasps as she looks at the thermometer. I don’t wait. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I phone our doctor who is always on standby for the Bratva.
“Nik?” he answers.
“Come to my apartment,” I state before disconnecting. “The doctor is coming up.” I see the surprise on Raven’s face as she looks over at me from where she’s stroking Luke’s cheek.
“You have a doctor here?” she asks.
“Da,” I say as I turn to go open the door when I hear the knock, knowing it’s the doctor.
“What’s wrong?” he asks as I let him in. His eyes roam up and down my body.
“Not me, my son is sick,” I state as I point to my room. His eyebrows rise before he nods and walks before me to the room. No one knew about Raven before, so knowing I have a son will be a surprise to a lot of people. The doctor has been with us for a couple years and has always maintained his silence with whatever he may have seen. We have two doctors whom we pay, this one and a woman doctor who doesn’t live in the building but comes anytime we call for her.
RAVEN 10
The doctor diagnosed Luke with acute otitis media. The poor baby is now sleeping. As soon as the doctor prescribed the medicine, Nik was out the door. It was impressive how quickly he arranged everything. A half hour later, someone was knocking on our door again with the medicines prescribed.
I had to pull Nik back when the doctor was consulting Luke and he started to cry. I thought for a moment there that Nik was going to punch the doctor. I had f
orgotten how protective Nik can be. I could see the worry in his eyes and the anger in his tense body.
I tense as I feel arms slip around my waist, and then I relax. It has been so long since I have allowed myself to think about Nik that it still feels strange to have him in my life.
“He is going to be fine,” Nik says against my ear.
“Yeah, I know.” After all the questions Nik asked the doctor and the way he was hovering over him while he checked Luke, I will be surprised if he ever comes back.
“I have to go to a meeting with Alexey. If you need anything, call me,” he says softly as not to wake Luke.
“He will sleep for a while now. Are you going to be back for dinner?” I feel awkward asking him, but I still don’t know his routine or if he even comes home for dinner.
“I will let you know,” he states as he kisses my neck, his thumb stroking under my breast. I can feel my nipples pebbling in passion at his nearness. Turning in his arms, I look up at him. His eyes are smouldering with heat. Before I can talk, he lowers his head and kisses me with a passion I have only dreamed about in these last three years.
Bringing my arms around his neck, I entwine my hand in his dark silky hair. His hands lower to my ass, and he pulls me flush against his body where I can feel his hardness against my stomach. We are still kissing when Nik suddenly lifts his head. Only then do I realize that someone is knocking on the door.
“Fuck,” he grunts as he adjusts himself. I try not to smile at his frustration, as I’m just as frustrated, but his murderous look is too funny to contain my humour. “You think this is funny?” he mumbles as he walks out of the room. I follow, curious to see who it might be.
Nik opens the door and then tenses. I hear the man standing on the other side say something in Russian, and Nik answers before he closes the door. Turning, he looks at me with a frown. “Apparently your boss is downstairs, insisting on seeing you.”
TURMOIL: Bratva Fury (book 2) Page 7