Mafia Soldier's Irresistible Lover (The Karzhov Crime Family Series Book 3) (4 page)

Val listened for Chelsea’s footsteps to move away from the bedroom door before turning back to level his gaze at her brother. He measured the man with his stare as he approached the bed, hiding his grin when the man reached for the weapon that was no longer there.

He enjoyed the brief moment of panic he saw in the man’s eyes, and enjoyed even more the hint of panic and wariness that replaced the cockiness of moments before.

“So, you came to visit your sister?” Val inquired, using his foot to hook a nearby chair and pull it toward the side of the bed.

“You fucking my sister?” Terrence countered.

“Watch your mouth,” Val bit out. Something about the use of that vulgar word was at odds with what his body wanted to do with the woman in question. He didn’t take time to analyze why that was; he just knew that Chelsea sparked something different in him that required more than a quick roll in the sheets.
Guess there’s a first time for everything.

Terrence narrowed his eyes and rested back against the mattress. “Fine. Mind telling me what your connection to her is?”

“I’m a guest here. Now, she seemed to be very surprised that you knew where to find her. Why is that? I would think siblings, especially twins, would keep in better touch with one another.”

“We had a small misunderstanding a few years ago.”

“How many years ago would that be?” Val asked, gathering as much information as possible from the man himself. He’d know soon enough if he was lying to him.

“A few.”

“So I take it you’ve been looking for your sister for a while now?”

“I never really stopped looking for her. We spoke a few times after she disappeared, but I did something really stupid and she wasn’t ready to forgive me back then.”

“What makes you think she’s ready to forgive you now?” Val asked, curious as to what was motivating the man lying in the bed. It certainly didn’t seem to be brotherly love.

“If you must know, I’m in a bit of a pickle and I need her help.”

Chelsea chose that moment to put her head back inside the bedroom door. She advanced upon her brother like a dark angel. “You have some nerve! I remember all too well the last time you said you needed my help. Did you know what Mateo had in mind? Did you?”

Chelsea realized she was almost screaming and took several deep breaths to calm herself. She closed her eyes, and when Val laid a hand on her arm, she shrugged him off and backed away from both of the men. The memories of Mateo and his slimy hands and foul breath were as vivid as if the evil man were in the room with her now.

She fled the room, grabbing her jacket off the hook next to the back door and striding quickly toward the small gazebo she and Alexandra had put together the first year they had moved into the house. The air was brisk this time of morning, with the sun just beginning to climb above the ragged peak of the mountains, and the clouds hinted at snow later in the day.

She tucked her hands into her pockets, pulling the jacket around her body like a shield, and sat on one of the wooden benches, staring at nothing as she fought the memories that were threatening to consume her.
You’re safe. Mateo is dead. Remember? He got what he deserved, and you got a second chance thanks to Alexandra. Terrence can’t destroy that. He can’t!

Val watched Chelsea rush from the room and made to follow her, but her brother’s voice stopped him. “Let her go. She just needs some time to come to grips with everything. She’ll be fine.”

The callous response of her sibling pushed Val over the edge. He stalked to the bed, grabbed the injured man by the shoulders, and picked him up before slamming him back down on the mattress.

“Shit! Man, that hurts!”

“I hope so. With any luck, those stitches I put in last night will come out as well. Explain to me what has your sister so upset.”

Terrence thought about ignoring the command in the man’s voice, but one look into his cold eyes and he changed his tune. “That little misunderstanding we had years ago—it involved a guy I was doing business with…”

“Someone in the gang?” Val asked, smiling when Terrence’s eyes went wide in shock. “Yes. She told me about you trying to raise her and getting caught up in a local gang.”

“Local?” Terrence huffed out a laugh. “There’s nothing local about the Cordoba cartel. That was always Chelsea’s problem. She just could never see the larger picture. If she’d played her cards right, she’d be living it up in style as Mateo Cordoba’s girlfriend—maybe even his wife!”

Val sat down, stunned. He’d heard of the Cordoba cartel—a trio of brothers from South America who used their shady business connections within the States to smuggle in illegal immigrants as well as marijuana. There had been rumors flying around that they were looking to start dealing in other drugs, but the Colombian drug lords were not exactly known for sharing. In the last several months, word had gone out that the Cordobas were looking for another business partner to help solidify their position in the West. Could they have known what Danil was up to with Leonid and the Yakuza?

