Vengeance (SSU Trilogy Book 1) (7 page)

The door banged open again. Niko turned, expecting to find the police. Instead, Mark Tonelli stood in the doorway. “About time you noticed something was wrong,” Niko snarled.

“What’s going on?” Tonelli rapidly took in the scene. With a barely contained sneer, he focused on Jenna. “What have you done?”

Niko bit back a growl and advanced on Tonelli. “She stopped this guy from raping her, that’s what she’s done. Some guardian you’re turning out to be.”

Tonelli flicked an annoyed glance his way, then ignored him. “Rape? Really?” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “I don’t care how rough you like your sex, girl, we don’t need negative attention like this. Who’s going to want to talk to me about your brother if the police are sniffing around…umph!”

The base of Niko’s hand connected with Tonelli’s breastbone, knocking the bastard’s wind out of him and sending him to the ground. Niko pulled his hand back, skin tingling slightly from the blow, and watched in satisfaction as Tonelli picked himself off the floor.

Jenna’s face had gone even whiter at Tonelli’s insult, but now she watched him with eyes gone flat and devoid of emotion.

“Who the hell are you?” Tonelli snapped when he regained his feet. Something flashed in his eyes and Niko realized that underneath the pricey suit lay the viciousness of a street fighter.

“Niko Andros.”

Recognition flickered in Tonelli’s eyes. And the hint of a challenge.

Niko adjusted his stance, ready to fight. For once he didn’t mind his dangerous reputation.
Hell yeah
, he thought.
Bring it on. I’ve got plenty left over for you, Tonelli.

But the man just shook his head and backed up.

Jenna shivered, reminding Niko of his top priority.

“I’m your backup from Ryker, but screw that. I’m taking over,” Niko told Tonelli. “Jenna is coming with me.”

That got Tonelli’s attention. “Definitely not. Paterson is my mission. Jenna is my bait.”

“Listen, asshole, you haven’t found jack on Paterson. All you’ve done is put Jenna in danger.” Niko gestured to the unconscious man. “Setting her up to be attacked by any drunken, sex-crazed idiot who could get her alone? Ryker’s gonna nail your ass when he finds out. I’m just doing what he’s going to order, anyway. Jenna comes with me. I can protect her better.”

“Jenna? What do you say about this? You have no idea who this man is.” Tonelli shot Jenna such a look of resentment and anger, Niko saw her mouth tighten. Her chin came up again.

That’s right, sweetheart. Don’t take Tonelli’s attitude.

Her eyes moved from Tonelli to Niko and back again.

“I’m staying with Niko,” she said.

Niko felt a surge of satisfaction. Tonelli opened his mouth to protest, but the door opened again.

This time it was the police.

#

Jenna pressed her cheek against Niko’s back as his motorcycle screamed through another tight turn. She hadn’t wanted to get on the bike. Didn’t want to have hard male muscles under her hands while her body hurt from another man’s blows. But her training kicked in, forcing her to set aside her fear and focus on survival. So she’d mounted the bike and done her best to keep space between her body and Niko’s.

Impossible. The man drove like the hounds of hell were after him, weaving in and out of the thick evening traffic, zipping down alleys and using sidewalks like personal shortcuts. She’d almost slid off the bike during the first turn, and since then had clung to Niko like a barnacle.

The bike leapt the curb and her arms clenched around the solid bulk of Niko’s chest. Her muscles trembled with the effort to hold on and she knew that if they didn’t reach their destination soon, there was a good chance she’d slip off the bike.

After what seemed like hours of interrogation by the police, then a brusque examination by a doctor, she was beyond exhausted. All she wanted was to crawl into bed and pull the covers over her head.

Instead, she was stuck on the back of this bike. Her life in the hands of a stranger.

A
male
stranger.

No, not a stranger
, she reminded herself, remembering the way Niko’s aura of lethal self-confidence had inspired awe and respect among not only the other SSU trainees, but the trainers as well. Still, despite Niko’s admirable reputation, her volatile mix of shame, fear, and anger would have driven her out into the Moscow streets alone if Mark hadn’t been so hard on her. She’d always been too impulsive.

