“Absolutely.” Mikhail nodded. “And you won’t be disappointed. Abram knows this business better than anyone in town. I’ve made more money fighting in the past year than in the previous several combined. Don’t worry about that.”
Leo cleared his throat and took over. “That’s not what I’m here to discuss. In a nutshell, I’ve been an informant for the FBI for two years.”
“You’re shitting me? Like undercover?” Sergei jumped off the couch.
Leo shook his head. “Not that glamorous. No. They picked me up one night in Vegas and didn’t give me much choice. I’ve been passing them information about Yenin since then.”
“So this is about Anton?” Nikolav rolled his eyes. “Of course. I should have known something was up. The man’s been acting weirder by the day.”
Leo continued, “It’s no secret he’s up to something and has been for a long time.”
Sergei snickered. “Of course he’s up to something. He’s the Russian Mafia. What do you expect?”
Leo smiled. “Well, it’s much bigger than what you see. He’s got a lab in Vegas cooking up God only knows what and one here in Chicago doing presumably the same thing. I’m sure he has several others on this side of the country too.”
“And we’ve always known that too,” Sergei added.
“Well, the reality is it ain’t just meth.” Leo added.
“What the fuck is it?” Nikolav asked.
“Don’t know. But the FBI is working to get to the bottom of it. I’m sure he’s cooking meth on the side as a cover up. He has to be making money doing something. But that’s not what the FBI is interested in.”
“What’s this got to do with us?” Sergei asked. “Why are you just telling us this now?” He glanced back and forth at Ivan and Mikhail. “You guys already knew about this?”
Mikhail nodded. “Yes. We found out recently. And this has everything to do with all of us because it would seem Yenin used us for whatever he’s testing in his so-called labs.”
“What the fuck? How is that possible?” Nikolav ran his hands through his dark hair.
Haley couldn’t blame him. She was almost as freaked out, and she’d known for weeks.
Leo let Mikhail continue. “All those times he pulled us in for his annual physicals? Yeah, I don’t think those were on the up and up.”
“Shit.” Sergei leaned back against the couch, his head tipped toward the ceiling. “It always seemed perfectly normal.”
Leo continued, “Yeah, but I’m gonna say it was anything but normal. It’s a long story, but the FBI is convinced everyone in this room has been subjected to medical testing except Doctor Katie.”
“Fuck me.” Nikolav blew out a deep breath.
“The reason I’m bringing you all up to speed is because the FBI could use blood samples from you two.” He pointed at Sergei and Nikolav.
“You mean we’ve got something in our blood?” Nikolav asked.
“Something’s wonky. Not sure what it is. What’s imperative is we carry on as if we know nothing. We’re simply fighters who work for Abram Gromov. Nothing else. We don’t want Yenin to get any suspicions we know more than we should. Already we’re in a sticky situation because Yenin was holding Haley in his lab, and he has to assume we’re all aware of that.”
“And there’s no way he doesn’t want her back,” Mikhail added, his face toward the floor not meeting her gaze.
Haley shuddered. He was right. But she hated being reminded of how dangerous this entire situation was.
Sergei nodded. “It was Yenin’s men you rescued Haley from then? And he’s behind the missing homeless people too?”
Mikhail nodded.
So did Nikolav. “Guy’s a world-class asshole. Count me as cooperative.” He tipped his head toward the floor and grumbled some more. “I can’t believe that motherfucker has been using us for medical testing.”
“No shit,” Sergei agreed, his gaze traveling to Leo. “And I can’t believe you kept this a secret for so long.”
Leo winced. “Not by choice. Believe me. Especially since moving to Chicago. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to call one of you two and find out details about what’s been going on lately. But my hands were tied.”
Katie interjected. “If you guys don’t mind coming back to the clinic this afternoon, I’ll get a quick blood draw and get it to the FBI.”
Nikolav nodded.
“So, how does this work? You drop secret messages under rocks or something at a rendezvous spot?” Sergei laughed at his Hollywood vision.
Haley smiled. These guys were solid. Such good friends that even Leo’s well-kept secret wouldn’t tear them apart.
Leo laughed. “Hardly. This is the twenty-first century. And we aren’t living on a movie set. I have a contact. I call him. He calls me. When things are happening, like lately, I speak to him often.”
