Russian Roulette (Russkaya Mafiya) (67 page)

“Good,” I respond and we all grow quiet, listening to the radio.

The ride is over fairly quickly and we arrive just as the plane is touching down. Viktor’s already there waiting for us in his Maserati. I sure love those little cars, but I’m too large to sit in them comfortably.

I jump out of the truck and greet him. “You showing off for your \uncle?” I nod to the car. His Uncle Victor practically raised him and one thing he always instilled was for Viktor to have nice cars to drive when he was able to.

“No. Uncle called briefly about the jet, but he said he wouldn’t be on it. He said that he hoped this would make amends for the argument we got into at my wedding that I told you about. I can’t believe he’d show up demanding things anyhow. After growing up around him, I never believed that our relationship would become so strained.”

“Make up for it? How?”

He shrugs, “I haven’t got a clue, we just have to wait and see what he found. Maybe it’s this person we’ve been hearing so much about.”

“The master?”

“Yes.”

“Tate and I were discussing it on the way over. I hope it is him; if not, we need to find him.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He nods and Tate heads over to us.

“Viktor.”

“Moy brat, Luka,” Viktor responds, calling Tate by his Russian birth name.

I call him Tatkiv at times from his middle name, and he also answers to Tate from everyone. I know it’s confusing, but being who he is, he wants people to be jumbled with his name. It makes him harder to find by possible threats, not to mention the FEDS, if everyone knows him by a different name. Viktor, on the other hand, gets pissed when people call him ‘The Cleaner.’ He should take it as an honor, the name speaks of his consistency of taking care of things.

After the jet lands and comes to a stop near our vehicles and the copilot opens the door, a man about Tate and Viktor’s size, quickly descends. He has dark hair and a scruffy face. I’d guess him close to our age.

As he walks towards us, I stand in front, ready to take the brunt in case he’s not someone friendly.

“What the fuck! There are three of you?” Emily bursts out suddenly, glaring at Tate.

I have no clue what she’s talking about so I face the man again. “Who are you?”

“I’m Beau,” he grumbles as he gets close and Viktor steps forward around me to shake his hand.

“Beau, it’s been years. I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Viktor.”

“Right, the older one,” he answers and Viktor nods.

“Tate, you didn’t tell me you had another brother!” Emily whisper yells, chastising and Tate chuckles.

“He’s my cousin Em, not my brother.” He smiles and then shakes Beau’s hand next.

“Beau, this is my beautiful wife, Emily.” Emily steps forward to give him a small hug with her damn Southern manners. Then he gestures to me, “This is my best friend and right-hand man, Nikoli. Oh, and the shy girl in the truck over there is Niko’s sister, Vishna.”

“Nikoli?” Beau says puzzled and stares at me for a few beats. I’m confused also. I thought Gizya only had one brother, Victor. I’d not heard of Victor ever having a son.

“In the flesh,” I respond, intrigued.

“Do you know Sabrina?” He asks quietly and my breathing picks up rapidly.

“Bina? You know my Bina? Where is she?” I bellow and charge at him, Tate and Viktor each grab my arms, holding me tightly to keep me from mauling their cousin. How could he possibly know that name if he hasn’t seen her recently.

Beau takes a step backwards, eyeing me cautiously. “You love her?” he asks cryptically and we all go still, wondering why he’d ask that sort of question.

“With everything that I am,” I growl sincerely and he lets loose a sharp, loud whistle.

I turn my gaze back to the jet expecting a hoard of guys to come out, guns blazing. I never once thought a tiny short-haired pixie would walk down those steps.

“Moy Bina?” I shout, tears gathering in my eyes.

Is my mind playing tricks on me? Is it really her face I’m seeing right now? She’s alive? What happened to her hair?

Sabrina rushes closer, calling back, “Da, Blondie?” And I drop to my knees, tears raining down my cheeks as she finally reaches me close enough for me to touch her delicate body.

“It is really you? I’m not dreaming again?” I choke out and she starts to cry.

“It’s me. I’m here and you’re not dreaming.” She takes my hand, placing it over her heart so I can feel it beat.

“Oh thank God!” I cheer as I pull her to sit on my lap and wrap her in my arms. I rain kisses all over her hair, cheeks, forehead, and nose. “I’ve dreamed of you, I’ve looked everywhere for you, I cannot believe I hold you in my arms right now.” I mumble and wipe my face dry. Tears keep falling from her, so I wipe her face as well.

