Love Thy Enemy

by Katie Reus

  “As soon as I get my money, consider it done.”

  Pleased with himself, he ended the call. He’d pay him the first deposit, but he’d never pay the five hundred grand. No, he’d kill his contact first.

  Soon he’d have that bitch and Viktor would be at his mercy. Opening his desk drawer he pulled out a little packet of cocaine, dipped his finger into it and spread it across his gums. Then he took one hit.

  Just one to keep him focused. He wasn’t an addict. He just liked the way it made him feel, that rush of adrenaline that helped him to keep working longer hours.

  Nothing was going to go wrong. Not like last night. With the exception of that snafu, everything else was falling into place.

  Once he got Viktor where he wanted him, he was going to kill the bastard himself. He’d make sure Viktor begged him for death by the time he was through with him.

  Chapter 16

  Dominique opened the refrigerator in Viktor’s kitchen and stared at the neatly stacked containers of food, and bright fruit and vegetables stocked in the crispers. He hadn’t been kidding when he said anything she wanted would be in here. He’d apparently prepared for the zombie apocalypse. Which was fine with her.

  She might hate that there was a threat hanging over their heads, but she wasn’t going to complain about getting to spend time at Viktor’s place. The man had completely stolen her heart and she simply liked being with him. Right now he was in his office with his brother and Lyosha, going over…something. She wished they were back in bed together. Sex was definitely as good as her friends had made it out to be and she was having fun exploring it with him.

  “I was hoping I’d find you.” A female voice made her turn away from the fridge. Which was just as well—she wasn’t sure what she wanted anyway.

  She turned to find the petite assistant she’d sort of met the other day. “Hi…Lucy, right?” Viktor had mentioned something about her being here too.

  The woman smiled as she leaned against the center island. A book, towel and bottle of sunscreen were in her hand and she was wearing a sheer cover-up that didn’t do much to hide her bikini. “Yeah. I’m stuck here too until further notice. You okay after last night? I know that you were at the hotel.”

  Dominique nodded, glad she didn’t have to lie. It was clear both brothers must trust Lucy if she knew Dominique had been at the hotel when even the police didn’t. “Yeah, I’m good. A little freaked out but Viktor’s place is great if we have to stay on lockdown.” Only because the man himself was under the same roof.

  “Right? Listen, while they’re doing whatever they’re doing, I’m taking a break for once and soaking up some sun by that monstrosity of a pool. Want to join me?”

  Since Viktor had a fortified wall surrounding his property and extra security, Dominique guessed that was the only reason it would be okay for them to be by the pool right now. Otherwise he’d probably go into super caveman mode and not let them outside. “Yeah, I’d love to. I need to find out if Viktor has anything I can wear.” Or if the guys he’d sent over to her place were back yet with her clothes. Right now she was wearing gym pants Lyosha had found that were about four inches too long and an oversized T-shirt. She felt a little ridiculous even if she was comfortable. “I’ll meet you out there?”

  Lucy nodded, her smile genuine. “Great. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  Dominique didn’t want to bother Viktor but she didn’t think he’d mind. And she really wanted to get to know Lucy since she’d be staying here too. Not to mention Lucy obviously knew the brothers well and Dominique wasn’t above asking questions about Viktor. She wanted to know everything about him.

  When she reached the hallway that led to Viktor’s office she smiled when she saw his driver, Kir, headed her way. He’d been one of the only security people who was actually friendly to her. Mostly Viktor’s guys seemed to walk around with perma-frowns.

  “Hey, is Viktor—” Her words died when she saw the gun in his hand. It had a silencer on it and was pointed directly at her.

  Everything around her funneled out as she stared down the barrel of the weapon. Before she could think about moving, he was next to her, grabbing her elbow in an unforgiving grip.

  “You’re coming with me,” he said quietly, almost a whisper, his voice hard. “You scream and I’ll shoot you in the stomach. It’s a bad way to die.” He said it as if it was something he knew to be certain.

