Chapter Fourteen
Pepper sat on the floor in the corner of Flynn’s office. People had been coming and going most of the day. She hadn’t been listening to the conversations around her or at least not trying to anyway. Flynn conducted his business as usual and Pepper didn’t think that was a good sign for her.
After McKenna left this morning, she’d been back once. The other woman had ignored her completely, which suited Pepper just fine. It was only as McKenna was leaving that her attention turned to Pepper. McKenna stared at her for the longest time then she stomped over to where Pepper was sitting. She raised her foot and quickly kicked her in the stomach.
The attack caught Pepper off guard and took her breath away. She was left gasping for air when McKenna kicked her again and would have for a third time but Flynn pulled her away. “I told you this already cousin, don’t damage the goods.”
“But I’m really pissed and Leon isn’t here. I have to hit someone, it might as well be her. She’s the reason for my anger.” McKenna rallied.
“Lady, that’s so ass backward.” Pepper coughed and spit up a mouthful of blood. “I’m not the one who betrayed you, Leon did.”
“You shut your whore mouth!” McKenna screamed. “You shouldn’t even be breathing. You have no right to be alive.”
Pepper grimaced as she sat up and tried to move away from the crazy woman. “You’re blaming the wrong person sweetheart. Go cut the nuts off your husband. He’s the one that stuck his cock into someone who wasn’t you, not me.”
McKenna began struggling to get away from her cousin. “I’m gonna kill you, you foulmouthed little bitch!” McKenna screamed.
Flynn hustled her over to the door and pushed her out into the other room. Slamming the door behind her, he snapped the lock and turned to face Pepper. Shaking his head he said, “Lady you just don’t know when to quit, do you? Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to poke a wild animal?”
“Screw you.” Pepper growled.
“No thank you.” He nodded at her. “I don’t take sloppy seconds to the bear.”
“The bear?” Pepper questioned.
“You belong to the Russian.” Flynn shrugged. “He’s a bear.”
“What does that make you?” she asked.
“Me?” He grinned. “I’m a fox, quick, cleaver, and a great hunter.”
Pepper rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.
Flynn went back over to his desk and sat down. Ignoring her, he began working again.
Pepper leaned back against the wall and rubbed her sore ribs. McKenna had kicked her good and hard and she knew from past experience she would have bruises there soon enough. Brushing her wild hair back, she combed the long lengths with her fingers and finally began to braid her hair to keep it out of her face. As the day wore on, she couldn’t help but begin to worry about Mikial and what he was doing. She hoped he wouldn’t leave her with this maniac for two whole days but didn’t dare to hope he would come for her.
She had only just found him but he was the only one she would ever love. She knew that in her heart, so she had no regrets telling him the words he’d wanted to hear. The moment she said them, his eyes filled with so much emotion, it had filled her own heart.
Now, the longer time she spent with Timothy Flynn the more doubt she was beginning to feel.
Closing her eyes, she saw Mikial’s face again. The strong lines and curves she adored so much. The light in his blue eyes, the stubble along his jaw and his short blond hair. His hard body and large frame with those powerful arms that held her so tightly. All put together that made him the man he was and yet, all those things didn’t define the man he was inside.
Those things didn’t define the honor inside him. He was so much more than what he looked like and even though the outside of him was so fine, it was the man inside that mattered more to her. And just then she prayed she would see him again. She so wanted to feel his arms around her again, she so wanted to feel his skin against hers again, and for the rest of her life.
Three hours after Mikial returned, Raven got a call back from her friends on the street. It was the one call that gave them hope they had found Timothy Flynn. The caller told them McKenna Knight had visited the warehouse near the old peer twice that day.
Both times, she’d entered upset but left furious. This last time, it was reported she was escorted by one of Flynn’s men to her car and she was watched as she left. To Mikial, that meant one thing, Pepper had finally met her father’s wife and McKenna wasn’t happy about the encounter.
He knew they had to move quickly before Pepper got hurt. He wasn’t going to honor his deal with Flynn and he doubted Flynn really believed he would. He might have the rest of the city in fear of him but Mikial wasn’t afraid of the man. Even if he’d been standing alone, he wouldn’t have feared the man but he wasn’t alone. With his brothers, he would never stand alone.