Now that she was away from the bar, she’d calmed down enough to admit she was in no shape to go off on her own. And no matter what her pride insisted, she was better off with Niko. He was a hunter. Fierce, like the birds of prey she loved. Protective. Intriguing.

Unlike Mark, whose selfish viciousness made him untrustworthy.

She sucked in a breath as the bike zoomed through a narrow space between two trucks with just enough clearance that she felt the heat from the engines brush against her knees. And if she wasn’t mistaken, that was the rumble of Niko’s laughter vibrating beneath her hands.

Hunter and certifiable adrenaline junkie, she clarified.

She pressed her cheek harder against his back, feeling muscles tense with suppressed violence. But she took comfort in knowing his anger wasn’t at her, but for her. Unlike Mark, whose verbal attack had shocked her. Yes, he was a chauvinist and never hid his dislike of her, but still…to imply that she’d wanted to be attacked?

She shuddered.

Niko hadn’t looked at her with disgust. Or lust. Just concern and a casual, violent protectiveness. He thought she hadn’t been looking when he roughed up her attacker, but she’d snuck a peek in the mirror. And she’d been…pleased. Even more satisfied with the quick way he’d retaliated against Mark.

Odd that she wasn’t bothered by Niko’s violence, but was still screaming inside over what she’d done to her attacker.

Don’t go there. You stopped before you killed him. That’s what matters. Focus on what you have to do next.

Find Kai.

#

Niko turned the bike down a narrow street in a quiet neighborhood. He pulled over next to a thick stone wall and parked the bike.

“Jenna, are you okay?” He removed his sunglasses and turned his head.

Oh. Right. This was the part where she was supposed to get off the bike. But her arms were locked into place and it took considerable willpower to get them to drop away from his waist. She put shaky feet on the ground and tried to stand, but her knees buckled.

Niko put a steadying hand on her arm even as she reached out to catch herself against the bike. For a second she remembered the way her body had stirred with feminine interest back when she’d first met him. In some ways that made his appearance now even more difficult. She hated that he’d seen her weak and crying. She took a deep breath, made sure she had her balance, then shook off his hand. He stared at her a moment, as if waiting for her to pitch over in a dead faint.

Okay, so she did feel a bit dizzy. Still, she needed to show him right off that she had no intention of becoming dependent on his strength. Because Niko was the type of guy who would stand between her and the rest of the world, shielding her and offering her support.

Whether she wanted him to or not.

“I’m fine,” she snapped, stepping away from the bike. With a little shrug, Niko walked by her side, directing her to a wood-and-iron gate that opened into a tiny courtyard. The gate swung shut behind them, cutting off the city noise as they stepped into a world where serenity ruled. Jenna took a deep breath of flower-scented air and felt the remnants of her fear trickle away.

A stone walkway interspersed with wrought iron benches meandered between flower beds. In the opposite corner a fountain bubbled merrily.

She trailed behind Niko up the path onto a wide, covered patio and through a beautifully carved wooden door. The narrow marble hallway was empty. Faint voices from a television program filtered down the corridor from the lobby.

Niko turned right up a narrow set of stairs. Two flights up and three doors down he stopped.

Jenna followed him into the sitting room of a suite, warily stopping just inside the door. Instinct refused to let her move too far into the room, keeping her closest to the only avenue of escape.

She glanced around the room and reeled back in shock, hand coming up to shield her vision. The overwhelmingly red décor hit her like a punch to the eye. Her artist’s sensibilities bled with horror.

The couch had screaming red-and-orange striped upholstery. Straight ahead, red velvet drapes covered tall windows, matching the red in the flecked carpet. The only relief from the color theme were the cream walls.

It was bordello meets tsarist throne room meets…Jenna shuddered, not wanting to go further. “Ugh. The decorator deserves to be shot.”

The corner of Niko’s mouth quirked up. “Yeah, it’s a bit much. You’ll get used to it.”

She shot him a look out of the corner of her eye. “Um. That’s not particularly reassuring.”

“So.” Niko opened a door to the left of the windows. “I’ll clear my stuff out and you can have the bedroom.” He crossed over to the closet and yanked out a worn black duffel bag.

“The SSU paid for a suite?” she asked.

