Crave (Talon Security #1) (15 page)

“Hello to you, too,” I muttered, thoroughly done with his mood. He hadn’t talked to me all night, and now he did so only to order me around. “Sid, this is... sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

“Braden.”

“Braden, this is my boyfriend, Sid,” I introduced, trying to make up for Sid’s rudeness.

“Nice to meet you, man,” Braden replied easily, raising a hand to shake.

Sid’s steely blue eyes stared down at him. “You hitting on my girl?”

I gasped, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Sid,” I hissed.

Braden dropped his hand. “Nah, man. Just making conversation. You guys have a good night.” He stood up as I offered him an apologetic wave.

I stood, glaring at Sid. “That was so rude! He’s one of Caden’s friends. He was just being nice.”

He growled. “Guys are never just nice.”

“Even if he was hitting on me, who cares? It’s not like I’d do anything about it! You didn’t have to be so rude, Sid,” I seethed.

“Let’s go,” he ordered.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “No. Not if you’re going to keep acting like this.” I shook my head. “You either shut down or run the other direction when something’s bothering you—you always have. You can’t do that with me, not anymore,” I told him firmly.

“Oh, so you want
me
to share, huh?” he scoffed. “That’s so fucking typical.” He stepped closer, pointing a finger at me. “I’ve poured my fucking heart out to you time and time again. Hell, I’ve told you I love you. I asked you to move in with me, and what do I get?” he demanded, his expression flashing the hurt that had clearly been gnawing at him all day.

I took a step back in surprise. This wasn’t about the incident last night. I’d been way off base. This was about me.

Tears burned my eyes at his cruel tone. “Learning curve, remember?” I whispered, swallowing hard, desperate not to cry in the middle of Cade’s party. “You were just saying how we’d help each other. Do you think freezing me out and then growling at anyone that talks to me is helping?” I demanded.

“Sometimes that curve… it’s just steeper than I’d realized,” he replied gruffly.

His words hit me hard. I’d been trying but obviously in his eyes, I was still falling short.

“Hey, uh, guys? Everything okay?” Cade’s confused voice interrupted our heated conversation.

The damned tears I’d been fighting won their battle and cascaded over my cheeks. “Sorry, Cade,” I rasped as I pushed past him, desperate to escape.

“Sam!” Sid hollered after me.

I shot a murderous look over my shoulder. “Don’t you dare follow me,” I hissed.

I pushed past the crowd, keeping my head low, not wanting to draw attention to myself, or at least not
more
attention. I made it to the front porch where I knew there would be less people. I wanted some time to collect myself before I figured out what to do.

Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t alone.

CHAPTER 15

O
sip Ivanov appeared from the side of the house with his gun pointed at my chest.

For a moment, it felt like a dream—or rather, my worst nightmare—come true. It took a second for my brain to register that it was real.

“Hello, little one. One of my men has a gun pointed at your boyfriend back there. If you want him to live, don’t say a fucking word,” he warned.

He could have been bluffing, but I couldn’t risk it. Obviously, he’d been casing the house. It was more than likely he hadn’t come alone.

I nodded woodenly, feeling an odd numbness take over.

He took my arm roughly, pulling me toward a black car that appeared at the curb. “We’re going to go for a little drive,” he informed me coolly.

I eyed the car with raw terror, knowing that once I got in it, I might never make it out.

Osip shoved me into the car, pushing in next to me as another man slid in. We tore away from the curb before his door was even shut.

The car drove at high speed through Caden’s neighborhood to the nearest freeway on-ramp. It was ironic that one of the few times I prayed for traffic we were met with a nearly deserted freeway. The car flew down the freeway at terrifying speed.

My breath sounded incredibly loud in the small space as I fought for control. I knew Sid would come for me. I just needed to hang on.

I couldn’t believe we’d spent the night arguing. I’d be damned if that was the last time I got to speak to him.

Osip spat something in Russian to the driver, who immediately slowed down a bit. I guessed he didn’t want to risk being pulled over.

I, on the other hand, had never wanted to hear sirens so badly in my life.

“Where are you taking me?” I demanded.

“Someplace quiet.” The clipped response sent a chill down my spine. “Stop talking or I will make you stop.”

I shuddered, remembering all too well how violent his methods could be. I clasped my fingers in my lap, twisting them to the point of pain as I bit my lip against the tears that threatened to escape.

The dark landscape shot by and I tried to get my bearings. We were headed out of Los Angeles, that much was obvious. It looked like we were headed toward the mountains. The men in the front seat talked quietly in Russian as Osip sat stiffly at my side, his only movement the drumming of his fingers against his thigh.

My thoughts drifted to Sid. I’d hurt him, that much was obvious. It was my nature to make light of things. Had I done that too much with him? Did he not know how much he meant to me?

I winced at the thought.

My bladder began to protest when we’d been driving for what felt like ages. I hadn’t ever used the bathroom at Cade’s, and after more than one cocktail, I desperately needed to.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” I whispered urgently. I’d waited until I was desperate to speak up.

I caught the exit sign for Lancaster as we pulled off the freeway. Though relatively close to Los Angeles, the small city bordered the Mojave Desert. My blood chilled at how easy it would be to get lost out here.

How easy it would be to disappear.

Osip made a scoffing sound. “You wait.”

I shook my head frantically. “I can’t.”

The driver said something in Russian, to which Osip nodded. “We have almost arrived. You will wait.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as the car rambled over a dirt road. I’d never wanted to get somewhere so badly, despite the doom that awaited me. Every bump in the road was like torture before we finally pulled up in front of a small house.

I bolted from the car, wishing like hell I could disappear into the night but knowing my bladder would never allow it.

