Chapter Ten
“Come on baby,” Mikial urged her to her feet. “We need to get you something to eat.”
Pepper shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
“Yes, you are,” Mikial insisted. “You aren’t going to let a man like Leon Knight take away your appetite. Your body needs something to digest.”
“He’s right,” Raven agreed. “I think we all need something to eat. Maybe we can use this downtime to think of something else to try.”
“I do need to call Sami and see how she’s doing,” Pepper remarked. She looked over at Yuri. “She’s still protected isn’t she?”
Yuri nodded. “She is. My man along with the police are watching over her.”
“Oh, good.” Pepper exhaled. “She got hurt because of me and I owe her for that.”
Mikial wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t think she blames you for it. You didn’t tell Oscar Mann to run her down. That’s on him. You would never harm anyone.”
“I know but he used her to try to get to me,” Pepper reasoned. She turned her head and gazed out the window. “He’s still out there. He could be watching us even now.”
“We are in the penthouse,” Yuri pointed out. “He can’t get to you here. My men are everywhere. You are safe here.”
Pepper nodded then looked at Mikial. “That’s what we thought at the safe house. We thought we were safe there too, because he didn’t know where we were. But he found us.” She shuddered. “I have this feeling we aren’t as safe as you might think.”
Just then, they all heard a ping at the window. Turning, everyone could see the hole in the glass. The glass itself didn’t shatter but Yuri grabbed his phone and made a frantic call while Mikial, Sazon and Barshan hustled the women out of the living room.
“What the fuck?” Sazon grumbled as he quickly drew his weapon.
Mikial and Barshan did the same as they took up a protective mode. Raven and Pepper were huddled together within the circle the three men made.
Yuri was alone in the living room for several minutes then someone pounded on his front door. When he answered it, several more voices could be heard. After a few minutes, Yuri came to the doorway and motioned for everyone to come back to the living room.
Pepper ad Raven could see a couple of men boarding up the cracked window while more men stood guard at the doorway to the hall.
“What’s going on Yuri?” Raven asked.
Yuri looked over at Pepper. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t think anyone could get to you here and I was wrong.” He motioned to the window. “I didn’t think he’d try it, not here but the bastard did. Oscar Mann got a shot off. The window didn’t break but he did try. He may not have known it but the windows here are bullet proof and shatter resistant.”
“Did he get away again?” Mikial asked.
“No he did not,” Yuri stated. “My men were able to get to him before he could sneak off. Kosta nabbed him before he could escape to the streets. They are holding him downstairs.” Yuri grinned at his brothers. “The poor man was so rattled when my security guys showed up before he could escape that he fell down a flight of steps.”
“Sounds like the man’s just plain clumsy.” Barshan snorted.
“Can I see him?” Pepper asked.
“Why?” Mikial frowned.
“I need to ask him some questions.”
He came over to where she was standing. “What kind of questions?”
Pepper bit her bottom lip. “I need to know if he was ordered to kill me or merely scare me. I need to know if Leon ordered my death.”
“Why would you want to know the answer to that question?” Sazon asked her. “Hasn’t that bastard hurt you enough?”
“Baby, we’re going after Leon no matter what you find out, so why bother?” Mikial asked.
“I don’t want to see Leon, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if I never saw him again, but I need to know if he wanted me afraid for my life or whether he wanted me dead.” She shrugged.
Raven went over to her and laid her hand on Pepper’s arm. “Honey, I doubt the man knows the answers you seek. He’s a mere tool for Leon. Leon is a smart man you know that. He set things up eighteen years ago to rob you of your identity. For the love of Mike, he left you at four years old on the streets of New Orleans. He left you bloody, bruised and scared to death. You’d just witnessed your mother’s murder. But that’s on him, you were never at fault for what he did. He was supposed to be the grown up, the adult but to my mind, he’s nothing more than a fucking coward.”
Raven raised her hand to brush Pepper’s hair out of her face. She smiled at the other woman. “You grew up alright. You’re beautiful, you had parents who really cared for you, and now you’re family just got bigger. You belong with us now too.”
