Authors: Jacee Macguire
- Robert Brault
Chapter 17
Darkness seeped through the windows and Dani realized she had been gone for a long time. “Is anyone coming for me?” she mumbled. She was so tired, her body aching from lack of movement, her wrists and ankles screaming. She closed her eyes, no longer able to fight the exhaustion gnawing at her.
BANG!
A crash startled her awake, causing her to jerk against her restraints. Trent had not spoken or shown himself in… how long had it been? Minutes? Hours? She didn’t know. But something was happening. Footsteps echoed through the house, her nerve endings firing off one after another. Someone had come for her! Thank god! The creak of the old floorboards were closer now. Eyes roaming this way and that, she waited, eager to be released from the clutches of her kidnapper.
Trent rushed into the room, splitting the darkness like a knife, eyes wide with fear. She couldn’t help but smile. Nobody could incite fear like that in a madman… except for maybe Sergei. No. Not maybe. Her savior was here for her.
Trent grasped her long raven hair, jerking her head to the side. She screamed as the pain sent shockwaves through her, and then she felt the sharp point of a knife blade prick at the soft sensitive skin of her neck just as the door to the room burst open. Shards of wood crashed about and a dark figure filled the doorway. He was here.
“Sergei!” she screamed the blade biting into her skin. She didn’t care. All Dani wanted was to be away from Trent. She yearned to be in the safety of Sergei’s arms.
“Get your hands off of her!” Sergei shouted, coming out of the shadows slowly, a gun trained on Trent.
“She’s mine!” Trent yelled.
Sergei looked Trent over, his eyes dark and cold. If you looked into them, she was sure you could see death looking back at you. He edged closer to the table where Dani lay bound.
“Are you alright, Milaya moya? Has he hurt you?” She barely recognized his voice. It was deep, rough, mean.
“I... I’m okay.” she said weakly. Wait? It couldn’t be. Flashes of the attack from years ago eased into view, the mysterious man, her angel rescuer with the sexy, comforting voice. It was Sergei. No wonder she felt as though she knew him. She did. Sort of. They had met in a sense that night. Did he recognize her?
Sergei’s eyes scanned her body, his eyes going darker as they lingered on her blood-stained wrists and ankles, the faint bruises appearing on her face and jaw. The muscles in his jaw tensed, his lips forming a tight scowl. A bright flash filled the air as Sergei pulled the trigger. Trent screamed, knocked away from Dani as a hole suddenly appeared in his shoulder. He gasped in shock as Sergei charged like a bull, slamming him against the wall.
Dani heard scuffling, grunts, fists hitting flesh, but she couldn’t see what was happening, no matter how much she craned her head around. Suddenly, Trent was crawling on hands and knees past the table, battered, bruised, and bloody.
“Coward,” Sergei bellowed. grabbing the collar of Trent’s shirt and lifting him to his feet. Several men entered the room, blocking the doorway. Thrusting Trent at the men, Sergei barked, “Hold him up.”
Dani watched as the men by the door held Trent up like an offering to an angry god. Sergei stalked forward, the knife that had been at Dani’s neck only moments ago glistening in his grasp. He raised the knife in front of Trent’s face, turning the blade from side to side, the tip pointing at Trent.
“How do you wish to die? Hmmm?” Sergei asked, his voice laced with sin. Trent just stood there, never uttering a single word, but the fear was evident as the dark stain down the front of his pants. Dani watched in horror as Sergei eased the knife playfully along the skin of Trent’s neck. Trent’s eyes widened as the skin slid apart, blood rushing freely, spraying Sergei. Dani’s screams filled the air as Trent’s body hit the floor in a bloody heap. Sergei lifted his shirt wiping away Trent’s blood.
Sergei’s attitude changed immediately. He went to Dani and quickly untied the ropes, freeing her from the table. “You are safe now.” he said, lifting Dani into his arms, pulling her body against his. Part of her wanted to push away from him. He was covered in blood, the blood of a man he had just murdered. But he had taken Trent’s life for her, to save her, and she was ultimately too tired to fight.
All eyes trained on Sergei as he carried Dani out of the house. Nobody made the mistake of uttering a single word but the looks said it all. Everybody knew he was supposed to marry Katya to merge two families together, but Sergei had done the unthinkable. He had fallen in love.