  On instinct she yanked against his hold but he shoved her up against the wall, one hand wrapped around her throat as he pressed the muzzle of the gun to her temple.

  “I’ll smoke you right here. Nod if you believe me.” His eyes were cold, nothing like the friendly man from the last couple days.

  She nodded, her throat tight with fear. What if Lucy came back inside and this maniac decided to shoot her?

  “You’re going to come with me on a short drive. If you’re a good girl, you won’t get hurt. But if you fight me, I’ll just kill you and cut my losses. You gonna fight me?” He leaned closer, his breath hot against her face.

  Ice slithered through her veins, making her feel numb and sluggish. Her heart was a drumbeat in her ears as she shook her head. She wouldn’t fight him. At least not this very instant. It would be suicide to go up against a man like this. She might not know much about him but he had a gun he wasn’t afraid to use and he was most definitely a lot stronger than her.

  “Good. Keep your mouth shut and do what I say.” He yanked her away from the wall and dragged her down the rest of the hallway.

  Her bare feet were silent against the wooden floor, as were his shoes. All she wanted to do was scream for help, to scream the entire house down. But she’d seen the truth in his eyes—Kir would have no problem ending her life. He wouldn’t lose a second of sleep over her death. And what if he shot at Viktor…or Lucy? What if an unarmed person came running to her aid and got caught in the crossfire? She couldn’t have that on her conscience.

  Looking over his shoulder only once, he paused at the door at the end of the hallway. His grip still tight on her arm he opened the door into a large garage. A car, an SUV, a motorcycle and a vintage truck were parked side by side.

  Fear hollowed out her chest, making it hard to breathe as he dragged her inside the garage, shutting the door behind them with a resounding click.

  “You are going to be the perfect bargaining chip,” he muttered more to himself than her.

  Instinct told her to fight him, to try to run. She’d always been taught never to get into a vehicle with someone who meant to do her harm. But if she didn’t go, she’d be dead for certain. There was nowhere she could run now, no way to overpower him. She’d just have to go along with him and pray there was an opening for escape.

  He palmed a set of keys and pressed the key fob. The SUV lights flashed once, a quiet beep indicating it had unlocked.

  “You’re driving,” he ordered, training his gun on her as he hurried her to the driver’s seat. “You try anything stupid, I’ll shoot your knee first. Now get in.” He yanked the door open for her, his weapon trained on her the entire time.

  She practically collapsed on the front seat, her legs weak as he slid into the passenger side. He opened the garage with the little remote hooked to the visor.

  “Start the vehicle and slowly steer out,” he ordered. She risked a glance at him as the door opened. His gun was still in his hand and pointed at her.

  Just freaking great.

  She swallowed hard and did as he said. The sun was blinding when she first pulled out of the garage

  “Fuck,” he growled.

  She hit the brakes and froze, unsure what she’d done. Then she saw a man wearing dark pants, a casual polo shirt and a shoulder holster with two guns walking toward them.

  “No one was supposed to be here during the shift change,” Kir muttered. “Don’t say a fucking word.” Her window started to roll down, Kir controlling it from the middle console as the man approached the driver’s side. She realized Kir
meant to talk to him.

  He couldn’t actually think this guy would believe she was leaving dressed like this. Or that Viktor would let her go? No, Kir meant to shoot him. He raised his weapon and on instinct she floored it, the tires squealing as they shot down the driveway.

  “Bitch!” He slammed his fist against the dash but surprisingly didn’t strike or shoot her. She’d been waiting for the blow. “Don’t slow down,” he ordered as they zoomed toward the gate. A man stepped out, weapon drawn, but he aimed at the tires.

  Pop. Pop. Pop.

  The vehicle swerved as the tire blew but she kept her grip on the wheel. The SUV jerked again wildly as she floored it. God, she hadn’t even strapped in.

  She wanted to scream at the man to move but he kept shooting at the tires.

  Kir cursed and jumped into the backseat. She heard the back window rolling down then the muted sounds of gunfire. The man in front of her dove out of the way, behind the huge brick wall that ran the length of Viktor’s property.

