Authors: Kelly Clark
Limonov stumbled as he got up. His heart was
racing,
and his blood pressure was through the roof. Jessie, who was standing behind the news
cameras,
looked at him and wondered what he had just done. He had taken a massive gamble with his son's life and the life of the man she loved.
*****
''Fucking half-wit,''
Dritan
said as he glared at the TV. He looked across at Milan. ''Your father doesn't give a fuck if we kill you or not.''
''He does care. If we kill him, we will be killed. I'm sure of that now. His father is right, if the bounty is high enough, someone will get us,'' one of
Dritan's
two henchmen said.
*****
The following morning,
Dritan
and his accomplices were on the way to the airport. Milan managed to struggle free from the bed he'd been tied to and stagger out of the building, his legs still tied together. He tripped on the sidewalk and staggered into oncoming traffic. The lady driving the VW Beetle slammed her brakes on and closed her eyes. When she opened them
again,
she was an inch away from
Milan,
who was lying in front of her bumper.
''Oh my God,'' Jessie shouted as she ran to him. The lady in the VW Beetle beamed . The young man she'd given a lift to, had told her a remarkable story. The part when he'd described how he'd swapped himself for the woman he loved, in such a dangerous situation, had almost made her cry. She was only too happy to have given him a lift and so curious to see what the young woman he spoke of so highly looked like.
Milan didn't say anything he just held her to him. ''I'm cross with you, very cross,'' Jessie said.
''Why?'' he asked.
''Doing what you did was foolish. You could have been killed.''
''So could you and that
would
have been much worse. Do you think I like seeing you in captivity?
Being held
by that asshole? Any man would have done what I did.''
''I don't think that's true.
Not all men are so foolish.''
''What was I supposed to do?''
''You could have paid the ransom and have done with it,'' Jessie said.
He laughed. ''It's a lot of money. Do you think you are worth so much?''
''She's worth more than that,'' Limonov said as he entered the room. ''Welcome back son,'' he put his arm around him. ''But if you ever do anything that stupid again, I'll kill you myself. You should learn from this. The sensible thing to do would have been to pay the ransom and take revenge later. You put yourself in a lot of danger.''
''Okay. A lesson learned. You handled it very well pops.''
''Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What I said was only partly true. It was a bluff because once they are in
Albania,
it won't be easy to find them.''
''Well, it's over,'' Milan said as he put his arm around Jessie.
Limonov's cell rang. He looked at the
display, it
was a number he didn't recognize.
''Mr. Igorevich?.''
''Yes who is it?''
''My name is Kasparov, Dmitri, US Customs. I work at the airport in Las Vegas. I have something I would like to discuss with you.''
Limonov wondered what he'd done wrong. ''Go ahead,'' he said.
''I saw you on TV last evening. You were talking to a man called
Dritan
Polyakov.''
''Yes I was.''
''Do you still want to talk to him?''
Limonov looked at Jessie and Milan. ''Yes I would very much like to speak to him.''
''He is here. I will gladly introduce you to him if you care to come to the airport.''
''Yes. I think that would be a very nice thing to do. What about the police?''
''I don't think there is any need for them do you?''
''Tell me,'' Limonov said, ''are you of Russian decent?''
''Yes sir I am. Pleased to be of service.''
''Thank you. You have been very helpful. I will send someone to fetch Mr. Polyakov.''
Limonov laughed out loud. Milan looked at him quizzically. ''Russians, we are everywhere,'' Limonov said.
******
''So you don't think I'm worth five million dollars,'' Jessie said as Milan came from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around him.
''Who said that?''
''You said as much. You weren't prepared to pay for me. Not a cent.'' Jessie was very good at acting and Milan looked puzzled.
''I would have paid for you. I just though what I did was better that's all.''
''But it wasn't was it? You almost got killed just because you didn't want to pay for me. Well, if I'm not worth anything to you, I think I'll have to increase my value.''
''What the fuck are you talking about?'' he asked.
''Sex. It's going to cost you from now on.''
''You're joking, right?''
''No, if you think I'm worthless, I need to show you I'm not.''
He looked at her, lying next to him in the sexiest nightie he'd ever seen, her breasts gently falling and rising. ''How much?''
''Five hundred a time.''
''Jesus, it would have been cheaper to pay the ransom.''
He pulled her to him and kissed her. ''That ten bucks already,'' he laughed.
''What did your father do with
Dritan
?'' she asked.
''He put him on his private jet and had him flown to St. Petersberg.''
''And what will happen to him there?'' she asked.
''The river is
deep,
and concrete doesn't float in Russia.''
She pulled him on top of her and wrapped her legs around him. ''Take off that towel and show me what you've got,'' she said.
He reached down and threw the material onto the floor. He entered her in one movement. She slung her head back on the pillow and let out a
sight
of deep satisfaction.
As he made love to her, he leaned down and kissed her deeply, his tongue probing her mouth.
His body felt better than ever on top of her. It was wonderful having him inside her again. She met his thrusts with the movement of her hips, taking him into her hungrily. She ran her hands over the smooth skin on his back and down to his tight buttocks.
