Grievous (Wanted Men Book 5) (38 page)

As he reached in to scoop the tiny feline up under her belly, his demons once again started banging around in his skull, so hard his temples pulsed with pain.

She’d left him with a kitten. Why?

It was then he saw the envelope half-hidden beneath the small gray blanket spread out on the floor of the crate. He brought the kitten to his chest and ran a hand over its tiny head. At his third pass over the downy fur, a motor started up. The muffled, choppy sound came from the little thing’s throat. It was purring.

His attention was drawn to the envelope again. He reached for it and withdrew a folded sheet of paper with his letterhead on it. It was from the stock he kept in the car.

A Christmas gift I hope you won’t refuse. If you give her some time to get used to you, and you allow her the freedom to seek you out when she’s ready, you’ll become her world. Yas

He stared at the elegant way she scrawled her Y before reading the post script.

P.S. Please give her a prettier name than you gave me.

A choking feeling clawed up his throat. He allowed it to suffocate him for a few seconds before swallowing it. That took some doing.

He eventually tucked the note into his pocket and, gently stroking his new female, he strode out of the room. He made it as far as the end of the corridor before he had to sit. He fell onto the cushioned bench below the window overlooking the frozen moat.

It took a moment, but he eventually unhooked the tiny claws from his lapel so he could lift what would be his only Christmas gift this year. He and Markus had always made a point to exchange a few things of meaning…

He tried so hard to block the pain coming for him as he studied the feline, turning her this way and that.

“I understand you are female.” He spoke quietly, and in Romanian. Her hazel eyes disappeared when she blinked, but then held his once again as if she knew more was coming. “But I am afraid you, too, will suffer through a name not suited to you. But what does that matter in light of how I will cherish you?”

He brushed his thumb between her ears and felt the vibration start up again where he had his finger holding her chin up.

“You will be Markus. Because you are mine.”

He brought her down and tucked her close to his heart, wincing when her pincers dug into his skin. He concentrated on the way in which she was securing herself to her new owner.

He allowed it, welcomed it as he looked beyond the frosty glass to the darkening sky.

“Already I am feeling the need to lock you away.” He stroked her throat with his thumb and saw his father, sister, and little brother in his mind’s eye. He tried to stop it, but couldn’t, and Yasmeen’s image shimmered to life, overtaking the vision of his dead loved ones. Her throat…

“How could I trust that you would not leave me by choice or tragedy?” He continued his one-sided conversation with his pet, unsure to which he was now speaking.

As the sky continued to darken and he once more experienced the pleasure of Markus falling asleep in his arms, Lucian searched for the answer to his question. He eventually found it.

“I couldn’t,” he whispered.

To be continued…

Characters, Places, and Terms

(D) = deceased

Abel Berkman -
Moretti family, Jerod Berkman’s twin brother

Adrianna Perilli (D)
- Stefano’s girlfriend

Albert Moretti (D)
– former Don of the Moretti family, Gabriel’s father, Stefano’s stepfather

Alekzander (Alek) Tarasov –
Vasily’s nephew, Sacha’s partner, Eva and Sergei’s cousin

Alekzandra (Lekzi) Urusski/Tarasov –
Alek and Sacha’s infant daughter

Alesio Moretti –
Gabriel and Stefano’s cousin

Andrew (Andy) Martin –
Sydney’s son, Maksim’s stepson, Elli’s stepbrother

Angela Morgan-Taylor
– Sacha’s best friend, Steve’s wife

Angelina Kirov (D) –
Maksim’s mother (the blade Maks keeps sheathed at his back is named after her)

Anton Gorlov -
Tarasov Bratva, Alek’s personal guard

Aron Utkin -
Tarasov Bratva, Vasily’s personal guard

Artur Baikov –
Baikov Bratva, eldest son, Sergei’s accomplice

Apetito –
Luiz Morales’s restaurant

Ashlyn Russo -
Lore and Father Michael’s younger sister

Baikov Bratva –
main rivals of the Tarasov’s

Bobby T -
Moretti family soldier

Boris Kirov (D)
- Maksim’s father

Boyevik
(Russian) – warrior who works for a Brigadier in a Bratva, similar to a soldier in an Italian/American mafia family

Bratva
– brotherhood, organization

Brigadier
(Russian) – captain in charge of a small group, similar to the caporegime in an Italian/American mafia family

Cezar Fane (D)
- Gheorghe and Daria’s father, Lucian and Markus’s uncle, former owner of Club Pant

Caleb Paynne -
vice-president of the ODMC, Nika’s brother

Charlie -
Nika and Vincente’s enthusiastic young Rottweiler

Claude Moraux
– Fane soldier, Markus’s partner

Club Pant –
Sydney’s nightclub

Crown Jewel
– Gabriel and Alek’s luxury hotel based in Seattle

Daria Fane -
Lucian and Markus’s cousin, Gheorghe’s sister, managing partner at Portia, Dashel, and Fane

Darren Nollan –
amateur porn producer, Kevin’s cousin

David Smythe -
NYPD detective

Dmitri Zolin –
Tarasov Bratva, Vasily Tarasov’s personal guard

Eberto Morales –
Luiz Morale’s brother, Eleanor’s father, Emily’s ex

Eleanor (Elli) Grant –
Eberto and Emily’s daughter, Sydney and Maksim’s soon-to-be stepdaughter

