Russian Enforcer's Royal Engagement (Russian Enforcers Book 7) (13 page)

She grew nervous under his scrutiny, sweat dripping down her back. The room was hot. Too hot.

He displayed a weary smile. “You should never have come to Moscow, my dear. You do see that what will happen next is inevitable, right? That I have no choice?”

“What are you talking about?” she asked with a rising sense of dread.

He gestured with his finger, and she detected movement behind her. A third person had silently entered the room. When she turned to look, she found herself staring into a pair of eyes she would have recognized anywhere: a piercing blue, they belonged to the man who’d taken her hostage in Montinia.

CHAPTER 29

Jack fought against his restraints. The fact that they’d taken Diana filled him with such outrage he would gladly have snapped the neck of anyone involved. Most of all, he blamed himself. He should never have brought her to Moscow, straight into the lion’s den. He knew how dangerous this place could be, and yet he’d signed off on the mission. Instead of walking straight into this trap, he should have flown in with a dozen men to take these fuckers down once and for all.

He’d been subdued, trussed up and dumped on a chair surrounded by silence. Christ, if only he could free himself and stage some sort of rescue attempt. Gritting his teeth, he jerked violently against the ropes, and finally discovered he was able to award his hands a little wiggle room. Relieved that no one seemed to be there to stop him, he threw himself off the chair and onto the floor, then pulled his feet through the circle of his arms so they were in front of him. Bringing them up to his face he shoved away his blindfold and blinked. With or without the blindfold didn’t make much difference. The darkness surrounding him was absolute.

At least he was alone.

The thought of Diana out there with those
animals
drove him to the point of insanity, and he angrily yanked down the rope that held the rag in place, spitting it out. With his teeth he loosened the ropes until they finally fell away and he regained the use of his hands. He made short shrift of the rope securing his feet and massaged his limbs to return blood circulation.

He stood and quickly moved to the door, then tried the handle. It wasn’t locked, and he shoved it open with brute force, hoping to take out whoever was on the other side.

He was rewarded by a startled cry. Quick as a flash, he darted out and stared down at the inert figure of a burly guard, now stretched out on the floor.

He searched the man for a weapon and was gratified to find a SIG Sauer handgun. He quickly checked the clip, then looked around for other guards.

No one.

So far so good.

Covering his front with the gun, his eyes scanning the perimeter, he slowly made his way along the corridor, all his senses on high alert.

And then he heard it. Diana’s voice.

A surge of hope raced through him. She was alive!

He moved toward the source of the sound. Darting his head around the corner he saw two hulking men, dressed in black from head to toe, standing guard outside a frosted glass door. Behind it he thought he detected a seated Diana, talking to some shadowy figure he couldn’t make out, the outline of another person at her back. Dammit. Four guys. He knew he could take them all out, but that would leave her in the crossfire. He had to find another way.

If only he could distract them…

He searched around until his eye fell on a small table carrying a potted plant. With a quick movement, he kicked the table from under it. The peace lily came crashing down. Instantly, one of the guards came hurrying to. With a well-aimed punch to the throat, he took out the goon, then waited a beat. The other guard hollered something in Russian, then came to his buddy’s aid. He dispensed with him by landing the butt of his gun on the man’s cranium, probably putting more kick to the knock than was strictly necessary.

He didn’t care. These assholes had taken Diana hostage.
Twice
.

They deserved everything they had coming to them.

He slowly made his way over to the glass door, his weapon trained on the man standing at Diana’s side.

The guy would never know what hit him until it was too late.

CHAPTER 30

Diana had been testing the strength of her legs while the old man was talking, and knew it was now or never. This time they were not merely going to gas her, they were going to kill her.

With surprising speed and agility she shot from the chair, butting the back of her head into the British guy’s chin. His head snapped back as he let out a guttural grunt. Almost instantly she dropped back onto the chair and swung out her legs, kicking the old man in the gut as hard as she could. Gornakov might be her father, but he was also the lowest piece of human scum she’d ever come into contact with, and the anger she’d been saving up all this time was reflected in a killer kick.

