Deva pulled back her hoodie and removed her cap, running her fingers through the long tangle of dark curls. She put the first aid kit next to her and opened it. Aleksei may have cleaned some of the cuts with water, but she remembered several deeper gashes from the fight that would need more medical care than water and soap. As she prepared what was needed, Aleksei walked back, a single towel wrapped low around his hips. She may have seen him naked on several occasions, but him standing there, battered, bruised, and pissed off in a white towel, it was difficult for her not to admire this warrior. And deep down, she was glad for his level of fitness and that he could dispose of his opponent quickly.
Instead of coming over to sit beside her on the bench, he went and stood toe to toe with Lazarus. The two men were about the same height, Lazarus being slightly bulkier than his brother under his dark suit. The tension between the two men was thick and trembling with restrained anticipation.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Aleksei, I’m worried about you.”
The Russian snarled and inched even closer. Deva looked at Lance who had uncrossed his arms and stood at the ready.
“You don’t belong here. You have no right to worry.”
“You are my brother.”
“I don’t have a brother!” Anger was clearly consuming Aleksei, and Deva doubted that he would be able to listen to anything that Lazarus would say. “Where were you when I needed you the most? Nowhere! So, keep your empty promises and get out!”
Lazarus lifted his hands in appeasement, but now Aleksei roamed the small space like a caged animal. When he finally locked gaze with her, his words were like spewed poison. “And you! How could you even be here? King was the one who brought you here, wasn’t it? From the beginning, I knew something was wrong with you, you were hiding something from me. It was this son of a bitch’s idea to put you in front of me? As a distraction? Was it on your to-do list to jerk me off and fuck me?”
As she got to her feet, Deva saw Lance move to position his body closer, ready to defend her. And before she could even react, Aleksei’s aggression turned to her knight in shining armor. To his credit, Lance stayed cool as ice. Thank goodness for a man capable of taking orders.
She shook her head and put an arm over Lance’s forearm. As she touched him, Aleksei snarled, but Deva ignored him. Instead, she smiled at her blond protector and stepped in front of him. It would take more than a tattooed, grumpy fighter to tick her off.
“Don’t touch him!”
Aleksei’s eyes turned dark at her outburst, and Deva debated what the best course of action was. They were still in dangerous territory, so far, she had been lucky not to be recognized, but that luck wouldn’t hold indefinitely. They needed to get out. So, digging herself a hole was the only option.
“I knew coming here wouldn’t be a walk in the park. I needed help, which Lance offered freely. And this man who claims to be your brother seems to care about you. And from what happened in your last fight, and the conversation you had with your father, I’m worried too. All the people in this room are on your side, trying to help you.”
“I. Don’t. Need. Help.” And in a gesture of defiance, he threw his towel to the side and turned to put his clothes on. Thank goodness, his wounds were not bleeding as much as she anticipated. Deva was about to pull her hair in frustration as he continued to ignore her when the locker door flew open.
“Well, isn’t this a cozy meeting. And here I thought I would be alone congratulating my champion.”
The man dressed in an expensive gray suit was flanked by two mean-looking goons. His black hair was streaked with white at the temple, but it was his gray eyes that were a dead giveaway. Even though she had never seen him, the voice was familiar. Jamieson Finch had arrived.
His smile had a wicked twist that made Deva’s stomach lurch. Due to security, she knew that everybody in the building was weaponless, but for the first time in very long time, she itched for a gun in her hand.
The older man turned to Lazarus and shook his head. “Well, boy. You seemed to be where I expect you the least. How brotherly of you to come and cheer on Aleksei.”
Lazarus clenched his teeth at the taunt and made a move, but the goons at Finch’s side reacted instantly.
Finch pursed his lips, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, boy.”
It was Lazarus’s turn to see red. “I’m not your boy. Never was. You only use your sons as you see fit.”
The look on the older man’s face was almost benevolent. “Aw. What a mean thing to say. But you were always a difficult child. How is your mother?”
“Safe, you fucking piece of shit.”
