by Zoe Blake
In unison, we both pulled our concealed guns.
Vaska held his .30 caliber Tokarev to Andrei’s head. I held my Glock17 to Anatoly’s head.
Both started shouting and crying.
“Shut the fuck up,” I yelled.
Looking wildly from one to the next, their three henchmen took several hesitant steps forward as they raised their guns.
“Tell your girlfriends to leave,” I snarled.
“Get back! Now!” called Anatoly to his three men as he inched his hand to his waistband.
I reached for his gun first and tossed it aside. Vaska did the same with the other brother’s gun. Not that it worried us. I doubted the guns were even loaded, let alone that these two morons would know how to shoot such heavy firepower.
The three henchmen each ran from the warehouse.
“Looks like you weren’t a very good fuck in bed,” taunted Vaska.
I smirked. Vaska and I were never worried about extra men. Unlike in the movies, in our experience, hired hands were rarely paid enough to stick around for any actual violence. The moment they were expected to not just look tough but actually throw some lead, they usually fled.
“Gentlemen, you have jeopardized a lucrative business deal of ours.”
Andrei tried to speak.
Vaska cocked his gun. “Did we give you permission to talk?”
Andrei’s face crumpled as he whimpered, then his eyes grew round as he looked at the ground. Vaska jumped back. “Goddamn it! These are Italian!”
The warehouse now reeked of dirt, oil and piss.
This morning just kept getting better and better.
“As of today, you are no longer in the gunrunning business, have I made myself clear?” I threatened.
“But there’s enough business for everyone,” whined Anatoly.
Vaska shrugged. “I guess you weren’t clear.”
Moving the gun from Anatoly’s head to his knee, I fired. The man collapsed to the ground, screaming. His brother fell to his knees, crying over his wounded sibling.
Hunching down, I pressed my gun to Andrei’s head. He gaped at me, his entire body shaking.
“Have I made my point, or do I need to repeat myself?”
Vaska shook his head. “He really hates repeating himself.”
Anatoly continued to roll around on the ground, clutching his knee.
Andrei conceded. “Okay! Okay! No more guns.”
“And you’ll leave the city tonight.”
“Yes! Yes!”
“Good. Since I know you are sorry for the trouble and inconvenience you’ve caused, we’ll accept these crates as an apology,” I announced as I un-cocked my gun and returned it to the holster concealed under my coat.
“And the Ferrari,” chimed in Vaska.
I raised an eyebrow. He shrugged.
“And the Ferrari,” I finished sardonically.
Taking out my phone, I glanced to see if there were any new text messages from Emma.
None.
Dammit.
I then dialed the number for our associate who handled such things for us.
As soon as the phone picked up, I said, “I have a dog that needs to be taken to the vet. 117th and Parnell.” I hung up and looked at my watch. I would have just sufficient time to meet the shipment coming into Midway. “Call the general. Let him know the guns are knock-offs.”
“He’ll be satisfied to know none of the guns in his care walked off the base,” responded Vaska as he pulled out his phone to make the call.
“Hopefully pleased enough to look the other way when a few surface-to-air missiles do take a stroll.”
The moment our men arrived to clean up the mess, Vaska and I left. As we strolled the several blocks away where I had parked my Mercedes, I tried calling Emma again, then texted her.
I’m running out of patience, baby girl. Answer your phone.
“Woman problems?”
“Shut the fuck up,” I snapped.
Maybe I’d pushed her too hard last night? I had been a little rough with her. I had to keep reminding myself she was still an innocent. It was difficult when her cute mouth was sucking my cock dry like a pro. Jesus Christ, that woman would be the death of me. She was so sensual and sexy as fuck. The biggest turn-on was how unaware she was of her own sexual appeal.
My gut twisted. I wasn’t used to caring this much about a woman, let alone giving a damn about how she spent her day away from me. Emma was different. It was driving me to distraction, not knowing where she was or what she was doing.
Rationally, I knew she was probably in class, but what if she wasn’t?
What if she disobeyed me and went back into that basement room to shelve books, alone and unprotected?
I called her again.
No answer.
Damn, the woman had me acting like a schoolboy.
“Can you handle supervising this shipment?” I asked Vaska after we’d pulled into the private hangar at Midway.
He got out of the car and leaned back in to say, “Sure, I’ll hitch a ride back downtown with David. Where are you going?”
“Hunting,” I growled.
Chapter 16
I both wished and feared to see Mr. Rochester on the day which followed this sleepless night. I wanted to hear his voice again, yet feared to meet his eye. - Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Emma
I pushed the empty book cart behind the information desk and sat down on the rickety wooden chair with a huff. I had hoped getting lost in the stacks as I re-shelved books would take my mind off Dimitri, but it hadn’t worked. My mind kept wandering back to last night. I couldn’t stop thinking about the feel of his hands and mouth on my body. My rational side kept screaming that there were too many red flags, that he was dangerous, that I needed to cut and run now before I got in over my head.
Unfortunately, my emotional side kept sing-songing tooooo late!
