Now here they are, getting ready to leave. I had them meet me at Pins and Needles so Ally and Burner could see Dema.
Dema smiled and introduced them to Kronid, explained that Burner is why she has a passion for tattooing. They all spoke for a few minutes before Burner announced it was time for them to head out. The guys shook Kronid’s hand while Ally hugged Dema.
Now here I am, rounding the reception desk and wrapping my arms around Ally as hard as I can.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay here?” she asks.
“Yeah, I’ve always intended to come here. To be close to Dema. Thank you for everything you did for me and for caring enough to come all the way around the world to make sure I’m safe,” I say quietly, not wanting Dema to hear me.
“You know it. Oh and here, this belongs to you,” Ally announces, pulling a white envelope out of her back pocket. I open it and my jaw nearly hits the floor—a stack of hundreds, which must be at least a few thousand dollars right here. “Don’t say a word. The club wanted to make sure you were good,” she says, stopping me from giving it back to her.
“Thank you,” I say, clearing my throat of the emotions starting to clog it.
Ally smiles and steps to the side as the rest of the guys embrace me. K-9’s the last to hug me and, of course, needs to say something stupid. “You know you’re gonna miss your K-9 snuggles.”
I laugh because he’s talking about Rex, his dog. Rex is an American bulldog he got after leaving the military. It helps him with his PTSD and I don’t blame him for having the companionship he does with him. If I could get one, I definitely would too. Especially if it were like Rex, he’s a great dog. I’ve seen him be tugged and pulled on by children. Instead of nipping or showing aggression, he allows it. He tolerates the hell out of it. He’s just that good of a boy.
“You’re a nut,” I giggle and give him a squeeze.
Pulling away from K-9, I smile up at him. “You guys have a good flight home,” I say and notice Michail staring between K-9 and myself.
They all leave to go back to their hotel, walking toward the two SUVs they came in. I watch as they go and don’t realize Michail is standing behind me until I move back behind my desk and sit. I don’t know how to explain it other than a heavier feeling that begins to settle over me. Michail moves to stand in front of me, leaning over the receptionist’s desk.
“Guess you’re going to miss those snuggles,” he quips in a snarky manner, obviously irritated by what K-9 said.
But still, why the hell does he think he can be so shitty with me like this?
I haven’t seen him in days. Not since our date. I figured he was busy with work because he does this sometimes. He’s gone for a few days to handle things for Kronid or whatever and then he’ll show back up again. But now I wonder if I’ve screwed up so bad that I won’t be able to explain myself. Or tell him I had a good time the other night.
Feeling my defenses coming forward, I straighten in my seat and glare at him. “You know what? Maybe I will. At least K-9 isn’t a jerk toward me. And he’s not always grumpy or in a foul ass mood. Oh, and he doesn’t judge a book by its cover.”
I say the last part before I can stop myself. What he said just irks me to no end and I can’t hold myself back, not when it comes to this type of shit. I had to endure crap like this from Jacob and I won’t be doing it anymore. Plus, I had every intention of explaining myself to him about why I pulled away from him when he tried to hold my hand.
Ruslan and Sascha advised me to after my last nightmare. I told them about my fears about my feelings for Michail. Now I’m not so sure I want to tell him anything, especially if this is the way he’s going to act.
God, why can’t I just stop being stupid enough to fall for men? I got into my relationship with Jacob because I was blinded by the darkness within him. As for Michail, he makes my heart do things it’s never done before and we’ve only had one date. One date, after months of barely speaking to each other here at Pins and Needles and my heart’s doing jumping jacks while my stomach is flopping around nervously. I’m so torn, not sure what I want to do. But I do know one thing, all I want is to stop feeling like I’m constantly being tormented. It’s a curse I pray that will one day be broken. If not, I don’t know how I’ll ever get through this.
