Once he was sure he was alone, Kris did his end of the night routine and opened all the hidden weapons safes around the shop. Pulling out each weapon, emptying it and making sure it was cleaned, oiled and in perfect working order. He was under no illusion that his secret life might not spill over into his daily life and so he was prepared for every contingency. He opened the panic room and oiled the door hinges so they would open quickly and quietly if needed. He saved the day’s security feeds to the cloud and reset them for the next 24 hours. Then he pulled out his electronic detector and checked for listening or recording devices. Once sure that everything was normal, he closed everything up and exited out the back where his Kawasaki 1200 Vulcan motorcycle waited. It was one of three vehicles he maintained in his everyday life. There was the bike which was great for speed and maneuverability but not so great on protection. Then there was his matte black Dodge Viper, fast with a bit more protection in the form of a bullet resistant polymer skin. Finally there was his bug out vehicle, an armor plated Land Rover with high water kit. It would go practically anywhere and keep the occupants safe. Most days, unless the weather was nasty, he took the bike and even had an extra helmet in case he invited someone to come with him. He’d yet to use the extra helmet but like the boy scouts, a Special Boat Unit commander’s motto was “be prepared,” so he was. He started up the bike and raced through traffic to his sanctuary, or maybe it was his prison since he was all alone there with nothing but his memories for company.
He pulled into the garage and sprinted up the six flights of stairs because it was healthier than using the elevator. That’s what he told himself but in truth there was less chance of getting caught unaware if he was being hunted. At his apartment door he placed one hand on the tactical knife he kept in the small of his back, the sheath sewn into the back of his jeans. With the other he checked the tell-tale piece of monofilament he connected to the bottom of the door to know if someone had been in his apartment. Finding it intact he removed the end from the door and then opened his apartment and stepped inside.
Kris quickly laid out a frozen Bertolli pasta meal. He didn’t feel like cooking tonight. He needed to work out to change his mood. For some reason today the thought of sweet Raisa and not being able to tell her how he felt about her left him in need of the endorphins that would come from a nice punishing work out. He slipped out of his jeans and work shirt, slipping into a pair of SEAL team khaki shorts and a sleeveless tan t-shirt with his SBU logo and unit number on it. He put on a pair of toe shoes and finally strapped the ankle hooks to himself for his inverted sit-ups. He opened the sliding door and stepped out to the vertical bar he had installed out here for his work out. It kept the apartment from smelling like a gym. He grabbed the bar to begin with fifty pull-ups. He had just started when he heard a sound from Raisa’s balcony, it sounded like the whimper of a scared animal. He did five quick lifts and was starting to work on five slow ones when he heard the sound again, now sure he hadn’t imagined it. Even though no one knew he owned the building, he wanted to make sure there wasn’t an animal trapped over there. So he dropped back to the ground and walked to the edge of the balcony and looked over the edge to her side.
There wasn’t an animal, instead he saw Raisa curled in a ball laying on her side, her body shaking like she was cold in the eighty-degree heat. Then he heard that sound again and realized his neighbor was on her balcony curled up weeping in the corner. “Raisa, are you okay?”
She didn’t answer him or even acknowledge that she heard him. “Raisa, it’s Kris, are you hurt?”
When she didn’t respond, Kris decided he was going to check on her personally. “I’m going to come over there on your balcony, okay? If you don’t want me to, you need to let me know you’re okay.”
She still didn’t respond so he took off the ankle hooks, climbed over the rail around his balcony, maneuvered close to her rail and when he was as close as he could get, he jumped sideways and caught her railing before he vaulted over it onto her deck. He walked over to where she lay and knelt down, reaching out to touch her shoulder. As his hand touched her flesh she screamed and spun toward him. He jerked back, “Hey, it’s only me.”
She looked at him, tears still running down her face. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you crying and saw you shaking. I asked if you were okay but you didn’t seem to hear me. I told you I was coming to check on you.”
She looked around, fear slowly leaving her eyes as she realized who he was. “How did you get over here?”
He smiled. “I jumped.”
Her eyes got huge. “You jumped from your balcony to mine?”
He nodded. “Yes, I’m in pretty good shape, it wasn’t that hard to do.”
She turned to face him fully and he saw the bruise forming on her other cheek. His hands came out and took her head between them, turning her so he could see. “Raisa, who did this?”
She quickly tried to cover her cheek with her hand. “It’s nothing, Kris.”
His voice got frosty. “It’s not nothing. Did your brother do this?”
She quickly shook her head. “No, Stephan would never hurt me.”
“Then who? Who would mark such a beautiful face like this?”
The concern in Kris’ eyes and the sweetness of his words shot through her tattered soul like a bullet. Before she could think about it she’d wrapped her arms around his neck and was weeping into his chest. Even through her grief she couldn’t help but take in his scent, like sandalwood and cedar with a hint of something musky and all man. Then he’d lifted her into his arms and sat on the lounger she’d been in, pulling her into his lap he held her and rocked her, rubbing his hands in small circles on her back. “It’s okay, I’ve got you. You’re safe and I’ll keep you that way.”
