“Affirmative.”
“If Kris told you not to play the footage you wouldn’t play it, would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“I have the same access Friday, and I’m telling you not to play that footage for an hour after he gets home, not to him or anyone.”
‘Affirmative.”
“Will you do me one other favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Tell Kris I love him and I wish things could be different.”
“What are you going to do, Raisa?”
“What I must.”
Then she turned and ran out the door and straight to the boat dock. Thankfully when their things were delivered so was her car. She let the tears flow as she made her way to Gregori’s office. She’d been right all along. What Gregori wanted Gregori got, always one way or another.
Chapter Eighteen
K ris felt the ring box in his pocket. He’d gone by the jewelers that he worked with for his baskets at the flower shop and found the perfect ring set for Raisa. A flat princess cut diamond that wouldn’t get caught on anything once they got her diner back and yet let the whole world know she was taken. He’d just come from Le Meilleur Repas where he’d talked to both the head of the service staff and the head chef arranging for the perfect date night for him and Raisa. They’d have their same table as last time. He was assured that the hostess would treat Raisa as a queen and not in the rude manner as the last time. The chef had promised to create the ultimate romantic dinner for them complete with a Russian tea cake for dessert that he assured Kris, Raisa would love.
Now he was going to go back to his office and plan for the targets he would shut down tonight after Raisa was asleep. He was preparing to head for the lake when his phone rang. He saw that it was Sparky and suddenly he was filled with dread. “Sparky, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry Kris, but Raisa is gone.”
He frowned. “What do you mean gone?”
“I mean I went for a run and she promised me she’d stay in the house until I returned. When I got back she was gone. On top of that something’s wrong with Friday. She won’t show me any of the security feeds from when I left on my run until I returned to the house.”
“Put me on speaker right now.”
“Done.”
“Friday, run level four self-diagnostics.”
“Running level four diagnostics now, Thorn.”
There were a few moments of silence. “Diagnostics complete.”
“Report all abnormalities.”
“There are no abnormalities detected. All systems are operating with peak efficiency.”
“Play security feeds from when Sparky left the house until she returned.”
“Negative, I am unable to play security feeds for that time period for another fifty-nine minutes and six seconds.”
“What? Why can’t you play those feeds, Friday?”
“I was given a direct order not to play those feeds for another fifty-eight minutes and thirty-three seconds.”
“Who gave you that order?”
“User who gave that order was Raisa Felfan.”
“Damn it, Friday, Raisa is missing! Play the feed or I’ll have Spidey take you off line and put you back in the black box.”
“I’m sorry, Thorn but I cannot play that feed for another fifty-six minutes and fifteen seconds. I do however have a message for you from Raisa, Thorn.”
“What’s the message?”
Kris swallowed as he heard Raisa’s voice come over the phone; “Tell Kris I love him and I wish things could be different.”
A cold chill ran through his body. He knew where she had gone with absolute certainty. “Friday, activate Raisa’s homing tracker and pinpoint her location.”
“Affirmative. Tracker activated and location acquired. Raisa is in a vehicle moving toward the Syndicate Compound outside the city limits. She will arrive there at current speed in ten minutes.”
“Damn it. She went to Gregori. Why would she do that?”
“Only reason I can think of is he threatened her or someone she loved.” Sparky spoke up.
“Friday, contact the team and have them meet me at Safe house Delta in full tactical gear heavy armament. Send all blueprints and floor plans to both myself and Eagle. See if you can get Spidey to hack into their security and patch it to us through you. Also send drones to initiate active surveillance.”
“Affirmative.”
“I’ll meet you at Delta, Thorn.”
“No Sparky, Mac would have my head.”
“Listen to me! Raisa is my protectee and my friend. You and your team have to take on infiltration and elimination of all threats. My only job is to keep Raisa safe. I’m going and if you try to stop me I’ll kick your ass and still go.”
“Thorn, there is another concern.”