Chapter Nine
Michail
“Today will be eventful, hmm?” Kronid asks as he peers up, looking at me past his newspaper. The tourists are beginning to flood in and now he’s sticking his nose back in local business. Considering the man works for Katya, I find it interesting he’s so curious to know what the press believes is going on in the city. People like us, we actually know what’s happening . . . but them, they only think they know. More times than not, they’re paid off by rich politicians looking to influence the people into either believing in them or fearing them.
“Yes, Marty will be here within the hour to meet Khristina.” I pray this man is going to treat her in a way she deserves to be treated. After the last time, I’m making it my personal mission to ensure she’s never put in the same type of position ever again. She could’ve died with her ex-husband, and I’m very well aware of how bad it could’ve been. We were so lucky she got back to us in time before anything worse happened.
“Good. How are you feeling about him coming all the way out here?”
I shrug and take a seat on the green couch in his office. “What am I supposed to feel? I only wish she doesn’t experience what she did before. Those are my feelings,” I speak clearly, not sure what else he wants me to say. Sometimes I think even he knows I hold a great deal of guilt over what happened to her, and as much as I want to forget it ever happened, I can’t do that. Kronid trusts me to help these women. While I’m his right-hand man, he puts a lot of trust in me when it comes to the women and dealing with some of Katya’s other . . . endeavors.
We’re getting another shipment of guns here in a few weeks and Kronid’s put me in charge of the operation. He’s told me a few times how he’s spoken highly of me to Katya and how one day he hopes I can move up in the ranks, but I’m not sure I want such a job. I’m happy doing what I do now and more importantly, it means I’m more likely to come home to my sister. At the end of the day, that’s what is most important to me. If she were to lose me, I fear what would end up happening to her.
A knock comes to the door, and Kronid looks to his monitor. “Andrei, come in,” he shouts toward the doorway, and Andrei comes in immediately, shutting the door behind him.
“Boss, a man is here. He’s downstairs and I have him waiting for you or Michail. I wasn’t sure who’d be meeting with him.”
“Thank you. Michail, if you wouldn’t mind planning this, I’d be appreciative. I have a call with Katya and Slasher in five minutes and I don’t want to be late.”
Immediately I rise. “It’s no problem at all. Andrei, my friend, take me to see this man,” I state, following Andrei as he walks us out of Kronid’s office and we head downstairs. Within a matter of minutes, I’m opening the doorway to the small room where the man is sitting down on a black couch.
“Marty, it’s good you made it.” Most would say it’s a pleasure to meet him, but what’s the point in lying? This is my job, not something I do for fun.
Marty nods eagerly, so much he ends up pushing the glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose. “Yes, I couldn’t wait any longer. She’s so perfect and . . . I’m a bit excited. Am I able to meet her?” His eyes grow wide like an excited poodle and instantly, nausea begins to settle in my stomach. Call it a gut feeling, but something doesn’t feel right.
“Yes, one of my men is bringing her down now. But, while we wait, we shall talk as men do, hmm?” I declare.
“Sure, yes,” Marty comments.
“Your application said you were trying to make partner and hoped marrying a Russian wife would help with such a thing. You know these women are not for giving blowjobs to your colleagues, yes? They are your wife, to cherish until th
e end of time,” I state every word with a cold tone and watch his eyes. Eyes are the window to the soul and if the man’s lying, I’ll be able to tell rather quickly.
Marty draws his brows together for a moment like he has to come up with an answer for me, and again, it causes red flags to go up. “No, my wife will be for my pleasure only. Though, I hope to have more than a sexual relationship with her. I crave a mental and emotional connection too. This is something she and I can work for together, with time, of course.”
I cross my arms and lean back against the wall, nodding as I force a fake smile. “Of course.” I smell bullshit and I don’t like it.
Vova opens the door to the small room and Khristina walks in, her hair in loose curls that fall to her mid-back and she’s wearing an eggplant purple dress with a fur coat on the top. She looks like a typical luxurious Russian, exactly what this man’s hoping to get. Only, I don’t know if he will. I’ve never had a feeling like this about a client, but I think maybe I’m focusing too much on the man. This could be my guilt making me over-analyze things.
