CHAPTER THREE
The sun had set and the night darkness hid the shadows of the streets of New Orleans when Ana arrived in the city. She was beyond tired, as she had driven almost the whole way without stopping but for a few hours for a brief rest along the highway. She’d been awake for well over twenty four hours now. Revenge had driven her this far.
She knew she needed to rest and get her bearings but something drove her to continue on. She found the gym and looked for a place she could park her vehicle remaining out of the way but still close enough to watch over the place.
She knew Michael thought he’d gotten away with his foul act and for now, she wanted him to think that. She needed to find out where he was staying and look for the daggers. She had a feeling he hadn’t gotten rid of them yet. A man like Michael would relish holding on to something he had no business having. His soul was as black as his heart and she knew he would relish knowing he had the daggers meant for a Tzar.
She’d seen the daggers and they were truly a work of art. In fact, they were her great-grandfather’s best work. They were indeed worthy of a king. She’d seen his face on the tape when he opened that damn box. The awe and greed in his expression hadn’t surprised her at all.
When she parked her vehicle near the woods behind the gym, she rested her forehead on the steering wheel for a moment. She took a moment to remember the anguish she’d felt when her grandfather was dying in her arms. Her heart ached when she realized he had breathed his last breath of air and was no longer there with her.
Ana leaned back and closed her eyes for a moment, no longer able to hold back the tears. Dutcher laid his big head over the seat and on her shoulder. She felt comforted by the weight on her shoulder. Nuzzling the big head, she wrapped her arm around her dog.
“Oh Dutch, what am I gonna do without him?” she whispered. “Pops was such a big part of my life and now he’s gone. I miss him so much.” Burying her face in her dog’s neck, she shed more than a few tears. Dutcher was patient with her though and didn’t pull away.
Finally, after a few minutes, she moved away and wiped her tears away. “Oh Dutcher, I can’t let this bastard get away with what he’s done, I just can’t. No one should be knifed in the back by a coward. Michael Tabrone deserves to rot in hell. And I plan to send him there.”
She sighed and laid her head back against the headrest. “But I need some rest first. I’m so tired I can’t even think.” Closing her eyes, she fell into a light doze. She’d never been a heavy sleeper anyway and she knew if anyone approached her vehicle, Dutcher would alert her.
She slept for four hours and awoke refreshed. She felt a weight on her lap. When she looked down, she noticed Dutcher had moved from the back seat to the front seat and had half laid on her. Ana smiled and dug her fingers into his fur.
The dog groaned in pleasure and looked up at her. Rising up on his haunches, he licked her face.
“Good Boy,” Ana whispered then turned to stare at the dark building in front of her. No lights could be seen from the back and as she glanced at her watch, she noted it was one in the morning. “Well Dutch, I don’t think anyone is there, maybe now is the right time to have a look around inside. Maybe if I can find a locker or some paperwork I can find his address.” She looked over at her dog. “What do you think?”
Dutch just gazed at her. Ana knew he couldn’t talk back but conversation made her feel not so alone in this mission. A mission she hadn’t thought through clearly enough before embarking on it. All she had in her mind when she started was getting to Michael before he could sell the daggers.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her car door. She held out her hand to stay the dog and she whisked the door closed with very little noise. Using the shadows as cover, she made her way to the back of the building.
She began checking every door and window as a possible way inside. It wasn’t until she got to the very last window that she found an opening. The lock was broken and the window pane protested but moved upward. Ana hitched herself up to the bottom of the window sill and balancing on her belly, she had to push herself into the opening.
Once inside, she tumbled to the floor. Being just an inch over five feet tall didn’t given her much of an advantage most of the time. Being curvy didn’t help either in fact her only saving grace was the fact that she worked her muscles all the time.
Forging blades from metals was not meant for the weak. Pounding and bending steel took real strength and endurance. Her grandfather and her brother were stronger than she was and while she couldn’t make the blades as well as they could, she could still hold her own. Her body was toned but not bulky the way Drago’s was.