Kris turned and headed for the safe house. It had weapons and tactical gear there as well. “What is the concern, Friday.”
“I’ve been monitoring all stash house locations and they are all being emptied. It appears everyone associated with the Syndicate and all their assets are in route to the compound as we speak.”
“Great, so we’re walking into an ambush. Or they think they’re going to ambush us. Friday, inform Eagle that it’s time to invite Betty to the party.”
“Are you sure, Thorn?”
“Affirmative, send the invite.”
“Message sent, response received, “Betty is ready to party.”
“Sparky, better head our way if you’re going with us.”
“Leaving now.”
Kris quickly hung up and hit the button to connect him to Friday again. “Friday, inform Mac of everything and as soon as you can release that footage you send it to me.”
“Affirmative. Thorn there is something else.”
“What is it?”
“There is one life sign still in Gregori’s office video; appears to be a badly injured Stephan Felfan. He isn’t going to last without medical treatment.”
Dispatch EMT’s and make sure they’re Blackguard Medical. Tell them get to him regardless of what they have to do. Authorization is authenticated by me.”
“Affirmative. Medical dispatched, arrival five minutes.”
Kris put his foot to the floor and sent the twelve-cylinder Dodge Viper turbo tearing down the road. Time to go to war and this time Gregori wasn’t walking away.
Raisa walked into Gregori’s office building and headed straight to the elevator. She looked back at the security guard who pushed the button opening the express elevator to the penthouse. Apparently Gregori let them know she was expected. She felt her heart racing. Worry for her brother, sorrow for what she was leaving behind all crashed into her but she refused to bend under the weight of her despair. No, she would be like the willow tree and bend but not break. Gregori may be able to force her into his bed but he wouldn’t break her spirit. She felt ice cold and imagined herself the queen of ice, emotionless, unfeeling and unaffected by anything. Her face hardened as she tucked her soft heart down deep inside buried with her precious memories of Kris and his loving touch.
The door opened and she looked up to see Gregori himself standing in the doorway smiling. “Ah Raisa my pet, so good of you to come. Welcome home, kitten.”
“I’m here like you ordered Gregori, now let my brother go.”
She heard a scream come from the office and started that way when Gregori grabbed her and stopped her. “Not so fast, kitten. You haven’t given me my welcome kiss yet. Whenever I come to you or have you come to me you will kiss me to show that you are thrilled to be in my presence and be the recipient of my attentions.”
Raisa glared at him. “I will do whatever you require of me Gregori, but if you think I’m thrilled to be in your presence or to receive your attention then you’re delusional. I have no choice but to give you my body so that is what I will give you. However my love, my desire, my heart and soul those belong to someone else and you will never have them.”
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br /> He pulled her into his arms and forced his tongue into her mouth making her sick at her stomach. When he pulled back he laughed. “Oh how innocent you are. I would have thought the florist would have taught you better. That’s alright I like that you want to fight me kitten. It will make breaking you so much more pleasing and believe me my pet. I. Will. Break. You. Once I have then I’ll give you to Nestor for a while because he wants to destroy what’s left after I’m done. Then when you are used up and broken beyond repair he plans to show you to the Florist just before he kills him.”
Raisa couldn’t help it and laughter burst from her. “You think that Nestor can kill Kris? How did that work out last time he tried? Why where is Nestor anyway? Still in the hospital learning to use his arms and leg again?”
Gregori’s fat face turned bright red and he backhanded Raisa across the face knocking her to her knees. She looked up at him and wiped the blood off her lip where his ring had caught it. “Do your worst, Gregori. You won’t break me anymore than any of your men will kill my Thorn. He’ll be coming for me soon and when he gets here what’s to stop him from killing you this time? Last time it was because he didn’t want me to see his dark side. What do you think will happen when I ask him to kill you?”
Gregori stared at her and then grabbed her by the hair and yanked her across the floor to the door to his office. “Look here Stephan, your sister cares about you after all and she has come to save you by giving herself to me.”