Khristina and Marty make their introductions, kiss one another on the cheek, and I overhear him say how he’d love to take a stroll in the park with her. Khristina tells him about a local park and the two make plans right in front of me to go have some private time where they can get to learn more about one another.
I let them leave by themselves and tell them to have a great time, but what neither of them knows is that I’m following them. I’m blending myself in with the crowd as they cross the street, head down the two blocks, and then turn into the park.
Another thing that’s incredibly odd is the fact he wants to go to the park on such a cold day. Does he want to freeze her out? She may be Russian, though it doesn’t mean she’s invincible. I’m sticking close behind them as they head down the paths and then Khristina stops on the small wooden bridge and looks out at the birds on the fountain, drinking as they sing sweet songs. Then, the unexpected happens. Marty takes out some sort of small device, so small I believe it’s a phone at first, but I know it isn’t. It’s far too narrow.
I grow a bit closer as a beep rings out and Marty smiles. The way he smiles is one I know far too well, the smile of someone who’s thinking of or doing sinister things. At this point, my gut is screaming at me to intervene, so I rush over toward him. Whatever he’s doing, I don’t like it.
Marty looks right over at me and I expect his eyes to widen, but they don’t. In fact, there’s a sense of expectation in his eyes. As if he knew something like this might happen. Very clearly, he speaks up as I grow closer. “She isn’t yours. Khristina is owned by another and now I have proof of it.”
I take a step closer to them. “Bullshit.”
Marty pulls out a gun from under his suit jacket and points it straight at my head. “Don’t take another step. She doesn’t belong to you.”
“You’re right, she doesn’t. She’s a free woman. A woman free to do whatever she wants or pleases, but this woman does rent an apartment from my company. There’s no crime in that.”
Marty scoffs and moves the gun from my head to hers. “He told me he didn’t care if you were dead or alive, but he did want me to send him proof.”
A woman in the background is muttering something to her child before a gasp causes me to turn my head back and look. The only thing in front of me is fear. Fear that she won’t make it out of this public space alive, and I can’t blame her. I’d be scared shitless, too, if I were in her position.
Before I know it, the woman behind me is screaming, telling everyone to run, and in doing so, she’s making the situation a thousand times worse. The panic spreading through the crowd is a bit much and if I don’t rein this in now, it’ll get out and over the city before I know it. The last thing we need is more madness. I pull my gun from the back of my jeans and point it at Marty.
He laughs arrogantly. “You don’t want to do that. If you do, he’ll be pissed.”
“Get out of here,” I hiss, almost wishing this fucker would take a step toward me. I’m itching for a reason to bash skulls and make people pay.
“I won’t leave until I get my boss’s property. She’s microchipped, so get out of my way.”
“Microchipped? She’s not a fucking dog.”
“You’d be right about that, but she’s his property, so kindly get out of my way.”
I pull the safety back on my gun, showing the man I mean business, ready to do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
“She’s not going back with you. I have a job to do.” Marty sneers in my direction and grabs the back of Khristina’s neck, forcing her to look down.
Without hesitation, I respond, “So do I.” I pull the trigger and watch as his lifeless body hits the ground.
No one fucks with our girls. Not anyone. And if they do, they sure as fuck don’t get away with it.
Chapter Ten
Trista
Getting home from spending a day at Pins and Needles, I’m exhausted. Well, not so much exhausted, but feeling extremely down. Michail hasn’t spoken to me since the other day when I stood my ground. I still don’t understand what the problem is. Sure, I hugged K-9, but that doesn’t mean he has to be a royal dick.
It’s almost as if he’s doing everything possible to avoid me. I really liked spending time with him the other night. It was the only date we’ve ever had, and I really, really liked how it was going. Why I had to go and fuck it up by yanking my hand away is beyond me.