Pepper’s gaze swung around the room and found acceptance in everyone’s eyes. Then she looked at Mikial. What she found in his eyes melted her heart. He opened his arms and she went to him, planting her face in his chest.
Mikial chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.
“Does the fact that Yuri got a hold of Oscar Mann mean it’s safe for me to go outside now?” she asked.
“Not without one of us with you.” Mikial gazed down at her. “We may have Oscar in custody but who knows what else Leon has up his sleeve. I want one of us with you at all times until Leon is down.”
“But what more can he do to me?”
“He can finish what he started eighteen years ago,” Barshan advised her. “He’s got so much more to lose now than he did then. You showing up and claiming to be his daughter would show a spotlight on his dirtiest secrets. He’s running for Attorney General in the next election. He filed his papers last week. This is a scandal that would derail his entire family. And McKenna is old money. Granted, Leon has money too, but she’s the one with backing. He might be a brilliant attorney but she would wipe him out if they ever divorced.”
“I thought you said Timothy Flynn was her cousin?” Pepper frowned. “If it’s her family with the money and the background why is he such a dangerous criminal?”
“Flynn is the black sheep of the family,” Yuri informed her. “His bad behavior began in high school and got him kicked out of several boarding schools. Most of the time, his family couldn’t stand being around him. They never knew if he was going to go off on one of them or not. He left when he was eighteen under dire circumstances and he’s never been back. From the rumors I’ve heard, his family made it very clear he wasn’t welcome anymore.”
“What were the dire circumstances?” Raven asked.
“His grandfather was stabbed to death and no one will name the person who stabbed him,” Yuri stated.
“Oh, my god…” Pepper whispered in horror. “Flynn killed his own grandfather?”
Yuri nodded. “It’s only rumor mind you, but everyone believes it to be true.”
“Why would he do something like that?”
Yuri shrugged. “From what I hear, it happened because his grandfather refused to give him any money from his trust. He told him he had to wait until he was twenty five to get any of the money, same as the rest of his cousins. His grandfather told him that he had to get off his ass and get a job, unless he was going to go to college. He had to figure out what he really wanted out of life and learn to find his own way. The money would still be there when he reached his majority and then he could spend it anyway he liked.” Yuri shook his head. “Flynn apparently, didn’t take the news well. Rumors were the walls were covered in his grandfather’s blood by the time Flynn got done. When he was done, he opened the door to his grandfather’s study and walked out of the house dripping blood from the end of the knife in his hands. No one tried to stop him. He got into his car and drove away from the estate. He hasn’t been in contact with his family since then. It’s been almost twenty years since then.”
“Well, I guess he made his own way in life,” Pepper said out loud. “With no one to hold him back, he’s gone wild and crazy hasn’t he?”
“From word on the streets, he’s built his own empire of thugs and creeps that the law doesn’t even touch,” Raven interjected. “He doesn’t let anyone tell him no.” She turned to Mikial. “If he is the one trying to become a silent partner, you’d better be careful. Not many people refuse him and live to tell about it.”
“He’s nothing more than a bully.” Mikial scoffed. “I will not bend over for bullies. Let him come at me head on.”
Raven shook her head. “That isn’t the way he works. He likes to hurt those who give him grief. He’ll drive you mad with pain before he takes you out. That’s the way he works.”
Mikial swung his gaze to Pepper. “You aren’t going anywhere. You and Raven are staying here under the protection of Yuri’s men until this is over.”
Pepper raised her hand and laid it on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Leaning into his body, she placed a kiss over his heart. “I would die if anything happened to you. I need you so much. I need you like I’ve never needed anyone before. With you, I feel safe and loved. That is something I’ve never felt before. I couldn’t remember my mother but I had this place in my heart no one ever reached before I met you. Now you’ve filled that place and I can’t imagine life without you in it. Please be careful when dealing with this guy. He isn’t a good man and I won’t be able to breathe without you.”