Yuri Gornakov doubled up. The momentum of her kick had sent her toppling from the chair, but she still managed to swing up her hands and send them crashing down on the old man’s neck. It was enough to knock him to the floor.

Her mobster father was out for the count.

“That’s for fucking up my brother’s wedding,” she grumbled, then turned back to the Brit. The man stood swaying, dazed by the hit, blood spouting from his nose. He wasn’t nearly as cocky now.

With a snarl he reached for his gun, training it on her. Uh-oh. This didn’t look like one of those gas dispensers but the real thing. The kind of gun that spewed bullets. And death.

She ducked out of the way as the first bullet tore through the room with a deafening bang.

Just then, the glass door behind the man exploded and a tall figure came crashing into the room.

“Jack!”

Heaving a fist the size of a ham, he decked the Englishman with one well-aimed punch that sent the creep flying through the room and landing in a crumpled heap on top of his employer.

Elated, she watched as Jack’s feet crunched the glass shards and he made his way over to the two thugs, his gun trained and his eyes shooting fire.

He gave the two men a tentative kick but they were both knocked out cold. Only then did he turn back and regarded her with eyes filled with worry and remorse. “Diana,” he breathed, and knelt down to remove her restraints.

The moment the ropes fell away, she threw herself into his arms. For a brief moment they stood clasping each other tightly, then hurried out the door.

Footsteps came clumping from the other direction and she knew they didn’t have much time. They found their way to the foyer and then out the front door, carefully closing it behind them. There was an elevator but neither wanted to take the risk so they slammed into the stairwell and scrambled down the stairs.

Mere seconds later they were in the lobby and streaking past a surprised-looking night guard and then out onto the snowy Moscow streets once again. They raced along the snow-covered sidewalk until they’d run at least a block before finally stopping to look back. No one was following.

“I think we’re safe for now,” Jack panted. He eyed her solicitously, touching her cheek. “Are you hurt? Did those monsters hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” she responded, not mentioning that her cranium felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. That Englishman had one tough jaw.

“Thank God,” he said, pressing her into his arms. “I wouldn’t know what to do if they’d hurt you, Diana.”

She was touched by the worry lacing his voice. She hadn’t known he cared so much. Then she noticed her teeth were chattering. She was still only dressed in a thin sweater. He rubbed her back and arms and searched around for a cab.

“We should call the police,” she said. “They need to take care of Yuri.”

He shook his head. “I have a better idea, but first we need to get you off the street. You’re freezing, honey.”

A taxi trundled past and he lifted his hand to hail it. To her surprise, it screeched to a halt, then reversed until it drew level with them. Jack ushered her inside and followed suit, scanning the street all the while.

“The Cornucopia Hotel,” he barked to the spindly taxi driver. The man nodded, and the taxi sped away from the curb. Just in time too, she saw, for a small group of unsavory looking men came hurrying around the corner, checking in all directions. Jack quickly pushed Diana’s head down, ducking out of sight himself.

In Russian, she urged the taxi driver to put the pedal to the metal, and only when they’d gone the length of the street did she dare to look back. She heaved a sigh of relief.

“Hey, buddy,” Jack growled, “do you have a phone I could use?” The taxi driver eyed him wearily until Jack added, “a hundred dollars. US.” He held up a finger. “One phone call.”

The man finally agreed and handed Jack a Samsung S6 that looked brand new. Diana arched an eyebrow. If she were ever in need of money, she could always become a Moscow taxi driver.

“Armand? Jack. I need you to patch me through to Yulian Gornakov. Yeah, I don’t have his number.” After only a moment’s delay, Jack’s intonation changed. It was obvious he didn’t much care for Diana’s brother. “Something’s fucked up in your organization, Yulian. Your sister and I have just been abducted and held at gunpoint by your father. Yes, that’s right. No, he’s not at Somsky Psychiatric Hospital. Unless the swanky apartment we just escaped from is part of their home care program.”

Diana grinned. Jack was right. This was much better than the police.