She gasped as she saw her brother. He was cut in several places and his face and body was one big bruise and gash. Gregori looked at her before pulling her to her feet and running his hands all over her body. “Let him come, little kitten, because we won’t be here.” He looked at the man beating on her brother. “That is enough Viktor, leave the pathetic worm alone. We are leaving.”
The man who looked like an angrier version of Nestor turned to look at Gregori. “But Mister Volkov, I’m not done with him yet.”
Gregor looked at the man. “You are done when I say you are done. Besides we are going to go and wait for the man who put your brother in the hospital. I’d think you would rather have a chance to tear him apart over a short order cook.”
Victor smiled but Raisa realized it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yes, him I’d like to meet very much.”
“Then let’s head out to my compound. You can meet this man when he comes for my pet and then I will have you hold him for me while we make him watch me enjoy what is mine.”
Raisa couldn’t help but shudder knowing that Gregori meant her. They planned to hurt and imprison Kris and make him watch as Gregori used her like a whore. She’d kill herself first, she decided. Better that than let Kris think less of her.
Chapter Nineteen
K ris took a deep breath. He’d gotten to the safe house and they’d quickly laid out a plan. Thankfully Spidey had hacked into Volkov’s security feeds at the compound and they had a great view of inside the main house as well as the grounds. There were about two hundred and fifty thugs and gangsters on the grounds and another fifty in the lower levels of the house. Gregori was on the upper level which was a bit like Kris’s at the lake house. Half of it was a bedroom and bathroom, the other half was his office. You could only access the bedroom through the office. There was a small safe room inside the walk-in closet in the bedroom but it had a computerized electronic lock that Spidey had scrambled when he had hacked the security system. There were two men heavily armed in the office and Gregori and an older mean looking version of Nestor in the bedroom with Raisa.
The sight of her had almost sent Kris into a rage. She had been stripped to her underwear. A black lace set he knew she’d put on after he left this morning for him and tied spread eagle to the bed. Every now and again Gregori would remind her that she now belonged to him and then he would grope and fondle her or force his tongue into her mouth. Raisa never moved a muscle just laid there without expression but Kris had almost rushed headlong from the safe house to the compound the first time the fat toad laid his hands on her. It had taken almost half his team to hold him back. But slowly the plan had come together. Now Kris was in a small jet preparing for a HALO jump. Something he hadn’t done in about two years. It was risky but would give him the element of surprise entering the bedroom. They expected him to come through the front and try to fight his way up to the house and then up to the bedroom. Instead he was going to jump onto the roof that had been marked with a radioactive marker by a drone earlier that day and enter through the bedroom window. The pilot came over the radio, “Approaching PNO, Thorn. Jump pattern is five by five.”
“Roger. PNO jump is five by five.” Kris clicked his radio over to the team’s channel. “This is Thorn, I am in the PNO, is Betty prepared for her dance party?”
“Eagle to Thorn. Betty is ready to boogie and she has been joined by Veronica who is also prepared to get down tonight.”
“Who’s partnering with Veronica?”
Mac’s voice came over the line. “That would be me, Thorn.”
“Negative, Ghost Rider, you have responsibilities at home.”
“This is a remote dance and you work for me, not the other way around.”
Kris chuckled, knowing that Mac was using the remote pilot feature on the armored suit. “As you say, Iron Man.”
They all laughed. “I’m going radio silent until I’m boots on the ground.”
“Affirmative, Thorn. Good luck.”
“Good hunting, Eagle; and Control, Thorn out.”
Just then there came a beeping in his ear and he clicked back to the jump master. “Approach the hatch, Thorn. Jump in T-minus fifteen.”
Kris moved to the doorway and watched as the red light turned yellow and a count began in his ear. “T-minus ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, Jump, Jump, Jump.”