“I prayed for you, Nikoli. I thought of you and made any promise to God I could think of just to see your smiling face again,” she chokes out between sobs of happiness.

“I am here my love, and I will carry you around forever if I have to so nothing ever happens to you again.”

I take her face in my large palm and tilt her head up to meet my gaze. After a moment of staring into her beautiful, happy eyes, I drop my gaze, zoning in on her lips. I watch as she swallows and waste not a second more, as I dip my head, my lips finally meeting hers, where they’ve longed to be forever it seems.

The kiss is like magic, two souls meant to be, and fusing together full of love. My tongue caresses hers lovingly and I know inside that I’ll never love a woman as I love her. She’s it. She’s the one for me, forever.

She pulls away, tears cascading down her pale cheeks. “I’ve waited my whole life for you to kiss me like that, Nikoli.”

“I was stupid before, keeping my distance from you, but no more. I love you, Sabrina Cheskolav, and I want you to be my wife.”

“Your wife? Have you thought about this? I don’t want you to make a mistake because you’re excited that I’ve been found.”

“The only mistake would be not to marry you. I should have scooped you up as soon as you turned eighteen. I wanted you to have a chance at the life of freedom you wanted, without me tying you down. Now I wish I had asked you anyway.”

“I would have said yes, Blondie. God, I would have agreed in a heartbeat. I’ve loved you for so long.”

“I’ve loved you as well; please agree to be with me always?”

“Da. I would be over the moon to have you as my husband,” she cries, leaning forward to softly kiss my lips.

My Sabrina induced fog starts to lift as I remember where we are and that our friends are here. I listen as Viktor tells Elaina excitedly on the phone that Bina is home safe.

“She needs to see a Doctor as soon as possible. Sabrina’s been severely dehydrated, malnourished, injured, and endured psychiatric trauma,” I hear Beau tell Tate, and it kills me inside to listen to it spoken out loud. I can’t bear to think of her going through all of that.

Pulling my head back a little more, I really take her in. Her lips look awful, they’re all chewed up, like she was biting them and pulling the skin off. Her cheeks are sunken in a little and she feels boney in my arms, telling me she’s lost too much weight. Her hair’s chopped crooked as shit, but that’s not a real issue. Her eyes don’t sparkle as much as they used to; they appear happy to see me, but I can see the torment in them. Her ear has a massive scab on the tip where her tattoo belongs and she has what looks to have been a deep cut under her bottom lip at one point.

Those are the things wrong on the outside, easily noticed, but who knows if it’s even everything. I can’t see underneath her clothes, to tell if there are more. I wonder if she knows it yet that she’s been missing for weeks?

Fuck! My poor, poor pixie. I’ll do whatever I can to help her get back to her beautiful self. I need to find this fucker responsible for all of the shit he’s put her through and get her the vengeance she truly deserves.

“Did he touch you?” I grumble and gesture to Beau.

“No! Not at all, h-he helped me heal, Blondie,” she responds softly and I glare over at him.

“Good, he better not have; you belong to me,” I growl and she stands up, pulling away.

“Stop this please! I know you’re upset, but you can’t treat me that way or him for that matter. I wouldn’t be here right now if he hadn’t risked his life to save me. You should be thanking him.”

“Thanks, Beau.” I pout and stand, pulling Bina over towards the truck. I know everyone wants to say hello, but I want her all to myself. They can wait, I get her first.

“Where are we going?”

“To the house. We have a lot to discuss and I want to spend time with you.”

Bina stops, turning back to face everyone and sends them a quick wave. Emily comes over, hugging her for a minute and babbles on about how happy she is.

“Beau, what about you? Are you coming with us to the house also?”

I interrupt before he gets a chance to speak. “He can go to Viktor’s if he wants, but we’re bringing you home, to my home.”

“But what about the loft at Viktor and Elaina’s?”

“I do not care if Beau chooses to stay there or not.” I shrug and she grows angry.

“Nyet. I want to go back there. That is my home Nikoli!”

“No, that was just temporary. I live with Tate, so we will go there.”

Beau steps towards us. “Look dude, she doesn’t have to go there if she doesn’t feel comfortable.”

