Chapter13
Kendra knew the sound of Sacha’s car. This wasn’t it. She glanced out the bedroom window to see two cars pull up in front of the house. She didn’t recognize any of them.
She texted Sacha.
“People here. Going to get out.”
He didn’t text back, but that was okay. He’d told her what to do. She tiptoed down the back staircase. Next, she went down the steps to the wine cellar, locking doors behind her as she went. Her heart beat out a frantic staccato.
She’d put her phone on vibrate, not wanting to alert the men to her location. She didn’t have her purse, but she had no time to retrieve it from the table by the door. Not thinking that she would ever have to leave in a hurry, she didn’t put it in a more central location.
Nik had mentioned the last time they talked that he’d found out that Lopez had spent time in prison. He’d become part of the Mexican Mafia. That was how he had all of these connections. That’s why he’d been so elusive.
And that’s why there were four Hispanic men were breaking into Sacha’s house.
Damn.
She liked it out here. Her breathing came out ragged as she traversed the tunnel that led out to the woods, well past the house, but close to the road. She had no idea how long she’d have to be out here.
Looking around, she was scared. She was a city girl and now she was hiding in the woods. She didn’t even know how to do that. Nor did she know what kind of animals were around.
Then she heard the car.
She stayed behind a tree until she was sure of who it was. Her phone buzzed at the same time.
“Almost there,” Sacha’s text said.
She looked up as his car rounded the bend. She went to the side of the road to wave her arms. He stopped. She hopped in.
“I was worried I was going to have to be in the woods for hours.”
“City girl,” he jested. “Did you get a look at any of them?”
“No, but they are probably Mexican Mafia like Nik had mentioned,” Kendra said.
Sacha made a U-turn. “Okay. We need to store this car somewhere. It’s too visible.”
“Where are we going to get another one?”
“Relax Kendra. I’m a billionaire, remember? I have more than one vehicle.”
An hour later, south of where they had been, Sacha pulled in front of a garage on a farm.
“What is this place?”
“An old farm. I rent the barn for a garage. We can dump the Aston Martin here.”
“You have something else?” she asked as she climbed out of the sports car.
“Of course.”
He unlocked the door then pushed it aside. He turned on a light to reveal an SUV. A big freaking SUV. No, that wouldn’t stand out.
“You think this is less visible?”
“Out here in the suburbs it is. We’re not going back to Manhattan.”
“Why do you have it stashed out here?” Kendra said.
“Because I use it out this way sometimes. I don’t always like to take the sports car into the country,” he said.
Made sense. An SUV would be better out here. He started it on the first try, then pulled it out into the street. Then he parked his sports car inside the barn. He locked it back up.
“Now we just have to buy some clothing.”
“Where are we going?”
“Viktor has a place in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. I’ll send him a text that we’re heading that way. I have a key.”
“We’ll be safe?”
“For now; I think we’re going to have to keep moving, but we might have a day.”
“How do you know so much about running?”
He chuckled. “Because I grew up in Russia and we had to run from the police.”
The idea chilled Kendra. It was bad enough that Lopez was a crooked politician. And that he had a Mafia behind him. She couldn’t imagine having to worry about the cops also.
Not that she hadn’t dealt with crooked cops, but as a whole, they weren’t a bad lot.
Kendra climbed into the truck then Sacha drove away.
“If you’re hungry, there might be snacks in the back. Nothing fancy. Jerky probably.”
“You keep jerky in your truck?”
Sacha shrugged. “I’m prepared.”
Kendra turned in her seat, fishing in the bag that was behind her. Sure enough, there was jerky.
“You want some?”
“Yes.”
She handed him an opened stick of beef jerky, then opened her own. “I can’t remember the last time I ate jerky.”
Sacha chuckled then became serious. “Can you tell me anything about the men at the house? Nik is going to ask.”
“Let me think. I didn’t spend a lot of time looking at them. I just got out.”
“Which is what I told you to do,” Sacha said.
He’d made it very clear when he showed her the tunnel that she should get out. If she could gather information, fine, but not to put herself in danger getting that information.
She frowned. “I heard them speaking Spanish. That’s all I know.”
“Did you get license plates?”
“No, sorry. Couldn’t see from that angle.”
He put a hand on her thigh. “It’s okay. Maybe Nik will know to ask the right questions. I’m glad you’re safe.”
He squeezed her hand then brought it to his mouth. The kiss was sweet and soft on her fingers. He was acting more and more like a boyfriend. Why? She’d tried to put some distance between them and been happy when he had told her he was driving to New Jersey that day. He’d been gone for hours giving her time to think.