Deva wondered how Lazarus could hold himself together. She knew Finch had tried to kidnap and kill his mother, and in his shoes, she would already have ripped his throat out.
“Son, watch your language. A lady is in the room.” When Finch’s eyes slithered to her, she felt cold and dirty. She knew scum inside out, and that was the worst of them all.
Finch’s eyes slid to her breasts, and she was glad to be covered by the large hoodie. “Imagine my surprise when I learned that Victoria Johnson was in the house, the only daughter of Mex Johnson of the Dark Blood Row MC, the most important and dangerous club in the area. A neat resurrection story if you want my opinion. Everybody thought you were dead for years, my dear. It nearly drove your dear father mad. Especially on the eve of your marriage. A runaway bride. How amusing. Did you think you could seek protection from Aleksei?”
Deva didn’t dare look away. “I don’t need protection.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. The groom you were destined for was a great catch, but Aleksei Voronov is not without charm or power. Or money.”
“I’m not using people like pawns, that’s your way of operating I’m told, Finch.”
His smile turned bright with a pinch of crazy. “You would know everything about being pushed around on a chess board, wouldn’t you Victoria? A woman’s life and will are worth less than damn motorcycles. But it’s where you belong, who you are, isn’t it? An MC princess, roaring royalty, so unlike my boys. And I can’t imagine how glad your father will be to recover you. He’s one difficult man, and I was wondering what to offer him as a boon to become his friend. You would do just fine as a gift, my dear.”
Fear almost drowned her, and she was glad to feel Lazarus and Lance closing in. Aleksei stayed silent and didn’t move, still out of her sight.
The goons stepped in her direction, Lance moved fast and hid her from view.
“I don’t think so, gentlemen.”
Finch laughed as his two guards whipped out guns and pointed out them at Lazarus’ and Lance’s heads. So much for being a weapon free zone, Deva thought.
“You come on your own two feet, my dear girl, or you’ll step on two corpses. Decide quickly.” Deva’s head reeled, but there wasn’t any choice. If she got out of her father’s grasp once, she could do it again. However, resuscitating corpses weren’t in her power.
Slowly she lifted her hands and sidestep around her two defenders. “I’ll go willingly, as long as they are unharmed.”
Bowing slowly, Finch offered her his arm which she ignored. Unoffended, the man reached for the door handle.
“Nobody leaves this room.”
At Aleksei’s deep, fierce tone, Deva froze, and the familiar clicking sound behind her made her realize that Finch wasn’t the only one who had broken the event’s rules.
Finch’s civilized veneer slipped as he looked at his son with a deadly gaze. “You would jeopardize everything you have bled for on a simple woman, Aleksei? For an MC bitch who was probably backstabbing you while you thought she was sucking your cock? Don’t be fooled son, you won’t win this fight by choosing her over me. If you step away, all the money you have accumulated will remain mine, and you will be back where you started. Is this what you want?”
Deva turned her head to look at Aleksei. The gun he was pointing at his father’s head was steady and his expression fearless. “You better go now, Father. Alone.”
Finch nodded, intelligent enough not to put himself in danger, and gestured to his goons to exit. “This is not over. I do not reward treason. You chose your camp, I hope she was worth it. Because when her father knows that she’s still breathing, you won’t have her for long. That’s a promise.”
Deva didn’t know she was in survival mode until the door closed behind the devil incarnate and she could finally draw a full breath. Her body wanted to flee, and her brain was agreeing with that plan. It was difficult to think clearly, but for everybody’s protection, she needed to get her wits into gear and fast.
Lazarus put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. “Deva, I’ll arrange a safe house for you.”
Disappearing was a temptation, but not the solution.
“I’m not going anywhere. It may be the nerves talking, but something’s wrong. It’s impossible that Jamieson Finch would know who I was so quickly.”
Lance came beside her. “Maybe one of the security guys who saw your tattoo was working for him?”
“Maybe. It doesn’t sit well with me though. There is something bigger that I don’t see. A leak.”
Lazarus shrugged. “I wish I knew what it was too. But we need to move. I’ll find you a safe house, Deva. I’ll drive you to it now.”
