by K. J. Dahlen
“You said you live and work in Dallas, what do you do there?” Deter asked.
“I train dogs to be service animals.” Then she looked over at Frankie and said, “Frankie is about to graduate from Shreveport University to be a teacher for special needs kids.” Galen paused, as she looked troubled. “Well, she was. If she’s been looking for me all this time she probably blew her graduation.”
Frankie grabbed the notebook and furiously scribbled something on the page then pushed it toward her sister.
When Galen read what she wrote as tears rolled down her face. “Oh, big sister I would have done the same for you, I hope you know that.”
Viktor leaned closer and read Frankie’s words, “You were so worth anything I did. I had to find you no matter what.”
He let a small smile slip over his lips at Frankie’s loyalty and stubbornness. Looking over at Frankie, he asked, “How did you track her down anyway?”
Frankie grabbed her notebook and wrote for a few minutes before she turned the notebook toward him again.
Viktor raised his brows as he read what she wrote. “Because of the area of town she lived in, I had a camera installed when three women disappeared in the city. The camera caught her abduction on film and I tracked down the warehouse they had her in. I staked it out and then tracked one of the shipments they delivered to the biker compound. It took me three months to find her but I wasn’t giving up.”
Galen reached out and brushed her sister’s hair out of her face. “And they almost killed you for it, didn’t they?” she said softly.
Frankie wrote something more on the paper and pushed it toward her sister. “But they didn’t did they? I’m not so easy to put down am I?”
“We’re together again and that means the world to me,” Galen whispered.
“There is something you two need to know,” Viktor interjected. “Galina might not be around anymore, but she had a child, Sahara. Everyone calls her Salt because of a friendship she had when she was very young with a woman named Pepper.”
“And this has to do with us how?” Galen asked as they both turned to look at him.
“I have a feeling Salt could be your father’s child with Galina,” he informed them.
Galen and Frankie looked shocked at the information.
“What are you talking about?” Galen asked.
“Galina took your father’s last name and Salt was born less than nine months after he left her.” Viktor ran his hands over his head. “She wrote about him in a dairy she kept. She named him as Salt’s father she said she hoped one day, that the two of them would meet. That she never knew where he ended up but she hoped he would find them both one day.”
“Can we meet her? This Sahara person?” Galen asked excitedly.
Frankie wrote something on the paper and pushed it toward her sister. Galen searched the paper and smiled. “Dad, oh my god, he’s gonna flip out.”
Viktor shook his head. “No, you cannot tell him anything, not yet.”
Galen and Frankie looked over at him.
“But why?” Galen cried out. “He would be so happy to know he has another daughter!”
“Because it is our mission to bring down the man who stole Galina and who was behind you’re kidnapping,” Viktor explained. “The two of you are not in the clear yet. Even though Manual died today, there will be someone stepping into his shoes.” Shaking his head he clarified, “They might think you died as well but if they see you or find you alone... they could either take you back or kill you the moment they see you” He turned to Galen. “You said Manual took your photograph with his phone. If he sent that picture off to someone they would know he had you.”
“You could still be in danger,” Deter reminded them. “And if your father came here and this bastard Tegan showed up, he could put two and two together and kill your father since he has been looking for them both for a very long time.”
“So what do you want us to do?” Galen asked him.
“We can protect you better if no one outside the eight of us knows you are still alive.” Viktor gave them a stern look.
“But we have to let our father know we’re all right,” Galen insisted.
Viktor shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that. If someone is watching him, they will know and come after you, possibly using your father for their own agenda. They will kill all three of you without thinking twice about it.”
Frankie glared at him for a moment then she turned her head and looked at her sister.
Galen hung her head then she raised her gaze to hers, “Does Dad even know that I’ve been gone for so long?” she whispered.
Frankie nodded and wrote something down on the paper. Pushing it toward her Galen read what she wrote. “He knows and he’s been frantic. He told me once this was all his fault. He did something years ago that he felt was coming back to bite him in the ass. That he might never see either of us again and he wanted us to know that he loved us very much and he was going to do what he should have done years ago. He left about three weeks after you were taken and I haven’t heard from in a while.”
Viktor grabbed the paper and read it. He looked over at Deter and shook his head in disgust. Then he turned back to Frankie and demanded, “How long has your father been out there searching for Tegan?”
Frankie shrugged. Then she wrote something down in her notebook. “Two months.”
“Dermo,” Viktor swore again, this time running his hands over his head. He walked over to the window and looked outside. But he didn’t see the darkness surrounding them, he didn’t really see anything as his mind was busy plotting new scenarios. Now not only had they picked up two unexpected guests there could be someone else out there doing the same thing as they were doing, hunting a man who didn’t want to be found.
These events, the people changed their mission. Now they had to find Joel Beck before he screwed things up enough to get them all killed.
Viktor turned around to glare at the women. “Tell me about your father, what kind of man is he, what does he do for a living?”
Galen nervously put her hands together in her lap. “He was in the marine special forces years ago. He retired a couple of years after we were born and he joined a group of friends that started up a security service. He does in debt backgrounds for the unit.”