If she hadn’t been in danger, she would have left him. She would have written a note and gone her own way. This was getting too much like a relationship and that’s not what she signed up for. Sacha had made it clear early on that he didn’t want emotions involved. What had changed?
She didn’t want to fall in love with him. That would be dangerous to her heart.
***
Kendra had been quiet most of the trip to Viktor’s house. Sacha hoped all was okay with her. She’d been different lately. Had he said something to her when he had amnesia?
She didn’t get out of the car. “When does it stop? When have you had enough, Sacha?”
“What do you mean?”
They sat in the driveway of another house in the woods. For being city boys, the Kozlovs liked their remote houses. Sacha understood the irony in that. Most of their houses were in metropolitan areas, but they both had one house each in the wilderness.
Odd. He hadn’t thought too much about that until lately when he’d needed them.
Viktor’s house was just as big as his was, but more modern. It didn’t look like a traditional house in the woods. It had sleeker lines, but that was Viktor. His house in the suburbs reminded Sacha of this one.
She leaned her head on the seat rest as if she couldn’t hold it up any longer. “Your life is basically on hold until this is all over. Until Lopez is caught, which doesn’t look likely.”
“Okay. Your life is on hold also.”
“But I’m involved. You had the bad luck to run into me outside of your building. If our paths had never crossed that day, you would have gone on with your life. No worries. No disruption. I might have been a crime statistic.”
What was she saying? What was she getting at? He didn’t want her gone. He didn’t want her to die. “Okay. I get it. This has been hard on you.”
She waved her hand a frown creasing her face. “That’s not what I’m saying. This isn’t a contest. I’m just trying to figure out at what point you’re going to dump me.”
Dump her? “I don’t have any plans of dumping you. I’m here to protect you. It’s what I have to do. It was how I was raised.”
She rubbed a hand down her face. “But where is the line? You didn’t know me before this. Is the promise of sex enough to keep me being too much of a burden?”
He tried to sort out what she was asking. “You think at some point that I’m going to get sick of you?”
“Yes, basically. I’ve brought a lot of trouble to you family.”
He scratched the back of his neck. “There is no point at which I’m done.” He reached out and took her hand. “I’m seeing this through to the end.”
“Why?”
That was a loaded question that he didn’t have an answer. He hadn’t wanted to examine his motives. His early motives were simple. Protect a woman. Now, he wasn’t so sure it was that simple. He didn’t want to go there, but she was sitting her, staring at him. Waiting for an answer.
What could he tell her? At some point, things had changed for him, but he wasn’t ready to identify exactly what had changed. “Maybe I don’t know. I’m here. I just am. Maybe you shouldn’t question it.”
She sighed then looked down at their intertwined fingers. “I think I should figure out how to protect myself. I’ll go to the cops. They can take care of me.”
“No.”
He couldn’t get the word out fast enough. If she did that, he might not see her again. Ever. That idea hurt his heart. He wasn’t going to question why, but it did. He wasn’t a guy to fall in love, so that couldn’t be it.
“No?”
“No, Kendra. We’re in this together. I have great people to run my businesses. They keep in touch for the big decisions. It’s okay.”
He kissed her hand. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Let’s get inside. I’m hungry,” he said.
She nodded. He held her hand as they walked up to the house. He unlocked it. “Are you cooking or am I?”
He smiled. “Let’s cook together. We’ll see what Viktor has this place stocked with. I can’t imagine too much fresh stuff at this point, but we’ll make do.”
She smiled. Her first one all day. It warmed him to see that. Her eyes twinkled with it. “We’ve never cooked together.”
He kissed her forehead. “Always a first.”
They scoured the cupboards and came up with a meal. They divided the tasks, and then set about making a meal. Sitting at the island, next to each other, Sacha decided he liked the domesticity of the situation. He also thought that, for a little while, Kendra had forgotten that she was in danger.
Mission accomplished. The smile had stayed on her face. For the whole meal. Sacha felt like a real man and lucky to be here. She was such a beautiful woman. They cleaned up. Kendra did the dishes while he dried them.
When she drained the sink, he pushed her hair out of the way, and then kissed the back of her neck. She shivered. He did it again.
“Something I can do for you?” she said.
“Yes.”
His arm came around her, pulling her up against him. He was already hard for her. One taste of her sweet skin and he was done in. Damn. This woman was going to burn herself into his memory banks. Like a tattoo, her removal would be painful and costly.
Not that he wanted her out of his life. Not at this point. Maybe he’d get tired of her. For now he wasn’t. She cocked her head to one side, giving him easier access to her neck. He nipped at her. She giggled.
She reached behind her, wrapping her arms around him. “Shall we go upstairs?”
“Not sure I can make it that far,” he said.
