I stared at him, letting his threat penetrate. Our eyes were locked, and then he turned and left the room.
The nurse took the metal cover off a steaming bowl of soup. "Sip it slowly. It's hot, but the warmth may loosen up your throat some."
"Okay," I mouthed.
The soup was good, and I closed my eyes, savoring the flavor and how good it felt on my throat.
"It's Russian Borscht soup. He at least has a good cook on staff."
The more she spoke, I was more and more curious about the nurse.
I finished eating, and she removed my tray. "I'll be back later. Try to sleep." She said this loudly and then bent low and whispered, "He doesn't know that I'm reducing your pain meds, so he will expect the drugs to knock you out."
I silently communicated that I understood then I settled in and tried to rest, hoping with every fiber in my being that she knew what she was doing and that I would be out of here soon enough.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ace
"I can't believe I've known you this many years, and I didn't know that you get seasick," Gunner laughed at Shane, who still looked queasy from the boat ride to Canada, even though we'd been on this flight for at least ten hours already.
I didn't have it in me to laugh. All I could think about with each passing minute was Alex could be enduring more. I didn't think this man would kill her, because why would he go through all the trouble to get her if he was just going to kill her? Still, if he was one of the men who she had been forced to be with, I could only imagine the horrors she faced. I had to do my best to not go there, but it was difficult.
I needed to be a soldier and put my feelings aside, but it was difficult.
"Shut up, Gunner," Shane said, shifting in his seat. "We have a ton more hours on this flight, so I need you two to think about something. After everything the club has been through, including this trip, we need to think about money. We're bleeding it fast. Not saying that I'd do anything different, but it has to be something we're considerate of. We owe it to our men to think about the future of our club and the way we've been going through it, we won't be able to maintain it much longer."
I gritted my teeth, hating that he would bring this up now, but maybe he was right. Maybe thinking about this would distract us enough that I'd stop thinking the worst was happening to Alex. "I'm going to take some jobs when this is all done," I told the men. They were well aware of the types of security jobs I would take from time to time, and it helped me bring in plenty of cash, but they were also right, we'd gone through so much that it would take a long time for me to earn enough to get us out of the red and back to black.
"I've been thinking about this for a while now, actually," Gunner spoke low. The seats around us were vacant, but still, we had to be smart about this. "After everything that was done to Charlie, I've thought long and hard about how to make Santos' pay, and since Enrico Santos is gone, I think making them take a financial blow will not only be good for the club, but it could cripple them.
"Now, knowing a Russian took out Juan Santos, what if Hades is working every angle? What if he is after Juan Santos' money? My guess is that Alex would be the next in line for it, but with her out of the way, it would be wide open for him to try to claim."
"He's not even a Santos. How could he be in line?" Shane asked.
"I've been doing my own digging, and the Santos' didn't get bigtime until he married Alex's grandmother. If that money came from her family, then he might have a claim to it."
"Fuck," I hissed. "I think you're onto something. I think Hades is smarter than any one of us has given him credit for. Maybe all of this had shit to do with us, and Hades' end game was always about money."
"It's just like that sick fuck to use his daughter to get what he wants. I can't wait to fucking end him," Gunner gritted out.
"We will," Shane declared.
I let the conversation play through my mind. I wanted their money, but I knew I didn't want it to be Alex who claimed it. Once we had her back, I didn't want anything from the Santos world to touch her ever again.
"HOW MUCH DO YOU TRUST her?" Gunner asked me for the tenth time today.
"She's been informing on him for years. My source says she's solid. We have to trust that."
Shane blew out a large puff of smoke from his cigarette. "We have no other options. Let's just make sure we're ready when she gives us the signal."
We were sitting in a dark motel. The lights flickered often, and at the moment, they were off. A small amount of sunlight filtered through the window, but even that was caked over with dirt. They could complain about this place all they wanted, but I knew being in a shithole like this would make us as inconspicuous as possible. It was also close to the hotel where Alex was being held.