Viktor glanced at Deter. Exhaling loudly, he looked over at Frankie and asked, “Have you heard from him recently?”
Frankie nodded and wrote something in her book.
Viktor glanced down at it. “Three weeks ago?” he questioned her. “Can you contact him?”
Frankie shook her head and wrote something else. “He told me he was going undercover and that he would contact me again when he could.”
Viktor sighed. “He doesn’t know it yet but he could derail our mission here, putting not only you two girls in danger but us and Salt as well.”
Galen scoffed. “You don’t know our father. He wouldn’t do that.”
“And you don’t have any clue what our mission here really is.” Viktor snarled. Turning to Frankie he demanded, “You have to get in touch with him and get him to back off. He needs to stay out of sight.”
Frankie glared at him again, as she shook her head.
Viktor stared at her thinking about how stubbornness must run rampant in this damn Beck family.
Galen sat forward then repeated what she’d said before, “You don’t know our dad. He won’t stop searching for us and he won’t let someone else give him orders. Whoever this guy is if my dad’s hunting him, he won’t stop until he finds him and gets us both back.”
“He’s going to get himself and you both killed if he doesn’t stop, not to mention he’s fucking up our mission here.” Viktor felt angry about these Beck family monkey wrenches in the machine work as the Americans say. “If Tegan notices that someone is looking for him that’s going to put him on alert and that will not go well for us. He’ll be more aware of us and that is something we don’t want.”
“You said your father is working for a security firm?” Deter asked. “What is the name of the firm and what do they do exactly?”
Frankie wrote something down in her book and pushed it back toward Viktor. “Rawlings Security and they do all kinds of things. But he’s been talking to some of his old military friends that are starting up a new firm in Shreveport. They’ve wanted him to join them. He might have even gotten them looking into this.”
“Bylad!” Viktor swore loudly.
One by one the other bedroom doors opened and his men came to see what was going on. With their leader yelling Fuck in Russian, it had to be something very bad.
When Viktor noticed them standing there he announced, “We have a new wrinkle to deal with.”
“And just what would that be?” Adrik asked.
“We may not be the only ones looking for Tegan Averin.”
Chapter Six
Adrik and Ivan both swore while the others grumbled.
“Who else might be looking for him?” Ivan asked.
“Joel Beck and possibly his Special Forces friends,” Deter told them so Viktor wouldn’t have to.
Matvey growled. “That could get us killed not to mention put Averin on alert which would seriously fuck us up.”
Viktor nodded. “We have to get in touch with this group and stop them if we can.”
Galen and Frankie began shaking their heads.
“They won’t back off, you can depend on that,” Galen told them. “They might agree to meet you somewhere and discuss the situation but you aren’t going to stop them.”
“Maybe they will agree to meet us if Galen speaks to them,” Andrey suggested. “She is the one they are looking for, if she can assure them she’s fine then we can arrange to speak with them.”
Frankie began to write something in her notebook. She wrote for a minute then pushed the book toward Viktor.
When he read what she wrote, he looked furious. He got to his feet and walked to the window of the cabin, staring out into the darkness surrounding them.
Adrik grabbed the notebook and read what Viktor just read. When he was done, he passed the book along to the next man. Adrik walked over to the window where Viktor stood. “We have to stop this group.”
Viktor shook his head. “I doubt that we can. I knew who they were the moment she wrote their name. Brava Victor Security. This is a group that is beginning to be known for their work. They are like us, they won’t stop until they get whatever they go after...” His words trailed off at the end as if he had more to say.
Adrik waited for him to finish his thought but when he was silent, Adrik nudged him, “But...”
Viktor shrugged. “These Americans are military trained. They may enjoy the hunt but they also bring in the law breakers so the courts can settle their fate. We do not. Our justice is swift and brutal and theirs... is not.”
Adrik nodded. “We do what we do because no one knows about us. That is our safeguard. If these men go after Tegan directly, he will disappear quickly. He’s got to have plans already in place in case someone finds him out. He has been doing this for too long not to have a plan. He will go underground and fortify his position and we may never find him again.”
“Da, I know.” Viktor ran his hand over the back of his head. Looking over to the table, he found Frankie’s eyes locked on him. “The one good thing we still have working for us is the fact that Tegan doesn’t trust anyone. In the research I did, I know that he’s been betrayed at least three times since he came here with Galina. Three times, he was almost caught because of the greed his success has brought him. Other men thought they could strike out at him and take the fruits of his labor. All three times, he fought back and won. But his victory cost him. He had to rebuild his empire three separate times, but he did it. When he came back, he learned a little bit more. He trusted the people he left in charge less and exposed himself more and more.”
“What did he do to those men he caught trying to cheat him?” Adrik raised a brow.
