Authors: Jennifer Conner
Pushing her through the archway to the large living room, Ivan opened a drawer on a mahogany side table. He pulled out a pair of handcuffs like the ones he’d use the night of the robbery at the espresso stand.
Turning, she tried to run, but he tackled her, spinning her to land with her back on an overstuffed couch. Luci tried to struggle, but the cold metal of the handcuffs snapped closed around her wrists.
In her mind she could see Devan’s gentle face. His mouth was quirked up on one side in the crooked smile she’d grown to love.
Love.
Why hadn’t she told him she loved him?
If she could stay alive, she’d get through this. It would be what Devan would want. He’d told her how strong she was. Now, she had no choice other than to believe his words.
Scooting until her back was firmly placed against the couch, she opened her eyes and leveled her gaze at Ivan.
This bastard wanted her body? It was only a part of who she was. He’d have to be faster than she was because if he got within reach of her… he’d be sorry.
Glancing around the room, she realized there weren’t many choices for weapons. There was a small lamp, or a large black lacquered box with a Russian battle scene painted on top by the entryway. The lamp would be attached to a cord. Maybe she could lift the box.
His move. My choice.
Ivan slowly stalked around the room, as if he had all the time in the world. He reached for her ankle. When Luci tried to pull it out of his reach, he only smiled.
“The night I robbed the espresso bar… I watched you. I wanted to screw you, but there was not time. Now, I have all the time I need. That policeman has been with you every minute since then, but I have been patient.”
“Devan knows where you live.”
“You lie.” He laughed and lunged towards her, making her think he would strike her again, but then dropped his hand.
“He knows who you are from the tattoos I described on your arms.” She tipped her chin in defiance.
Reaching for the buttons on his shirt, Ivan slid one after the other free, and then dropped the shirt to fall on the floor. Tattoos covered his pale chest, front and back, making the blue ink clearly stand out.
“I committed my first robbery at twelve.” He pointed to a pattern of a naked woman with a snake entwined around her body on his shoulder. “I was given this during my first time in jail.”
Luci closed her eyes, but he pulled her hair until she opened them again.
“Look at me,” he demanded, pointing to his stomach where there was a pattern of medieval soldiers. “The words here are Latin. ‘To live is to fight.’” His finger trailed to a demon’s head with horns. “This tattoo shows I do not like police. Here, or Russia, the police are all the same. I hate them. It makes this day sweeter when your policeman figures out you have been taken and he will know what I will do to you.”
Luci tried to pull in a breath, but suddenly there was no air in her lungs. All that escaped was a dry, soundless sob.
****
The blistering sun beat down on his head and he swiped sweat with the back of his hand to keep it from his eyes. Dev tried to combat the adrenaline coursing through his body. He couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. What if that bastard was hurting her? Dev looked over his shoulder at the drawing the SWAT sergeant held in his hand.
The cops sealed off the area. This was an upscale part of town; people weren’t used to seeing SWAT vans parked in the street. His eyes scanned the crowd, and stopped. He blinked, trying to remember the face he’d seen in the file that morning.
Pushing through the crowd, he laced his grip tightly around the woman’s arm, and turned her towards him. “You’re Petrova’s sister.
Looking at his hand, her eyes grew wider. She started to speak, but then closed her mouth into a thin line.
“Your brother has a woman inside the house,” Dev said. “You can help us.”
The stately, dark-haired woman shook her head. “I cannot help you. I am sorry.”
Mac caught Dev’s conversation and was now standing next to them. “Are you Inna Petrova?” Mac demanded, the tone of his voice hard as nails.
The woman’s lower lip trembled. Dev held up his hand to silence Mac. “Please,” he pleaded. He waited until her eyes met his. “I know Ivan’s your brother, but don’t let him hurt or rape the innocent woman he has in there.” He gently squeezed her arm for emphasis.
A tear broke from the corner of Inna’s eyes and skittered down her cheek.
Dev continued, “Luci, the woman he’s taken hostage, has never hurt anyone in her life. I have a personal stake here. I love her. Please, help me get her to safety.”
The woman began to shake her head no again, but then she stopped and squared her chin. “It kills me to say this, but Ivan brings shame on our entire family. I will help you.”
The breath Dev hadn’t realized he’d been holding, escaped in a hiss from his lips.
“Get me a field phone,” the SWAT sergeant ordered.
Turning to the sergeant Dev said, “This is Petrova’s sister. She has agreed to help us make contact with him.”
Dialing a number on the phone’s keypad, Inna waited. She shook her head when there was no answer.
“Try his cell,” Dev said anxiously. He held his breath until the woman’s eyes grew wide and she began to speak.
