Just when she thought her lungs would burst, a car swung around the corner ahead, flooding the street with its white beams. Will dove in between Cypress trees which edged a wall surrounding another home, yanking her with him.
They watched from the shadows as the car passed by them.
“Damn. That was close,” she said while gulping the warm night air and pressing her free hand against her stomach. Ringlets of hair escaped her ponytail and lay pasted against her cheek.
“Too close for my comfort.” Will’s fingers tightened around hers in a reassuring tug. “Don’t worry. We’ll figure out another way to get Gorgon.”
“What are you talking about?” She arched her brow. “I got the files. They’re in a bag among the other garbage in the laundry room. I couldn’t bring it with me. They’d have noticed a lone bag on the curb. First thing tomorrow morning, the cleaning lady and yard man will carry the bags to the curb and then you’ll have everything you need. Gorgon will not know everything is gone until it’s too late.” She smiled. “I told you not to worry.”
“That is easier said than done. I thought you were trapped and those goons would find you.”
“You would’ve stopped them.”
“Yeah, somehow.” His throat muscles worked while he stared to the sky. When he looked at her again, his scowl had softened. He turned her wrist over and switched off the receiver and then did the same to his. Looking down at her, he said, “If anything would’ve happened to you, Nicole, I would’ve never forgiven myself.”
He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand, sending tingles up her arm and down her spine.
“I’m okay, Will. Really.”
He pulled her against the hard plane of his body without warning, causing Nicole to gasp. His strong arm wound around her waist and anchored her in place. Flames of desire flashed in his blue eyes.
Warmth pooled between Nicole’s legs.
Will’s gaze dropped to her lips.
Oh, my God. He was going kiss her. She lowered her eyes to his chest where his heart pounded against her palm, separated by only the thin fabric of his dark shirt. As much as she wanted him to kiss her, how could she be sure Nicole was who he wanted to kiss and not Katrina. Only forty-eight hours had passed since he’d learned the truth about who she was. Until that point she had been Katrina to him.
She was no longer that woman, the woman who pleased men because that is what they wanted. Until she knew for sure who he desired, she couldn’t give any part of herself to him. She pushed away. “Please don’t.”
Will let her go. “I’m sorry. I thought—”
“You thought wrong.” She smoothed her hands over her hips not knowing what to do with them. “I’m not that person. I’m not Katrina.”
His spine stiffened as if she’d slap him. “What? No. I don’t—”
A crackle behind them caused Will’s attention to shoot over her shoulder. In a blink, his Glock appeared in his hand.
Nicole spun around, expecting to feel the punch of a bullet to her chest.
Out of nowhere, Max buzzed into the bushes and in a fit of joy jumped on her, knocking her back against Will’s hard frame.
“Settle him down,” Will whispered in her ear.
She grabbed the dog’s collar and tried to calm him. “Yes. Good boy. You found us.”
“If he found us, Gorgon’s men can’t be far behind. We need to move now.” Cooler air surrounded her as Will side-stepped her and Max, and peeked out from their hiding place.
“We need to take him with us.” Nicole latched onto the dog’s collar. “Luka and I have missed him so much.”
“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” Will said, looking over his shoulder at her and then down at the dog wagging his tail wildly and rustling the tree beside them.
She couldn’t help the smile forming on her lips. “I guess not. “He’ll follow us.”
~~
Chapter Twenty
Papa’s driver made the sharp turn into the driveway, slowly. The iron-gate protecting the six acre estate parted and the limo passed the armed men standing guard. Gorgon couldn’t see their eyes through the sunglasses they wore, but he knew they watched for a glimpse of him.
His villa came into view and Gorgon’s fingers tightened around the smooth handle of the cane he held. He closed his eyes and remembered the jostle of the gurney and how he fought to open his eyes only to see the flash of red and blue lights crossing the roof line and reflecting off the windows. The memory of his heart fighting to keep life flowing through his veins caused a chill to crawl up his spine now.
“Why do you have to come back here?” Mama scowled beside him. She gathered her thin sweater together over her chest as if they approached a frozen hell.
“Mama, please leave Gorgon be,” Donnie said. “He’s been through enough.”
Gorgon opened his eyes and caught his brother’s sympathetic wink. Donnie knew how much he missed his old life.
“Leave him. Umph. Gorgon needs to use his head,” Mama scolded her youngest son and then turned back to him. “You should be going home to your wife. Not here. Eva waits for you.”
The car came to a stop and his brother opened the door and exited first.
“As she should.” Gorgon snapped, clenching his jaw at the thought of spending night after night sharing his bed with the woman who was as dry as the sands of Egypt, and not with his Katrina. How he longed to feel his kitten’s soft hair wrapped around his fingers while she pleasured him with her full lips.
“Do not speak to your mother with such a tone,” Papa reprimanded him before stepping out of the car.
Papa did not understand his feelings. He married for love and not to bring peace between two families as he had.
Uncomfortable sitting next to his mother, Gorgon slid along the limo seat, putting inches between them. “Forgive me, Mama,” he responded loud enough so papa would hear and smooth the old man’s ruffled feathers. “I just need to get a few things and then we will go.”