"Here, try this," I said, handing Gunner the leather I'd been stitching a makeshift Hades Runners logo on. Somewhere around hour fifteen on the plane, we came up with a plan to set Hades up. We had to stop playing into his hands.
He tried it on. then pulled a bandana over his face.
"Passable," I noted, trying my own on.
Shane stood wearing his already. "I hate their logo. Looks like shit."
"Yeah," Gunner added, "I had to wear that for too long."
Gunner was once forced to be a part of the Hades Runners. It's where our deep-rooted hatred for one another started.
"You get an update on Reggie lately?" I asked Gunner, knowing he'd been checking in with Charlie frequently. It was dumb, because we'd been in close proximity for days, and he would've told me if anything had changed. I guess I was getting anxious waiting for the call signaling that it was go-time just as much as the rest of them.
"Nothing's changed yet, brother."
We sat for several more hours. I spent the time scouring building plans and various maps. My phone dinged, and I looked around the room, "It's time."
We were silent as we strapped on our guns and our Hades Runners' vests. Our faces were covered with bandanas, sunglasses, and baseball caps.
The small street that the motel was on was mostly empty. The few people who were out darted their heads away from us as soon as they saw us. We turned down an alleyway that had an entrance to the hotel that was used by the kitchen staff.
A woman who appeared to be a waitress ushered us in, and took off the moment we stepped inside. We moved down a vacant hallway, seeing a door for the kitchen on one side, and the door for the garage on the other.
I led the men since I had experience in covert operations followed my commands when I told them to go. We crept through the door towards the garage, and I gave Shane and Gunner the signal that two men were guarding the entrance that I knew led to an elevator. Shane and Gunner flanked my sides, and I stayed low and fired off two rapid kill shots.
We moved quickly, and I took the elevator key off one of the men. A man opened the door we had come through and began to shout. Shane got to him first and fired a few rapid shots. I was grateful we were able to procure silencers, otherwise, I was sure this place would be swarming with men.
We rushed into the elevator, and I looked up at the camera that was sure to have seen us. I wanted it to see us. I wanted Sokolov to think it was Hades Runners. The elevator dinged, and as soon as the doors opened, the nurse ran to us.
"He's out, but he has been beginning to move a little, so I'm worried the sedative will be wearing off. I just unhooked her from the IV, but she's still weak."
Shane and Gunner kept a gun trained on Sokolov. I wanted to kill him, but at this point, we needed him in order to take out Hades. I followed the nurse into the bedroom and was shocked at what I saw. Alex laid on the bed, she began to sit up, but I could see that was a challenge for her. When she saw the Hades Runners' vest, she froze, but we didn't have time to explain. I swept her up in my arms and ran for the elevator.
The nurse followed us into the elevator. We were quiet as we descended. I wanted to ask the nurse what the hell she was doing here, but I didn't w
ant there to be any sound. Alex was quiet in my hands.I wanted to talk to her so badly, but if things were going to go as planned, we didn't have time for that.
The elevator opened again, and Sokolov’s men were waiting for us. A shot was fired, as soon as it opened.
I crouched low with Alex, and I watched Shane push the nurse forward and tell her to get down just as Gunner opened fire. Damn, he was a good shot. Two men immediately took fire, and another continued to try to fire off shots at us. He didn't have a silencer on his gun, and the garage was going to be swarming with men in no time.
Shane was stuck behind a car, so I had no other choice than to set Alex down and motion for her to stay put. I went around a car that was in front of Alex, and ended up on the other side of the shooter. I didn't hesitate. I immediately took him out, and saw Gunner picking up Alex. The nurse was right behind them.
I hit the key fob in my pocket, and in the distance, I could hear a car ping.
