Nicky Read online

  Nicky held his body tight as he emptied his essence into her. He couldn’t help it, every time he was with her he fell a little deeper into her spell. She was quickly becoming more important to him than the air he breathed.

  He slid down to her side as he pulled out of her and he looked her over carefully. There was a touch of fresh blood soaking through her shoulder dressing. But the dressing on her upper arm and her leg was dry and clean. “Baby, we should look at your shoulder. I knew we did this too soon,” Nicky whispered with a heavy sigh.

  Serenity lifted her fingers and covered his mouth. “I wouldn’t have changed what just happened for anything. “ She looked at him with awe in her eyes. “I never know what to expect from you but you somehow never let me down, do you?”

  “I never want to let you down. That’s not even an option.” Nicky smiled. Leaning over her, he kissed her lips gently but it was a long kiss. When he pulled away his eyes went to her shoulder. Sighing deeply he said, “We have to redress that shoulder, then I’m sure everyone will be up for breakfast soon anyway.”

  He got up and pulled on his clothes, then scooped her up and carried her back to the bathroom. It didn’t take long to redress her shoulder then he helped her get dressed. He insisted on carrying her everywhere and ignored her protests about it as well. Then they joined the others in Nikoli’s rooms.

  When they came in, Malina called out her name and rushed over to them, as Nicky set her down near the sofa. Serenity braced herself for the pain of the little girls hug but Malina treated her carefully. Serenity bent over and wrapped her arms around the little girl.

  “Are you ok?” Malina whispered.

  “I’ll be just fine,” She assured the little girl. “And just fine is better than ok isn’t it?”

  Malina giggled. “I guess so.”

  She booped the little girl on the nose and Malina giggled out loud again then took her hand and sat down with her on the sofa.

  Bella brought her a cup of coffee and sat down beside them. “How did you sleep last night?” Bella asked.

  “It was ok.” Serenity sipped her coffee.

  Malina got up. “I’m gonna go get a cinnamon roll.” She then moved away toward the buffet table set up in the far corner of the huge room.

  Shaking her head, Bella smiled while watching her child.

  “She’s is so cute, Bella. Really.” Serenity sipped more of her coffee.

  Bella patted her thigh. “I couldn’t believe the doctor when he told Nikoli you refused the pain meds. I’m not sure I could have done that. I’m not that fond of pain.”

  Serenity snorted. “I’m not either believe me, but pain killers are toxic to me. I can’t even handle plain aspirin without becoming ill.”

  “Really? I’ve never known anyone like you before.” Bella shrugged. “But I guess it is what it is and you know your body the best.”

  “I have to ask you something.” Serenity paused then looked nervous for a moment. “How is Malina doing? I mean with everything that’s happened around here it must have turned her world upside down huh?”

  Bella set down her cup and looked over her shoulder at Nikoli. When she looked back at Serenity she nodded. “Yes, with all that has happened recently, her world has been upside down. Since before she was born it’s just been her and I, and now, Nikoli wants to claim her as his own. They were just getting to know one another when you came into the picture.” She looked over her. “The way he explained it to me began the day Nicky was born and he lost his wife. He felt dead inside and was that way for a very long time. Then Nicky came home and that started the healing process, then he found out about Malina. He felt he was getting his life back in order.”

  “Then I came along and blew him out of the water again.” Serenity nodded. “I can understand that.

  “But you really didn’t did you?” Bella asked wisely. “You did everything that Zhora wanted you to do but you also protected Nikoli didn’t you?”

  “I had to.” Serenity’s eyes grew haunted. “I knew the kind of man Z was the first time I met him. He was cold and vicious and he hated the whole world. But the one person he hated most of all was Nikoli. To see him broken and bloody would have pleased Z even more. I couldn’t let that happen.” Shrugging she continued, “Sure I didn’t know Nikoli. For all I knew, he was a man just like Z or worse. That didn’t matter to me. All that mattered was getting the better of Z. No matter what Nikoli did in the past it was in the past and it should have stayed there. Everyone has things they regret in their past, I know I do.”

  “You’re right about that my dear.” Sergi came over to where they were sitting. “The past should remain in the past. Zhora was stuck in the far past. But that isn’t the point.” He gave her a genuine smile. “I am so glad to see you up and about again. You had us all worried last night.”

  “I was fine last night. I ran a bit of a fever early this morning but when it broke, I felt so much better. Nicky was there with me and he took very good care of me.”

  “I’m so glad he was there for you.” Sergi smiled.