Emily Grant (D)
– Sydney’s best friend, Elli’s mother

Eric Halston
– Yasmeen’s best friend, Miranda’s boyfriend

Eugen
– Fane associate

Evan Pivchenko (D)
- Sergei and Renee’s son

Evangeline (Eva) Marie Jacobs/Tarasov/Moretti -
Vasily and Kathryn’s daughter, Gabriel’s wife

Evgeny Tarasov (D)
- Vasily’s older brother, Alek’s father

Fier (Iron) Fortress
– Lucian’s castle in Romania

Furio Abella (D)
- Stefano’s underboss

Gabriel Albert Moretti -
current boss of the Moretti crime family, Stefano’s little brother, Eva’s husband

Gheorghe Fane -
Lucian and Markus’s cousin, Daria’s brother

Ghost -
tattoo artist

Grigori Utkin
- Tarasov soldier, Sacha and Lekzi’s personal guard, Aron’s nephew

Ian Preston -
private detective

Ivan Tarasov (D)
- Vasily’s father, former Pakhan of the Tarasov organization

Jakson (Jak) Trisko –
Moretti family, Eva’s personal guard

Jeremy Dashel -
Tarasov lawyer, Managing partner at Portia, Dashel, and Fane

Jerod Berkman -
Moretti family, Abel’s twin brother

Justin Sheppard –
attorney, Vex’s half-brother, Sacha’s best friend

Kathryn Jacobs
- Vasily’s first love and the mother of his only child, Eva’s mother

Kevin Nollan (D) -
Nika’s abusive husband

LDF Holdings (Lucian Darius Fane Holdings)
– Lucian’s company

Loki
– Yasmeen’s rescue kitty

Lorenzo (Lore) Russo -
NYPD detective, high school friend of the wanted men, Father Michael and Ashlyn’s brother, Tegan’s lover

Lucas
– Tarasov soldier, Sacha and Lekzi’s personal guard

Lucian Darius Fane –
leader of the Fane organization, Markus’s brother, Gheorghe and Daria’s cousin, Yasmeen’s “owner”

Luiz Morales –
Mexican drug cartel leader, Eberto’s brother

Maria Moretti
(D)
- Gabriel and Stefano’s mother

Mario Romani -
Vincente’s cousin, manager at ROM Construct

Markus Fane (D) -
executive VP at TarMor Inc., Lucian’s younger brother, Gheorghe and Daria’s cousin, Claude’s partner

Maksim (Maks) Kirov –
owner of Rapture, high ranking Tarasov Bratva member, Sydney’s fiancé

Micha Zaretsky –
Tarasov Bratva member, Maksim Kirov’s right hand (boyevik)

Michael (Mikey) Russo (Father) -
Lore and Ashlyn’s brother, catholic priest

Miranda Neilson
– Yasmeen’s best friend, Eric’s girlfriend

Miruna Fane (D)
– Lucian’s sister

Nebulous World Art
– Lucian’s art gallery, Yasmeen’s place of employment

Nika Paynne -
Vincente’s girlfriend, Caleb’s sister, Eva’s best friend

ODMC -
Obsidian Devils Motorcycle Club

Quan Mao -
Gabriel’s personal guard

Rapture –
Maksim’s gentlemen’s club in Hell’s Kitchen

Reynard Novik (D) -
Sergei’s regular partner

Renee Pivchenko (D)
- Sergei’s wife

Richard Jaimeson
– Yasmeen’s neighbor

ROM Construct -
Vincente’s construction company

Sacha Urusski –
Alek’s partner, Lekzi’s mother

Samnang Oung -
Cambodian housekeeper

Stefano Moretti -
Gabriel’s brother, former boss of the Moretti crime family, currently MIA

Sergei Pivchenko -
Vasily’s nephew, Alek’s cousin, Renee’s husband

Sheppard, Lupin, and Sheppard
– Justin’s family’s law firm

Sixthes –
an errand boy for the Bratva, the lowest rank, look-outs/information gatherers

Sophia Romani (D)
- Vincente’s younger sister

Sorin Arcos –
Lucian’s personal guard

Sovietnik
(Russian) – advisor and most trusted individual to the Pakhan, similar to the consigliere in an Italian/American mafia family

Spencer McLennan
– Fane associate, Yasmeen’s shadow

Steve Taylor
– attorney, Justin Sheppard’s best friend, Angela’s husband

Sydney Martin -
owner of Club Pant, Maksim’s fiancé, Andrew’s mother, Elli’s guardian

TarMor Inc. (Tarasov/Moore aka Moretti) -
Gabriel and Alek’s project management firm

Tegan Mancuso (Dr.) –
close friend of the wanted men, Maksim’s best friend, Lore’s lover

Thomas (Tom) Sheppard
– Attorney at Sheppard, Sheppard, and Lupin, Justin and Vex’s father

Underboss
– most trusted individual to the boss of an Italian/American mafia family

Vasily Tarasov -
Pakhan of the Tarasov Bratva, Eva’s father, Alek and Sergei’s uncle, father figure to all the boys

Vex Mason (Vex) -
ODMC President, Caleb’s best friend

Vincente (the Reaper) Romani –
Gabriel’s underboss, Nika’s boyfriend