He joined Yuri and the others in the security room in the basement of the hotel. When he entered the room, he noticed the thirty or so men all getting geared up to storm Flynn’s warehouse. All the men were dressed in black and checking weapons. They resembled a small army and Mikial supposed that’s what they were.
“Are we good to go?” Yuri asked as he looked over at Mikial.
Mikial nodded. “We end this today.”
Yuri slapped a hand down on Mikial’s shoulder. “We’ll get her back to you and teach Flynn a lesson he should have learned a long time ago.”
Mikial stared at his brother for a moment. “Flynn is mine.”
“Agreed,” Yuri assured him as he put his hands up.
“Then let the lessons begin.” Mikial smiled.
As the darkening shadows began creeping in around the docks, some of those shadows moved into place. Every so often, one of the shadows chirped different sounds, not loud enough for anyone to hear except for those who knew what the sounds meant.
Then all the shadows were silent. They had somehow found their way inside the warehouse and were about to ruin Timothy Flynn’s day.
Once inside the building, Mikial’s eyes adjusted to the dim interior. Inside were seven men and three women. The men were playing cards while the women watched. They had opened bottles of beer on the table and they weren’t paying attention to anyone but themselves. Mikial saw Barshan’s and Yuri’s men scatter and get into position. What he didn’t see was Flynn or Pepper. He scanned the inside of the warehouse again, and still did not see them. But he did find a closed door at the far end.
Mikial moved closer, staying in the shadows. He was about to storm the door when it opened from the inside and Timothy Flynn walked out. He was looking down at the paper in his hand. He glanced up briefly, then walked three more steps toward his men and stopped.
He stiffened then slowly turned to face his office again. As he did, Mikial watched his eyes scanning the room. Almost as if he knew they were there. Mikial narrowed his own eyes and glared at Flynn. Without another sound, Mikial rose to his feet and stepped out of the shadows. Facing Flynn, he noted Flynn dropped the paper in his hand and reached back to grab the weapon at his back.
Mikial raised his gun and pointed it at Flynn.
Flynn paused and raised his hands. “You know I almost expected this from you.”
“Then you shouldn’t really be surprised, should you?” Mikial growled.
Flynn smiled. “I suppose you came after your woman?”
“I did.”
Flynn nodded to the office behind him. “She’s safe.”
“Pepper,”Mikial raised his voice a bit. “Can you come out here?”
A moment later, he felt her come up behind him but Mikial never took his eyes off Flynn. He didn’t dare look at her yet but he felt her.
Then Flynn made a mistake. He took his eyes off Mikial and dropped his hands.
Mikial saw his hand sneaking for the pistol he knew the other man carried. Without blinking, Mikial squeezed the trigger on his own weapon.
Flynn flew backward without making a sound and then all hell broke loose. Shots were fired and screams rang out. But the chaos only lasted a few minutes and when it was over, the silence was deafening.
Mikial still hadn’t taken his eyes off of Flynn. The other man hadn’t moved but the pool of blood he was laying in had increased. Mikial went over to him and gazed down at his body. There was a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. Timothy Flynn had died the same violent way he lived. His struggle was over.
Mikial finally glanced at Pepper. He noted the bruises and dried blood on her face. He rose to his feet and walked over to her. When he reached her, he brushed her hair away from her face. “Are you okay?”
Pepper wrapped her arms around his waist and planted her face in his chest. “I am now,” she whispered. “You came for me. I prayed you would come f-for me.” Her words were broken with sobs.
“I will always come for you,” he whispered back. “You are my woman.”
Lifting her head, she looked him in the face. “I love you.”
Mikial smiled. “I love you too.”
“Can we go home now?”
Mikial felt Yuri and the others coming up behind him. “Give us a moment to search Flynn’s office. We need to try and find out what he was waiting for in that shipment.”
“Why?” she asked. “What difference does it make now?”
“It was important enough for him to kidnap you so there must be something big in there,” Yuri explained. “We need to know if our city is protected against our enemies. We don’t want to run the risk of a war and be unprepared.”
Pepper nodded. “Okay that makes sense.”
Mikial led her over to a stack of boxes and helped her sit down while he took in the damage. When she flinched at his touch, he growled. “What the fuck did he do to you?”