“I will not cross the threshold of that brothel.” Mama plopped her purse on her lap and stared out the front window.
He didn’t care if mama came inside or not. She never had stepped foot in the house before when her own grandchild was inside. The only time his mama would acknowledge Luka was when Katrina was not present. “As you wish.”
Feeling a twinge of pain, Gorgon slid to the edge of the limo’s seat. His mother had never approved of his relationship with Katrina. She should’ve understood though. She’d said often enough over the years, the heart wants what the heart wants. Why would the adage not apply to him?
Gorgon took his time stepping from the car with the help of his father. Every minute stretch of his abdominal muscles sent a stabbing pain through his gut.
Clenching his jaw, he pulled himself to his full height, and stared down at his father. He nodded toward the car. “Why did you not leave her at home?”
“You are her son. There was no stopping her from coming to the hospital and seeing you home safely.”
Papa followed Donnie up the stairs leading to the front door.
Gorgon turned his face to the bright sun. He drew in a breath of air that wasn’t tinted with antiseptic, but with the fresh scent of newly mowed grass. He didn’t expect anyone to understand his reasoning for coming back here to the house he had shared with Katrina. He didn’t understand the need himself.
With a heavy heart, he made his way into the house.
Then against his father’s protests, he climbed the stairs one at a time to the second floor. He needed a moment alone.
Gorgon stood at the corner of the bed. The bedding was gone, as was the carpet. Images of his blood soaking into both blurred his vision. He shook as the hard lines of Katrina’s face replaced them. Why had she acted so? Their life had been perfect. He had treated her like his queen, spending more nights with her than with Eva.
The girl. He brought the girl home. Had Katrina been jealous over her?
&nbs
p; The only reason he had was because the girl had been worth a half-million dollars. Because she was a virgin and was beautiful and played classical piano, the teen was made to order for one of Gorgon’s richest clients. She had been targeted and he didn’t want to take a chance of anything happening to her before he could make arrangements to have the girl exported out of the country.
Katrina should’ve trusted him. He would make her understand her mistake when he found her.
“Gorgon, are you alright?” His father’s bellow from downstairs broke his muse.
“Ya. I will be there in a moment.” He walked to the bookcase with a plan to find Katrina already forming in his mind. The bookcase moved to the side and he entered the code into the safe’s keypad. Staring into the empty box, his mouth went as dry as Eva’s cunt. “Son of a Bitch.”
A cold bead of sweat trickled down Gorgon’s spine. With his left hand trapped against the pain gnawing at his stomach, he rushed from the bedroom. His cane hammered against the hardwood floor like rapid gun fire. Donnie hadn’t removed the contents of his safe. He would’ve said so.
God help them all.
The foyer below was empty. As quickly as he could, Gorgon made his descent down the staircase. The rush of despair made his mind swim and his vision blurred.
Fearing he’d fall the few steps remaining to the tiled landing, he clutched the banister and gulped in breaths of a warm breeze that rushed through the open front door. The sweet scent of the petunias Katrina had planted rode on the gust and caused Gorgon’s stomach to roll.
“What are you doing climbing stairs?” His mother hurried through the threshold, shaking her finger at him. “The doctor gave you orders—no stairs. Already you do not listen.”
“Where’s Donnie? I need to talk to him.” Gorgon straightened, ignoring the moisture blotting his brow. His hands trembled on the cane and the railing. “Donnie, where are you?” He yelled.
“Yegor.” His mother ran up the stairs, grabbed his arm and helped him down the last few steps. “Yegor, come here. Gorgon needs you.”
Out of the corner of his eye, his father and Donnie rushed into the foyer from the hallway leading to the kitchen.
“What in the hell is going on?” Yegor questioned.
Gorgon avoided his father’s uneasy scrutiny and stared at his brother. “Donnie, did you take my things out of the safe?”
Donnie’s brow furrowed. “No. Why?”
He shook off his mother’s hand and took a step down. “Someone was.”
“What? How can that be?”
“You tell me. The men were on guard, right?”
“Yes. 24/7. What is gone?”
“Everything.”
Donnie’s face paled. He knew of some of the records Gorgon kept locked in there.
“Shit.” His brother shot up the stairs past him, apparently needing to see for himself that their operation and lives were in jeopardy.
“What is gone?” His father’s bushy brows knitted over sharp eyes.
Gorgon’s knees shook. He should sit down before he fell flat on his ass, but he wouldn’t. Instead he balanced his weight on the cane, locked his joints and jutted his chin forward, knowing he had to face his father’s rage. “All my records. My contracts. Bank information. Cash. Everything.”
A crimson flush inched its way up Yegor’s neck and past the man’s jowls. “How could you let this happen?”
“I wasn’t here. I was in the fuckin’ hospital.”
“Don’t talk to your father like a hoodlum.” His mother slapped his arm. “He is your father.”
Papa grabbed mama’s arm and directed her to the door. “Who knew where the safe was?”
“Donnie, the person who installed the unit, and…” he hesitated sharing the last name. “Katrina.”
His mother spun and spat on the floor. “That whore was here? She should be buried in the bowels of hell for what she has done to you.”