Mikial closed his eyes in disappointment. She still hadn’t said those three little words he wanted to hear. He just wanted her to say she loved him. He’d said them but she hadn’t yet. She’d said everything but so he knew how she felt but he still wanted her to say the words. He didn’t let anything show when he did open his eyes. He gazed into her eyes and softly touched his lips to hers. “I love you too, baby girl.”
Then he looked around the room at the three men that meant the most to him. He could see them grinning but he didn’t care. He had to give her everything he could. She was his whole world just as it was meant to be. “I’ll keep you safe, you are my woman.
“Yes, I do the same as you belong to me,” she whispered back. “You just remember that big guy. You belong to me too.”
There was a knock on the door and when Yuri answered it, it was room service. They entered and set up the buffet in Yuri’s kitchen. A few minutes later, everyone was sitting around the table talking about the next step.
“Okay,” Yuri started. “We have Oscar in custody, so I suggest we ask him what his boss wants to do.”
“Yeah right.” Barshan rolled his eyes. “Like he’s going to tell us anything. So far, he’s only been toying with us. Shooting out the glass to spook us. Cowardly crap.”
“I agree.” Sazon nodded. “He’s been playing us. Scaring the women is nothing more than a game to him, but I think he’s got an agenda. I don’t know what that is just yet, but he’s been pushing us toward something.”
Pepper frowned and looked over at Mikial. “You don’t think Oscar is trying to distract us do you?”
“Distract us from what though?” Yuri asked.
She turned to Mikial. “You said Leon has been on your case about a partner in the Import business. You don’t suppose the partner is Flynn, do you? That Leon is working with Flynn in some shady business behind the scenes?”
“That actually makes some sort of sense.” Sazon nodded. “But if Flynn is involved, the business isn’t going to be good or legal. He’s probably running guns or drugs or some other fucking shit like that.”
Yuri looked over at Mikial. “You did say that Leon has been pushing for you to make this deal right?”
Mikial nodded. “But he never told me who the deal was for. And he wanted to represent my interests as my attorney in the businesses we all run.”
Yuri shrugged. “Having your own attorney isn’t a bad idea to protect your interests, if that’s what you want.”
Mikial scoffed. “Why do I need my own attorney to protect my interests in the businesses we own? We all trust each other over every other person in this world. I am happy with you guys as partners. The five of us have been through too much together most of our lives. There is no way in hell that anyone could come between us.” He turned to Pepper. “These brothers of mine are my family. More than just by blood. At times, this may seem more important than you. I don’t want you to feel any less for it.”
Pepper smiled. “I know that silly man. I’ve been watching you all since we met.” She looked around at each of them. “You guys are a strong family and no one should come before that. Any woman worth her spit would never ask you to be put above your family. She would know her true place in her heart.” Then she smirked, “I would however, not object to being right next to them.”
“If Mikial accepts you as his own so do we,” Yuri stated. “You are the same as Raven and she belongs to all of us too.”
She looked over at Raven and saw the other woman nod. Turning back to Mikial, she asked, “What are you going to do if Flynn is the man Leon wants to set up as a silent partner? Both men are dangerous enough you won’t be able to turn them down without consequences.”
“The five of us are dangerous too,” Mikial reminded her. “We have ties to real power that we can bring down on them so fast, they won’t even see us coming. They cannot imagine our real power. We are part of something much bigger than anyone here realizes. We just have no need to talk about it and it goes much deeper than you think. The Bratva is more than a way of life to its members. Like your Italian or Irish mobs, the Bratva is stronger than we portray and like them, we believe in our commitment. Our bond is forged in blood and steel and we have raw and savage power to bring down on our enemy when it is needed. If Flynn thinks he’s tough, we will show him we are tougher. If he comes after us, we will bring the full force of the Bratva down on his head. Right now, he only thinks he has the power. If he messes with us, we will destroy him.”