Niko shrugged and carried the bag into the sitting room. “Not exactly,” he muttered as he passed her, clearly embarrassed.

She raised an eyebrow.

“I…ah…thought…if something went wrong and I needed to keep you with me…that you’d…ah…feel more comfortable with your own room. No big deal,” he added in a rush.

Oh. My. God. Niko was turning pink. How sweet. And he was totally right. Having her own space, particularly now when she could still smell her attacker on her clothes and body, was exactly what she needed.

“Thank you,” she said thickly, forcing the words past the lump of emotion in her throat.

Niko shrugged again as he moved back into the bedroom and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. The light threw his face into angular shadows that emphasized his slightly hawkish nose and the hollows underneath his cheekbones. With his worn jeans and scuffed leather jacket, Niko looked the part of an operator—all tough edges, with the confident grace of a hunting cat.

She should have been feeling an increase in wariness, yet instead she felt protected. And touched by his embarrassment. She had the fleeting image of him slipping into the shadows, content to have his good deeds remain anonymous.

“The sheets haven’t been changed since I got here, but it’s only been two days. I don’t have lice or any weird rashes, so you should be okay.” He scowled at the bed, as if it didn’t quite live up to his expectations. “You can sleep on top of the sheet if you want, only it gets a little chilly in here at night and you might want the extra warmth.”

Still scowling, he pulled the covers down and fluffed the pillow.

Growing up, Jenna’s mother used to turn down the bed for her and plump the pillows like that. To her horror, her bottom lip started to tremble.

“Dammit, I upset you.” She heard the edge of male panic in his voice and almost smiled.

“Listen, let me go downstairs. I’m sure I can find some fresh sheets.”

Jenna shook her head. “No. I don’t mind sleeping on your sheets,” she said. “It’s just…” She shook her head and turned away, fighting back tears.

Don’t fall apart in front of Niko,
she told herself.
You haven’t cried in nearly two years. Don’t you dare start now.

A drop of water slid from her hair down her back and she shivered, both from cold and from remembering the feeling of suffocation when her attacker shoved her face into the basin full of water.

Of course Niko noticed. He cursed in a language she didn’t recognize. “You’re wet and cold.” He brushed past her and headed for another door. “Here’s the bathroom. The towels are fresh. I’ll call down for more when I need to shower.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “We need to get you cleaned up.” His eyes slid impersonally over her, like a doctor checking out a patient. “Do you want help?”

“No! I…” She shook her head vigorously, then winced as the motion started her wounds throbbing. No matter how safe she felt with Niko, she didn’t want any man’s hands on her, even to clean her cuts. It had been bad enough suffering the knowing gazes of the male policemen and the doctor. “Thanks, but I’ll manage okay on my own.”

He nodded, eyes full of understanding. “Okay. While you shower, I’ll find you some sweats to change into. Yell or thump on the door if you start feeling woozy. Then you can lie down while I get your things from Tonelli.”

She nodded and headed into the bathroom. Once the door was closed and the lock engaged, she felt a slight lowering of her shoulders. Then the trembling started.

Knowing she was heading into more than just routine adrenaline letdown, and too exhausted to fight it, she quickly turned on the hot water in the bathtub, stripped out of her clothes, and submerged herself before her legs gave way.

Then, for the first time in two years, she fell completely apart.

Chapter 5

Monday, Night

Moscow, Russia

Four hours later, Jenna stuffed her trembling hands into the pockets of her baggy pants. She hesitated at the base of the path to the bar, eyeing the door like it was the gateway to hell.

When Niko had led her out of the restroom, her only thought had been to get back to the hotel and into a steaming bath. She’d never wanted to see this place again.

She’d soaked for an hour, tears coursing down her face and sobs wracking her body. When she’d finally calmed down, she’d taken a shower and scrubbed her skin until it was tender. But it felt like her attacker was still with her, a phantom whose fingers continued to crawl across her skin.

Not only that, her mind was now stuck in a loop—bouncing back and forth between this afternoon’s near-rape and the rape two years ago. Watching her mother being raped. Hearing Isabel’s screams and Kai’s laughter.

Her breathing started to come in shallow pants and she dug her fingernails into her palms, trying to stave off the impending panic attack.