Val tucked that information away for later consideration and discussion with Nikolai and Grigori, then asked a few more questions for clarification. “So you are connected with the Cordoba cartel?”

Terrence puffed his chest out and nodded. “Yeah. With Colorado legalizing pot, they’re getting ready to move a large portion of their operations up here. No sense trying to smuggle stuff across the border when we can grow it legally here now.”

Made sense. But why was he trying to find his sister? “Where does Chelsea come into this?”

Terrence smiled. “You look like a smart man. And kind of familiar. You ever do any fighting?” He watched Val, taking in the sculpted muscles that were clearly visible beneath the long-sleeved T-shirt he wore. When the man reached up to scratch his chin, his eyes were drawn to the tattoos scattered across his knuckles and the backs of his hands. His eyes widened as the significance of those markings became clear.

“You’re
Bratva?
What the hell is the Russian mafia doing in Colorado?”

Val smiled at the man. “You’re very quick. I can see by the look on your face that you are also very aware of how we take care of problems. Now, convince me that you are not a problem and you do indeed have your sister’s best interest at heart.”

Terrence swallowed and nodded. “We could work together. I’m sure your boss would like to get in on the ground floor of something this big. Raul trusts me.”

“I assume you are referring to Raul Cordoba?”

“Yes. I could set up a meeting and maybe we could help each other out.”

“Not so fast. First, explain to me the misunderstanding that your sister is finding it hard to forgive you for.”

Terrence shook his head. “That’s not important now. That happened so many years ago, I doubt she even remembers it all that well.”

Val didn’t agree. “I would say that her reaction a few moments ago proves that is not the case.”

“Look—what was your name again?” Terrence asked, making sure to keep his voice congenial and friendly.
This man could be more valuable than Chelsea!

“The misunderstanding?” Val reminded him when Terrence seemed to lose sight of the direction he wanted the conversation to go.

“It was nothing, really. Mateo Cordoba saw her, and even though he was really nice to her, she wouldn’t give him the time of day.”

“How old was she when she caught Mateo’s eye?” Val asked, fearing he already knew the answer.

“She was fifteen, almost sixteen. She’d been around the block a few times and she knew how important he was. She had some dumb idea that she was going to finish high school and go to college, and I guess I let that dream survive a little too long.

“Mateo wanted to take her away for the weekend so they could get to know each other a little better, but she said no. So I arranged it so that she didn’t have a choice. I knew once she spent a little time with him, she’d come around.”

Val clenched his fists to avoid strangling the man speaking about the incident as if it was no big thing. Mateo had played on the MMA circuit for a few years when Val had first started fighting in the cage. He had a reputation for being mean and cruel to his women, and more than one fight had been based upon revenge for a sister or former girlfriend.

The fact that Terrence had thought it was okay for this monster to be anywhere near his sister was appalling. “What happened?”

“I don’t know exactly. Mateo was supposed to take her away for a few days, but the next thing we knew, his picture was being flashed all over the news. Seems he got involved in a shootout with the police and lost. I didn’t hear from Chelsea for almost two months after that.”

“She called you?” Val asked, wondering why she hadn’t just kept herself hidden and started her life over.

“Yeah. She wanted me to send her stuff to some address out in the suburbs. I told her she needed to explain where she’d been and come get it herself.”

Asshole!
Val had killed many men in his days, but none of them had deserved it as much as the man lying in the bed in front of him. A man he couldn’t touch. At least, not yet.

“You didn’t send her stuff?”

“Hell no! She called me a few more times, but I refused. I figured she would eventually give in and come see me. She knew where to find me well enough.”

“So you never heard what happened between her and Mateo?” Val asked, knowing that as unpleasant as the task may be, he was going to have to do some prying.

“Nah. She never would talk about it. And with him dead, it wasn’t like it really mattered. She could have fallen madly in love with the man, but that wouldn’t have made any difference.”

Val shook his head in disgust. He had a pretty good idea of what had sent Chelsea to the hospital, but he needed to confirm it for himself. That way, when he killed her brother, he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about it. Now, he just needed to go find her and get her to talk to him.