"Quick," I ordered, as we all ran towards the noise. I hit it again and three spots down I saw a dark blue sedan waiting for us. We ran to the car and Shane got in the driver's seat. Gunner set Alex in the back then took the passenger seat. The nurse and I also got in the back.
"What are you doing?" I questioned the nurse why she got in.
"I'm coming with you, and you're getting me clear of this. I can't stay here and face what may happen to me if he even suspects that I had something to do with this."
"We got you covered," Shane said, pulling out of the spot.
"Princess, you doing all right?" I asked, moving the hair out of her face so I could clearly see her eyes. My eyes traveled down to the bruises around her neck, and instantly wished I could go back up and kill him. Plan be damned.
"Ace?" she squeaked out, making my blood boil even more. Her voice was damaged.
"It's me," I said, keeping the mask in place. I wanted to do nothing more than kiss her, but there were cameras in the garage. If we were spotted again, I needed them to continue to see Hades Runners.
"I'm here too, sis." Gunner spoke from the front seat.
Tears began to pour down her cheeks, and as we exited the garage and hit daylight, I could see the depth of pain in her eyes.
"I thought one of you were dead," she whispered.
I squeezed her hand then linked my fingers with her. "No, Princess. We're here, and everyone's okay. We're taking you home. Right now, we need to keep the masks on in case he has access to any cameras on the streets." I directed my attention to the nurse. "How is she?"
"Her vitals look good, but she sustained damage to her vocal cords. Without having a CT done, it's hard to tell what the actual damage is. I've had her on fluids and vitamins and took her off pain meds yesterday."
I hated this. I hated Sokolov.
"How long has she been like this?"
"I was called in three days ago."
"I'm okay," Alex whispered.
The car was filled with an almost palpable tension. We rode on and on, far away from St. Petersburg. I was glad when I was able to finally remove the scarf from my face.
I met Shane’s eyes in the mirror, and I knew he was pissed as well. We'd all seen what Charlie had been through, and each of us held onto that like a scar.
"Reggie?" Alex whispered.
I unintentionally glared at her. I didn't want her to hurt herself more to talk with us.
"When we stop, I'll get you something to write with. I don't want you to hurt yourself any more than you already are."
I saw her eyes drop, and she looked defeated, or maybe it was all just too much emotionally.
"Reggie's alive. He had surgery and is hanging in there."
Gunner, hearing us, took out his phone and called his wife. "We got her. Yeah. On our way there now." There was a pause then, "That's good, Mouse. We'll let them know. Be safe. Love you too."
Gunner turned to look at us. "He woke up a couple of hours ago. They don't know what the prognosis is on his sight yet. The doctors said that it may take time, and they wanted to keep his eyes covered to give them time to heal, but he's awake and conscious."
"Great fucking news," Shane sighed, his relief evident.
We stopped and got gas and threw out our Hades Runners' wannabe vests. I didn't get out to stretch my legs, which were killing me. At my height, it felt like I was crammed in the backseat of a clown car, but I didn't want to leave Alex's side. I held her hand, not releasing it. It reminded me of how so often, on our journey back from Colombia, we found ourselves holding hands even when we didn't need to. It struck me how, practically from the start, there was a connection between us.
Once we were all back in the car, I looked to the nurse. "What's your name?"
She didn't hesitate to answer, "Oksana."
"Thank you for all you did back there. There is no way we would've been able to pull that off without you."
She nodded, accepting my thanks then said, "My thanks will be to go back to the States with you."
Gunner spoke from the front seat, "We're about an hour out from the Estonia border. We got passports for everyone in the car but you. I'm all for paying you back, but I'm not sure how we'll get you across the border."
"I'm prepared," Oksana replied, reaching into the cleavage of her nurse's uniform and pulling out a passport.
I took it from her and saw that it was her name but stated that she was a United States citizen. It was good work for a fake. "You'll need a Visa too."
"I have that, as well. I've been looking for a way out of there, and one requirement of our mutual contact was that when the time came, they would help me get clear."
