“Deva, dammit! Does Aleksei even know of your plan to come here?” Lance hissed his question through clenched teeth as they walked through the Northwestern Hospital lobby. On the other hand, she was glad that Kai stayed silent. Sasha was waiting for them, her lab coat on, her glasses on the tip of her nose and her blond hair in a loose bun on top of her head.
Deva ignored the two men behind her and went to her cousin, taking her in her arms in a quick hug.
“I almost feared you wouldn’t show up.”
Sasha smirked. “Me? Pass up the opportunity to inflict pain on a man I despise? Not a chance.” And then, her eyes flickered to the men behind her. “Hey, Lance! Good to see you again.” And when she looked at Kai, her cousin gaped a little at the Hawaiian god. But Deva couldn’t blame her. “And you brought a friend. Hello, I’m Sasha.”
And Deva rolled her eyes as she saw Kai going into full flirtation mode. It was amusing seeing Sasha a little bit flustered by the imposing man’s attention. Even if Deva wished she would stick to the program, the reason why they were there was time sensitive.
“Any news about Mex?”
Sasha, still a little flushed, got back to business. “I pulled a shitload of favors for you, Deva. And even with that, we won’t get a lot of time.”
“Will you get in trouble, Sasha?”
The men remained close, and there was definite interest on their part to hear her cousin’s answers.
But instead of her smart-ass self, Deva saw a new side of her cousin. Darker, more serious with a hint of anger.
“I never regret my decisions, Deva. You know that. Whatever they may be. Now quickly. Follow me.”
The three of them followed Sasha through the maze of corridors, elevators and nurse stations.
As they reached the secured wing, Sasha used her badge to give them access. Deva looked around and saw a few guards at the nurse station. Although the rest of the hospital looked great, this wing was more luxurious, catering to a wealthier clientele. After two more turns, Sasha stopped before a door at the end of the corridor. Looking at her watch, she nodded.
“I’ve checked the schedule. After lunch and the visit from his treating physician, there is a 20-minute window before the next checkup. We have fifteen minutes. I’ll go first, to make sure he’s alone. In this type of room, there is a small, separate sitting room. Lance and Kai, you can stay there. And when I say we go, we go. No hesitation. Are we clear, Deva?”
Deva rubbed her palms on her jeans and nodded jerkily. Nervousness crept like before at the idea of confronting her father, but she had run out of ideas. So that was it.
“Let’s do this.”
“Deva, I think this is the worst idea of the year.” Lance almost tugged at his platinum blond hair in frustration. “And when Aleksei and Oz find out...”
Deva shook her head. “We need a lead, and we need one fast. I won’t be put under a glass bell by anyone, you know that. If you want out...”
The former Navy SEAL snarled which was so out of character, she almost jerked in surprise. “Don’t try to goad me, Deva. You’re not up for the challenge.”
Kai jumped in, as if impatient to make Lance lose his temper. “And maybe I am Navy SEAL. And as one Delta Force is worth two SEALs, if you want a go...”
Instead of responding to Kai, Lance only hissed and grabbed his arm, pushing the troublemaker into the sitting room.
Sasha peeked inside the room and entered, gesturing for Deva to follow her. On the bed, surrounded by a couple of machines, and his body in a pale blue hospital gown, there he was. Mex Johnson, her father. How inoffensive he looked now, Deva thought.
Her cousin examined his chart as Deva stayed near the door. Beyond it was two very dangerous men there to protect her, she had to remember that. And without a weapon, Mex was much less dangerous.
“Okay, he’s under with painkillers. I’ll stop the drip, and he should regain consciousness in less than a minute.”
“Do, it.”
As she was waiting, Deva noticed something dangling from the railing. Restraint cuffs. She would be a total idiot not to use them.
“What the hell are you doing?” Sasha had turned from recalibrating the machines to find Deva finishing tying her father down.
“Don’t tell me you disapprove, Sasha.”
“Damn, no. I approve. I just wished I had the idea first.”
Mex started stirring. A moan of pain came from his lips.
Deva panicked a little. “How soundproof is this room do you think?”
Sasha looked around. “From what I know, very good. But there may be limits. Ten minutes before the round. Don’t forget.”
Mex opened his eyes and blinked several times to focus. He tried to move, but he grimaced in pain. Deva knew exactly when the drug wore off enough for him to realize where he was and who was standing by his bed.
“Oh, fuck.” And as he tried to push himself up, he noticed the shackles. “Are you insane?” And then Mex turned and saw Sasha.
“If it isn’t the bitch doctor. After what happened in Africa, I thought you switched careers from doctor to war whore.”
