Another scream as people scattered away from the fallen men on the ground. They struggled, and the man blocked Push’s blow to his face. Nolan appeared, pulling Push off him. His sunglasses laid beside him on the street, crushed by someone’s feet. When he tried to get up, Push had his gun drawn and aimed it at the man’s head.
The man shot his arm up to guard his face, “Don’t shoot! I’m Felix! Felix Barinov!” Then he looked at me with Barinov eyes. Just like mine. The world spun and I suddenly became dizzy. My knees buckled, and then darkness.
CHAPTER 22
PUSH
The moment the man touched Nadia, I was on him. I was seconds away from putting a bullet through his head in front of a crowd of people in the middle of Washington DC. But when I looked into the man’s eyes, I knew in that instant that what he had said was the truth: He was Nadia’s father.
I caught Nadia in my arms before she collapsed onto the hard pavement. Nolan hauled the man to his feet, “You almost got your brains splattered all over the street, you dumb fuck!”
Nadia’s face was pale as her eyes fluttered open. “Push…” It was barely a whisper. I lifted and cradled her close as she wrapped her arms over my shoulders. I raced ahead of Nolan towards Mac and our car – which was parked only two blocks away. I trusted Nolan to get the man back to the mansion.
Mac had the back door of the Lincoln open as I placed Nadia back down on her feet, helping her climb in before me.
Mac shifted the car into drive as I lifted Nadia’s chin. She was pale, “you’re in shock, Nadi. Breathe deep.”
Her small hands gripped the front of my coat, “My father!”
“Yes. You have his eyes.”
“He’s Alive!”
I held her tight as she sobbed uncontrollably. “Nolan will bring him to us.”
Mac was a professional, expertly weaving in and out of the congested city traffic and through side streets to the Georgetown mansion in record time. Nadia sat in her blue velvet office chair, then stood and paced the office floor, fidgeting as we waited for Nolan.
I poured us both a glass of bourbon and handed her one, “Drink. It will calm you.”
She took the glass and coughed after her first sip. Then she continued to pace the room.
Thirty minutes later, Nolan appeared in the doorway, “I checked the man out and patted him down. He’s not packing. I took Natalie home and I drove him here. I told him to stand outside and wait. If you want him to go away, I’ll do it for you, Nadia.”
Nadia’s color came back as she placed her glass on the desk. “No. I need to see him.”
Nolan rubbed the back of his neck, “Ok. I’ll get him.”
When Felix Barinov entered the office, Nadia took another sip from her glass and slammed it back down on the desk.
She rushed toward him pummeling her fists against his chest and screamed, “Why! Why didn’t you take me with you? You abandoned me! You just left me here with that evil man! What happened to my mother?”
Felix did not block her blows to his face and chest. “Your mother is alive, Nadia! She is safe!”
I pulled Nadia to me, and pressed the barrel of my gun to his forehead. “All she has to do is say Yes and you’re dead.”
Felix’s eyes bore into mine, “Now that I know Nadia is safe, I’m ready to die. Do it!”
“No Push!” Nadia cried, and I lowered the gun to my side.
“Your car was pulled from the Potomac! Who were the two dead men? And where is my mother?!”
“Please, Nadia. Let’s sit. And I will tell you everything.”
Gabe ruined Lana’s life and she hated him. He kidnapped Lana and wrenched her away from her family and friends in a small town in Ukraine. He was in the seedy business of sex slave trafficking young girls from Europe and Asia. And the moment he saw Lana, he was infatuated with her beauty. He had to have her for himself to become his prized trophy.
Gabe had tried several times to get Lana pregnant. He was relentless in his cruelty toward her. As a result, Lana quickly became depressed and very distant. But then she found kindness and love in the arms of Felix Barinov. When Lana became pregnant, she knew that Felix was the father. She dreaded the day that Gabe would find out the child was not his.
When Nadia was born, Lana and Felix doted on her as much as they could. But Gabe soon realized that Nadia was not his child and he hired two men to murder Lana and Felix. Their hearts were broken as they fled in the middle of the night, leaving Nadia behind. There’s an old saying: “Three can keep a secret if the other two are dead”. The planned hit was unsuccessful, so Gabe killed those men and made them disappear into the Potomac River with Felix’s Cadillac.
Felix took Lana across the border of Canada and found safety and secrecy in Toronto with a Russian organized crime syndicate. Since Felix was under their protection, he was indebted into working for them as well. He was pulled deep into their criminal business of drug and sex trafficking. Years passed as Felix moved up the ranks, gaining his own prestige and respect among them, and he became very wealthy in his own right.
The heavy weight of guilt for leaving her daughter in the hands of a cruel and vicious man like Gabe, made Lana fall into a deep depression. She made several unsuccessful suicide attempts, feeling as though she did not deserve to live. Felix hired private investigators to gather as much information as they could on Nadia. He had plans set in motion to murder Gabe and take over his business empire.
Felix and Lana soon discovered that Nadia had grown into a beautiful and fierce woman, with a corrupt empire of her own. But they still feared the day that Nadia would uncover the truth about their disappearance and learn that they had abandoned her years ago. Felix waited for the right time to reach out to her, and the Mardi Gras parade was the place he chose.