Pepper shook her head. “This wasn’t Flynn’s doing.”
“What does that mean?” Mikial frowned.
“This was McKenna’s doing. When Flynn told her who I was, she didn’t appreciate the fact that I was innocent of any wrong doing.”
“Stupid bitch,” Mikial muttered. He lifted her shirt and found ugly bruises on her stomach. Wincing he shook his head. “She certainly went to town on you didn’t she?”
Pepper snorted. “This was her second visit.”
“Her second visit?”
“Yeah, she came back. Flynn told her she needed to protect her children from the fallout their father was going to leave so she left, then she came back. She would have stomped me into the dust if he hadn’t stepped in to stop her.”
“She blames you for her husband’s infidelity?”
Pepper nodded. “She said I shouldn’t be allowed to exist, that I never should have been born.” Tears rolled down her face. “I told her I didn’t ask to be born but she didn’t hear me. She looked at me like she wanted me dead. She wants me dead and I don’t think she’s going to stop until I am.”
“Bloody hell if I let that happen.” Mikial growled.
“I think she’s crazier than Flynn. She definitely had murder in her eyes.”
Yuri came over to where they were sitting. “We have what we need here, let’s go back to the hotel, and sort it all out.”
Mikial looked at him. “We may have another problem to settle.”
“Tell me about it when we get back.” Yuri nodded.
An hour later, they all met in Yuri suite. All the paperwork from Flynn’s office was spread around the table and everyone was looking at a small but elite empire.
“Well,” Yuri said as he sat back in his chair. “Flynn was indeed building his place in the hierarchy of the underground of this city wasn’t he?”
“He was indeed,” Sazon agreed. “But I don’t think he would have remained hidden for long.”
“You’re right about that,” Barshan explained. “With his family ties he was waiting until he had enough power then he was going to rub it in their faces. Black sheep makes good.”
“But he would have made his money from drugs and guns and prostitution. Nothing he would have been able to brag about,” Mikial added. “He would have been nothing more than a pimp, while the rest of his family made their millions in legitimate businesses. He still would have failed.”
Pepper scoffed. “Yeah well, the rest of his family is crazier than he was. The ones I’ve met anyway wouldn’t win any prizes.”
“Tell us what happened?” Yuri asked.
“McKenna Knight blamed me for the fact that her husband found himself a girlfriend,” she explained. “She told me I had no right to be alive.”
“That’s crazy!” Sazon exclaimed. “You didn’t ask to be born.”
“I tried to tell her that but she wouldn’t listen. I doubt she ever will. She won’t stop until I’m dead.”
“Then we stop her before she can strike again.” Yuri looked at the men around the room.
“What does that mean?’ Pepper asked.
“I’ve been asking around town,” Raven began. “McKenna Knight is not very well liked by too many people. Word is out that she’s a snob of the worst kind and if you slight her or she thinks you have she’ll ruin you.” Raven shook her head. “I really hate that sort of person, don’t you?”
Pepper grinned. “What do you have in mind?”
“I’ve been doing some checking this afternoon. She’s been moving her family money around, so it’s not linked with Leon’s wealth. All of his money is frozen at the moment. The FBI and Homeland Security are looking into his legal affairs and have found some interesting things. Leon has been a very naughty boy considering he wanted to run for attorney general.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “She never even bailed his ass out of jail this afternoon. She was on her way to do just that but she never got there.”
“Yeah, she stopped by the warehouse and found me and changed her mind about that,” Pepper admitted.
“After she left the warehouse, my people followed her to the courthouse. Apparently, she saw her husband and they had a terrible fight. She was almost arrested before police got her out the door. Then she went back to the warehouse. When she left the second time, she went to a bar and started drinking. God only knows what she’s going to do now.”
Pepper shivered and Mikial hauled her into his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, she laid her head on his chest. “I can’t go back to living in fear,” she whispered. “I just can’t.”
“You don’t have to,” Mikial assured her. “We’ll stop her.”
Pepper shook her head. “You can’t stop crazy and that’s what she is. This has put her over the edge and she won’t stop until I’m dead.”
Mikial growled and tightened his hold on her. Looking up, he caught Yuri’s eyes.
Yuri read the rage deep in the other man’s eyes and he knew what that rage was like. “We won’t allow that to happen. She’s going down.”