The logical solution but again, her gut was disagreeing with it. “No offense Lazarus, but I have the feeling that Finch knows things before we even think about it. We need to move. I’ll find a solution later.”
But as she headed for the door, Aleksei blocked her path. “No, Deva.”
She backtracked from the wall of tattooed muscles. With only his pants and boots on, he was a sight to be seen, but lust had to take a backseat. “Stop right now. You think of me as a lying spy, well, you’re not far from the truth. But I’ve sacrificed my life and freedom to be here. And one thing I fled was an overbearing, directorial male so you can stuff the attitude, Aleksei.”
Lance opened his arms to stop the confrontation and ignored the fiery stare Aleksei aimed at him. “Can we continue this conversation in a safer place? By now, the parking lot should be packed with dangerous people, some of them at war. I don’t know how long the truce will stand, but the more we wait, the more complicated it will be getting out of here without a fight.”
Aleksei grabbed a black t-shirt and got his phone out. “I’ll call my Pakan, he’ll offer protection.”
Deva winced and put a hand on his wrist to stop him. “Bad idea. Unless you want to tell him you are trying to protect an MC princess, this could backfire on you. I doubt the Russian Bratva wants to get involved.”
“So, what do you suggest? We have only one gun, and there are hundreds outside. Not all waiting for us, but many begging for a fight.” Lazarus rubbed his beard, evaluating the situation.
Deva knew all of this. And from an early age, she had learned to consider them like wild animals, feeding on the weak. They couldn’t possibly get out of here, her hiding beneath her hood. They would be swarmed in a matter of minutes. The opened first-aid kit gave her an idea.
“Aleksei, go through the warehouse and get out. Oz, Lance and I will take the emergency exit door.”
Ignoring them all, she looked at the kit and took out a pair of scissors. She removed her hoodie and threw it at Lance. “Put that on... It’s so large it should fit you, and at least you will appear like you are carrying.”
Starting with her jeans, she cut them as high as she could to make booty shorts. When she noticed her underwear peeking out, she cut them off and discarded them in the trash can.
“What the hell are you doing?” Lazarus spoke, but all three men were looking at her as if she had gone mad.
She rolled her pants legs into two tight cylinders and handed them to Lance and Lazarus. “Put that in the small of your back. The bulge should be self-explanatory.”
And then she started hacking at her t-shirt, cutting at her cleavage, and shortening its length until she made sure her tattoo was clearly visible.
Handing the scissors to Lance, she turned her back on him. “Cut it higher in the back, right side.”
Lance frowned but took the scissors, doing as she asked. A few more snips and it was done. Bracing herself, she went to the sink and put her hair under the water for a few seconds, giving it a good rub and throwing her head back. The woman looking back at her wasn’t Deva Landry anymore. It was Victoria Johnson. But ten years had passed, and her curves had filled up a bit. Her training had kept her in shape, but only fully blossomed womanhood would give her full breasts and the enticing swell of her hips. The look was blatantly sexual, but it was what she was looking for. It was the look that would give her the necessary edge and power to walk out.
The three men looking at her didn’t move. Lance shook his head as Lazarus and Aleksei stayed silent. The heat in the fighter’s gaze was undeniable. “And that is supposed to help us how again?”
“Oz and Lance flank me. Act as my bodyguards, and I’ll act as your shield.”
Lazarus shook his head but went for the door nonetheless. “The most naked shield I’ve ever seen. My car is close by, and it’s in a different direction to the motorcycles.”
Taking a deep breath, Deva pushed back her shoulders and tried to remember all that she had learned so long ago. As she was about to step out, Aleksei yanked her back. Opening her mouth to protest, he silenced her promptly with a kiss. Her brain yelled not to touch him, but her body betrayed her once more, and she fisted his hair with both her hands.
When he reared back, it was his turn to fist her hair, his face but an inch away from hers. “Whatever your plan is, I’m not walking away. Deal with it.”
Deva nodded and stepped back, and walked out first into the bowels of hell.