“Nik, any word from Valentin yet?” Grigori asked as he, Desi, and Katya gathered on the penthouse deck for a late brunch.

“I got a message from him last night. He wants information on Terrence Barlow. It seems the man showed up last night and is the twin to one Chelsea Barlow, the current guardian of Misha’s daughter.”

“Did you find anything on him?” Desi asked, spooning some fresh fruit onto her plate.

“He’s a known associate of Raul Cordoba, and currently the man in charge of their Colorado operations. He’s been fishing for several months trying to find some other muscle to partner with them. It seems that Raul is in the process of moving their distribution and growing operation to Colorado.”

Katya nodded, . “That makes perfect sense. Why risk having some of your merchandise confiscated while trying to smuggle it across the border, when it could be legally grown, packaged, and distributed in the middle of your territory?” She turned to Nikolai and asked, “Do we have any operations in Colorado?”

Nik shook his head, pleased to see that Katya was adapting to the mafia mindset so quickly. While there were many things he wouldn’t condone, and probably another arm-long list of things she would insist shouldn’t be done, they were in agreement on one thing. Money made the world go round, and if there was a way to make money, keep the authorities happy, and meet a need before someone else could do so, success was a sure bet.

“No, but that is probably something we should look into. Now, getting back to the man in question. He’s got a record which that includes petty theft, assault, menacing, and possession with the intent to distribute. But, oddly enough, he’s never done time for anything. In fact, his last possession charges were dropped before the court date.”

“That’s rather convenient. Judge or DA?” Grigori asked, knowing the only way the man would have escaped criminal prosecution for his latest crime was if someone on the inside with some clout was pulling strings.

“Don’t know yet, but I’m working on it.”

Talk around the table grew silent for a few moments as food was passed and everyone began to eat. Desi was watching her new friend Katya only pick at her food and finally couldn’t stand it any longer. Knowing how possessive Nikolai was of his woman, Desi made an excuse of needing a small restroom break.

“Katya, could you show me where the restroom is?” Desi inquired softly, not missing the look of relief on Katya’s face as she nodded her assent.

“Sure. We’ll be back in a few minutes.” Katya scooted back her chair, swallowing as she turned away from Nik’s careful gaze in an attempt to still the nausea she’d been feeling all morning. She wasn’t one for getting ill, and based upon the fact that she had missed her monthly cycle the week before, she was fairly certain what was causing her nausea. She didn’t want to say anything until she was certain, but she’d seen the calculating look in Desi’s eyes.
She knows something’s not quite right.!

Desi waited until they had entered the luxurious bathroom off the main living area before she asked, “Does Nik know yet?”

Katya tried to feign a look of confusion, but when she looked in the mirror and saw the green tint on to her face, she knew she couldn’t pull it off. “No. And I don’t want to tell him until I’m sure.  He’s so overprotective of me, and I’m supposed to be meeting with several of the
Pakhans
for the other
Bratva
at the end of the week. If he knew I suspected I was am pregnant, he’d call the entire thing off. I’m just sure of it!”.”

Desi nodded her head in sympathy. Nikolai and Grigori were very similar in their desire to protect their women. “How about going to the doctor and seeing if there isn’t something he could give you for the morning sickness?”

“I already thought about that, but Nik watches everything I do. Besides, I don’t know any doctors here in town, and if I went to someone Nik didn’t approve of, I’d never hear the end of it.”

Before Desi could reply, her cell phone beeped, indicating she had a text message waiting. She glanced at the sender and then smiled. Grigori! . She chuckled as she moved her thumb across the screen to open the message, . “I swear, I can’t even go to the bathroom without the man checking on me.” She read the message silently and then began to laugh, passing her phone over to a very puzzled Katya so she could read it for herself.

Convince Katya she needs to go see the doctor today. Nik is very worried she might try to hide the fact that she is pregnant from him. He promises to not be too overbearing in the days and weeks to come!.

Katya stared at the screen, and then burst out laughing, . “I can’t keep anything from the man.” The two women washed their hands, and then, still laughing, they opened the bathroom door to find two very smug smug-looking men waiting for them.