Dusting herself off, she took a moment to look around. She was in some sort of storage room. There was enough light coming from the outside that she could see well enough to find the door. Pressing her ear to the wooden door, she listened for a moment before opening it.
The door opened into a narrow hallway with several door along its corridor. Stepping out, she opened every door along the way until she found the one she was looking for. The locker room. Stepping inside, she reached for her phone. There was a light built into the device and she used it to get around as she moved toward the lockers.
Sazon Demikoff was working at his desk went he noticed a security light flashing on his security screen. He had decided to work late in his office after getting Yuri’s phone call earlier tonight. Checking his cameras, he found one of the storage room windows had been opened. Flipping to the interior cameras, he noted activity in the locker room. He couldn’t see more than a shadow moving around but he took note of the light being flashed on the locker area.
Sazon reached inside his desk drawer and pulled out a small caliber pistol. Checking the slide to arm the weapon, he got up and made his way through the dark gym to the changing room. Slipping inside, he let his adjust to the difference in the lighting before he moved in on his target.
Moving to an advantage point, he waited for the intruder to come to him rather than seek him out. Sazon listened and frowned as the unknown person moved through the room. He thought he heard a curse or two along the way but what made him frown was the fact the intruder made no effort to stop at any one locker too long. Catching sight of the intruder via the mirror in the corner of the room his frown deepened. Yuri had told him to expect a woman but from what he could see, it looked more like a child than a woman to him. The intruder was small and as he watched, he/she didn’t seem to take anything from any of the lockers. The light from her phone didn’t allow him to see her too closely at first but the closer she moved to him, the better he could make out her features.
She was a small woman and her hair was pulled away from her face into a ponytail at the back of her neck. He couldn’t tell exactly the color of her hair but it seemed to be a lighter shade. The light from her phone didn’t give him any more details. Yet, he could see she wasn’t overweight but she did have curves in the right places.
Then she came to the new guy’s locker. Michael Tabrone. Michael had just joined a few days ago and Sazon didn’t think there would be much inside but for some reason, she paused at this one. Michael hadn’t even begun his training yet. He told Sazon he needed a few days to visit some friends in Texas before he started his MMA training. The light on her phone lit up the inside and he could see there was nothing in there, no gym clothes or sweaty socks. His frown deepened as he saw her pick up an envelope of some kind. He watched as she read something on the outside of the envelope but she never opened it or looked at the contents. When she put it back inside and quietly closed the door, Sazon waited for her to come closer to where he was waiting. He slipped the gun into his waistband as her footsteps came closer.
When she turned the corner, going away from him Sazon slipped in behind her. Before she could get another step, he grabbed her, one arm going around her waist, picking her slight body up off the floor and the other going around her neck. The moment he touched her, a zing went through him and that almost made him drop her but he hung on.
When she screamed and struggled, Sazon tightened the arm around her neck. “Be still or I’ll snap your neck.” He growled in her ear. He could feel the fit of her body against his and he could have sworn she fit him perfectly. Leaning in so close to her ear, he caught her scent and to him she smelled like cinnamon and sunshine. He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent deep into his lungs.
She stilled her movements but couldn’t stop her mouth, “What do you want from me?”
He didn’t bother to answer her, instead he dragged her to the door and down the hall to his office. Once there he continued through the office to another room beyond. He pushed her inside then closed the door behind them both.
Then she looked around the room for a moment and finally turned to face him.
Sazon stared.
Her long hair was drawn back into a ponytail. It’s like color was almost a silver blonde. Her small stature put her at barely five foot tall but her body was not that of a child. She was a woman full grown. Her breasts were large for her frame while her waist was tiny and her hips rounded out her figure. Her eyes were a strange amber color and for a moment he wondered what color they would be when she was aroused. At that thought, he swallowed hard.
Ana stumbled away from the man and took a moment to glance around the room before she looked at him. It was a small bedroom at first glance. It had a huge bed and small table along with a chair and a second small table beside the chair. There was a bottle of vodka and a couple of glasses on the table. She took note of a tiny window high above the bed. When she’d seen everything in the room except the man who brought her here, she turned to look at him.