*
Sacha let Kendra go so she spun in his arms. He held her close to him again. He kissed her lips then rained kisses down onto her neck. He nipped and sucked as he went. His hand roved over her while she tugged his shirt out of his pants.
Damn. She couldn’t get enough of this man. What was she going to do without him? She’d never been in love, and she hoped that what she was feeling wasn’t love. She didn’t want that. It would hurt too much when he was gone.
Her body craved his. She started on his pants. She opened them, reaching in to stroke his erection.
“Kendra.”
She liked that she could affect him this much with just her hand. He undid her pants, his mouth blazing a trail down her body. She stepped out of her pants and panties. Then he put his hands under her butt, lifting her up. He moved away from the sink and put her on the counter. He stood between her spread legs, his thumb finding her warm center.
Her eyes fell closed. Oh God. That was marvelous.
His other hand undid her bra and covered her breast. His mouth took her lips hostage, kissing her deeply. She was a bundle of sensations. Her breath came out ragged.
“You are so hot, Kendra.”
Her head fell back as he licked and nibbled more of her neck. His fingers danced across her breast. The tight coil of an orgasm formed in her middle. Tighter and tighter. As if the pleasure was compressing her organs.
Then it let loose like a spring that had been pulled out too far. It broke inside of her spreading warmth everywhere. Her fingers dug into Sacha’s shoulder. Her body writhed and jerked with the aftershocks.
He chuckled in her ear. “I love doing that to you.”
He shifted her closer to the edge of the counter. He poised his penis over her opening. In one thrust, he was inside of her. He filled her. She wrapped her legs around him, but he set the rhythm. He was teasing her at first. Going slowly, pulling himself almost all of the way out.
Then back in to his hilt.
The coil in her middle tightened again. He was good. So good. His thrusts became harder and faster until her vagina clenched around him. He yelled out her name as she yelled out his. Her body arched into him as his last frantic thrusts finished her off.
Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. She didn’t know how he did it after that, but he lifted her and walked them both to the couch.
She collapsed beside him, her head on his shoulder. He shifted his pants off his legs. Their shirts were still on, but they were naked from the waist down.
“You might kill me someday, Kendra, but what a way to die.”
She snuggled closer, putting her one leg across his.
He patted her thigh, then kissed the top of her head. “What a way to die.” He chuckled. “We weren’t even in this place an hour. I can’t keep my hands off you, Kendra. I’d buy you a burka, but then since I know what’s underneath, I’d still be turned on by you.”
She laughed. “Oh, Sacha.”
“I know.”
She loved this afterglow. Not just the feeling of it, but that he would do this. He always held her. He never left. He never gave her the impression that he wanted to be anywhere else. As if he enjoyed the after part as much as she did.
He was a great lover during the act, but this made him even better. Damn. She could give her heart to this man. He’d taken her in when he didn’t have to. He’d saved her more than once. What was he doing in return for all of this?
She didn’t know what she could give back to him. Other than her body, but that felt cheap. Not that he’d made her feel cheap. Ever.
No, he made her feel cherished. This was the first time in her life since her mother’s illness that Kendra had felt that someone was on her side. She basked in it, but was also afraid of it.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just coming down off the high,” she said.
“Movie?”
“You want to watch a movie?”
He snatched the blanket from the back of the couch, covering them with it. “Yes. You’ve got me hooked on doing this. I can’t imagine doing it alone, but snuggled with you, I love it.”
He loved it? He liked watching movies. This man who ran an empire wanted to watch a movie with her. How did she get so lucky that he was the man she ran into after seeing Lopez’ drug deal?
“A movie sounds great.”
Picking up the remote, he turned on the television. He found a movie, a chick flick, then settled in next to her. She just couldn’t get over this. His domesticity warmed her, but she had to be on guard. This wasn’t love. He’d made that clear.
She couldn’t fall in love with him. She would only end up hurt. And if he kicked her out, she was dead. Not love.
She moved closer to him. He put his arm around her. The movie was an older one, but Kendra hadn’t seen it.
“This must have come out when I was in law school. I had no time for watching movies during those years.”
“You must have missed it.”
“I did, but I got back to it a little before Cliff was born.”
“Then it was probably animated movies.”
“Yes. It was. There’s a dearth of movies I haven’t seen,” she said.
“Do you like to go to the movies?”
“Sometimes.”
“Then when all of this is over, we’ll go to the movies. Popcorn with fake butter. Whole experience.”
She couldn’t help smiling.
***
The movie ended and another one began. Kendra was asleep, so Sacha shifted out from under her. His phone had buzzed so he figured he had some people to call back. He escaped to the deck out the back door.
It overlooked the forest and he could see the mountains behind them. What a beautiful sight. Why was he enjoying this more and more? Kendra.