  “So am I.” Serenity smiled slightly. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course my dear, I might even have an answer for you.” He grinned.

  “What will happen to Z?” Shaking her head she added, “The man you call Zhora?”

  Sergi stared at her for a long moment then shrugged, “He was well aware of what would happen if he failed in his mission. He went up against the Bratva and lost. There is no walking away from that, not for him, I’m afraid. That is all I will tell you about Zhora.”

  Serenity nodded. “I will accept that answer. May I ask a favor of you?”

  Sergi raised his eyebrow but didn’t say a word.

  She raised her head and stared at the head of the Russian Bratva. “Will you tell him for me that I curse his soul and that I pray when the dark spirits come to collect his soul that they take him to the pits of eternal fire and that they leave him there for what he did to two small angels? I want him to know that before you send him to hell.”

  Sergi stared at her for a moment then he nodded slowly. “I will do as you ask.”

  Serenity let out a sigh. “I thank you for that. He deserves to burn in the fires of hell and I hope he feels the heat of those flames soon.”

  Sergi got to his feet and reached out to take her hand. Pressing his lips against her skin, he smiled and let her hand go. “It was a pleasure, little angel.” Then he stood up straight and looked at the other men in the room. “Gentlemen, we have some business to attend too. Ladies we will rejoin you shortly.”

  They all left the suite.

  The ladies knew what they were doing but no one said a word.

  When the men came to the security cells they were met by several other men. When the cell holding Zhora was opened, he barely raised his head. His eyes held nothing but defeat in them. “I guess I’m all out of second chances here huh?”

  “Indeed.” Sergi nodded. “I do however, come bearing a message for you, from Serenity.”

  “What does that bitch want now? She’s the one who brought this all down. All my hopes for revenge were gone the moment I met her.”

  Sergi nodded. “She wanted you to know that she curses your black soul and she hopes that when the dark spirits come to collect your soul that they take you to the darkest pits of the eternal fires of hell and she hopes you feel those flames for a very long time for what you did to two very small angels.” He paused, then added. “I assume you know what she means by this message?”

  “Da, I do.” Zhora shook his head. “She didn’t even know those kids, why would she care so much for children she didn’t even know? I don’t get her.”

  “She has something you never possessed. A compassion for her fellow man,” Sergi told him.

  Zhora glared at the other men standing around his cell. “Just get this over with. I’m tired and I want my forever sleep now. I’m ready to face Satan and atone for my sins, but not to worry, I’ll be ther
e when each and every one of you join me.”

  Zhora got to his feet and stood proudly for a moment. Then he turned to Sergi and sneered, “Delay vse vozmozhnoye. Do your worst old man.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  When Owen got the call, it was almost midnight. It was from his detective. “She’s in New York and you aren’t going to believe who she’s married to.”

  “Just tell me,” Owen grumbled.

  “Nicky Silvanic, son of Nikoli Silvanic, the head of the New York Bratva.”

  Owen’s heart sank in his chest. How the bloody hell did she hook up with the Russian mob? “Where are they now?”

  “They were driven back to New York and are now residing with his father at the casino.”

  “Fucking hell,” Owen swore softly.

  “Oh and that isn’t all you need to know,” the detective told him.

  “What else is there to know?”

  “There was a shooting at the hotel last night and no one knows for sure but they are claiming one person was shot during the melee.”

  Owen raised his eyebrow at the thought. If she was shot maybe she was dead already and he wouldn’t have to do anything about her. He could only hope.

  He hung up the call and sat there thinking about what his next step would be. Coming to a conclusion... he knew he would have to go to New York and find out for himself. If she were still alive, he would do what he should have done years ago. He would take her out of the equation once and for all.

  He got up and went to pack a bag.

  He hit the city that never sleeps around dawn the next day. He traveled straight to the hotel and checked in. He was sure no one would know him here but he checked in under a fictitious name. After he checked into his room, he visited the casino and checked out the security. He noted the men in blue and grey uniforms and knew automatically they were there to protect the hotel and the people running the establishment.

  He didn’t see any sign of Serenity but he didn’t really expect to. With her condition, she would tend to stand out in a crowd and she never sought that kind of attention. Realizing he would have to search the upper floors for her, he went back to his room and began making a plan.

  He went downstairs again after the supper hour was over and found his way into the kitchen. Grabbing a uniform, he changed and went back, hoping to hear the kitchen gossip about the shooting the night before.

  He got back just in time to her one of the wait staff call out an order. “There’s an order for the boss’s suite. Nine people, three steaks, five chicken dinners and one hamburger kids meal.”