''You are darn handsome Milan,' she said.
''And you are more beautiful than a man can bear,'' he replied. He looked deep into her eyes as he picked up the pace. She began to
gasp, he
knew her well enough now to know what that meant. Any moment he would be rewarded by watching her come. When she did, he stopped and held her face in his hands. He kissed her forehead gently.
When her release came, she relaxed and luxuriated in the movement of his body. She was painfully aware of what had
happened,
and she felt guilty. Guilty for ever becoming involved with such a bad man as
Dritan
. It had nearly cost her life and that of the man who was so deliciously pounding her now.
He was
close,
and she knew it. She wanted to come at the same time as him. ''Tell me. Tell me
when
'' she whispered. She began to touch herself.
When he nodded, she rubbed herself furiously and cried out as they came together, kissing and pawing at each other.
*****
On the day
Dritan
was dropped into the Neva River, Jessie and Milan were married. It was a wedding attended by everyone who was anyone in Las Vegas society. The press turned out to photograph the rich and famous and those that were more infamous than famous.
Jessie and Milan went to the Seychelles on honeymoon in Limonov's private jet. When they arrived back in Las Vegas, Jessie found out she was pregnant. Nine months later she had a boy called Milan the second.
*****
THE END
The Gambler’s Bride – A Clean Western Romance
Chapter One
The sun was burning
brightly
in the Virginia sky. Caroline was grateful she had thought to wear
a pretty
hat with a wide brim. It kept her face from burning. She walked briskly down the sidewalk, anxious to get home. Her shoes were beginning to wear and she hadn’t thought to ask her mother to purchase her a new pair while she was out.
She preferred to choose her own shoes anyway. She would just go past the store on her way to work in the morning and stop for a pair. She passed several young men who were walking in the opposite direction. They all looked at her and smiled. She smiled back.
She could see the differences in their smiles and wondered if they realized they did that. She passed them every day on her way home. One of them was tall and thin and though he wore a shirt and tie, he didn’t look like he was coming from an office. The two with him were dressed in work clothes. They were shorter than their companion and were almost always covered in dirt. It was an odd sight until Caroline became used to seeing them.
Over the last six months or so of passing them every day, she had noticed that they all looked at her in different ways. The tall one greeted her with a quick nod of his head and half a grin. One of the other boys gave her a leering look and his eyes scanned her from head to toe every day. The third was the one she liked. He looked friendly, his smile was warm and genuine and she saw a gentleman in him.
The three never spoke to her and she never said anything to them.
She was almost home, turning
onto
her street and walking to the third house on her left. She didn’t look up at it as she went through the gate and down the sidewalk, missing all the new flowers that had recently been planted and the artfully shaped sculptures and fountains that dotted the wide green yard. The groundskeeper was a master at his craft. But Caroline didn’t notice.
She went up the steps to the front porch, crossed it and pulled open the storm door first. She went through both doors and immediately stopped to the sound of
upset
voices in the den. She made a
beeline
for it, dropping her light shawl, which she had regretted taking in the first place and her hat on the foyer table.
“Who’s there?” She asked as she went, not recognizing the voices. She was surprised when she turned into the den to see it was her family that was upset, not some visiting stranger. Raised voices were not common in Caroline’s home. Her parents were extremely calm people, upstanding citizens in their small town.
“Caroline!” Her little sister Dorothy came running over to her and threw her arms around her middle.
“Ooof, Dottie, what’s the problem?” Caroline attempted to disentangle herself from her sister’s
grip,
but Dottie was too upset.
“Oh, Caroline, that’s it. We’re done. Nothing left. It’s all gone!
Oh,
Caroline!”
Caroline looked up at her parents in
confusion,
but they weren’t much help. Her mother was holding a glass that had some type of liquor in it, probably brandy. Another wave of shock went through Caroline. What in heaven’s name could have happened that would make her mother drink the brandy that had been in the cupboard ever since Caroline could
remember.
“Please someone tell me what’s going on here?” She said, taking her sister’s face in between her hands and giving her kisses on her forehead. She hugged her and Dottie finally released her.
“It’s a terrible situation for us, Caroline.” Her brother replied. He was standing with their father next to the huge bay window, staring out over the land, where their cows and horses were.
“What is?”
“We’re bust! Got no money left! We’re done!” His words came out forceful and he didn’t even look at her. She shook her head.
“I am afraid I don’t understand, David. What does that mean?”
Her father was the first to look at her. His round face was red with anger and frustration. When he spoke, she knew the underlying pain in his voice was real. The anger he felt wasn’t directed at her, she could see that. “Mr. Stapleton has up and stole all the profits from our restaurant for the last three years. He’s been fudging the books, lining his pockets with stolen cash for a long time. Now he has disappeared and no one knows where he or the money he stole is at.”
Caroline frowned. “I don’t understand. How can that be? Is there anything you can do? Do you know where he is?”
Her father shook his head. “I don’t know where he is. There is nothing I can do. He has pulled off a scam that will ruin this family. We can’t keep the business going for long with no money behind it. We would have to start from scratch with a corner food stand.”