Pepper could feel the raw promise in his words and she felt comforted by his statement. Glancing at the other faces, she saw the same resolve on each of their faces. She should feel fear but she didn’t. She felt cradled safely as if her mother’s arms were holding her. She knew these men would protect her as if she were one of their own, because she was one of their own as long as Mikial loved her.
Turning to him, she moved over and sat in his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she soaked in his love. It held her tighter than the arms that wrapped themselves around her body. Something clicked inside her and for the first time since she was a little girl everything felt right in her world.
Every day since she’d been found there was a fear deep in her soul that someone wanted to hurt her. No matter what she was doing that same fear would strike her anytime anywhere, most often when she least expected it but now that fear was finally gone and she knew it would never come back.
Pepper gazed at Mikial with true wonder in her eyes. For a moment, she couldn’t say anything and then the moment was gone.
An hour or so earlier…
Leon stood in his home office and gazed out over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The water looked calm but he knew the undercurrent was there waiting for the unsuspecting person to venture in and it would catch them unaware. The current would drag them under and wreak its own vengeance, holding its victim tightly in its arms until the struggle for survival was won.
Leon often thought about the promise the gulf held for him but he was a selfish man. He stared at the water and then looked around his room. He saw the polish of the fine wood, he could hear the soft ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner, it was a fine piece of the history of his family. The clock had been passed down from father to son for three generations. He could smell the scent of the lemon wax used by his staff to clean. He saw all the fine and expensive things he owned and he knew his wealth and power were obvious for everyone to see and envy.
He was on the cusp of getting even more wealth and power in the next few months. He was strong now and people listened to what he had to say but his bid for the highest office of power in the state would soon be his.
He’d married for money when he married McKenna Taylor and she’d opened doors for him that he needed in order to grow his powerbase. For the most part, he’d kept his personal life far away from his public life with the exception of one woman. Jessie Carter. He didn’t like to think about that time in his past. It was over and done with.
That was until he’d seen the young woman on the streets a few days ago. He instantly recognized her but when he looked in her eyes, he hadn’t seen any flicker of recognition in her for him. For a moment, he thought his life was over until he realized she didn’t know him. Didn’t she remember him?
Before he could think anymore of the ramifications, his cell phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, he answered it. He knew who was on the other end and he just wanted this over with.
“Time is running out,” the softly lilted voice growled in his ear. “You only have three days left to get him to agree to accept the shipment.”
“I know that,” Leon snapped back. “I’m working on it. I can’t push this guy too hard or he’ll refuse just on principal.”
“I don’t care how you do it just get it done.” Flynn’s voice grated. “My contact in Europe just called and told me the shipment is on its way. Neither of us can afford for this shipment to get confiscated.”
“You never did tell me what you’re bringing in.”
Flynn laughed coldly. “No I never did and I never will either. You don’t need to know. All you need to do is get me a route to bring my goods into this country.”
“He’s not cooperating.” Leon grumbled.
“I don’t care,” the other man grunted. “Threaten him if you have to, just get me this contact.”
“I can’t threaten a man like Mikial Bannonkov.” Leon ground his teeth. “He doesn’t do threats well.”
“I never threaten.” Flynn’s voice was calm as answered the statement. “I follow through and I will get bloody if I have to. The shipment is already on its way. Coming into the Import business will avoid customs. I’ll have my man in position to pick it up the moment it’s delivered so Mikial won’t even know it’s there.” He paused then added, “But I need him to accept the shipment without question. Any hesitation at his end will bring in the authorities and I guarantee you do not want them involved. If this fails, not only will I come after you but my contact in Europe will track you down and end your life as well.”
Leon broke out in a sweat. There had been times in the past where he dreaded his involvement with McKenna’s cousin and this day was one of those times. Timothy Flynn brought out a fear in him he thought was gone forever. He had no doubt that he would follow up with his threat of bodily harm. The only way he could avoid being a victim was to follow through with his promise of getting Mikial on board with his plan. “I’ll try,” he promised the other man.