“So some guy with the FBI keeps you in the loop and you feed him info about Yenin,” Nikolav clarified.
“Exactly.”
“Lord.” Sergei ran his hands through his hair again. “Does Abram know what kind of a liability we all are?”
Leo nodded. “He knows enough. He was there when Dmitry was injured and he and Lauren fled the country. Hell, he bought them the tickets. He’s not stupid. He knows Yenin’s bad news.”
Mikhail leaned forward, steepling his fingers and setting his elbows on his knees. “I’ve kept him informed about Haley. He knows how much danger she’s in and how that threat extends to all of us now. No reason to leave him in the dark. He’s our best ally in Chicago. The man has contacts. He knows what’s happening inside the Russian Mafia often before any of us do. He got Alena into the country too. And he’s never failed any of us.”
Sergei nodded. “And you’re sure we can trust him? You don’t think he’s perhaps in Yenin’s pocket? I mean, he’s also Russian. He’s a fight manager. He could have ties to the Mafia. Hell, Yenin could easily be threatening him to nark on our every move.”
Mikhail shook his head. “I’ve thought about every one of those angles. Trust me. But I’ve been here a year working for him. He
did
get my sister into the country. And I owe him. Literally. A lot of money. But the man has never once freaked out if I couldn’t come up with the full monthly amount we agreed upon. He could have me shot if he wanted. Our arrangement makes me feel like I owe a bookie. I’m still here. He takes it in stride. And I try to make up any shortcomings in my payments as soon as I can.”
Haley held her breath. She hadn’t blinked for so long her eyes burned. She felt the thickness in the air between her and Alena next to her.
What an enormous burden. How much did Mikhail owe this manager of his?
Leo spoke again. “I’ve chipped in when I can too. And Dmitry did before I moved to Chicago.”
Nikolav’s voice was gravelly when he met Mikhail’s gaze. “And you all know what’s mine is yours. Anything you need.”
Mikhail’s lips were pursed when he nodded.
Haley had never been more attracted to a man in her life. Amazing what a guy would do to help his sister.
She didn’t have any siblings, but if she did, she couldn’t imagine this level of bond.
“Leo…” Katie warned from Haley’s other side. “You know—”
He held up a hand to cut her off. “Don’t start with me, woman. I’m super clear about your money. And we still aren’t using it for this debt. We don’t have to. It’s all good. It might be different if the Mafia was banging on our doors threatening to cut off fingers or something, but this is Abram. I’m telling you he’s one of the good guys.” His gaze roamed back to Nikolav and Sergei as he finished.
Sergei nodded. “Agreed.”
Mikhail continued, “Another thing you both need to know is that the FBI is following us. All of us. Even the women. Haley and Katie. Yenin has men watching us too. If you pay attention you’ll start to notice both from time to time.”
“Fuck,” Nikolav stated. “You think Yenin has people following us?”
“I know he does. He had Boris and Erik tailing us until they got themselves killed when we rescued Haley. I’m sure he’s replaced them with others.”
“Why the fuck would he do that? If he wanted us dead, why not kill us? Why waste time playing with us?”
Katie answered. “I don’t think he wants you dead. He needs you. Or at least he thinks he needs you. Whatever you were all injected with as children is important to him. He’s probably been monitoring you for all these years, watching for changes.”
Leo added, “Besides, if he had any of us kidnapped or killed, he’d be risking serious FBI intervention. As it stands now, the FBI can only speculate Yenin’s behind the killing of so many homeless people. If one of us turned up dead, there would be no doubt. Like a calling card. He doesn’t want that kind of attention.”
Nikolav nodded and then cocked his head to one side. “And why, exactly, hasn’t the FBI picked this fucker up?”
“Two reasons,” Leo responded. “One, they can’t find him. He’s been under the radar since the moment he got released from jail six months ago. And two, even though they’ve had their eyes on him for years, they want his drug lab. They want to know what he’s been working on. They don’t want to pick him up for some small-time shit again. All that does is waste time. They need the whole shabang this time.”
Haley rubbed the bridge of her nose. She realized this entire situation was serious and dangerous, but sometimes it stood out more poignantly than others.