Pushing up my sleeve, I touched the diamond bracelet. Earlier today it had felt heavy and foreign on my wrist, but now the metal had warmed. I liked how the diamonds sparkled and danced in any light. I also loved what the bracelet seemed to represent. My inner heroine. The bold, sassy woman who had the power to capture the attention of a man like Dimitri. Even if it was just an illusion.
Looking around to make sure Old Sour Berry wasn’t watching, I leaned down and opened the rusted metal file drawer where I stashed my backpack while at work.
Digging into the front pocket, I searched for my phone.
Pressing the home button, the screen lit up.
My heart sank.
No new messages or calls from Dimitri.
Just as I was about to put the phone away, a notification pinged.
My earlier responding text message to him had failed to send.
Stupid old phone. I desperately needed a new one. This one was over three years old, which was a lifetime for an iPhone, and it was always acting up and losing service.
Darn it. I had spent half of class thinking up the perfect response, which made me sound sophisticated and aloof yet appreciative.
Good morning to you as well.
Okay, so it wasn’t Shakespeare, but I was new at this.
Just as I was deleting the failed text, my phone notifications started pinging again.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Missed calls from Dimitri.
Uh oh.
Then the late text messages from him started pinging.
This was bad… really bad.
My head spun as all the blood left my body.
Ping.
Ping.
Ping.
A text from Mary warning me in her own special way that Dimitri was mad.
Remember Buffy Season Two Episode Fourteen when Angel goes all evil demon after kissing Buffy?
Well, sharpen your spike cause Dimitri’s looking for you.
Now the late voicemails were coming through.
&nb
sp; Maybe it wasn’t too late to flee the country?
I heard Canada was lovely this time of year.
Just as my frozen brain came up with the idea to call Mary for advice, there was a tremendous crash as both heavy double doors to the Newberry Library swung open simultaneously.
Dimitri had found me.
I knew it wasn’t possible, but I’d swear it looked like he emerged through a cloud of smoke and dramatic music as he crossed the threshold. Even from across the vast marble hall, I could see the deep scowl etched on his face and his hands clenched into fists.
So I did the mature adult thing… I ran.
Dropping my phone, I took off to the right.
“Emma!” roared Dimitri.
I didn’t look back. Running down the main aisle, I veered to the left between two narrow floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. My breathing came in ragged bursts as I unsuccessfully tried to calm my racing heart as I hunched down low.
Over the pounding in my ears, I heard the soft scrape of a shoe.
At this time of night, the library was mostly deserted. Usually only a few scholars and graduate students on the upper floors. There was never anyone among the shelves, which is one reason I enjoyed working this later shift. It was my job to re-shelve and straighten the stacks after a day of countless people pulling out research material. It was peaceful and relaxing to just be with the books… but not tonight.
There was a rustle of clothing.
Peeking out through the space above the books, I glimpsed Dimitri as he shrugged out of his coat. He tossed it over an abandoned book cart.
“Emma, baby. I know you’re in here.”
Hoping the echoes and shadows would conceal my location, I called out, “I’m not coming out till you say you’re not mad!”
Through the slit above the texts, I saw him whip his head in my direction.
With a cry, I took flight just as his enormous form appeared at the other end of the narrow aisle. Zigzagging between the familiar bookcases, I eluded him a second time. Crouching down in the Library of Congress GR700-860 Section of Folklore—Animals, Plants, and Minerals, I once more listened for signs of his approach. My gaze fell on Theresa Bane’s Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend, and Folklore. Maybe it contained advice on how to soothe the anger of a beastly Russian giant.
“I will not lie to you, моя крошка. I’m furious and getting angrier. So I suggest you show yourself before your punishment gets worse.”
Punishment?
Visions of him taking off his belt and forcing me to flip up my skirt as I prostrated myself over his desk besieged my conscious mind. The way my body instantly responded to such a possibility felt twisted and wrong.
I listened but didn’t hear any movement.
This was childish and silly, I knew, but I couldn’t help it. If I could just circle back to the front desk, I’d left the file drawer open with my backpack in it. I could snatch it up and race through the fire exit to the left. I’d noticed it was not armed because the other employees were always unhooking the wire so they could use that door to go out and smoke. It would give Dimitri time to cool down before I saw him again.
Although really, what was the big deal? It was just a couple of missed calls and texts. My mistake was then saying that out loud.
“That’s not the point,” he ground out. “I associate with dangerous people so I need to know you are safe, which means when I call, I expect you to answer your phone.”
That last bit was said so loudly and with such aggression his words echoed off the marble walls.
He was so mad right now that he had given away a small tidbit of what he did for a living. I had already guessed it was probably something illegal, but now I knew it was dangerous as well.
Red flag!
Red flag!
Red flag!
My rational mind screamed.
That’s bad boy sexxxxxyyyy hot!
Sing-songed my emotional side.
Taking a risk, I bolted across the main aisle.
His enormous form was a dark outline several bookshelves away.
I was now on the same side as the information desk. I just needed to race past ten bookshelves and down the open marble hallway to get my backpack and lunge for the exit.