“You’d better do more than just promise, my friend,” Timothy threatened. “I don’t care how you do but get it done. Today. I need to know I have things lined up on this end. If you can’t do it, I’ll do it myself and you will not be happy with the results.”
“I’ll call him and get the transaction set up before the deadline,” Leon told him.
“You’d better. I don’t do failure very well and once you fail me, one time is all you get. I do not forget nor do I forgive those who fail me.” He paused then added, “And Leon, I have a long memory.”
When the line went dead, Leon slowly hung up the phone. His lips tightened and a coldness entered his eyes. Leon could be ruthless when it was called for. And right now, it was called for. He went to his desk and unlocked the bottom drawer. Taking out a file, he sat down in his chair and opened the file.
The contents of the file were scant but could be used to bring the man down. On the surface Mikial Bannonkov seemed clean but things could be twisted, so it could look to the law that he might not be as legal as he seemed. Leon picked up his phone and called in a few favors.
As if on cue, Mikial’s phone rang in his pocket.
When looked down at his caller ID, he noted it was Leon calling. He looked over at Yuri and Barshan, then answered the call, “Hello.”
“Mikial,” Leon smoothed the way in. “I’m calling to ask if you’ve thought about my offer.”
“I’ve told you my answer several times already,” Mikial reiterated. “My answer hasn’t changed.”
“Circumstances may be changed today,” Leon hinted.
“What does that mean?” Mikial frowned.
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Leon insisted. “But you might find you need my services more today than yesterday.”
Mikial’s frown deepened.
“I’ll be in touch,” Leon told him and ended the call.
Mikial shook his head then announced, “That was very strange.”
“What did he have to say?” Yuri asked.
“At first, he asked me the same question he’s been asking me for weeks, have I considered his request. When I told him my answer hadn’t changed, he threatened me.”
Yuri grimaced and he glanced at the other men in the room. “What do you mean he threatened you?”
“He told me I might need his services today more than I did yesterday.”
“What the hell?” Sazon grumbled.
Mikial raised his hands. Shrugging, he conveyed, “I’ve done nothing illegal or wrong here. I have no idea what the hell he was talking about.”
“Can he do anything to hurt you?” Pepper asked.
Mikial shook his head. “I’m legal and above board in my business dealings, in all my business dealings. I have no idea what he’s talking about.”
“Could something like this really hurt you?” she asked.
“It depends on what he does,” Mikial admitted. “I can’t imagine what he’s thinking about that could hurt me but as far as I know, there’s nothing.”
“Well, let’s just wait and see what he comes up with,” Barshan suggested. “Knowing a crooked attorney, it could be anything.”
“What I want to know is why he would think you would need him,” Raven pointed out. “Wouldn’t any attorney do the same thing he would do?”
The silence was broken when Yuri’s phone rang. When he answered the call, everyone could hear a hysterical voice on the other end. Yuri couldn’t get a word in anywhere as he listened to his caller.
Then Barshan’s phone rang and again, another voice bespoke of problems.
Again, Mikial’s phone rang and when he answered, he heard his manager at the Import business on the other end. “Mike, what the hell is going on?”
“The cops are here sweeping the place,” Mike grumbled.
“What are they looking for?”
“Damn if I know,” Mike replied. “They claimed they got a report of contraband being stored here but they never said what kind.” He sighed. “Whatever it is, they are ripping the place apart.”
“Okay, just let them look. We have nothing to hide,” Mikial told him. “Look I have to go I’m getting another call.” He disconnected Mike’s call and answered the second call. It was the manager of the gallery. “Boss the police are here and taking inventory,” his manager Beth told him.
“And?”
“After the shooting the other day, we moved several of Jessie Carter’s paintings into storage and one of them is missing entirely. The little girl painting is gone. The police are saying the missing painting has been stolen and it looks like it could be an inside job. Leon Knight is claiming the painting is worth a million dollars. According to the police, he’s demanding we turn the painting over to him, today.”