The next morning when Mikial and Pepper joined Yuri and Raven for breakfast, Raven smiled. “Phase one has begun.”
“Excuse me?” Pepper frowned.
“McKenna is going to learn a hard lesson today.”
“What kind of lesson?”
“She’s going to lose all her money when the bank opens this morning, then the schools are going to start calling about unpaid tuition. From what I’ve heard, she’ll be badly hung over too.” Raven grinned.
“How is this possible?”
“Well rumor has it certain papers from the warehouse linked McKenna to Timothy Flynn’s illegal business practices. That alone with the police finding his body along with several of his men called in gathering up the rest of his little gang. All the rest of his men are being questioned about the murders. Again, certain papers were found that showed Flynn was cheating his men and no one likes a cheater. Homeland and the FBI have frozen everything connected with Flynn and McKenna until they can sort it all out.”
“That’s too bad.” Pepper chuckled. “She won’t be able to go to lunch at the club today. Poor darling.”
Pepper’s phone rang and when she answered the call, it was Paul Windjue. “Hey Dad, what’s up?”
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine why?”
“Because the police were called to McKenna Knight’s home early this morning. The FBI found paperwork in a warehouse that linked this woman with a lowlife named Timothy Flynn. In the middle of the interview, she received a call from someone the police have linked to a series of murders. She acted like there was nothing wrong in setting up a murder in front of the police. Needless to say, they arrested her on the spot.” Paul hesitated then asked, “What connection do you have to McKenna or Leon Knight?”
“I just found out Leon Knight is the man who fathered me. And my mother is Jessie Carter.”
“Oh, I see.”
“No Daddy, you don’t see,” Pepper whispered. “You and Marie are my family. You and Marie took me in when I had nobody or nothing. Leon murdered my mother when she told him she wanted to get married. At the time she asked, he was already married with two kids. He never told her.” Her voice broke for a moment. “I saw him strangle her and he would have killed me too, except I escaped. You found me days later.”
“Have you had anything to do with what’s been happening to them the last few days?” Paul asked.
“No, but Timothy Flynn kidnapped me the other day. That’s when McKenna Knight found out I was her husband’s bastard child. She wasn’t happy about it.”
“Are the Russians involved in any way?”
“No. I got away on my own. Some men burst into the warehouse and while Flynn was busy I got the hell out of there,” Pepper lied as she met and kept her eyes on Yuri.
“Did you see who broke in?”
“No I didn’t. I wasn’t really looking to get shot at. I just escaped out the window. I didn’t look back.”
“Okay baby. Those two are going down and the minor children have other family to take care of them. Can you come in a few days and give us a statement?”
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Okay honey, I guess I’ll talk to you later. Take care.”
“I will.” Pepper ended the call.
“Why did you lie to him?” Mikial asked.
Pepper gazed at him. “You and your brothers took a risk to get me back. This is a lie I can live with easily. Plus, I’ve never lied to him before. They taught me to always tell the truth.” She looked at everyone and chuckled. “McKenna was so out of it she took a call from a contract killer in front of the FBI. Needless to say, she’ll be going to jail for her part. Paul told me the family will take the children in and care for them so everyone is okay.”
“Everyone but you,” Mikial reminded her. “You still can’t prove who you really are.”
Pepper turned to him and placed both her hands on either side of her face. Searching his eyes for a moment, she asked him, “Do you love me?”
Mikial nodded. “I do.”
“I love you too. Does any of the rest of it matter?” she asked. “The money is only paper, and I have a great name already, given to me when I was four years old. Paul and Marie shared so much with me, they were the ones there for me when I had nightmares in the middle of the night. Marie was the one who was at my side when I was sick. They are the ones who encouraged me to go find my dreams. I’m okay with them as my parents, if you are.”
Mikial smiled. “I like that idea. Of course, we’ll have to find some kind of birth certificate that you can use.”
“Why is that?” Pepper asked.
“You can’t marry me without one,” he whispered in her ear.
Pepper smiled as her heart warmed. “So maybe we’ll just live in sin instead.”
“Nope, I want the whole world to know you belong to me and the only way to do that is to marry you.”
“I guess I can live with that,” she whispered as he crushed her lips under his.
The End