“Tatkiv!” I bark and turn to Tate. He has point zero five seconds to get his cousin in order before I teach him a lesson. Beau’s not a part of this crime family, so he has no say in my matters.

He clears his throat and pulls his cousin to the side, speaking to him quietly.

“Pixie, I apologize. My head is all over the place right now. I’ve been so fucked up without you and now you’re here, and now all I can think of is locking you up in my room for me only.”

She starts to pant, her hand fluttering to her chest.

“Shhh, breathe, tell me, what’s wrong, what can I do to help?” I ask frantically.

“I-I can’t go to your house and be locked in a room. I can’t be locked in anywhere. I have to be able to leave at any time.”

“Leave? Why on earth would you want to leave me when you’ve only just returned?”

“I don’t want to leave you; I just can’t handle being locked in a room,” she whispers and like a smack to the face it all sets in that she’s been locked up somewhere this entire time.

“It is settled then, we’ll go to the loft. My say straa can come or nyet?”

“Sister?”

“Yes.” I nod towards the truck and her eyes shoot to Vishna sitting alone, waiting on us.

“Oh my God, Blondie, you have a lot to share, huh?”

“Yes. We found her searching for you.”

She suddenly hugs me tightly to her. “You were searching? Oh God, I’m so happy for you my love.”

“Thank you, I am beyond lucky to be surrounded by women I adore. And, of course, I searched since the moment I found out you were missing. I would never let you go and not fight for you.”

Sabrina smiles and we head over to the truck. She seems excited to see my sister. I’m glad; I was a little worried how they would be around each other. Sabrina has always been a little touchy when other women would speak to me, and if Vishna is anything like me, then she’ll be very protective.

I open my sister’s door and she gives me a shy smile.

“Vishna, this is Sabrina.”

“Hi,” she says quietly.

“It’s so nice to meet you! Nikoli has talked a lot about his family to me over the years; it’s truly an honor to get to meet one of you. I wish it were under better circumstances and you didn’t have to see me such a blubbering mess. I love your brother and I have missed him terribly.” Bina reaches in and squeezes Vishna’s hand, making my sister relax a little. I almost can’t believe my eyes right now. I finally have my love
and
my baby sister in front of me, safe.

“I understand. I was very happy and sad at same time when I see Niki too. Welcome home.”

“Thank you,” Bina mumbles, almost like she can’t believe she’s actually made it
home.

“Vishna, we’re going out to Viktor’s, okay? Sabrina and I were staying in his barn before she was taken. We’ll probably stay out there until we can get a house situated or something.”

“Okay, Niki. Can we get my things from Emily’s?”

“I’ll have one of the guards get everything, don’t worry.”

“Thanks, brat.”

“Of course.” I grin and she pats the side of my cheek.

I have no idea where she’s going to sleep though, maybe on the pull-out bed in the couch? I understand that Sabrina’s freaking right now, but we have to figure out a comfortable living situation and fast. She and I will need our own privacy along with my sister needing hers.

It’s not fair to Vishna to be stuck on a couch bed; she deserves a large comfortable bedroom and her own bathroom. Hell, she deserves her own house when she’s ready. All she’ll have to do is ask and I’ll provide whatever she needs to have a happy life.

I wish I knew what happened to my other sister, Brenna. That piece of me inside still feels like it doesn’t have closure, not knowing her story also. The man they call Master should be able to give me the answers I need on her and my mother. Then I’m going to kill him, just like the others.

FIFTEEN

SABRINA

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

We get settled back out at Viktor’s property, and it’s strange—but wonderful—to be back. Nikoli goes straight into his ‘fixer mode’ and barks orders at five different guards. One to get groceries, another to fetch his sister’s things, he sends a third to get wood so he can build a temporary closet, the fourth on a sweep of the property for safety precautions, and last but not least, he orders one to collect the doctor for me.

I make my way up the stairs, letting him do his own thing and find my belongings exactly how I had left them. My brush is still in the same spot, along with my pajamas on the floor from when I had worn them the night before the wedding.

It’s like I never even left. Well, except my pillow is missing.

Why didn’t Nikoli stay here while I was gone? Was he at Tate’s house the entire time? I’m drawn out of my thoughts as he tops the stairs into the room and approaches me.