“Oh, and buddy? Next time keep a better eye on your old man, will you?”

The moment Jack disconnected the phone and handed it back to the taxi driver, he grunted, “He’s sending in the troops. They’ll take down this operation pronto and return your father to store. And this time they’ll make sure he doesn’t escape.” He gave her a look of concern that melted her heart. “You’ll have your money back, sweetheart. Yulian will make sure.”

She shook her head, eyes sparkling. “I don’t care about the money, Jack. All I care about is you.”

He looked surprised, but his surprise was short-lived when she reached up and pressed her lips against his. Then he cradled her in his arms and the sudden hunger with which he kissed her was a testament to the desperation he’d been feeling and the desire she sparked in him.

No, she didn’t care about that money one bit, as long as she could be with Jack.

CHAPTER 31

The door slammed shut and Jack staggered back, Diana clasped firmly in his arms. Finally they were back where they started, and this time no one would interrupt them.

Jack kicked the door shut and they both crash-landed on the floor. It was as if the time apart had stoked the fire burning inside them to explosive heights and now neither could wait to be naked and fucking like the proverbial bunnies.

Diana straddled him and lifted her sweater and shirt, revealing her ample breasts. As Jack filled his hands with her smooth flesh, she laughed and flipped back her hair.

Christ she was hot. And she was all his.

From now on he would never let her out of his sight again. Ever.

She leaned over and tugged at his shirt. Then her hands were exploring him, feeling their way along his taut belly, the sculpted muscles of his chest and brawny arms. He captured her lips and drank greedily, reveling in her heat as she pressed against him, her nipples erect, just like the painful bulge in his pants.

“I need to be inside you,” he growled. Then he was tugging down her jeans while he shucked his and then they were both naked and moving together. He flipped her over and let his hand trail along her perfect body, caressing the soft skin of her breasts, down to her belly and along her hip. She arched her back when he placed his hand on her triangle and his fingers slipped between her folds, sliding into the slick heat.

She moaned deeply, clasping her hand over his, willing him on and inviting him to ravish her deeper. His cock was so hard the gleaming head was oozing wetness.

She reached out a finger and dipped it into the liquid pouring from his length, then slowly moved her hand between her legs and smeared it on the swollen bud of her clit, making circular movements with her index finger. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he moved over her, placing his burgeoning cock directly at the entrance to her womanhood, and plunged inside all that wetness.

They both grunted at the sensation of finally being skin to skin again, their bodies united. “How much I’ve missed this—how much I’ve missed you.”

“Oh, Jack, take me hard this time. Don’t hold back.”

He wasn’t about to hold back as he slid all the way inside her.

God, how he loved this woman.

Her nails dug into his chest and the sweet pain urged him on. He eased one of her legs up until it rested on his shoulder and she cried out with the delicious pleasure of feeling him all the way inside to the very end of her channel. He flexed one knee and plunged into her softness, her pussy slick and inviting to accommodate his burgeoning length.

Slipping all the way out and then plunging deeply inside her again, he thought his cock would melt to a stub. He reached out and clasped her breasts, squeezing them together and then she was whipping her head from side to side, soft moans and whimpers escaping her throat. Bucking her hips, she thrust erratically against his pummeling hardness. It was as if the fire intensified to an all-consuming flame when she climaxed around his girth, her pussy milking him. He couldn’t hold it any longer and unleashed his climax straight into her pulsating belly, hot streams mingling with her juices.

Finally, they collapsed into each other’s arms, panting and grinning like a couple of crazy people, their lips touching, tongues melding as they held each other close.

And Jack was just about to suggest they move into the bedroom when the door behind them burst open and a man, bloodied and enraged, towered over them, waving a gun.

It was the British hostage-taker.

When he saw the two of them on the floor, buck-naked, he grinned evilly.

“So you thought you could get rid of me so easily, huh? Well, think again, Prince Jackass!” he hollered.

His face was streaked with blood, and one of his piercing blue eyes was shut tight, a large welt forming there.