Now even after he’s made his intentions obvious, he hasn’t stepped foot near me. To say it’s confusing would be a massive understatement. When he looked me in the eyes and said he was going to get answers about Jacob, I didn’t think he’d give up so easily. Hell, maybe he’s different than I thought.
I open my door, intending to simply go fall into bed where I’ll ignore the rest of the world. About a week ago, I started staying here again. I wanted to give Ruslan and Sascha some space. They’re sweet and I love being around them both, but they need time together as well. They’re just across the hall if I ever need them and I know I can reach out if I do. They’re great friends like that, always saying how they’re going to stand by me.
The moment I step into the apartment, I immediately know someone’s been inside. Picture frames I placed around the room are knocked over and my pillows on the couch are cut open down the center with the stuffing falling out. Fear starts to take hold, my heart racing intensely in my chest. I should probably call someone, but what good would it do except upset others. They already think I’m incapable of taking care of myself, so I need to keep this private.
No, I’m a big girl. I can make sure no one’s here and see if anything is missing. I keep my keys fisted in my hand and slowly move throughout the apartment. In my room, nothing seems to be missing. But there’s a mess with my clothes scattered all over the room. Narrowing my eyes, I realize my bed is hanging somewhat off the box spring.
Who could’ve done this, and more importantly, why did they do it?
My first thought goes to Jacob, but the last time I spoke to Ally, she said he’s still in the States.
Sighing, I shake my head, go back to the door, lock the deadbolt and bottom lock, put my keys on the table, and toe-off my shoes. I walk into the kitchen, grab a trash bag, and start cleaning up the mess that I call my apartment. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I don’t want to take the chance of anyone seeing the mess or asking any questions.
It doesn’t take me too long to get the living room area cleaned up. The stuffing from the pillows was everywhere, but that was the easiest to grab and toss in the bag. The shards of glass, on the other hand, were much more complicated. Whoever did this must’ve thrown it with such force that the glass scattered across the room. Finally, after I think I’ve gotten most of the glass, I lean down and pick up a sizeable shard in my hands. I can just toss it in the bag. I pick it up and end up stepping on a piece and cut the bottom of my foot.
While I try t
o make sure I got the glass out of my foot, someone knocks on my door.
Oh no.
I hope that’s not Ruslan or Sascha.
It can’t be them; they have a key and can waltz right in whenever they want to. Same goes for Kronid and Dema.
Heart racing, I hobble over to the door, check the peephole, and bite my lip at who’s standing on the other side.
Michail.
Unlocking the door, I open it enough to peek out to look at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Can I come in? I brought dinner.” Michail holds a bag up in one hand. The stern expression on his face tells me he’s not going to take no for an answer.
Biting my lip, I step back enough for him to come in.
Michail steps in and closes the door behind him before looking around. “Why do you have a trash bag full of stuffing?” he asks upon seeing the bag. I look over to what he’s focusing on and curse under my breath. Fuck, I thought I tied it up already.
“I don’t know. I came home to the mess,” I murmur, leaving out the bit about someone being in my apartment.
“Did you call anyone?” he mutters, growing angry. Setting the bag of food on the table, Michail turns in front of me and scans over my body. When his eyes get to my feet, he stops. “Your foot is bleeding.”
“Yeah, I was trying to make sure I got the glass out before you knocked on the door,” I say sheepishly.
Michail advances on me quickly, pulls me up into his arms, and sits me on the counter. He then looks at my foot. Touching around the tender area where I cut myself. “Looks like you did. Do you have a first aid kit?”
I nod and tell him where it is. My mind is whirling right now with thoughts of Michail and how much I enjoyed him lifting me up. I shouldn’t have, though, not with the way the last few days have been, but he brought dinner over, which means it’s a peace offering, right?
Blood & Torment (Pins and Needles: Moscow Book 2) Page 5