∙
•
∙
Everyone spoke over one another. Ivan and Leo brought Sergei and Nikolav up to speed. Katie filled in the medical parts. Alena fidgeted. Haley sat with her lips pursed, white as a sheet. She was frazzled from her entire ordeal, and he knew every reinforced reminder dug its claws deeper into her.
Leo and Ivan had things under control.
Mikhail rounded to the other side of the couch, took Haley by the hand, and nodded toward the kitchen for her to follow him. He didn’t release her hand as they walked, even though she tugged on her small one to get free.
She gave him an evil eye and cocked her head to one side with her hands on her hips when they arrived.
He leaned against the counter near the kitchen sink where he could see all the action in the living room through the open floor plan.
When she stuck out one foot and tapped it, leaning toward him, he tried not to laugh. “Can we not give people any ideas?” she hissed.
“Babe, no one cares.”
“I care.”
He rolled his eyes, but crossed his arms to keep from hauling her against his chest and kissing her full lips just to get another taste of her. “Fair point. Under consideration. But you do realize I’m not seeing you as a friend anymore, right?”
She chewed on her lower lip. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for us to get involved.”
“Why not?” he pressed.
She hesitated. “Because I need you.”
“That makes no sense.”
“To me it does. I need you as a friend. I’m a hot mess, barely holding it together. People are after me. Bad people. Lots of them. You have implied we’re even being followed.” Her voice was low so she wouldn’t be overheard by the others, even though nothing she stated was a secret.
“And you slept much better in my arms.”
She slapped both hands on the sides of her head in exasperation.
He considered himself an intelligent guy. He might not have a college education to back it up, but that didn’t make him stupid. Haley’s logic, however, was flying right over his head.
She leaned closer. “What if we don’t work out? What if we fuck this up? Then where will I be? Sure. Maybe that makes me a greedy bitch. Maybe I should go to a safe house and let you get on with your life. Maybe I’m nothing more than a cock tease.” She muttered that last term as if it were bile on her tongue. “But the truth is, I don’t feel safe except when I’m with you. I can’t explain it. I can’t control it, either.
“I need you. I’m begging you to stay with me through this damn thing. And I don’t want to fuck it up so we can’t stand to be in each other’s presence.”
He gasped and jerked his head back, his eyes widening. She was afraid he would leave her?
For long moments he stared at her, trying to decide precisely what to say and coming up unsure. What if she was right? What if they didn’t work out? It was impossible to know for sure after what amounted to less than three weeks of intense togetherness.
He wanted her like he’d never wanted another human being. But was it simply lust? She was not the kind of woman to let a man into her bed flippantly.
And then there was the other problem. He didn’t simply want to fuck her. He wanted to dominate her in every way imaginable. He believed she wanted the same thing. Maybe she’d never been in that sort of relationship before, but for some people, submission was human nature.
Especially for those who in their regular lives were always in such control. To turn that over to a dominant at the end of the day could be cathartic.
Hell, he’d been a Dom for years. Most of his adult life. It had always been second nature and suited him. He liked to take care of his women, make sure their needs were met.
But Haley Sullivan? This need crawling under his skin extended far beyond the bedroom. He wanted to take her over his knee and spank some sense into her. Show her he had things under control and she could relax in his care.
She wasn’t ready. She wasn’t even close. Or was she?
In either case, he needed to slow things down and give her more time.
His cock ached every time he looked in her direction, which was a thousand times a day. But the small head would need to wait. Patience.
»»•««
Anton grabbed his cell from his back pocket and glanced down to see who caller was before answering. “What do you have for me?” He leaned over the railing just outside his office to stare at the operations below. The location of his office on the second floor of the warehouse was intentional. It afforded him a view of nearly everything in the building.
Several men in lab coats peered into microscopes and Petri dishes in the main section of his lab. To his left on the lower floor were the patient rooms. Eight of them. That’s how many lost souls he could accommodate at any one time.
Dayton spoke. “All your fighters met in Mikhail’s apartment this morning.”
“Shit. I don’t like to hear that.”
“Yeah well, before you get too upset, you might want to know it seems to have been an innocent meeting to discuss strategy and schedule everyone’s upcoming fights.”