“Sophia, go to the car. We know how you feel about the woman. Go, now.” The old man ushered the tiny woman out the door and then turned his hot glare to him. “How much information was in there?”
Gorgon clenched his jaw.
Apparently, seeing the downfall of the family in his eyes, Papa pointed toward the door. “We need to leave now. All of us.”
Footsteps pounded the stairs behind him and his father’s eyes lifted over his head.
“Donnie, call Gali and tell her to get ready,” Papa ordered. “Until we know what happened to Gorgon’s records, we all must leave the country.” Then he turned back to Gorgon and poked his own head with his finger. “You have brought this evil upon us because you do not think.”
The salty taste of his blood laced Gorgon’s tongue. Maybe his father had been right. He should’ve killed Katrina after she had given him a son.
~~
Chapter Twenty-one
The little bungalow with its slate roof and peeling window casings wasn’t much but the house represented something Nicole hadn’t felt in years, freedom. Even though she and Luka lived here a little over a month, Nicole’s throat closed thick with emotion. She loved every inch of the little brick house including the rain gutters sprouting with spindly maple shoots and the sweet honeysuckle taking over the north side of the house.
What she loved most of all about this house was its location. Logan Summit was Will’s hometown and knowing he was close by made her feel very safe.
People didn’t know Will like she knew him. To the townspeople, he was a software engineer for a large communications company. The cover gave him a low profile and a valid reason for being out of town for days at a time, even weeks. Like this past week.
A bit of angst needled her, wondering if the reason he was gone was because of Gorgon, who had disappeared the same morning he’d been released from the hospital and the day the garbage containing his records had been picked up by the U. S. Marshal’s Office. His whole family had gone underground.
Will had reassured her that the moment the Novokoffs resurfaced they’d be picked up and arrested. Gorgon’s records were the nails needed for their coffins.
Nicole pulled back her sweater and blouse’s sleeve and glanced at her watch. She was going to be late for work if they didn’t hurry.
“Luka- Luke, let’s go,” she called and instantly chided herself for the slip of tongue. She glanced around the quiet neighborhood and was relieved to see there was no one in sight. She had to think of him as Luke. Luke was doing better at not forgetting their new names.
“Coming. Max needed his treat and ball,” he answered as he ran out of the house, pulling the door closed behind him.
Wearing a grin that stretched beyond his dimples, Luke bounded down the steps, struggling to loop his book bag over his shoulder while not dropping his lunch bag. He was in his third week of pre-kindergarten and still was as excited as he had been the first day. Gorgon never allowed him contact with any other children other than those of the family, and none of them had been Luke’s age. He was like a little bird spreading its wings and enjoying new adventures every day.
One day the newness would wear off, she was sure, but for now he had not a care in the world.
She’d hoped and prayed for this life for so many years, but in all honesty, she never thought her dream would come true. She owed her good fortune to Will.
“Let me help you.” She took Luka’s lunch box.
“Can I go to Sam’s after school?” Luka skipped and hitched his jeans up. “His mom said I could.”
“We’ll see.”
Luca’s smile faded like the shadows as the sun moved out from behind a cloud. “You always say that and then I can’t.”
“Sam’s mom works too. I’m sure she’s tired when she gets home.”
“She is. That is why she said I can come over. I keep Sam busy. We keep each other busy.” Hope sparked in his eyes.
Opening the back door of the 2000 sedan the government had given her, Nicole chuckled. Her son had a future in nego
tiating. “I understand that.”
Luca scampered inside and settled onto the seat. His book bag hit the floor with a thud.
She caught the fresh scent of Luca’s new laundered shirt while latching his seat belt. “Okay, tell you what. I’ll think about it really hard this time, but right now I’ve got to get you to school, and I’ve got to get to work.”
“Okay.” Luca’s feet wiggled with excitement.
Trying to make up time, Nicole hurried around the vehicle, sending her soft cotton skirt swirling around her calves.
A few minutes later, the memory of Luke’s smile as he joined his friends in front of the school’s double doors warmed her heart. Grinning, she drove under century old oaks which lined the residential streets and made her way into the business district.
Just before nine, she pulled into the back parking lot of Sara’s Whimsical Gifts where the agency had obtained her a job. In the little mountain village known for its many outdoor activities, the little shop was the only one which carried unusual gifts and local artists’ crafts. The job wasn’t high paying. She probably could earn more as a waitress with tips, but she earned enough to support her and Luke’s everyday needs and still managed to stash away some savings even though she didn’t need to. Gorgon had had a hundred thousand dollars in the safe, which was hidden in her new home. She didn’t have to worry about mortgages or car payments since the government had provided a home and car for her.
The tiny bell on the door tingled overhead announcing her arrival. Today’s incense scent, spiced apple, tickled Nicole’s nostrils.
“Good morning, Becca,” her boss, Sara Brennan, called from the center of the store.
Nicole liked Sara the moment they’d met. Sara was a small warm-hearted woman who often, out of the blue, recalled her days as a braless flower child bride. In fact, Sara still went braless because, as she stated more than once, she could, with her tiny bosom.
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