Fear ran down Caroline’s spine. The restaurant had been her family’s life. They all worked there, they were comfortable because of it and the plan was to continue running it for the next hundred years if possible. Without it, there was only her job.
Her secretary’s job.
She looked around herself at the furnishings and other luxuries she hadn’t seen before. Her mind even took her to the front yard, where there were beautiful sights to be seen. This would all disappear.
Her breath caught and her mind began to race. There had to be some way to prevent this from happening.
“Father,” she said. “What will we do? Do you have a plan?”
He stomped to the couch and dropped down as if he had given up on life. “Right now, I’m too angry to think of one. Surely there will be one. But no, I have no plan for now. We will have to do something.”
“Can we get a loan from the bank?” Caroline sat next to him and put one hand on his knee. “Papa, we have to do something! We can’t just give up.”
He nodded. “
Oh,
we might not have a choice, daughter. Our loans at the bank are already in place from the expansion this summer.”
Her heart fell into her stomach. She had forgotten about the expansion. They had been considering opening another restaurant, as well. She shook her head. This couldn’t be happening. The weight of it all gave her a headache.
She lowered her head to her hands, trying to think. No loan from the bank. No money in profits.
Very little
in petty cash kept on hand in the restaurant safe. What would they do?
Dorothy began crying loudly. “
Oh,
papa. We will be living on the street.”
He shook his head. “No. That won’t happen, Dottie. We will get through this. God is on our side.”
“On our side?” Dorothy stood up, her small face pale and thin. Red rings had formed around her eyes and she shook her long brown curls around as she spoke. She clenched her fists and stomped her foot. “If he was on our side, then why did this happen? We haven’t done anything wrong to deserve this! We go to church every Sunday and all that. Why would he do this to us? Why didn’t he stop Mr. Stapleton??”
David was the one who replied to their sister, looking at her, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his pants, his suit jacket open and pushed back
behind
his elbows. “That’s not the way he works, Dottie. You’re just too young to understand it.”
“Well, I don’t
understand
it! I don’t
understand
it!” She stomped her foot again. “Mr. Stapleton is the Devil! He’s the Devil!”
With that, she turned on her heel and ran out the door, weeping. David turned back to the window. Her mother began to cry. Caroline stood up.
“I’ll go after her. I will talk to her.”
She was out the door only a few minutes after her sister and could see when she opened the door that Dottie was already at the barn. She was going for her horse. Caroline had to get to her before she went riding off. She wasn’t in the mood for a horse race.
“Dottie, wait!” She called out. Her sister stopped at the door of the barn, turned back to look at her and then dropped to her knees, crying. Caroline ran to her and dropped to her knees next to her, wrapping her in her arms tightly. “Sshhh. It’s going to be okay, Dottie. It really is.”
“No. This is too much. We can’t run the restaurant with no money. You heard what Daddy said.”
“I did. But you have to trust that things are going to work out the way they should. There is always a blessing on the horizon.”
Dottie shook her head, covering her face with her small hands. “No, Caroline. This is too much. This is too much. God hates us.”
“Dottie, don’t say that. You know that isn’t true. He has blessed us tremendously all through our lives. There are dark times, too. You can’t expect all sunshine and roses all of your life.”
“Why not?” Dottie was just being unreasonable. Caroline could tell that even her young sister could see that. “I want sunshine and roses. I don’t
want
to be desolate and
poor
. Where will we live when they take the house? Why is God doing this to us?”
“Dottie, this isn’t the work of God. This is the work of evil. It was evil and deception that caused Mr. Stapleton to do what he’s done.”
“But why did God allow it to happen to
us
? We are good people!”
“He doesn’t exactly allow these things to happen. He just takes what’s bad and makes something good out of it. This is a fractured world, Dottie, it’s imperfect and
there are bad people who don’t
know or care about following God’s laws or even moral laws.”
Dottie snorted.
“Please don’t believe otherwise, Dottie, just because you are in
a bad
place. You can’t lose faith because he is going to come through for us. There will be a way.”
“Lots of people lose their money and never recover.”
“Lots of people don’t know God. When you have to start out all over, you have to trust that he knows what he’s doing and that he’s there with you through the storm.”
Dottie became quiet, her tears stopped. She was thinking about Caroline’s words. She didn’t really see what God could do at this
point
since he didn’t give money
out like
a bank. She looked up at her sister’s eyes.
“Do you really think things will work out just because we go to church every week?”
Caroline smiled softly. “No, that’s not what I’m saying, Dottie. I’m talking about faith.” She put her finger on her sister’s chest just above her heart. “It’s in here. That’s where you have faith. And if you have it, you will have peace, too. Trust in him. He will give you peace to get through this.”
Again, Dottie was quiet, staring out over the land. “I don’t want to leave here, Caroline.”
“I know you don’t. I don’t either. We will have to see what happens. But right now, we really need to be strong for mama and papa. Do you agree?”
After a moment, Dottie nodded. “Okay, Caroline. I’ll pray
on
it and maybe he will make me feel better and bring someone who will give Daddy a lot of money and everything will be okay.”
“That’s the spirit, honey. You pray and we’ll see what happens.”