1
NOW
Vasilije
Aleksandar bounced his knee as he stared out the rain-soaked window, and the noise got on my fucking nerves. Why was he so twitchy? This was the third meet and greet we’d done. I sat beside him in the back seat of a Lexus SUV and thought about making him stop by pressing the barrel of my Glock to his kneecap.
Not that I’d shoot him.
I mean, this Lexus just came into the dealership yesterday.
“Alek,” I barked.
His knee stopped vibrating, his head swung to look at me, and I got a view of his stupid face. His forehead was too big and flat, and his eyes were small.
“What?” he asked. His leg went back at it, jackhammering his heel against the floorboard. Could he not hear how fucking irritating he was? I glared down at the offending leg, and it slowed to a stop. “Sorry. I had a Red Bull right after you called.”
Great. He was jittery from too much sugar and caffeine, which meant he’d find some other way to annoy me in thirty seconds.
I couldn’t stand unnecessary noise. Fingers drumming on a table made me clench my jaw until it ached. A pen clicking incessantly filled me with rage. And when Alek opened his dumb fucking mouth to say some dumb fucking thing, everything went red.
“How much further?” I raised my voice to John, my driver.
He glanced at the navigation system. “Five minutes.”
Rain pelted the car, but otherwise the interior was quiet. The Lexus was a nice ride. Maybe I’d tell the dealership not to put it on the website for a few weeks. I was getting tired of the Porsche I’d loaned out to myself, and I needed to move it soon. Smart people didn’t buy sports cars during the winter in Chicago, and smart people usually had money.
It was dark on the street. Either there weren’t any streetlights, or they’d been disabled. Either way suited me. I didn’t want anyone looking too closely at what was about to go down. I shouldn’t even be here. This was beneath me, but my son of a bitch uncle had ‘asked’ me to oversee the Russian meet and greets, so I had no choice.
When Goran Markovic gave an order, it got followed.
I was going to change that someday, but for now I obeyed. I played my part.
John pulled up to a curb, put the car in park, and glanced out the passenger window. “You want me to leave it running?”
“No,” I said, staring at the warehouse. I had a feeling this was going to take a while.
Alek got out on the sidewalk and looked up at the sky as if surprised it was raining on him. “Vasilije, you want me to get an umbrella?”
Even the way he said my name was irritating. He said it Vah-seal-eh, putting weird emphasis on the middle syllable, when everyone else said Vah-sill-eh. Because it was my fucking name.
I ignored him and got out of the car. It wasn’t a downpour, but huge drops fell like they were being hurled at us from the moonless night sky. The warehouse had one yellowy light perched over the door, which barely lit the keypad beside the handle.
While Alek banged his fist on the door, I scanned the surroundings. No lights on the street, and no cameras, either. We were on the south side of the city, but it looked deserted and miles from any kind of life. Almost something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. I’d bet my left nut most of the warehouse space on this block hadn’t been leased in the last decade.
The door swung open and Filip, my uncle’s head enforcer, stuck his head out.
“We’re getting rained on,” Alek whined.
Filip wiped the raindrops from his bald head, shoved his gun in the front of his pants, and pushed the door open further, moving out of the way. “You got here fast. Wasn’t expecting you for another ten minutes.”
I ducked out of the rain and stepped into a shitshow.
The first body was only a few feet inside. The guy was face-down with half his head splattered on the wall. “This one,” Filip flicked a finger at the body, “tried to run.” He spoke in Serbian. “Little Russian pussy.”
Filip’s men chuckled and murmured in agreement. There were at least seven of them I could see, and the other two were probably off herding the women. Including himself, Filip always ran a ten-man crew. He’d been working for my uncle for a long time and was sharp as a knife. I respected him, but had to be careful. Every action or phrase was reported back to Goran.
My uncle didn’t trust anyone, including his own family.
Of course, there were a lot fewer of us these days. His son was four years into a twenty-year sentence at Wabash Valley Correctional. My father was dead, and my brother fled town. My aunt’s husband wasn’t blood, and he didn’t have the stomach or the head for the business, anyway. I was a twenty-four-year-old college dropout and general fuck-up, and next in line, much to my uncle’s displeasure.
If Goran had his way, he’d live forever as the reigning king of the Markovic empire.
Yeah, well, fuck that.
The only light on in the cavernous space was by the door, and it took my eyes a moment to adjust to the low visibility. There were two more dead Russians, laying in heaps on the bare concrete floor. Cleanup should be easy. It looked like tonight was the first time this place had seen any action in weeks. Brown beams stretched up as columns, supporting the roof.
“Did we know any of them?” I asked.
“No.” Filip watched me carefully as I looked down at the body by my feet. “I don’t recognize them.”
“Where are the others?”
The talking between the crew stopped abruptly, and Filip’s unease was visible. “That’s it.”
The rain must have soaked through my jacket and shirt, because I felt cold. “Just three? How many girls?”
“Fourteen.”
I could hear them deeper in the warehouse, probably sitting on the floor in the darkness, quieting coughs and sniffles. I’d get to them in a minute. Right now, we had a serious issue. “Who the fuck sends three guys to handle all this?”