He stood well over six feet tall and weighed around three hundred pounds of pure muscle. His build was huge, his chest was broad and well-muscled. His arms and legs projected power and when she looked into his eyes, she caught her breath.
His face could have been carved from stone. His skin was tanned and there were lines around his eyes that spoke of laughter being part of his life. His eyes were dark green and the color was almost startling with the blonde hair that brushed his shoulders.
Right now, his eyes were cold and unforgiving. “Who are you and what do you want here?” he asked her.
Ana swallowed hard. Her eyes swept his body again, but nothing had changed. She’d never seen a man as big and strong as this man. She had a feeling he could break her in two without even breaking a sweat. She took a step or two away from him but her legs bumped up against the bed. When she looked at the bed, she moved away from it. She didn’t want to give the man any ideas.
“I asked you who you are and what do you want here? I usually only ask a question once.”
Ana stared at the man for the longest time before she licked her dry lips. “I’m not here to rob anyone. I just need some information, that’s all. I didn’t take anything.”
“What is your name?” he demanded.
“What’s your name?” she countered.
“My name is Sazon Demikoff and this is my gym.” He motioned for her to speak.
“I’m Ana,” she whispered a she licked her dry lips again.
“Ok, so now I know you’re name but I still don’t know what you’re doing here. Why did you break in to my gym and rifle through the lockers? What are you looking for?” He stared at her.
“I need to find someone and this was the only place I knew I could get information on him.”
“And?” Sazon waited a few minutes before asking.
Ana shrugged. “And what? That’s all there is.”
He shook his head. “Why do I have a feeling there is so much more you aren’t telling me?”
Ana shrugged again. “I don’t know.”
“Why are you looking for this man? What did he do to you?”
Ana curled her lip. “I’ve never met the man.”
“Then again I ask you, why are you here?” Sazon repeated.
“I don’t have to tell you anything.”
Sazon crossed his huge arms over his chest. “Now that’s where you’d be wrong my darlin’.”
“What does that mean?” Ana frowned. “And I’m not your anything.”
“Right now, I could have you arrested for breaking and entering. Unless you tell me the real reason you came here and stalking could be another charge.”
Ana glared at him. “I’m not stalking you.”
Sazon shrugged. “I’m sure Michael Tabrone would press charges, if he was aware of your intent.”
Ana stiffened. “How did you know I was here for him?” she whispered. Fear whipped through her as she realized he knew more than he was saying.
“We have our ways of knowing what goes on in this town.”
“We?” Ana began to sweat. “Who are we?”
“Are you sure you want to know the answer to that question?” he asked her softly.
“No but it really doesn’t matter now does it?” Ana reasoned.
Sazon gave her a single nod before he told her, “This place is under the Russian Bratva.”
Ana swallowed hard. She knew the Bratva meant mob. Now she had to wonder how much trouble she was in. “This has nothing to do with you or the Bratva,” she finally said after a moment or so.
Sazon smiled but there was no humor in his eyes. “It does now. It may not have started out that way but your brother brought us in.”
“Drago?” she whispered shocked. “But why?”
“When you disappeared he got worried about your safety. He went to a friend of his Jethro Ryan. Jethro spoke to his president and his president brought the Bratva in.” He paused then added, “He didn’t do this to hurt you but rather to protect you when he couldn’t. Apparently, he is now with his wife and cannot leave her due to the upcoming birth of his kid.”
“I know. That’s was why I came when I did. I knew he couldn’t follow me.” She ran her fingers over her face.
Sazon took a moment to look at her. “How old are you?” He frowned.
Ana stared right back at him. “What difference does that make?” She could feel his displeasure. She wanted to ignore him but found she couldn’t. “I don’t know what difference it makes but I’m old enough.”
“I’ll decide that, now answer my question.” Sazon growled.
“I’m twenty three,” she grumbled. “How old are you?”
“I’m thirty eight.”
Ana threw her hands up in the air. “Great, now that we’ve determined we are both over the legal age limit what the hell difference does that make anyway?”