Deva didn’t have time to react when Sasha’s slap cracked inside the room. Mex only laughed.
“I’m not into pain, sweet pea. But if you want to suck me off, I’m all for it.”
“Enough!” Deva shook her head at her cousin who was ready to emasculate him. “Father, all we need is information. Simple as that. You give it to us, and we go.”
The MC president looked her as if she had grown two heads before a grin split his lips. “Daughter. I don’t know who you think you are talking to, but you can’t expect me to roll over like one of your boy toys. And after firing at me, two times, my dear child, you can fucking die for all that I care.”
“Well, that won’t happen. What is Finch up to? What is he planning?”
Now, Mex laughed at her, and Deva knew that she had to act quickly. Bracing herself, she put a hand on his wounded thigh and squeezed for a second. The mirth turned into a howl of agony.
She saw Sasha wince a little but knew that time was of the essence. “That’s your freebie, Father. Next time, I’m going to squeeze so hard, you’ll need more than one surgery.” When she saw him hesitating, she squeezed again. The strangled scream coming from him made her nauseous, but she persisted. When she released the pressure, the man was pouring out sweat, working hard to catch his breath. Blood now soaked his dressing.
“You’re fucking mad!”
“It must be my bloodline.” As she moved to touch his thigh again, he winced and yelped.
“Wait! I don’t know exactly what Finch is planning. He only told me that if I supported him, if I lent him the MC when needed, he would help me in regaining what I’ve lost, and even gain more territories.”
“What do you mean, what you lost?”
“You think that you disappearing didn’t have any consequences? Because of you, there was a war, and I’ve lost money, men, and many sources of income. Finch helped me re-establish some of those sources, and in return, I must wait for his signal.”
“A signal for what?”
Mex shook his head. “I don’t know. He said that there may be some trouble after he’s done, that he may need to calm people down.”
Sasha shifted. “We need to go, now.”
But Deva felt that she was onto something and didn’t want to leave.
“When is it supposed to happen?”
Mex hesitated, but Deva pressed her hand on the now bleeding flesh. “Tell me, dammit!”
“Soon. He told me soon. He said to be patient and that his plan had been in the making for years!!!”
So many more questions, but before she could ask them, Sasha was pulling her out of the room. “I said out! I reopened his painkillers, he will be out when the nurses come in, which will give us a little more time.”
In the sitting room, Kai opened the door, and as they were to leave, four men walked in. Deva froze when she recognized Semyon. Why on earth would the Chicago Bratva second-in-command visit an MC president? And by the look on Semyon’s face, he wasn’t very happy to see her either. Furious was more the word.
When he reached for his gun, Deva knew she screamed but everything went so fast, it was as if moving in slow motion. And someone grabbed her and threw her out of the room. Her body rolled and slid on the floor until she slammed into the opposite wall.
Sasha crawled out and then the door slammed shut on the men. From the noises coming from the room, it was sounding like a pack of mating rhinos.
“Go Sasha. Go now!”
“I’m not leaving you, Deva, or those two lunatics!”
“I’m not letting you get entangled in this mess that could mean the end of your career!”
“And I’m not leaving you alone, ma belle. Forget it.”
Right then, the door opened, and Semyon and another man rushed out. In the background, Deva saw a glimpse of Lance still wrestling one tall man. Kai was nowhere to be seen. Semyon drew a gun on them, and Deva knew she should have made a move sooner.
The Russian snarled. “You two, come with me.” Semyon turned her around and poked his gun in her back. The other man did the same with Sasha.
“We’re walking out of here in a civilized manner and nobody dies.”
Sasha hissed at her captor. “And if we want to die?”
Semyon only smiled at her. “Well, your cousin will definitely precede you to the tomb. What about that?”
Deva exchanged a desperate look with Sasha who only pinched her lips. No way out for the moment. Semyon and his man steered them in the corridors until they reached the elevators. Alone, he punched the button for the hospital’s parking lot.
“So sweet of you to visit my father, Semyon. I didn’t know that you and Gerasim had such a compassionate heart, or maybe you had another goal in mind.”
He fisted her hair and pulled. Deva bit back a whimper of pain, all too aware of the gun digging into her back. “Shut up! And be thankful to still be alive.”
Just as the door opened, he released her head and pushed her forward. Sasha followed silently, submitting to the menace. Deva was desperate to find any opening, any crack that could allow them to flee. She didn’t know the implications of the Bratva with her father, or with Finch, but there were very few options where she remained alive. The best scenario was being delivered as a gift to her father. The worst was death.
They approached a big SUV on the far left of the parking garage. Heart pounding, Deva was about to attempt anything, even pleading to release Sasha when something hit her on the head, and everything turned black.