“All through, ladies?” Nikolai asked, pulling Katya to him and hugging her close while whispering into her ear.

Desi watched the interaction as Grigori pulled her in front of him, encircling her waist with his large hands and pulling her back against him. Nuzzling her ear and neck, he told her, “Nik is very happy with the outcome, and it has me thinking I wouldn’t mind being in his position.”

Desi She turned her head, meeting his lips in a kiss full of promise, . “And what would be your reaction be if you were in the same position?” She’d intended to tell him in some special way, but she hadn’t come up with anything yet. Now seemed like the perfect time!

Grigori lifted his head and stared into her eyes, . “
Angel moy
, nothing would make me happier.”

Desi pulled his head back down to hers, whispering, “Be happy, then. Be very happy.”

Grigori kissed her, forgetting that Nik and Katya were only a few feet away. When he heard Nik clear his throat, he finally released her lips and looked up. “It seems we both have much to celebrate this day.”

Nik nodded his head, bestowing another kiss on top of Katya’s head, . “Yes! It is even more imperative that this ugly business is dealt with quickly. Katya is meeting with the other leaders at the end of the week and we will be announcing our joint leadership at that time. I have already spoken to all of them, and they have given me their verbal support. The meeting is only a formality at this point in time.

“Danil is closing the noose on his own neck.” Nik grew thoughtful for a moment, and then asked Grigori, “What if this Terrence person does have connections to the Cordobas? If we were to bring them under the wing of our protection, not only would it solidify their position, but ours as wellalso. With their added numbers, it would also strengthen our position along the border states and would increase our numbers to the point that the
Yakuza
might think twice about attempting a war.”

“You think the Japanese will be problematic?” Grigori asked with a raised brow.

“I think they have gotten very cocky. Danil has promised them things he cannot deliver, and Yoshi Yamashita has no tolerance for failure. He also is also very arrogant and has gotten overconfident in his dealings this last year. We may have to go above his head to avoid an all outall-out war, but I have no problem doing so. His leadership is only as strong as the support he gets from the Hawaiian organization. If that support was to be withdrawn, his organization would crumble beneath his feet.”

Grigori nodded his head,. “Well, Desi and I are here for the next several weeks. I will help in anywayany way I can.”

Nik nodded, . “Thanks. Hopefully that will not be necessary. I take it you have already started the paperwork to take over the island?”

Grigori nodded, and Desi smiled. The island being referred to was a small private island down along the Florida Keys that Nikolai had gained ownership of in return for lending his support to
Stefan. He liked knowing that Grigori would be in close proximity to help Stefan if the need arose, even though Grigori had officially retired as far as other
Pakhans
were concerned. Having him living that close to the situation would be sufficient incentive to keep any naysayer’s in check. Stefan had his work cut out for him, but Nikolai had every confidence that with time and patience the man would succeed in uniting the eastern states together once again.

“I’m excited to get back to the water. Vegas is nice, for a visit, but I have to confess I really miss the ocean,” Desi confided softly.

Grigori smiled indulgently at her and then suggested, “Why don’t we leave these two alone to celebrate and we’ll go try out that private pool outside our suite?”

“Swimsuits optional?” Desi asked, tongue in cheek.

Grigori nodded, amazed at the transformation that had taken place in the beautiful young woman who claimed to loved him as much as he loved her. “Most certainly.”  He ignored the chuckles from Nik and the outright laughter from Desi as Katya looked at her, scandalized.

When Nik leaned down and whispered in Katya’s ear, Grigori grinned at the blush that immediately suffused her face.
Seems Nikolai can be just as scandalous as Desi!
.

He turned back to Desi and took her arm, tossing back to Nik and Katya, “You two don’t have too much fun now. Let me know if you need more rope, hon. I stocked up before we arrived.”

When Desi gave him a curious look, he smiled at her and whispered, “Later.” She nodded, and he grinned. He had almost given up on ever finding someone who complimented complemented him so well. She was a strong, independent woman when the need arose, but she also embraced the pleasure to be had in letting him have total control in certain situations. The bedroom was one of those, and as he led her back into the elevator that would take them two floors down to the executive suite, he was already planning various ways to drive her crazy with pleasure before finding his own release.

Maybe he would put some of that new rope to use himself.!