When they arrived back at the Smirnov mansion, Zoe blasted out the front door like a cannonball. Dani immediately saw the relief in her eyes, relief that she was safe. But was she? Sergei had killed Trent. The whole act was so cold and brutal. Had he done this before? It had seemed too easy for him to take the life of another, even if that life was taken to protect her.
Zoe helped Dani into a warm bath, which was very much needed after the night she had endured. Washing away the dirt and grime was be a start, but it would do nothing for the visual memories flashing through her mind on instant replay. She wanted to go home. The trip was ruined anyway.
And Trent was gone.
She was glad to be rid of him. There was no doubt about that. He’d never be able to hurt her or anyone else ever again. That was great, right? She was happy and sad at the same time. But she couldn’t get the image of Sergei killing him in cold blood out of her mind. And the men in the room had been completely unaffected by it, as if they had seen Sergei casually take a life before.
“Dani?” Zoe whispered as she sponged Dani’s back. “Did... did he hurt you?”
“No. He... Trent was crazy but he loved me in his own weird way. The rope burns hurt but that was all he did.”
“Good,” Zoe said, sounding relieved. “I was so worried about you. So was Sergei.”
“Sergei killed him in cold blood,” Dani blurted, tears filling her eyes.
“Oh. Well he was very scared for you. He was running around, frantically trying to find you.”
“I get that,” Dani said. “I really do… but he killed a man, Zoe.”
“Yes he did. You really need to talk to him before you judge him, though. Trust me, Dani.”
“I do trust you, Zoe. I love him. I love him and what he did scared the hell out of me.”
“He loves you, too, you know.”
Dani knew, but that didn’t make the memory of what he did any easier to deal with.
The next morning, Sergei carried breakfast to Dani. She had stayed with Zoe, and as much as he wanted her in his bed, he knew it would be hard for her. What she had gone through with Trent was a shock to the senses. He was concerned about how she was handling him killing Trent. Would she understand he had done it for her? What were the chances she could get past that one act?
He headed up the stairs with a tray filled with pancakes, eggs, and crispy bacon. The house was unusually quiet this morning, but after the night everyone had, it wasn’t a total shock. He knocked on the door to Zoe’s room and waited.
The door opened and Zoe smiled. “Good morning. What you got there?”
“Breakfast for Dani. My father figured she’d need rest after last night, so breakfast in bed has arrived.”
Moving aside, Zoe closed the door behind Sergei, watching him gently sit the tray table in front of Dani. Dani smiled.
“Can we talk?” Sergei asked. “There a few things I need to say.”
Dani’s pulse pounded away in her ears. “O – okay.”
“I’m headed downstairs for breakfast,” Zoe said, knowing this conversation was between just the two of them. “See you in a bit.” She left the room quickly, closing the door behind her.
Dani watched Sergei intently, trying to figure out what could have such a strong masculine man in knots. He took a seat on the edge of the bed, his hands trembling as he rubbed his palms over his knees. He was nervous, very nervous.
“My family is unique, Dani,” he said, meeting her gaze. “Many people see us as dark entities, like a plague. I do not wish for you to judge me like that but I’d understand if you did. I have done many bad things in my life.”
“I saw you kill that man, Trent, last night. You... you didn’t even hesitate and I’m grateful… but it scared the hell out of me.”
“I know, Milaya moya. I only meant to protect you. I would not kill an innocent,” Sergei said. “I have been an enforcer for the Smirnov mafia for several years now. I have killed many people. It weighs heavily on me. When I met you, I began to imagine a life without this life; something honest and true, something filled with love. You, Milaya moya, are all I need.”
“Mafia?” Dani sounded doubtful. “You didn’t have to kill him, Sergei. He could have gone to jail, been punished for his wrongs. You’re a murderer, Sergei. What makes you any different than him?” She regretted the words as soon as they slid over her lips.
“He would have found you again,” Sergei replied, his voice revealing the pain her comment had delivered. “I couldn’t risk that. If he hurt you, or worse, it would break my heart… and I am
very
different than that monster. I guarantee it, Dani.”
Dani nodded, opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it, unsure of how to respond. It was obvious he cared for her a great deal, but she could tell there was more to his story. “I need to be alone. Please, Sergei?”