Mikial gripped the phone tightly. “The painting isn’t missing. It’s with me. No one took the painting. It’s just not in the gallery at the moment. Tell the police that and if they have any more questions they can call me in person.”
“Hang on a minute, the police want to talk to you,” Beth told him as she handed the phone over to the police.
“This is Detective Ross Maron. Who am I speaking with?”
“This is Mikial Bannonkov. I’m part owner of the gallery.”
“Oh yes, Mr. Bannonkov, I’m here to investigate the possible robbery of one of the Carter Paintings,” the detective told him.
“The painting in question is not missing. I have it in my custody.”
“Yeah, well that may be but Mr. Knight has shown proof that he’s the legal owner of the painting and he wants the painting back in his hands today.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Mikial told the officer. “All the paintings are safe and in the custody of the gallery. I looked into the ownership of the painting and as far as I am aware, Mr. Knight does not represent Ms. Carter’s estate, i.e. he has no legal claim on the painting at all. They do not belong to him at all. I suggest you look into that rather than run around in circles looking for something he doesn’t even own.” Mikial hung up the phone and glared at his brothers. “Leon’s claiming theft of the painting and he wants it back today. Also the police are ripping the warehouse apart looking for contraband they got a tip about.”
“My security offices were raided after a tip was reported about us doing a loan sharking business out of the offices,” Barshan told them.
“Aaron called me to report the police were there looking for steroids and other illegal stimulants in the gym.” Sazon snarled.
Yuri nodded. “The police are downstairs. They want access to my security tapes to search for proof that several of our past clients have been ripped off. They’re looking for evidence of the robberies on our films.”
Yuri’s phone went off again and this time, it was Roman. The only one of them that had been missing this morning. He listened for a moment then hung up the phone. He looked over at Mikial. “That was Roman. The police showed up this morning looking for records of smuggling.”
“Smuggling?” Pepper cried out. “Smuggling what?”
Yuri turned to her. “Roman runs most of the ferry service in this town, and he also has a shipping service that runs from New Orleans to Minneapolis. He ships goods up and down the Mississippi River all year long.” Turning to Mikial he stated, “This is probably what Leon meant when he told you, you would need him more today than yesterday.”
“That dirty bastard.” Mikial growled.
“I can’t help but wonder what he’s really after.” Raven exclaimed.
“What do you mean?” Yuri asked. “It’s obvious. He wants Mikial to yield to him.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. He’s bringing too much busy work down on all of you.” She pointed out. “Think about it, if he was after just Mikial, he would have just done his business. By bringing heat down on all of you, he wanted to show you he could and would bring down all of you, not just Mikial.”
Yuri thought about what she said for a moment. Looking over at Mikial he agreed with her reasoning. “She could be right.”
“So what else could he be after?” Sazon asked.
Mikial rubbed his fingers through his short hair. “We discussed this earlier, about me taking on a silent partner. He never told me who but we determined it must be Flynn.”
“I wonder what Flynn is really after?” Yuri questioned. “I mean what would he need an Import/Export business for?”
“How about to avoid customs when bringing something into the country he shouldn’t be,” Raven explained. She laid her phone on the table.
“What do you mean?” Yuri asked turning to his right side to see her.
“I have connections on the streets from many years of living there and I just checked with one of them. Stevie told me rumors are floating around that Flynn was bringing in a shipment of diamonds and other contraband from a major Europe ring. Word is he’s looking for a way to build a pipeline for his ill-gotten gains.”
“How the hell did you find this out already?” Mikial exclaimed.
Raven shrugged. “People on the streets hear all kinds of things no one else wants them to know. Most people pay no attention to street people, overlooking those who don’t mean anything to them. Sometimes it pays to know the right people.”
Yuri smiled and reached his hand around her neck, pulling her close to him. “It does indeed.” His lips crushed hers and the kiss they shared was long and wet.
Raven sat back in her chair almost dazed a few minutes later.
Mikial broke the silence, “So what are we going to do about this?”