Kris kept soothing her and comforting her. The more he told her she was safe and he’d keep her that way, the more she wanted to believe it was true and not just a desperate male neighbor trying to get her to stop crying. He was like a machine but softer. Yet she could feel his hard muscles under her cheek and the arms surrounding her. How could someone with so much power and hardness be so tender and soft? If she wanted she could lean up and kiss his neck and jaw, but to do so might end the comfort he was giving her. As her sobs quieted and she squirmed closer to feel the protection he was telling her he’d give her, he slowly turned her so that he could look into her face. “Feeling calmer?”
She nodded.
“Can you please tell me what happened to make you so afraid and who hurt you without losing it again?”
His grey eyes looked into hers like a storm filled sky just before the sun broke through. She wanted nothing more than to dive into their depths and wrap her mouth around his. Taking comfort in his kiss, or touch. She wanted things she’d never wanted before all so that this man would be hers. Yet she knew when she told him who was after her he’d be gone. No one was willing to stand up to Gregori in this neighborhood. He owned everyone including the police and the whole community knew it. She sighed, then began to tell Kris all about what happened today.
As she talked she began to get tense again and when she came to the end, Kris sighed. “So this Gregori, he’s a local criminal?”
Raisa shook her head. “No, he is the boss of the Russian Syndicate, like the local mob boss only he’s worse than any other mobster around. No one, and I mean no one crosses him.”
“But what he did to you, that’s assault and solicitation. What he’s doing to your diner is called loan sharking. All of that is illegal and he could be put away for each of them. You should go to the police.”
She shook her head. “Kris, you don’t understand, if I go to the police it will just get worse. They will tell him and then he’ll send Nestor to hurt Stephan worse, and me too. I just need to find a way to come up with the money Stephan owes him or I’ll have to do what he wants.”
Kris held her tight. “NO! I won’t let you do that. Not now, not after I finally have gotten to hold
you.” Then before she could blink his lips were on hers and she was responding to the demand of his kiss. When she moaned a little and pressed herself closer to him he devoured her mouth, tasting, probing and exploring her inside and out. He all but made love to her mouth with his own. Then like a drowning man who needs air he pulled back and gasped for breath. She could feel his desire where she sat on his lap and feel his heart racing along with hers under her hand on his chest. How was this possible? She wasn’t the kind of girl anyone kissed like he just kissed her. She was the girl who was too chunky, too smart, too Russian for an all-American heartthrob like Kris Lawson to notice her. He looked at her. “I won’t let him have you, Raisa, because now you belong to me.”
Her heart sped up. “But I don’t understand. Why now? After two years of seeing each other every day, two years of refusing to acknowledge the connection between us, why do you make this declaration now when it’s impossible? I can’t pay the loan and Gregori gets what he wants Kris, and he wants me.”
Kris stood and pulled her into his arms. “Well he can’t have you, I won’t let him.”
Raisa laughed. “And how will you stop him? Beat him with roses? I’ve heard of this war of the roses but I don’t think that is what it means.”
She watched as emotion flashed across his face. Amusement at her pun, anger at the situation and then something close to what she’d seen on Nestor’s face before he left the diner today, a look of cold hard determination. “Every rose has it’s thorn, Raisa, and I name myself yours.” With that he kissed her and pulled her tight against his body. Heat and desire shot through her body and she felt herself melting into him. What he made her feel was like nothing she’d ever even imagined she could feel before. When his hands moved up her sides and under her shirt she sighed and gave herself over to this wonderful man and the sensations and feelings he was bringing her. When he scooped her up and carried her toward her bedroom, the spell broke. “What are you doing?”
He looked into her eyes and must have seen the fear in them. “I’m putting you to bed.”
She shook her head. “I want nothing more than to be yours Kris, but I’m not ready to sleep with you. We haven’t even had a proper date yet.”
Kris chuckled. “I wasn’t suggesting that we have sex, Raisa. You’ve had a hard and emotional day. I was suggesting that with the shock and turmoil you’ve endured today that we get you to bed, nothing more.”
Raisa blushed. “Oh, I just thought…”
Kris held her closer to his body as he carried her to her room. “I know what you thought and we will get there, Raisa. I promise you that, but I’m not the kind of guy to take advantage of your emotional turmoil like that. When I make love to you it will be because you ask me to, no other reason.”
His words sent warmth through her entire body. Her heart raced at the thought of him and her together. When they reached her room he put her down. “Get ready for bed and I’ll come tuck you in when you’re ready.” Kris stated with a wink.
Raisa felt fear and loneliness start to take over as he moved toward her bedroom door. His presence had wiped both away and now he was getting ready to go home and leave her alone. “Will you stay with me tonight?”
He stopped and looked at her. “What are you asking of me, Raisa?”
Tears started pooling in her eyes, she hated feeling so weak. “I don’t want to be alone. I don’t know if I will be able to rest thinking about Gregori coming for me.”