I stood beside Nadia as she sat in her velvet chair listening to Felix tell his story. The office became deathly quiet as the old man sat in a chair and broke down crying.
“Please forgive us, Nadia.” Felix’s accent was thick as he choked out the words.
Nadia sunk down to her knees in front of Felix and began to sob with him. “I do forgive you Poppa! I need you! I need Mama!”
Felix reached down, cupping his daughter’s tear-stained cheeks. “My sweet and lovely daughter. I will bring you to see your Mama. She will be so happy to hold you in her arms once again.”
We left Nadia and Felix alone in the office together as Nolan followed me out to the parlor. Memories of the first time I ever laid eyes on my beautiful savage began to flood my mind: so young, pure, and fearless.
Nolan dropped into the leather couch, shaking his head, “Not much fun, watching a grown man cry.”
I walked over to the bar, placing my gun on it. “It’s best to give them some time alone together.”
“This is a good thing for Nadia and for you. You two have much to talk about.”
Nolan stood from the couch, shrugging his shoulders to straighten his grey sport coat. “I’d best be going. I’m making a trip up to Jersey next week to meet with Dane.”
“Trouble on the Boardwalk?”
“I don’t know much, only that Dane is handling it. But there might be some blowback.”
I gripped his hand in a firm shake, “Nolan, I’m indebted to you.”
His head fell back, as he chucked, “Anything for you and Nadia. Maybe it’s time to seal your partnership with nuptial vows.”
I grinned, “Great minds think alike, my friend.”
EPILOGUE
It was just before daybreak as I climbed out of the oversized four-poster bed in the Maui mansion. I was slow and quiet, hoping not to wake Push. I loved to admire him while he slept. His breathing was steady as my eyes drank in the sight of his strong muscular body and the well-defined V-shape of his hips that drew my eyes lower to his bold manhood.
I dressed in a simple white nightgown and walked barefoot down the hallway as quietly as I could. I didn’t want to wake my mother and father, who slept in a roo
m on the other side of the mansion. They had never been to any of the Hawaiian Islands. Mr. Takata was so eager to share his hospitality that he let the four of us spend a few weeks at his beautiful mansion along the beach of the Pacific Ocean.
The sun was just rising as I walked down to the sandy beach and stood in the wet sand. I closed my eyes, folding my arms around myself, and breathed in the salty sea air. The ocean water caressed my feet as the waves crashed onto the sand.
Images of the day I was reunited with my mother, Lana Barinov, suddenly came flooding back to me. She was flown in on a private jet from Toronto to an empty military hangar at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where I waited along with Push, my father, and Maxim Volkov. I wrung my trembling hands as my heart pounded with anxiety. I feared that the intense ache in my heart, like a scab that never heals, would always remain with me for as long as I lived. But the very moment my mother appeared and descended the steps of the private jet, I felt intense relief and cried tears of joy. I ran towards her, and as soon as my mother’s feet were off the last step, we were locked in a tight embrace. My mother wiped away the tears that ran down my cheeks, “My Nadia! My baby girl!”
I was alive, safe, and free with Push by my side. We started to expand our corrupt empire together and we annihilated our enemies. We used powerful politicians and rich businessmen to do the work for us with money and bribes. We had loyal allegiances with Osamu Takata and his leadership over the Japanese Yakuza. We also had Nolan and the corrupt business realm of organized crime at the MGM Grand, along with Dane Neri in Atlantic City.
I opened my eyes as Push’s muscular arms came from behind and wrapped around my waist. He pressed my back against his bare chest. “You like to sneak out here alone, little savage. I want to breathe in the salt air with you.” He whispered next to my ear. I sighed, dropping my head onto his broad shoulder.
The sun was breaking on the ocean horizon as he planted soft kisses along my shoulder and grumbled next to my ear, “Let’s pronounce our partnership through marriage, Nadia.”
My eyes opened and I spun around to face him. He hadn’t shaved in a week and a dark shadow of stubble grew along his chiseled jaw. He smiled.
“Are you proposing to me?”
Push released me and knelt down on one knee, He pulled out a small blue velvet box from the pocket of his faded jeans and opened it. A huge garnet stone set in a gold band sparkled brightly as my jaw dropped open.
It felt so strange to see Push at this angle. His eyes were soft and gleaming as he looked up at me, “Nadia, will you marry me? Will you reign over our corrupt world by my side, as my partner? As my wife?”
“Yes, Push. I will marry you.”
THE END
Books by Linny Lawless
CHAOS KINGS MC Series
“Salvation in CHAOS”
“Deep in CHAOS”
“Coveted by CHAOS”
“Claimed in CHAOS”
“Switched” Sin City Fets #1 by Linny Lawless and Elizabeth Knox
“Neon Summer” A Novella
Coming Soon:
“Struck in the Crossfire” BERZERKERS MC Series #1
“Conquered by CHAOS”
“Torque”
“COBALT” Capitol Corruption Series #2
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PUSHED (Capitol Corruption Series Book 1) Page 10