Indulgence: A Russian Mafia Romance (Grekov Mafia Book 1) (7 page)

“I owe them very much.” His eyes met mine in the mirror for just a second. “You are not like his other women.”

“Thanks, I guess. What do you mean exactly?”

“You are an innocent. Not... not tainted.” he said, keeping his eyes on the road.

“You don’t think I should see Nikola.” It wasn’t a question.

“It doesn’t matter what I think. I am only the driver.”

What I had initially thought to be distrust was clearly a concern for me. Ivan viewed me as an innocent and knew what I was getting involved in, even if he couldn’t outright warn me of the danger I was facing. What he didn’t know was that I already knew exactly how dangerous this could be. Ivan seemed to have a kind heart, albeit painted in the darker shades of the mafia world. I was certain that he could, at some point, be beneficial to me. From now on, every chance I got to work on softening him up towards me would be used wisely.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Ivan pulled into the packed parking lot of Desire. From the looks of the patrons heading inside, it was hard to tell if it was a gentleman’s club or something else entirely. Ivan graciously helped me out of the car and led me inside, staying by my side as we made our way through the room. Desire wasn’t exactly a gentleman’s club in the typical sense… but close, in my opinion.

There were a dozen stages spread out around the room, each one displaying dancers in various stages of undress depicting different Kama Sutra poses. I’d never seen anything like it before. It was incredibly erotic. On one stage there was a couple, a man and woman, bodies glistening with sweat and sparkling with body glitter. I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. They were suspended from the ceiling with wide velvet ropes; the man on bottom, the woman on top, in what most called the sixty-nine position.

I gasped as the blonde-haired woman skillfully took the man’s engorged cock into the depths of her mouth. The dark-haired man’s head fell back as she sucked his cock so very thoroughly it made my pussy ache with want. Then, his tongue lashed out, flicking along her moistened pussy, driving the blonde wild, her body convulsing with immense pleasure as her orgasm took her over the edge. I whimpered at the sight of them, wanting to feel that overwhelming pleasure for myself.

Glancing quickly around the room, I noticed I wasn’t the only one transfixed by the enticing displays that were provoking the animal nature within all of us. I was rather surprised the throngs of men and women in the audience could keep their shit together because I was hanging on by a thread; a very fucking thin one. It was then that I felt a large hand grasp my arm. Ivan didn’t say a word as he pulled me the rest of the way through the room to a dark corner where Nikola awaited.

“RAdost’ moyA.” Nikola stood from the table and pulled me against him. The group of men at the table – some I recognized, others I didn’t – stared at me with hungry eyes as Nikola whispered into my ear. “You look ravishing tonight. Have you been thinking of me?”

As much as I hated admitting it, I couldn’t stop the words from escaping my lips. “I have.” I stepped back from him. “I wore this for you. Do you like it?” His eyes roamed over my body, taking in the ample cleavage on display, licking his lips as his gaze roamed farther down. Taking my hand, he helped me into the seat beside him at the table, pulling me close to him. The men at the table sat in silence, their faces emotionless and cold, lips pressed into hard lines, masking their thoughts from the man beside me. A waitress in a skimpy little skirt that barely covered her ass approached, carrying a tray of drinks. She quietly delivered each of the drinks around the table.

“Would the lady care for a drink tonight?” the young woman asked, hesitation alive in every word.

Nikola spoke up before I had a chance to open my mouth. “The lady will have Purity, chilled. Keep them coming. I do not wish for her to be without for a second.”

The girl nodded and darted away to the bar. Nikola snaked his arm around me, keeping me close to him as he began to speak in Russian to the men. I kept my eyes averted to the goings-on in the club, listening to every word. My understanding of the language was pretty good, but listening to this heated conversation and trying desperately to catch every word as the men spoke over each other was difficult. When the Purity Nikola had ordered arrived, I thought it best to nurse the drink but Nikola tsk’d me so I downed the first few shots with a smile. That appeared to make him happy.

Nikola and the group of men argued back and forth about how they should handle a threat to their territory but I couldn’t figure out exactly who the threat was. Either they were speaking in code or they saw no need to name the threat out loud. Either way, I had nothing to go on there... yet. As the men continued the meeting, I realized the men before me were brigadiers, their sole purpose to lead smaller groups of the Grekov organization around the city. They were all worried about their territory being infringed upon.

“
Nikola we must make a move
,” said a man named Alik with a heavy Russian accent. “
The Russo family must know we will not let them take what is not theirs without retaliation
.”

Nikola nodded, seeming to think for a beat before responding. The other men were nodding harshly, obviously very strongly in agreement with Alik.

“
The boss would agree but before we make a move we must consider all options. Acting in any way would cause a war. Are you ready for that?
” Nikola asked, his eyes alight with a cold frustration that spoke of the intensity of the situation at hand.

Alik and the other men answered in almost complete unison. “
Da! We are ready for what comes.
”

“
Then prepare your men and I will speak to Konstantine
,” Nikola said. “
As with all things, he makes the final call.
”

Heads nodded all around, my body tensing up with the knowledge that war was coming to New York and little could be done to stop it. The group of men shook hands and left, paying no mind to me or the goings-on in the club. I wasn’t surprised by that. They had plenty to deal with, it seemed, and I had finally received my first bit of evidence to bring down the Grekovs. It may not be drug-related but it was a start, and that, in my opinion, was better than nothing.