“
Ostanovis
!” The Russian command sounded behind me as my hair was yanked back roughly. “It is nothing to me if you piss yourself,” Osip growled cruelly as he yanked me toward the house. “You wait.”

He towed me roughly toward the dilapidated structure, which stood alone against the desert backdrop. He pushed me inside and growled something to the driver, who took my arm and towed me toward what I prayed was the bathroom.

I sighed with relief as he shoved me through another door, keeping it open as I raced to the toilet. His cold eyes watched me as I pulled my pants down and sat on the cold seat.

I looked to the ground, trying to ignore his presence as I finally found relief.

“Turn around.” I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my voice strong. Now that my body had found some relief, I was more aware of my surroundings and I was not about to wipe myself in front of him.

His response was a sinister smile. “No. I watch.”

A shiver snaked down my spine as I got the undeniable feeling that he liked to watch all sorts of things.

I looked away, wiping myself as quickly as possible and pulling my pants up with lightning speed. My cheeks burned with humiliation.

“Come.” He took my arm, yanking me back out to the small living room.

It was then I took in the state of the house, or what used to be a house. A lone lightbulb shone down from the ceiling, casting an eerie glow on the gloomy space. Wallpaper peeled from the walls, the once cheerful flowers wilted by the mildew that now curled the edges. A few folding chairs and a couch that had unrecognizable stains were the only furniture in the room.

The house hadn’t been lived in for a long time, that much was clear. A shudder shook my cold frame as I realized the dark purposes this place could be used for.

The driver unceremoniously shoved me onto the couch, and I wrinkled my nose against the smell permeating from the moist fabric.

It smelled like rot and mildew. Like death.

Just as the last time I’d seen them, Osip and his men were dressed in finely tailored suits. Their distinguished presence was an eerie contrast to the shabby surroundings.

I sat on the couch, watching them warily as they talked in Russian. The men seemed agitated, checking their watches and pacing frequently. I didn’t dare ask what happened next. I kept expecting them to demand where the diamond was, but they didn’t. Instead, it almost seemed like they were waiting. For what, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.

I fought to make myself invisible, doing anything I could to avoid drawing attention to myself. After another conversation that I couldn’t understand, Osip and the driver went outside, leaving me alone with the man who’d had his gun on Sid.

He was a huge hulk of a man with a blond buzz cut and angular features. When he locked his steel-blue eyes on me, my heart rate spiked. He prowled toward me, his predatory gaze shining in apparent delight.

“Nothing to do. So, we play.” He grinned.

“No. We do
not
,” I shot back, fighting the urge to panic. He outweighed me by at least a hundred pounds, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I bolted from the couch, moving to stand behind it, my eyes narrowed on him as he grinned. “Make it fun, hm?” he teased maliciously, his accent made thicker by his excitement.

I swallowed against the bile wanting to rise in my throat. He’d left his weapon sitting on the folding chair. I focused on a single goal: to get that gun. My heart calmed as I strategized.

Those self-defense classes I’d taken were about to come in handy—or at least I prayed they were.

He stalked closer, grabbing my arm and pulling me bodily over the couch. The move was so quick, my breath left me with a loud whoosh.

His huge body pressed me deeper into the couch cushions as I fought for leverage. I wrapped my legs around his waist and managed to flip his big body to the ground. I punched him as hard as I could in the throat and vaulted off him, headed for my prize.

His labored breathing was like an oncoming cyclone as he made a grab for my ankle, pulling me back down to the ground. He dragged me across the hard surface until he was over me once again. He slapped me hard across the face before pulling my arms over my head with one hand as his other wrestled with my jeans. I tilted my head to the side and clamped my teeth down on his forearm, biting into his flesh, tasting blood.

He howled, letting go long enough for me to slip from his grasp once again. I made it the two long strides I needed, grasping the gun in resolute fingers. I turned to him, and without hesitation, fired.

The bullet hit him directly between the eyes at close range.

His blood splattered onto my skin and clothes as his huge frame collapsed to the ground. For a moment it was quiet, the only sound my rapid breaths as my chest heaved.

Then the door burst open, Osip and the other man barreling in with their guns trained on me.

I spun to face them, pointing my gun at the two of them.

Osip’s eyes shot down to his fallen partner and then to my tattered clothes. He spat out a word that I could only guess was some sort of curse. When he looked at me again, I saw something in his gaze somewhat akin to respect.

“He’s a big man,” he commented, his gun still trained on me.

“He was,” I stated simply.

He smiled then. “He was,” he agreed. “You are brave. I respect that. Boris was a stupid lug. He was under orders not to touch you. His death is of no… how do you say? No consequence to me.” He nodded, looking pleased that he’d remembered the term. “But Yury and I”—his head indicated the driver—“we will have to kill you if you don’t drop your weapon. I’m surprised that I don’t want to do that,” he mused.

I looked at them both warily, knowing I was outnumbered. I had a chance to kill one of them but not both, not before I was killed myself. After a moment more of hesitation, I lowered my hand and let the gun drop with a clatter to the ground.

Yury bent down to pick it up as I sat in resignation back on the couch.

“What do you want with me?” I demanded, the adrenaline coursing through my veins making me brave.

Osip sat on the folding chair across from me, inspecting his manicured nails for a moment. “I want my diamond. It’s that simple. My contact assures me that if I deliver you, I’ll get it.”

I wrinkled my brow in confusion—that made no sense.

“Who is your contact?” I pressed.

He smiled coldly. “That’s enough talking for now, girl. We wait.”

I curled up into the corner of the sofa, and despite my dire situation, I felt my eyelids grow heavy.