Filip reseated the gun in the waistband of his pants as if uncomfortable. “This was my concern as well.”
I texted my driver to start the car. I wasn’t taking any chances. My father had taught me if you got a hint of a setup, it was probably already too late for you. “Fuck this shit. Let’s bail.”
We were potentially walking away from a lot of money, but at least we were walking away. Filip nodded in total agreement with me and told his guys to roll out.
Alek looked surprised. “What about the girls?”
He wasn’t asking about their well-being; he wanted some pussy. I glared at him. “Glup ko kurac.” It was Serbian for stupid as a cock. “Grab one and let’s get the fuck out of here.”
He didn’t need to be told more than once. What Alek lacked in brains, he more than made up for with loyalty and obedience, and I wanted to keep it that way. So I went with him, in case the girl put up a fight. We’d move quicker that way.
The women were huddled together, some clutching suitcases and bags like everything they owned was inside. Which was probably true. They were nearing the end of their trek from Moscow, or Saint Petersburg, or who the fuck knew what Russian city. Most of them had been traveling for days, and they sure as hell smelled like it.
Glassy, fear-filled eyes peered up at me and Alek, and two of the girls skittered backward on their hands and knees, wrapping their arms around each other. Sisters, no doubt. Every time we struck the Russians’ fresh shipment of girls, I swore it’d be the last time I’d do it. These girls left their shitty lives behind for the false promise of America. Some even thought they were coming here to become models.
Too bad most of them were too skinny to have tits. Or hadn’t ever seen a dentist.
Watching their dreams crumble into dust was a drag.
I also didn’t like dealing with the girls because I never knew what level of quality we were going to get. Drugs and cars were products where I could rely on consistency. But I got why Goran was in the business of girls. Besides the money, there was a poetic justice to having the Russians do all the leg work to bring the women to America, and then we swooped in and reaped the profit of selling their whores.
I despised the way the girls looked at me, like I was their savior. They’d watched the Russian men they thought were helping them turn into their captors. When all hope seemed lost, the Serbians showed up and slaughtered the men. The girls thought we’d come to liberate them.
Wrong. They’d just traded one set of evil men for another.
Although, today actually was their lucky day. They’d have to figure out where to go from here, but at least it wasn’t straight into the sex trade.
This crop of girls was just like all the others, maybe even uglier. Pasty, bland faces over cheap clothes and unattractive bodies. Some weren’t a total loss. With a shower and some makeup, they might even make money. I didn’t look long because we needed to hurry the fuck up. Their hopeful stares were eating at me, so I withdrew my Glock and let the gun hang at my side.
There were gasps, and every gaze dropped to the floor in terror. I’d taken my gun out not just to keep the girls quiet and pliant, but to motivate Alek. “Pick one or I pick for you.”
He frowned as if facing an impossible decision. Shit, it wasn’t that hard. He wasn’t going to marry the girl, he was just looking for a warm body to stick his dick in. Fine, I’d select a girl for him and we could—
I locked gazes with one of them.
All the others cowered in fear, but her? She didn’t seem scared, she just looked tired. The gun in my hand was unremarkable to her. The other girls had vacant stares, but the blonde’s eyes were full of fire and life. Heat licked across my skin, sizzling like a jolt of electricity.
She wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever seen. In another room, she’d probably look better than average. An eight at most. But among this crowd of ugly-assed bitches? The blonde was a ten. And she wouldn’t fucking stop staring at me. It made my skin itch.
She looked too young to buy a drink, but old enough to get into trouble. Her thick hair was the color of wheat and hung halfway down her arm in waves. It was pretty.
Wait, what? Fucking . . . pretty? I tore my gaze away.
It was like Alek knew and latched onto it. “That blonde is fucking hot.”
“She’s all right. Hurry up.”
Alek waded into the group of women. My interest sparked as he bent down and grabbed the blonde’s arm. She looked alarmed, but didn’t say a word as he hauled her up to her feet. None of the other women came to her defense. They were all in survivor mode, figuring as long as we were interested in the blonde, we’d leave them alone.
The girl was stiff as he tugged her along, and I clenched my teeth at Alek’s tight grip on her arm. I didn’t like his hand on her, which made no sense. Why did I care how he handled the Russian whore? I tried and failed to avoid her gaze and holstered my gun. The words came out before I had time to think about it. “I’ve changed my mind. Get a girl for you, I want this one.”
He hesitated and asked it more surprised than annoyed. “Really?”
I’d never taken one for myself, but the girl stared at me like I was a puzzle she wanted to figure out. It could be fun watching her try.
Alek didn’t act disappointed at losing his top choice. It was almost like he’d expected it.
Whatever. He understood who his boss was. He glanced around the group, then shook his head. “No, let’s go. The rest of them are ugly.”
Filip and his men had already gone out the back by the time we stepped out the front, and I held my hand up, shielding my eyes from the falling rain. None of this sat right with me. Goran was going to be pissed, and I’d likely be the one he’d take it out on. It’d been my call to bail, but at least Filip would back me up.