“I understand. I’ll send Zoe back up.” he said quietly as he left the room.
Dani had so many thoughts crashing around in her head she could hardly keep her mind on one thing at a time. Learning that Sergei’s family was a mafia family hadn’t completely shocked her. There had been signs, after all. She wasn’t completely stupid. When Sergei said he wanted to talk her, she had hoped he would tell her how he felt about her, but he had only skirted the topic.
It was obvious that Sergei cared for her deeply, but that wasn’t enough. She needed more, much more. She was head-over-heels in love with him. She wanted – needed – for him to feel the same way but he hadn’t said those three little words every woman wants so much to hear.
Their time in Russia was down to its final two days and it was flying by way too quickly. With Trent out of the way for good, Dani felt like she could enjoy her life again without looking over her shoulder. She had waited so long for that, and now, thanks to Sergei, it was finally here.
The realization that he had been the angel that helped her in the alley all those years ago only made her want him more, but that didn’t change the fact that he was to marry another woman. There was nothing she could do about that, so the only thing left to do was go home. She grabbed her cellphone from the nightstand just as Zoe walked in. “Hey girl. How did the talk go?” Zoe asked with a raised brow
“Okay, I guess.” Dani said, shrugging.
“You love him, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do,” Dani said, a hint of sadness in her voice. “I really do… but he’s marrying Katya.”
“He loves you, Dani. Tell him how you feel, because I know he feels the same way.”
“How do you know?”
“We talked. He doesn’t want to marry her. He’s tired of the mafia life, too.”
“I get that, but he lied to me, Zoe. He said he wasn’t involved with anyone.”
“He didn’t lie. He hasn’t been with her. They just met.”
“What?”
“It’s some weird mafia thing. The marriage… it was arranged. He’s known her as long as he’s known you. Give him a chance to explain things and really listen to him.”
“I can’t,” Dani said. “As long as he’s to marry Katya, it doesn’t change anything. All that will happen is we reveal our love for each other, and then he marries her and we both hurt.”
“Fine,” Zoe said, irritated. “But you’re making a mistake. Who ya calling, anyway?”
“The airport. I was going to see if we, or if I, could fly out earlier. I’ll understand if you want to stay a couple more days, but I just want to go home Zoe.”
“Whatever you want to do. Love you, girlie.”
“Love you, too.”
The next morning, Dani and Zoe lugged their suitcases downstairs while a cab waited out front. Dani hadn’t seen Sergei since their talk and her heart ached to see him one last time. However, Ivan Smirnov came to say goodbye, which she hadn’t quite expected.
“Where’s Sergei?” Dani asked.
“I’m not sure, my dear.” He hugged each of them, somewhat awkwardly, but the gesture was appreciated. “It’s been a pleasure having you both here,” he said. “You’re welcome to come back anytime.”
“Thank you. We will try to visit again,” Zoe said.
Ivan noticed Dani’s silence. “Dani. My son is very fond of you. I wouldn’t have arranged the marriage to Katya if I had known a lovely young woman like you would come into his life… but that isn’t the way of it. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Dani said. “I wish them the best.”
“Guess we better get going if we want to make our flight.” Zoe said “Bye, Mr. Smirnov.”
“Tell Sergio goodbye for us.” Dani said, her eyes searching for him. Nothing.
“I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am
with you.”
– Roy Croft
Chapter 18
One week later
“Sergei, my son, you have moped around this house ever since Dani left,” Ivan said. “It’s time you do something about it or move on.”
“What! What about Katya?” Sergei asked, confused. “I’m to marry her tomorrow. What is there to do about it?”
Ivan smiled. “I’ve had a talk with Igor, and he’s agreed to make… an adjustment to the marriage deal.”
“What adjustment?”
“Your brother will take your place as Katya’s husband, so now you are free to do as you wish. Now, go get that pretty young girl.” Ivan reached out and clasped his son’s shoulder. “And Sergei, a little fatherly advice, you’ll need to pull out all the stops on that little lady.”
Sergei could barely believe his ears. He missed Dani so much he couldn’t function, and the thought of marrying Katya almost killed him. Now he had a chance to be with the woman he loved…
if
she would have him. “Thank you, Father. I will.” He stood to leave. It was time to make his plans, to win the heart of the most amazing woman he had ever laid eyes on.