Lowering to my hands and knees, I cringed as my palms contacted the cold and dusty linoleum floor. My gold and navy blue sweater dress rode up the back of my thighs. Cringing when the rubber sole of my leather boot squeaked against the floor as I rose up on one knee to sneak another peek, I ducked my head low and continued to crawl to the end of the aisle. Daring to peek out from the shelves into the side aisle, I looked right and left but saw nothing.
I had a clear path back to the information desk.
“You’re mine now.”
The low, guttural growl of his voice came from directly behind me. Without even bothering to look, I pushed off with my palms as I rose on my toes, ready to launch across the room at a run. A strong band wrapped around my waist. My feet left the floor as a hand clapped over my mouth. I kicked out, sending an entire section of books tumbling off the shelf.
Holding me tight, Dimitri carried me to the secluded back area of the library where along the wall were a series of reading rooms, small soundproof spaces where patrons could listen to classic recordings and lectures.
Carrying me into one of the confined spaces, he slammed the door shut and pulled down the blinds. As long as we were in this room… no one would hear me scream.
The room only had a slab of polished wood as a modified desk and a wooden spindle chair. The moment my feet touched the floor, I tried to place the chair between us. Dimitri grabbed it by the back, opened the door, and tossed it out.
“Hel—”
I didn’t even get the word out before the door slammed shut again.
He was breathing heavily through his nostrils, whether from rage or exertion I couldn’t tell.
“You broke a rule.” His wide shoulders almost took up the entire space as he loomed over me.
“My phone sucks. I didn’t know you were trying to reach me.”
“That’s no excuse. Turn around and lift your dress.”
“You can’t think to punish me here!”
“I said, turn around and lift your dress.”
“This isn’t fair! You still haven’t told me the rules!”
“Rule number one is always answer your phone when I call.”
Feeling peevish, my face twisted into a smirk. “I thought rule number one was don’t go down into the stacks!”
His brow creased as he leaned in. “You really want to test my anger, little girl? Lift your dress and bend over.”
I crossed my arms over my middle. “And if I don’t?”
He wrapped his hand around my throat. “You want to see how furious I can become?”
“This isn’t fair. It was my phone’s fault.”
Releasing my throat, he placed his hands on my hips and spun me around. My palms flattened on the makeshift desk as I steadied my balance while he wrenched my dress up high, exposing my pale pink panties. His thick fingers dug into the waistband. The flimsy fabric easily tore, leaving me exposed and vulnerable.
Humid air filled the room as my excited breathing intensified with my fear.
There was a rustle of clothing, then the unmistakable muted clicking sound of a zipper being lowered. He kicked at my feet, widening my stance.
One thick finger pushed between my cunt lips, feeling the traitorous wet warmth.
“That’s my girl.”
The bulbous head of his shaft pushed against my entrance. My ass cheeks clenched as I knew it would hurt when he thrust in deep. It had only been a few times, but every time his cock first entered me it burned as my body tried to stretch to accommodate his girth. It was as if I was a virgin all over again each time he fucked me.
The tip pushed inside. My tight ring of muscle closed around the thick ridge.
His hand ran over the top
of my thigh to my stomach to slip under the hem of my dress to grasp my right breast. He squeezed the delicate curve roughly as he pulled me upright, flush to his chest.
I cried out as his cock slipped in a little further.
“Beg me to hurt you,” he ground out against my neck as he scraped his teeth against my skin. “Tell me you deserve the pain.”
The fingertips of his other hand pressed into my hip before shifting to cup my sex. Rolling my clit between his forefinger and thumb, he ruthlessly pinched down.
With a scream, I rose on my toes, vainly trying to escape the pain.
He then squeezed my nipple through the thin bra fabric.
Shocks of electric pain rippled up and down my spine.
“Say it. Beg me to hurt you.”
My agonized arousal was clear. There was no point in denying him what he wanted.
“Hurt me, Dimitri. Hurt me!”
He drove in so hard and fast it lifted me off my feet from the force of it. My mouth opened on a scream right as his fingers, which had been on my cunt, pushed between my lips. I could taste my arousal as he pounded into me. Driving his shaft deep till I felt I was being impaled, body and soul. The aggressive thrust of his hips rocked me forward till I collapsed on the narrow desktop. It was then he wrapped one of his massive hands around my waist and drove in harder… and harder.
Pain danced with pleasure as I felt filled beyond measure. I was certain he was bruising my internal organs as he relentlessly fucked me.
He pushed his fingers deeper into my mouth till I gagged and choked.
“Suck on them. Take them in deep.”
My tongue swirled over his salty skin as I tried to breathe through my nose. My hand reached between my legs and furiously rubbed my clit with the same rhythm as his thrusts.
His hand left my hip to spank my right ass cheek.
His three fingers muffled my shocked scream by gagging me.
He spanked me again. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind I would have the full imprint of his hand on my ass for hours to come. The heat and stinging pain washed over me as I could feel my body crest.
His thumb crept between my ass cheeks till it caressed my dark hole.
I clenched it in response.
“This will be your true punishment later.”