I yanked open the backseat door and stared at the girl, wordlessly commanding she get in. Her big, doe-like eyes blinked at the car, then her gaze shifted to me. My expression set. You’ll get in if you know what’s good for you.
She had a bag slung crosswise over her body, and she lifted the strap over her head to take it off as she stepped forward and climbed inside. My gun hadn’t fazed her, which meant she didn’t have a healthy fear of them, and it might make her more difficult to control.
I ducked into the back seat beside her and pulled the door closed with a solid thump. Her guarded expression and rigid posture showed just how uncomfortable she was. Her bag was in her lap, and she squeezed the strap with both hands so tightly, I could see the fatigued shake of her arms.
“You speak any English?” I demanded of her as Alek got into the passenger seat.
Her voice was soft and feminine. “Yes.”
I didn’t know how to feel about that. Sometimes it was easier when they didn’t understand, so you could talk freely. Alek wasn’t raised in a bilingual household like I was, and had trouble holding full conversations in Serbian.
“Home, John,” I said. The car eased away from the curb. I yanked my phone from my pocket and thumbed out a text to Goran.
Me: Meet and greet fell through. Might want to check with whoever scheduled it.
His text came through almost instantly.
Goran: Filip’s on it.
“I knew it,” Alek said, his tone amused.
“What’s that?” I peeled off my wet jacket, dumped it on the floor, and cranked up the heat on the rear console. It was forty degrees outside, which was average for November, but the rain had my skin chilled.
He turned around in his seat, staring at her while speaking to me. “That you’d go for her, Vasilije, if I wanted her first.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I turned my attention to her. “What’s your name?”
She stared back at the warehouse and looked worried. “What’s going to happen to those women?”
Not only did she speak English, she spoke it with barely an accent.
Breath gurgled in her throat as I wrapped my fingers around her neck and shoved her against the door. Her head cracked against the glass, and she winced. I focused in on the startled girl I had in my grip. Her pulse raced beneath my fingertips. Her eyes were wide and fixed on me. I’d slid across the seats and had my knee pressed against her thigh, and I was so close I could feel the heat rolling off her body. I felt her tremble.
In the darkened back seat, it was like we were closed in together. Just us.
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. I abruptly had the image of my cock buried between her lips and halfway down her throat. Would she stare at me the way she did now? I scowled and pushed the thought away. So not the time.
“How come you speak English so well?” I said, hissing in her face.
Her voice was weak and tight, but my grip probably had a lot to do with it. “I watch a lot of American movies.”
She gasped for breath as I released her, and I shifted back into my seat on the other side of the car.
“Your name,” I spat out. “I already asked you once.” If she didn’t answer me a second time, I’d take her name away. I’d change it to ‘whore’ like my brother Luka had done to our stepmother years ago.
The girl hesitated, but then smartened up. “Oksana.”
Her gaze drifted down and traced each strap of the under-arm holster I wore, and then lingered on my gun. Was she thinking about making a play for it? That wouldn’t end well for her—or the resale value of the Lexus.
“Where’d you come from?” I asked.
“The airport.”
Smart-ass bitch. I had my hand wrapped around her throat again, and this time I leaned into her so my lips were right by her ear. “People don’t talk to me like that, especially not whores.”
Oksana shivered and closed her eyes. Her sweater was thin and wet from the rain, and she was obviously cold. Her nipples stood out beneath the fabric. But I pretended her reaction was from the power I was exerting over her, or my proximity. I was a good-looking guy, and girls lost their shit when I paid attention to them. She gasped for breath against the squeeze of my fingers on her windpipe. I was certainly paying attention to her now, wasn’t I?
“Kazan,” she choked out. “I am from Kazan.”
Her eyes fluttered open as I released the tension from my grip, but I kept my hand in place, making sure she understood who was in charge. She seemed to get it. Her heartbeat hammered away under my touch.
“Okay, Oksana from Kazan who likes American movies,” I slid my palm down her throat until it rested threateningly at the base, “tell me how old you are.”
Her bottom lip quivered. “Twenty.”
The SUV went around a curve to merge onto the highway, and it forced my weight into her. She wasn’t as bony as most girls, and I used the opportunity to get closer. I put my left hand up on the window behind her, trapping her in.
I’d thought she was mildly attractive back at the warehouse, but now I was seeing her up close and saw how wrong I’d been. Her skin was pale and smooth. Her dusty pink lips were lush and sexy, even as she parted them and took in a stuttering, nervous breath. Icy blue eyes were surrounded by long, thick lashes.
In another setting, after a shower and better clothes, she might even be a knockout.
Oksana was so far out of Alek’s league, it was a good idea I’d taken her away from him. He’d come to expect this caliber of girl, and . . . forget it. It was just dumb luck a girl this attractive was in the batch tonight. It wouldn’t happen again.
Her chest rose and fell with her hurried breath, and I slipped my hand further down until my palm was pressed in the center of her chest. She turned to look at me, wide-eyed, and her breath hitched. My fingers were dangerously close to her breasts, and I tugged on a smile.
She wasn’t afraid of my gun, but my touch? It looked like it scared the hell out of her.