“Ivan… dear God, Ivan!” She broke into their native Russian, and Dev hated the fact he didn’t know what she was saying. He had to trust his gut that she was trying to help. After a minute, Inna stopped and dropped her head. “He will not agree to let her free.”
Dev’s looked to the sergeant, and then reached for the phone, lifting it from Inna’s grasp.
“Petrova. This is Detective Devan Burke of the LAPD.”
There was a thin evil laugh at the other end. “You are the blonde’s cop… I am surprised you found me so quickly. You tried to use my sister as leverage?”
He heard a scuffle and then Luci cry out in pain. If the phone had been made of anything but steel it would have been crushed flat in his hand. Closing his eyes, Dev sucked in a shaky breath.
“Petrova.” When there was no answer he raised his voice. “Petrova! Listen to me. As you know we have the house surrounded. I am your only chance of getting out of there.”
The man’s words were slurred.
Good
. The bastard was drunk. It would be easier to mess with his mind.
Dev continued, “An ex-con like you, you’ve gotta hate cops. Let’s trade.” Dev said and heard another thin laugh. “Taking a cop hostage will give you what you need to get out of there.” He forgot to add
before SWAT takes you down with a head shot.
The line was a bunch of crap. A hostage was a hostage, all bets were off regardless. But, if he could get Petrova to take him and release Luci… “Take me as your hostage, and let her go.” The sergeant was already violently shaking his head no, but Dev spoke on. “I’ll come into the house unarmed. Here’s your chance. Her for me.”
“I’m not letting her go.”
“Then you don’t get me. Here’s your chance to do everything to a cop you’ve always wanted to.” Dev’s mouth went dry; for a second he thought he’d hung up.
“I hate cops,” Petrova muttered. “I will wait for you. I have a knife to her throat. If I die… she dies.”
Punching the end call button on the phone, Dev knew what the sergeant would say before he turned to meet his angry gaze.
“What the hell was that Burke? You can’t use yourself to negotiate a hostage release. It’s not the movies… and this isn’t your crime scene.”
“I understand your position sergeant. As soon as she’s free, than you can do whatever you need to. I don’t care if Petrova lives or dies. I’ll leave that up to you.”
“What about you, Burke? He’ll kill you the second she’s free.” The sergeant crossed his large arms over his chest.
“Five minutes.” Dev turned away from him. “I’ll try and get him close to a window, and then you guys can take him out. Nothing’s going forward right now. He’s not willing to negotiate and I can’t take a chance of you storming the place and having Petrova harm her. My stand on this matter isn’t negotiable.”
Devan moved around the sergeant and was halfway up the street before he heard the sergeant barking orders to his men.
Chapter Twenty
“No…no…no…” Luci muttered. She couldn’t let Devan do this. Ivan wasn’t a cat. He wouldn’t play with his prey first. He’d kill Devan as quickly as possible, then try and escape.
The front door creaked open and Luci felt the press of the cold knife blade to her throat as Ivan peered outside.
Devan came striding up the front stairs. He looked fierce, like a tiger ready to rip the man in front of him to shreds. Luci strangled the sob. She hadn’t thought he’d be able to save her in time, but here he was, her dark and brooding angel.
“Open your shirt,” Ivan demanded. “I need to see you have no weapons.”
Devan stopped on the front landing and quickly unbuttoned his dress shirt and spread it wide. His skin gleamed bare beneath the material as he lifted it away from his chest and turned. Raising one leg, then the other, he exposed his ankles. “No guns. Can we get on with this and stop wasting time?”
“I make the rules, not you.” Ivan cut a feather light line over Luci’s cheek. Her eyes fused to Devan’s. A muscle twitched in his tight jaw. She knew he was ready to pounce if Ivan went any further.
Taking the handcuff key from his front pocket, Ivan threw it towards Devan. It hit his leg, landing on the concrete at his feet.
Ivan took a wide step behind Luci, tipping the knife to her exposed throat.
“Uncuff her, then cuff yourself,” Ivan ordered.
Devan nodded once, as he reached for the key and grasped her wrist. His fingers felt hot against Luci’s skin. In a fluid motion, he pushed in the key, and freed one, then the other of her cuffed hands.
As Devan lowered her hand to her side, he brushed his fingers along her cheek. His gaze held hers for a long moment. “I love you.” In those few words he tried to say everything he felt.
Luci’s heart shattered into fragments.
Devan was saying goodbye. Not because he wanted to… but because he had to. For her.
“I love you, too.” She barely got the words out before Devan grimaced in pain. Luci gasped and scrambled to the side. Ivan had moved quickly, slicing his knife into the muscle of Devan’s upper arm. Blood flowered on the material of Devan’s white shirt.
“Love… such a stupid word. Do not talk.” Ivan held the bloodied knife in a threatening pose. “No more. Take the handcuffs, and put them on your wrists,” he demanded, circling with his back to Luci.