  He wouldn’t shoot at Kir because he wouldn’t want to hurt her, she realized. It was why he’d aimed for the tires. For a moment she contemplated jumping from the vehicle but at this speed she didn’t know if she’d survive.

  “When we exit, take a right,” Kir ordered, sliding back into the front seat.

  She started to put her seatbelt on but he knocked it out of her hand, his expression dark as he sat back and strapped himself in. “Yours stays off. If you try to crash, you’re killing yourself.”

  She gritted her teeth, her adrenaline pumping as she did what he said and took a sharp right. The shot tire was deflating fast, the vehicle getting hard to control as they careened down the street. She didn’t have a death wish and right now it was either death from car crash or a bullet to the stomach. She didn’t like either of those options.

  Kir looked over his shoulder and pushed out a breath. “I think we’ll be able to make it.” Again, he was more talking to himself than her.

  She almost asked where he was taking her and who he was bringing her to, but she didn’t think he’d answer. She was nothing to him. If Viktor or one his guys didn’t figure out where she was being forced to drive, she was going to have to get out of this on her own.

  * * *

  Ten minutes earlier

  “Explain this as simply as possible,” Viktor said to Lyosha, who’d just rushed them into his office because he said he had news. Both Lyosha and his brother could take forever to get to the point, especially when it had to do with Lyosha showing off his computer skills.

  “All of the dead men were paid from a business account owned by a shell company.” Lyosha set his laptop on Viktor’s desk so he could see the spread of financial records.

  Viktor only glanced at it. “You narrow down the owner yet?” Because that was all that mattered. Once Viktor had a name, the person who’d put Dominique in danger would pay.

  “No, but I’m running a program that should help with that.”

  Viktor scrubbed a hand over his face. He’d been making calls the past hour, reaching out to contacts and calling in favors as he tried to narrow down who’d been stupid enough to attack him in his own hotel. So far his three top suspects weren’t panning out. Two weren’t even in the country and he knew without a doubt that if either had decided to make a move, they’d be here in person.

  The third was dealing with the FBI on suspicion of fraud and illegal smuggling. According to the digging Viktor had done, the man was under almost twenty-four-hour surveillance so it seemed unlikely he was the one behind it either.

  “Tell me you have something, then.” Lyosha had called him in here—away from Dominique. He knew he needed to be focusing on finding who’d targeted him, but he didn’t like being away from her even for a moment. Not after last night. Now that he’d gotten a taste of her he wasn’t letting her go and he wasn’t above binding her to him with sex.

  “Maybe. I got some interesting hits on the financials I ran. Nothing on the phone records but I really didn’t expect any. Even these financial records can be explained away, but you still need to see what I’ve found.”

  Viktor just grunted. If someone was going to betray him, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to use their own phone.

  Lyosha started to pull up another screen when his computer dinged. “Hold on,” he murmured, his fingers moving quickly across the keyboard. His expression grew tighter, putting Viktor on alert.

  They’d worked together a long, damn time. Something was wrong. He knew better than to ask though, until Lyosha was done working.

  “Fuck,” the other man growled. “Kir’s the owner of one of the accounts from the unknown shell corporations.”

  Viktor froze. “Kir?” Their regular driver? A man he trusted.

  Lyosha’s expression was grim. “It’s not on any of my current financials for him. He was careful to hide it but he’s definitely receiving deposits from the same account the dead hit men did.”

  “Who’s the owner?” he demanded, pulling out his cell phone to alert the rest of his security team. Kir was on the premises and he was going to be dealt with now.

  “Still don’t know—”

  His phone buzzed in his hand. It was Dima, in charge of the perimeter security. He answered immediately. “What?”

  “She’s gone! I don’t know if she was willing or not but I don’t think she was. Kir and the woman came barreling out of the garage.”

  The bottom of his stomach fell out.