Sitting beside Nikola, I watched him out the corner of my eye while drinking yet another shot of Vodka. The conversation with the captains of the five boroughs had obviously not gone the way he had intended. He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and made a call. I listened carefully to the one-sided conversation as Nikola spoke heatedly in Russian to his father. Nikola informed him of the Russo territory infringement and the concerns of the captains. The consensus, from what I gathered, was that they must send a message to the Italians. I hadn’t done any research on the Italian mafia so I still didn’t know exactly what was going on, but his conversation had provided a few more pieces to the puzzle. My assignment just got more interesting.

Nikola stood, straightening his suit before turning to me. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, much like the day the agents had been killed. Considering the Russians were having problems with the Italian mafia, and hearing it first-hand, could be the reason for the worry, but I felt it was much more than that. Before I could continue my morbid thoughts Nikola helped me up, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him. His lips crashed down on mine, making my knees weak. When we finally broke apart, we were panting like teenagers in the back seat of a car on prom night.

“Come home with me.”

“O... Okay.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

With Corsica on his arm, Nikola stepped into the cool night air. He wasn’t sure what it was about this woman that had him acting like a young boy, but it felt good. Ivan had been right in his assessment of the woman. She was nothing like the company he usually kept. Maybe her innocence was what he found so appealing. The women he shared his bed with knew who he was and what he did for a living were whores after all, preferring his wealth and power over all else. There was no love involved and that was how Nikola liked it. He didn’t have time for that. The Bratva was no place for love. He knew that very well, having watched his mother get killed by a rival family just to get to his father. He had learned the hard way that when it came to the Bratva, the Bratva was the only family a man needed. Women had no place in this life. They were a weakness that could be exploited.

A car suddenly barreled through the parking lot of Desire, tires screeching, snapping Nikola’s attention from the woman by his side. Ivan jerked him to the ground so quickly that Corsica slipped from his grasp. He watched in horror as a hailstorm of bullets rang out, shattering windows all around Corsica as she stood frozen, screaming bloody murder. Nikola had just made it to his knees, screaming her name, when her body lurched backwards. She hit the ground, eyes wide with fear and torturous pain as he scrambled to her side. Right away, he noticed she had been shot in the stomach, blood already soaked through her dress. Lifting her into his arms, he shouted for Ivan, who appeared by his side instantly. “Call the doctor. Have him meet us at my place. NOW!”

Cradling Corsica in his arms, Nikola placed her in the car, keeping pressure on the wound as Ivan tore out of the parking lot. They raced to the apartment, Ivan swerving around other cars and running through red lights, but time seemed to stand still as he listened to Corsica moan in pure agony.

“I d... don’t want to d... die,” she gasped, lifting a hand to his face. The softness of her voice, laced with fear, cut him like a knife. He was responsible for this. He was to blame; him and him alone. He knew it was the Italians gunning for him, not caring one way or another who went down in the process, but they would pay for this. Corsica was an innocent and he... he was not. He was the devil who would see each and every one of them die.

“You will be okay, Radost’ moyA. I promise you that,” Nikola said, his breath ragged as he pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. She couldn’t die.

Corsica passed out as Ivan sped into the underground parking structure of Nikola’s building. The doctor was waiting by the elevator, his medical bag prepared for whatever damage was brought to him. He had seen evidence of much violence in his years with the family and this night was no different. But they had never brought him a woman. This was a first.

“Doc. Gunshot to the stomach. Fucking Italians,” Nikola snarled. The doctor joined them in the elevator, knowing the outside world was dangerous. Even here, in the parking garage of Nikola’s home, they were vulnerable to attack.

“Put her on the table there,” the doctor said calmly as they entered the penthouse apartment. He moved to the table and began preparing his things.

“What do you need?” Nikola asked, impatient for the doctor to begin.

“The dress must be removed. I need to be able to get to the wound.”

Nikola nodded as he fisted the dress, tearing it easily. He growled as the dress fell open, revealing Corsica’s naked breasts for all to see. Ivan shifted, turning his head away from the woman. He left the room, returning moments later with a towel. He handed it to his boss.

“Thank you,” Nikola said, spreading the towel over Corsica, covering her as best he could while leaving Doc plenty of room to work.

He watched as the doctor worked in silence, removing the bullet and suturing the wound closed. The bleeding had long since stopped, Corsica coming around only to pass out again moments later. He knew the pain was great. Many of his men had experienced the cold bite of lead; some made it, some did not. Even he was familiar with the pain of a gunshot wound.

Doc taped a bandage over the wound before turning to Nikola. “She’ll be fine. Don’t worry. She was very lucky. The bullet lodged in her side, missing the vital organs. She’ll need lots of rest and she shouldn’t move about for at least a week... and she’ll need to take it easy even after that. I’ll check on her in a few days.” He gathered his equipment, placed his things in his bag, and headed for the door. He glanced back at Nikola. “I’ve given her something to help her rest so she might be out for a while.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Nikola gently picked Corsica up and carried her to his bedroom, placing her on the bed. He removed the torn dress and covered her up. He’d never brought a woman here, never to his home. That was far more intimate than he wished to be with anybody. Seeing her here in his bed sent a chill down his spine. Looking at her now, injured and helpless, made him want to protect her, to care for her, to give her the world. Even though they had only recently met, he felt like she belonged here.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I awoke to the sound of men with heavy Russian accents speaking loudly amongst each other. Without even opening my eyes, I knew where I was. The throbbing pain in my stomach a stark reminder of what had happened to me. I had been shot in the parking lot of Desire. The memory of that moment was clear as day, but everything that happened after was a blurry, muddled mess, with images of Nikola’s face fading in and out.

“Dobroe utro!
Good Morning!
How are you feeling?”

I hadn’t realized I wasn’t alone until I heard Nikola’s voice. I moved to sit up and the pain grabbed me, instantly letting me know I had made a huge error in judgment. “Fuck! That hurts.”