“She needs to be all the way out of this house.” Devan’s brows dipped low in a glower. “Or I won’t do anything you ask.”
“She is free to go. I have you.” Ivan stepped into the front entryway and reached for the open bottle of vodka.
“Go!” Devan turned toward her and barked loudly as he stepped into the house.
His harsh tone made her jump. Devan opened the handcuffs and held them dangling in his hand, staying just of Ivan’s reach.
“I will enjoy this,” Ivan said with a wicked laugh and raised the knife, waving it back and forth.
Luci edged back a step and reached behind her. Dev caught the motion. The shake of his head was barely noticeable, but she caught it. Luci firmly planted her feet.
“Go!” Devan repeated. She knew what he was thinking. He was also trying to convey with his face that she shouldn’t do any of the things she was thinking.
Screw this.
She’s finally found a man who loved her. She wasn’t going to let this two-bit Russian Mafia wannabe take that all away.
Luci edged another step back. In the past, fear ruled her decisions. But that wasn’t going to happen anymore. She wasn’t alone and she wasn’t about to leave Devan there with this nut-job.
A panel of the living room windows shattered inward and there was a flash of light. Ivan spun away from her, raising his knife in the direction of the sound.
Luci’s fingers clasped the edge of the raised lacquered box. In a swift move, she swung the weight of it and smashed it against the back of Ivan’s head. The box was heavy, but the wood still splintered. Ivan’s head took the weight of the impact. His eyes rolled up and back, he teetered, then pitched forward face down on the floor.
Luci stood for a second with her mouth open, not believing her plan worked. Anger still pumped through her veins.
“Take that, you creep!” Luci pulled back her foot and kicked Ivan once hard in the ribs, for good measure. She wiped hair and sweat out of her eyes. When she looked up, Devan was smiling.
“Damn girl.” Devan let out a strained chuckle. “I don’t know why I’m here. Looks as though you have everything under control.”
Luci let out a cry of relief, and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh God, he would have killed you!”
“That wouldn’t happen. I’ve got too much to live for. That was really… you shouldn’t have…” he shook his head. “I told you to go.”
“I don’t follow orders well… just like you.”
“You’ve got quite a swing there Ms. Lombart.” Devan kissed her gently on the lips.
Striding two steps, he dropped to his knees and brutally yanked Ivan’s arms behind his body. He slapped the cuffs, which had just been around his wrist, onto Ivan and snapped them closed.
Ivan shook his head as he began to come around.
Leaning low Devan growled between clenched teeth. “The new friends you’ll make at San Quentin will love to add a few of their
own
tattoos to the ones you already have.” Devan ground the point of his knee into the hollow of Petrova’s back until he moaned.
Yanking the large French doors open wide, Devan waved his hands. The second he was spotted, men ran across the lawn. Feet thundered up the stairs and men burst into the room with guns raised.
The sergeant pushed in behind his men and came to a stop in front of Devan. “We will discuss this matter at a later date.”
“Thank you, sir,” Devan finished, before pulling Luci under his arm. “I take full responsibility for my actions.”
They watched as police and SWAT team members hauled Ivan out the bedroom door.
Mac pushed through, striding towards them.
“What the hell happened to you?” he asked, looking at the blood on Devan’s sleeve.
“He said he loves me.” Luci grinned up at Devan. “Then he was stabbed.”
“Wait a minute… you stabbed him because he said he loves you? I think I missed something here.” Mac laughed, and clapped Devan on the shoulder. “You know partner, there are easier ways to tell a woman you love her. I just went to Frisco for the weekend. You don’t have to put on a dramatic SWAT event to say it.”
“I’ve always been a bit dramatic. Maybe it’s what I needed to get over the hurdle.” Devan pulled Luci to him and dropped his mouth on hers. His mouth felt soft and warm against hers. “I love you,” he whispered again.
She smiled. “See? It gets easier every time you say it.”
“Let’s get that arm of yours cleaned up. You know I hate the sight of blood,” Mac said, grabbing his throat and making fake gagging sounds.
“And you call me a drama queen?” Devan rolled his eyes, making Luci laugh.
“I know where there’s a great hospital to get stitches,” Luci commented. “Would you like me to drive you there?”
“The only place I want to be is at home with you. Can’t you stick some of those acupuncture needles in my arm to hold it together?” Devan pulled her through the crowd.
“I don’t think the needles work that way, but I do have pre-med training and acupuncture can help with the pain. I can try my hand at stitching your arm. You’d be a good guinea pig.” Luci wove her fingers through his as they headed down the marble stairs.
“You can try out anything on me.”
“Such as?” Luci looked up at him.
He whispered in her ear all the things he was going to do to her when they got home. Blood flamed in her cheeks.