  Viktor grabbed Lyosha’s arm and motioned that he should follow. Lyosha was already on the phone, likely with another one of his guys. He grabbed his laptop and fell in behind Viktor.

  Dima continued as Viktor raced through his house, his heart pounding out of control. Dominique was gone; she’d been taken. Because no way had she left willingly. He needed to know where that bastard Kir had taken her—and why.

  “Brady went to stop the SUV and she gunned it, tearing out of here. Brady thinks Kir meant to shoot him but can’t be sure. He said she looked terrified. I managed to shoot out one of the tires.”

  “Where are you now?” he demanded as he burst through the door to the garage. Two of his security guys were standing in the driveway on their phones. He ignored them and got into the car. Lyosha slid into the passenger seat.

  He was vaguely aware of Lyosha barking out orders to someone but he ignored him and focused on Dima as he tore out of the garage in his Tesla.

  “I took off after them in one of the SUVs. I’ve got two guys with me. There’s only one way he could have gone to escape… Shit.”

  Bolts of adrenaline pumped through his system. He clenched his fingers around the wheel, surprised he hadn’t ripped the thing off the dash. “What?”

  “Just found the SUV. It’s abandoned.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Gas station right before the highway.” Dima’s voice was tight.

  Fuck, fuck, fuck. He lived in a private, cut off neighborhood but once you crossed the bridge to the mainland, there were too many damn directions Kir could have taken Dominique. And if he got on the highway… That fear compounded, making him imagine every horrific scenario possible for why Dominique had been taken, what could happen to her.

  “We’re going to find her.” Lyosha’s voice made his head jerk around and Viktor realized he was blindly driving in the direction of the gas station but not really seeing anything.

  He’d never known what true fear could be until now. Even the times he’d been facing certain death he’d never been afraid like this. Because this was different. This was fear for the woman he loved. He wasn’t afraid of his own death but the thought of her dying—no. It wasn’t happening.

  He’d get her back no matter what it took.

  Chapter 17

  Dominique opened her eyes, blinking against the brightness of the sun… No, not the sun. A spotlight. What the hell?

  As the memory of everything came back, her stomach revolted. She’d been kidnapped and for
ced at gunpoint to drive to some building downtown. That was all she remembered before Kir clocked her in the side of the head. Then…blackness.

  She tried to twist around but the movement sent pain splintering through her head. She bit back a groan, unsure if she was alone or not. If she wasn’t she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

  A new fear blasted through her as she looked down at herself. She was in a chair, her hands cuffed to the armrests and… She tried to lift her legs but her ankles were secured too. At least her clothes were still on.

  Kir hadn’t said much about why he was bringing her to someone but it was obviously not for a good reason.

  Think, she ordered herself. The spotlight in her face was so damn bright that beads of sweat were trickling down her forehead. Blinking, she tried to see past the spotlight and could just make out some random shapes. No, not random… A couple chairs and…huge open windows. Just like in her office. It was hard to tell but she thought she could see a high-rise through the window. She couldn’t be sure though.

  She yanked against the cuffs and her chair scooted across the floor a couple inches. The scraping sound echoed slightly.

  “Well, well, you’re finally awake.” Snapping footsteps across the concrete floor made her go still. “Smile for the camera, sweetheart.”

  * * *

  Viktor slammed his fist against Kir’s face again, the darkest part of him savoring the man’s cry of agony as his nose broke—again. He reared back to hit him but Abram wrapped his arm around Viktor’s neck and yanked him back, tackling him to the ground.

  His brother had his arms and legs wrapped around him tight. “You kill him, you kill your chance to find her,” Abram growled, struggling to hold Viktor in place. “Don’t be stupid. Don’t fail her.”

  The words rolled through him, bringing him back through the haze of his rage. Though it took effort, he stopped fighting his brother, expelling a ragged breath as he looked at Kir’s prone body. He wasn’t restrained, but he didn’t attempt to get up. Not with Lyosha ten feet away on his laptop working furiously and two of Viktor’s guys standing guard—men who’d been friends with Kir.