Kris came back and took her in his arms and held her close enough that she could hear his heartbeat. “I will stay. I’ll sleep on the couch so you aren’t alone.”
“Please sleep with me. Just sleep,” she said when he started to shake his head. “Nothing else. I want you to hold me and make me feel safe.”
Kris looked into her eyes and she could see the war going on behind them. Finally he kissed her with a sigh. “Just sleep. I won’t rush this thing between us, Raisa. But I will give you what you need and ask me for. I’ll make you feel safe because I’ll keep you safe. You get changed and I’ll go do the same. Can I borrow your keys to get back in your apartment? I really don’t want to have to keep jumping across the balcony.”
Raisa giggled and reached into her pocket and handed him her keys. “Thank you.”
He kissed her again. “You belong with me, I’m yours for as long as you want me, sweetheart. You don’t have to thank me for giving you what you want or need.”
Chapter Three
K ris let himself out her front door, shutting and locking it behind him. He entered his house and went back to his safe room, placing his hand on the palm scanner and opening the steel box. He went right to the weapons rack and pulled a Walther PPQ Tactical Navy pistol with a fifteen-round magazine from the wall and two extra magazines of ammo. He grabbed a clip holster for the back of his shorts and once the weapon was in place he picked up a small door alarm stop. It wouldn’t keep anyone out of her place for long but it would give them warning if someone tried to enter tonight.
He left the room and picked up his cell phone from the charger in his room where he’d left it to go work out. He changed into sleep pants and a t-shirt, moving the holster to the back of the sleep pants. He was going to sleep in her bed holding the woman of his dreams tonight. That thought caused him to smile for a moment while the call he was making went through. He walked back next door, securing his door and then closing and locking hers before placing the stop alarm at the foot. He’d have to show it to her in the morning and ask her to keep using it.
The phone rang and was answered. “Blackguard Securities, how may I direct your call?”
“Human Resources, please.”
“One moment please.”
There was a series of clicks and then “Human Resources, how can I help you?”
Kirs took a breath. “Asset authentication.”
“Proceed.”
“Tango, Hotel, Oscar, Romeo, November 317 Lima.”
“Asset Verified. How can we assist you, Thorn?”
“I need all information on a local tango named Gregori Volkov and all known associates and concerns.”
“What have you gotten yourself involved in, Thorn. This is not an officially sanctioned tango.”
“No it isn’t, this is a private contract of a personal nature.”
“Mac has deemed this contract as valid and of a personal nature. He wishes to meet with you tomorrow to discuss the situation. Information will be sent to your secure email account before that meeting.”
“Understood; would you tell Mac I would like to meet him at the Felfan Diner near my cover work. It is germane to the contract.”
“Mac has been notified, response is as follows: ‘Will meet at your cover and proceed from there. Acknowledge Response requested.’”
“Response Acknowledged. Thorn out.”
The line went dead and Kris sighed. At least they were going to get him the information he needed and while it was a cheesy line from a cartoon he’d watched as a kid, he’d know just how bad this situation was and knowing was half the battle. He shut the balcony door that he and Raisa had left open earlier. He walked back to her room and knocked on the door. “I’m back, are you changed?”
“Yes.”
He entered the room to see Raisa sitting on the end of the bed in a pair of pajama shorts and a baby doll top that made his heart race. He climbed into the bed and held her, kissing her and rubbing her back until she fell asleep in his arms.
Kris lay beside Raisa and watched as she slept. He’d done it now, he’d promised himself he’d stay away and not sully her light with the darkness of his soul but someone worse was trying to take her light away and he’d never allow that. He’d claimed her as his own and tied his heart and soul to hers tonight. Now it was time for him to use his skills to make sure she was safe to choose to love him or someone else.
Raisa woke to a warm body beside her and an arm tucked just under her breasts. Her eyes widened at the thought that she wasn’t al
one and then yesterday afternoon and evening came crashing back around her. Gregori, his demand, falling apart on her balcony, Kris jumping from his balcony to hers and holding her. Kissing her, telling her she belonged to him. She remembered her asking him to stay and hold her, she remembered the kisses that had followed after they laid down and Kris’s promise that he’d keep her safe and take care of Gregori.
She turned so that she could see him and his eyes opened and looked right into hers. “Good morning, how is my lovely lady today?”
She blushed at his question and the too-real answer that popped out of her mouth. “Scared.”
He stroked her face with his hand. “You don’t need to be scared, sweetheart. I will keep you safe. Gregori won’t touch you again.”
She bit her lip and he pulled her close. She could feel every inch of his body as hers pressed up against him and she realized she was starting to heat up again just like yesterday. She kissed him and quickly got up. “I need to get ready to go. Stephan will be upset that I’m late as it is.”
Kris rolled out of bed and she froze when he reached under the pillow and pulled out a pistol and stuck it in the back of his sleep pants. “Where did you get that?”
“I told you that I would keep you safe, Raisa. When I went home I got a couple of things to do so. One of them was my pistol.”
Her Hero: Next Door Page 2