Viktor shook his head. “Tegan Averin is Russian, like you and I. His real name is Tolva Valentin. Back home, the Valentin family has a certain reputation for being brutal in their retribution. Apparently, he learned those lessons well. People began to fear him and for a while, after he was betrayed, he ruled with a hard fist. From what I’ve been able to uncover, this Tegan is a harsh boss and if he is forced to defend himself, he will. But he’s smart enough to know that he may have to close down one part of his operation and begin again somewhere else.”
“And you think these men won’t know that?” Adrik cocked his head and stared at him
Viktor shrugged. “Ya ne znayu. I don’t know. They may or may not. I have no idea what they know yet.” He looked again toward Frankie. When she was looking back, he glanced at Adrik. “But it’s our job to find the man and destroy him for good. Vatali wants him gone.”
Adrik nodded toward the table where Frankie and Galen sat. “And them? What are you going to do about our guests?”
“I’m not quite sure yet.” Viktor walked back to the table and sat down near Frankie. Taking her hand he asked, “Do you and your father have a safety system in place? A safe word you use if anything happens?”
Frankie quickly glanced at Galen and then back to Viktor. She nodded slowly.
“Can you contact him using this word and let him know you are all right?” he asked.
Again, Frankie nodded.
“We need to let him know the two of you are safe. You need to tell him that much but no more. You also have to tell him to back off until we can get together. He cannot look for us, no one must know we are here or what we are doing. It might take us a few days or even a few weeks to bring you back to him but we will take you back. He must wait for us to contact him. We will not harm you, either of you but until we can safely meet with him, I insist you two stay with us. We don’t want to bring attention to where we are or what we are doing. Can you do that? Stay with us for a while longer but call off your father and his friends? Can you trust us to keep you safe from harm?”
Frankie looked deep into his eyes and whatever she found there, she smiled and nodded. She grabbed her notebook and wrote something then pushed the notebook toward him.
He glanced down and looked at the paper. “I trust you.”
Viktor glanced at the clock and sighed. He was glad she did. S Despite the fact that he and his men had rescued her from certain death; she had been beaten and almost strangled to death by a man or men. He looked around at his men. The night was almost gone. “I think we should all try to get more rest.” He glanced over at Galen. “Contact your father and tell him you are ok and free. Tell him Frankie is with you and that you are both safe. Tell him to stop going after Tegan and that you will meet up when you can but at present that you can’t meet him right now.”
Galen nodded then took her sister’s hand and held onto it. “I can talk to him but he isn’t going to like it. He’s going to insist I tell him where we are.”
Viktor shook his head. “We cannot take the chance he’ll try to find you. Insist he trust you and promise you will meet him when it’s safe.”
“I can try, that’s all I can do. My father is a stubborn man and his friends might track you guys down.”
Viktor smiled. “I would expect no less but if they do that they put us all in danger. Be sure your father knows this. If this Tegan has any idea we are hunting him he will come looking for us and no one will survive.”
“I can try to get him to understand,” Galen assured him.
Viktor held out his hand to Frankie and she hesitantly took it. He drew her to her feet then swept her into his arms and took her back down the hall. He ignored the stares of his men and Galen’s shocked expression. He would take care of her and to hell with what anyone thought.
When they reached his bedroom, he swung the door shut with his foot. Then he carried her over to the bathroom. Looking down at her he whispered, “Let’s get you cleaned up
so we can assess the damage.”
Frankie was set down on the sink and he turned to start the shower. When he turned back, he began stripping off his own clothes. When he was naked, he began stripping off her clothing. As he revealed her body, he could see even more bruises she had received from Snake’s men. He didn’t say anything but his eyes grew cold as he surveyed her skin.
Frankie began trembling and tried to cover her body from his eyes but Viktor wouldn’t allow her to do that. Instead of making her more uncomfortable, he swept her up in his arms again and carried her over to the shower.
Stepping inside, he allowed her body to slip down, till her feet were on the tiles firmly and she was standing on her own. He kept his arm around her waist until he knew she was steady enough to stand by herself.
~*~
Frankie trembled as she remembered what his body looked like. When he’d stripped, she’d literally held her breath. Only one word echoed in her startled mind. Magnificent. She could feel his nude form pressed up against her now.
When she first woke up with him beside her, she couldn’t see it well in the dark but she could feel his body and it intrigued her. Then just now when he began stripping off his clothes, she could actually see his body. She had to catch her breath as he revealed his chest and thighs to her view. He was the perfect specimen, his arms, chest and legs were sculptured out with a fine layer upon layer of muscles, bone and sinew. And it was all put together in a rather nice solid package. His dark hair and green eyes and the tats didn’t hurt either. She looked down at his steel like arms and very much liked what she saw.
She heard him groan slightly as her hands traced one of his tats on his forearm. She immediately let him go but Viktor captured her hand and placed it back on his arm. “I don’t mind your touch malen’kiy. In fact, I want you to touch me.” He growled low in her ear. “I want your touch because I am certainly going to touch you.”
Frankie wondered what this Malenkey word he used meant. But her thoughts floated away at the feeling of his hot hands caressing her body. She moaned as Viktor pressed a kiss on her bruised throat.