I nodded. It made sense. If anyone could get her a Visa, it would be them.
When we got to the border I was glad that Oksana was with us, because one thing I hadn't thought about was how odd it would look to have three big ass dudes and a woman in pajamas with bruising around her neck. The Border Police had questions, and thank God, Oksana was there to let them know she was her nurse and caretaker, and these men were bringing her back from a violent situation.
After more than thirty minutes of questioning, we were finally free to cross into Estonia. I was surprised by the country. There was almost an immediate difference. It was clear to see that Estonia had begun constructing a wall between the countries. There was also a distinct difference in architecture. The buildings seemed bigger and perhaps older, almost having a castle feel to them. If it had been a different time, I would've liked to look around more. Something about it being on the Baltic Sea was fascinating but, at the moment, I wanted as much distance between us and Russia as possible.
We drove for a little while longer. Gunner was half asleep in the front seat; I didn't blame him. It was always exhausting after something as extreme as what we'd just gone through. We stopped in the small town of Tapa. We had a flight out of Tallinn tomorrow, but I wanted us to stay the night away from a big city.
"Shane, stop here, will you?" I asked as we passed by a store that sold women's clothing.
Shane quirked a brow at me in the mirror, silently asking what for.
"She's in pajamas with nothing, but socks on her feet. I don't want her in his clothing for a second longer, and this one," I said, pointing at Oksana, “How much longer can she wear this nursing get up?"
"I see your point."
"Oksana, will you go in with Shane? I don't want to leave Alex, and if I send him in, who knows what he'll pick out."
"What? I have great taste," Shane chuckled as he pulled into a spot.
Alex seemed to be disinterested in everything around us. I thought she'd been quiet because she was tired, but the more I thought about it, the more that didn't seem like it was all of it.
"What size shoe do you wear?" Oksana asked her.
She held up eight fingers.
Gunner must've woken up when we pulled in. "Shane, let me get a smoke before you go in." Shane shook his head, knowing quitting wasn't easy and handed Gunner a cigarette. Gunner got o
ut of the car along with everyone else so that he could light up a smoke.
Alex and I were alone for the first time. I turned her into me, cradling her to my side, and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry they got to you. I'm sorry I let you down and wasn't there to protect you."
She stared up at me through her thick lashes. "I'm okay," she mouthed. "It's okay."
"It's not okay. I was so scared I'd lose you."
She tapped her chest like she wanted to say something, and I reached into my pocket and took out my phone then opened a note app so that she could write to me.
"I thought you were dead," she wrote.
"Why would you think I was dead?"
"I heard him on the phone. He said, 'Good, he is dead. I do not want him coming for her.' I thought it was you or Gunner."
"Not me, but that pretty much confirms it. He was talking about your grandfather. We got news that your grandfather was killed, and witnesses said the murderers were Russian."
"OMG," she typed. If it were under any other circumstances, I would've grinned at her. OMG wasn’t a typical Alex thing to say or write.
The door opened, and Gunner shuffled back into his seat.
"How are you doing, sweetheart?" he asked.
"Okay," she mouthed again.
"Know we just met, but we're family. I was worried about you."
"Thank you," she mouthed. I couldn't wait to get her stateside to figure out what the hell happened with her voice. If that motherfucker took that from her too... I had to focus on Alex right now. I needed to stop thinking about all the what-ifs.
Several minutes later, Oksana and Shane emerged carrying several bags.
"Jesus, did he buy the whole store?" Gunner asked.
I shook my head at him as the door opened.
"Here, I had him get you a large turtleneck sweater so no one will ask questions. Put this on for now. Also, here are some boots. There are pants in there as well, and also clean undergarments, but at least if you put this on, we can check in without raising any alarms." Oksana handed Alex a dark grey sweater that was purposefully oversized and a black pair of boots that were more practical than fashionable.
Explosive (A Bleeding Scars MC) Page 17