Kris dove out the open door and pointed his body down toward the glowing marker of green he could barely see at twenty-nine thousand feet but the beeping in his ear told him he was lined up to hit his mark. He had twenty thousand feet to fall before he pulled the rip cord on his chute. Knowing that at nine thousand feet he would barely be able to correct if he was off from hitting his mark.
He fell like a rocket powered rock as he watched the numbers of his altimeter in his heads-up display. It took only a few minutes to fall twenty thousand feet and when his display flashed green at nine thousand he pulled the rip cord and was jerked up as the black canopy opened over his head. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and he clicked his mic four times to let the ground forces know that he would be on the roof in two minutes. That’s when all hell seemed to break loose on the west side of the compound as the two mechanized armored battle suits began to breach the fence and Kris’s counter terrorist team began to open fire on the gangsters firing on their infiltration. The rules of engagement were being observed as Volkov’s untrained and untested ‘army’ opened fire on the better equipped and trained team of specialist. Kris tore his eyes away from the scene to the west and focused on the quickly rising marker on the roof. As soon as his boots hit the roof he released the straps of his parachute canopy and watched the wind take it toward the front of the house. He turned and pulled a line out of the pack strapped to his chest and wrapped it around the brick chimney before launching himself off the roof and toward the window just to the left of the bed in the main bedroom. He hit the window with both feet and sailed with the broken glass into the room. He let go of the black paracord and lifted the HK MP7A1 machine gun to his shoulder and fired, hitting the man that looked like Nestor in the hand that was trying to raise a pistol toward him. Then he turned and pointed it at Gregori who dropped his pistol and started for the bed. Kris fired a three-round burst at the floor in front of his feet, then keyed the mic in his helmet for the speaker on his chest. “Don’t move Volkov, or the next burst will be in your knees.” The door to the office burst open and three men tried to power through it at the same time. Kris pivoted and flipped his selector switc
h to automatic and unleashed a burst of about fifty rounds, the three men dropping to the ground dead. He spun back while flipping the fire selector back to three round burst and put three rounds into Gregori’s right leg as he tried to reach Raisa. The man screamed and dropped to the ground. Kris knelt over the man that looked like Nestor and quickly flipped him onto his stomach, putting the machine pistol against the back of his head. “Put your hands behind your back.”
The man did what he was told, cursing in Russian the whole time. “I will kill you when next we meet.”
Kris pulled a set of heavy duty zip cuffs and fitted them over the man’s hands, pulling them tight enough to cut off his circulation. “I wouldn’t count on that, buddy.”
Kris walked over to where Gregori was crawling toward the bed and grabbed him by the back of his collar and tossed him toward the far side of the room. Keeping his MP7 pointed at the gangster he reached his other hand into his boots and pulled out a K-Bar dive knife and cut the rope holding Raisa’s hands to the bed and then handed her the knife letting her cut herself loose while he kept a watch on the door and Gregori.
Raisa made quick work of her restraints and was wrapping herself around Kris. His free arm came around her moving her slightly to the side and away from his weapon or any further action at the doorway or from Gregori. “You came for me? How did you know where I was? When we left the office, I was sure you’d have to hunt for me.”
Kris pulled on the rose around her neck. “I told you sweetheart, as long as you wore this necklace I’d always be with you, remember?”
“Yes, but I thought you meant in spirit.”
“That too honey, but the thorn is hollow. There’s a GPS tracker inside it. That way I could find you anywhere there is a satellite signal on the planet. I’ve been keeping track of you all day and Friday has been monitoring your situation from the moment you arrived here. If he’d gotten more than a bit handsy, I’d have done this the hard way. As it was he set himself and his Syndicate up to be wrapped up in one fell swoop.” Kris hugged her and then pushed a button on his helmet, triggering his radio. “This is Thorn, primary package is secured. Three Tangos, DOA, two wounded including Primary Tango. Situation report?”
Her Hero: Next Door Page 13