Everyone was bluer and brighter because of Kendra.
“Shit.”
He couldn’t think about that now. His phone told him that Nik had called him. He listened to the message.
“A breakthrough, maybe. Call me, Sacha.”
Sacha frowned. As much as he wanted Lopez caught and put behind bars, it would end his time with Kendra. He wanted her safe. That was the ultimate goal, but he figured he didn’t have much to offer her. He wasn’t into love or marriage. He was a lone man. A bachelor for the rest of his life. He couldn’t offer her children or a white picket fence.
The most he could do was offer her his body and financial stability. Oh, how romantic was that. He could see himself down on one knee, a contract in his hand. “Will you be my fuck buddy? I’ll pay all of your bills.”
Nope. He didn’t see himself saying it. He didn’t see Kendra accepting it. She’d want it all. When she did decide to marry, it would be for love. She’d love that person with all of her heart.
That made Sacha a little sad. He liked the way things were. He understood that she couldn’t possibly want it all to stay this way. What kind of example would she be to Cliff? She had to show the little boy what a normal family was.
As if he would show his own little boy what a father was. What it meant to be able to depend on a family member. And not want for anything. That was another call he’d have to make.
Sacha punched in Nik’s number.
“Hey Sacha.”
“What’s the good news?”
“Well it isn’t good anymore. We had Lopez and he slipped through our fingers. That Mexican Mafia is good. They have such a large network that it isn’t contained to New York City. I have every agent possible looking for Lopez.”
“You lost him?”
For Sacha it was a mix of fear and relief. Fear that Lopez would find them. Relief that he’d have more time with Kendra.
“Yes, we did. Stupid mistake of a rookie. Pisses me off. I have a great case. I can wrap this up as soon as we get him. He’ll never get out of jail.”
“That’ll be good.”
He didn’t want Carmen Lopez to ever bother Kendra or Cliff again. With him behind bars, they could live their lives safely.
Sadly, that would be without him.
“There’s one more thing.”
“Oh?” Sacha said.
“There’s rumor of a contract out on Kendra’s life. I can’t seem to confirm it. Usually when someone goes off the rails like this, the Mafia disowns him. They haven’t done that yet. If Lopez pursues this, he might find himself in deep trouble. I’m hoping that happens. We’ll know where he is, then.”
“Okay. Good to know. We’ll keep our eyes open,” Sacha said.
He hung up. Sacha looked around. This was remote and had a gate around it. They should be safe for a while here, he hoped. He wasn’t sure what his next move was. He had a lot of power, but not in criminal circles.
If he did, he’d find Lopez himself. Have him taken care of, and he didn’t care how illegal it would be. Kendra would be safe.
Time to call his lawyer. Tom picked up on the third ring.
“Hey Sacha.”
“What the news?”
“Not any yet. Here’s the only problem I see. If Ethan is your son, then you need to be more settled. This whole deal with your girlfriend might preclude you getting custody.”
“If he’s my son, why should anything preclude that?”
Damn Lopez.
“Because the courts are involved. It isn’t so simple. Especially since you gave up your rights.”
More and more he knew that had been a stupid move on his part. He’d been young and easily influenced. Damn.
“I know we have a tough road. I have unlimited funds to get this done.”
“I’m not bribing anyone.”
Sacha laughed. “I’ve never bribed anyone. I know I’m Russian, but I actually do business honestly. I’m just telling you that I’m in this for the long haul, so be ready for whatever the next step is.”
“Okay, buddy. I get you.”
“Good. If he’s my son, I’m moving Heaven and Earth to get him home to me.”
“You are determined. You must be this way in the boardroom.”
“It’s how I got this rich, Tom.”
His lawyer laughed. They disconnected. Kendra was standing in the doorway. Sacha held out his arm. “Come watch the sunset with me.”
She slipped into his arms, but the look on her face told him she was troubled. He kissed the top of her head.
“Was that your lawyer?”
“Yes.”
“Is Ethan your son?”
“Don’t know yet.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Not really. My lawyer just warned me that it might be harder road since I’m on the run a little.” He squeezed her. “Don’t worry. It’ll work out. I’ll make sure it does. Now let’s enjoy this sunset.”
The sky was shades of orange over the Pocono Mountains. Kendra was in his arms. He couldn’t ask for much more than this out of life.
“It is beautiful,” she said.
“Yes. I see why Viktor chose this spot.”
“Do they come out here often?”
“Not as much since Alia has been pregnant. Viktor is fussing over her and he didn’t want them to be in a remote area if something happened to her pregnancy.”
“He’s a big softy.”
“He is. Just since Alia. She’s brought out something in him.”