Sazon scowled at her. “Don’t be a wise ass, young lady. It does not become you.”
“How would you know what becomes me and what doesn’t?” She sneered. She reached behind her and pulled her ponytail band off and massaged the back of her head. She closed her eyes and groaned. When she opened her eyes, she caught his eye and shrugged. “I was getting a headache.”
Sazon almost groaned himself as he thought about how he could make her moan with passion. His cock was growing hard as his thoughts went to the dark side. These thoughts were cut short when she asked him a question.
“So what are you going to do with me now?”
“I’m going to keep you here until the others join us.”
Ana stood still for a moment then shook her head. “No I can’t stay here with you. I have things to do, I can’t stay.”
“You don’t have a choice sweetheart.” Sazon glared at her.
Ana glared back at him. “That’s where you are wrong. I have a choice here and I chose not to stay. And I’m not your sweetheart either.”
Sazon crossed his steel like arms over his wide chest. “My brother asked that I hold you until the others get here and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Just remember little girl, you came to my city, and you broke into my gym.”
Ana shook her head. “You keep saying others are coming, who else is going to be here and why are they coming?”
“I was told you were coming here to look for someone, Michael Tabrone. Your brother told some people the reason why and they want to be here when you confront this man.”
Ana looked confused. “What else did my brother tell these people of yours?”
“What else is there to tell?” Sazon wanted her to tell him the reason she came here to his city.
“Well, I don’t care who he told. I’m not staying here with you and I’m not waiting for more people to arrive. I have things to do.” She told him in no uncertain terms. “If you’ll just move out of my way I’ll get out of your hair and get on with my business.”
Sazon grinned. “Sorry sweetness, but you aren’t going anywhere.”
Ana snarled. “You can’t keep me here!” she all but shouted.
“You will stay and you will meet the people coming here to meet you.” His grin grew as he watched her.
Ana felt tears fill her eyes. “But I can’t stay here. Michael will see me and he’ll escape while you hold me prisoner. Then I’ll have to find him all over again.”
Sazon almost felt sorry for her, almost. “Michael went to visit some friends of his in Texas. He doesn’t start training for another week.”
Ana’s head popped up at his statement.
Sazon watched as a single tear ran down her cheek. He took a step closer to her and brushed it away with his thumb. “It will be all right little one. Michael won’t get away with what he’s done. My friends won’t allow that.”
Ana shook her head softly. “But I don’t know you’re friends and they don’t know me. Why would they help?”
“My friends are very important people in this world. They are also Russian. What Michael did to your family was wrong and they will see that he pays for that.”
“But they don’t even know him,” Ana argued. “I don’t even know the man.”
There was a knock on the door and when Sazon opened it Yuri and Barshan walked in. Ana backed away from all three men.
“Is this her?” Yuri asked Sazon in Russian.
Sazon nodded. “She doesn’t want to stay.”
“She doesn’t have a choice,” Yuri commented. “Nikoli and Sergi will be here in a few days.”
“What about Michael?” Sazon asked.
Yuri shrugged. “Nikoli said other arrangements were being put in place. They have people waiting for him when he gets to Houston. They will stay with him until he comes back here.”
Ana stomped over to the three men. “Who are these other men? Did this Nikoli say?”
Yuri turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “You understand Russian?”
“Of course I do. I’m half Russian and I grew up in my grandfather’s house. We spoke Russian more than English growing up.”
“Watch your manners little girl,” Barshan advised.
“Go to hell,” she retorted. “I didn’t ask to be here in the first place and now, it seems I cannot escape this madhouse.”
“Sazon is holding you here at the request of Nikoli and Sergi,” Yuri told her “Your brother asked them to keep you safe until this matter can be resolved.”
Ana shook her head. “This is not their fight. They shouldn’t stick their nose into this.”
Yuri chuckled. “I’d like to be in the room when you tell Nikoli and Sergi that.”
Ana frowned. “Why is that?”
Yuri smirked at her. “Because you don’t tell the leaders of the Bratva in Russia and New York that anything is not their business.”