  Owen smiled as he stood at the back of the room and waited until the chef had the meals ready. Then he stepped up and waited while the food was loaded onto the carts. He grabbed one of the carts and followed the others as they made their way over to a special elevator. One of the waiters pulled out a special key and inserted it into the door slot.

  Owen watched the procedure carefully as they were all loaded inside and then he waited to see which floor they were going to. The tenth floor. Looking down at the ticket on his cart, he noted the room number, 1007. That room happened to be a suite with several rooms attached to it.

  Owen smiled. He could almost taste victory but not quite yet. This trip was his recon trip only. He still had to find a way to get her out of the hotel alone. He couldn’t kill her in here, there were too many ways he could get caught and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

  But lucky for him, the hotel was on one end of Central Park. There were walking trails, biking trails there. People got lost in the park all the time. When they came to the door of the suite, Owen hung his head low. He didn’t want to take the chance of her seeing him right away.

  The wait staff went to work and set up the table in the dining room area. Owen quickly searched the room for her and found her at once. She was sitting with a younger man who was looking at her as if he adored her.

  Owen’s expression changed slightly. He stared at the couple for a moment before one of the wait staff nudged him not to stare. Just for fun, he decided to play a prank on her. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a packet of Tylenol he’d bought earlier. They were the granulated kind and he tore the packet open. Going over to one of the chicken dinners, he opened the capsule and mixed the granules into the mash potatoes. Then he did it to the other dinners as well.

  He knew the Tylenol if digested by anyone but her wouldn’t hurt them, but he remembered something Mother Superior told them when they went to see her for the first time. There was something about medications even Tylenol that made the girl violently ill.

  He wanted her to know he was there without giving himself a way. He glared at her again under the shadow of his eyes. Besides, he thought to himself, she deserved this, she had led him a merry chase, and now it was almost over.

  The wait staff headed for the door and Owen did too. He had to follow his own rules even though he wanted to stay he knew he couldn’t. He had to find a way to draw her away from the others without getting caught. Then he caught the tail end of a conversation the other waiters were having.

  “I don’t know how that little girl can bear to be in the same room as that freak. What kind of woman is her mother? Letting her get close to something like that?” the waitress shivered.

  “You better be careful about what you say about the boss’s guests,” one of the others suggested. “It isn’t up to you to tell anyone, especially that little girl she’s hanging out with a freak. That’s Silvanic’s little girl.”

  The first waitress shrugged. “She’s still a freak.”

  “Yeah well, from what I understand that freak in Mr. Silvanic’s daughter in law now, so you better learn to curb your tongue if you still want to work here,” the older man shrugged, “Although from what I understand he might not be happy about that situation anyway.”

  Owen smiled slightly at what he was overhearing. Nikoli Silvanic might not be too unhappy if his daughter in law disappeared huh? Well, that would fit into Owen’s plans. Then he remembered something else he hadn’t thought of in years. Mother Superior told him once that although the other children didn’t play with Serenity very much, she always watched over them as if they were her friends.

  Then he thought of a great way to lure Serenity away from the hotel. He smiled as he hung back from the others, when they got off the elevator in the kitchen area. Slipping into the men’s room, he quickly changed into his street clothes again and walked away. Going to his own room, he sat down and made his plans.

  Just before midnight he slipped back onto the tenth floor. He knew from rumors around the hotel that at midnight, the tenth floor was locked down for the night. No one could get up or down from that floor until six the next morning. From that, he figured out the rest of his plan. Now all he had to do was see it through.

  He slipped into one of the rooms using a master key he’d taken from one of the utility carts the cleaning staff used. He waited inside the room until one a.m. then snuck out. He walked down to room 1007 and listened at the door for any movement on the other side.

  When there wasn’t any, he used the key card and opened the door silently. Making his way to the bedrooms, he peeked in the first bedroom. No one was there. Closing the door silently, he went to the next bedroom opening that door he found Nikoli himself and a woman but they were both sleeping. Curling his lip in disgust, he moved to the third bedroom.

  When he opened that door, he found the little girl fast sleep in the bed. He crept over to where she was laying and looked down at her. He wasn’t normally one who liked children, in fact he despised them and looking down at this one he found he still didn’t like children.

  Owen pulled a small vial out of his pocket and opened it, spilling the liquid onto his hand. Then he lowered his hand to quickly cover the little girl’s mouth and nose. Pressing down, he quickly quieted her struggle with the vapors on his hand. He didn’t want to get too close to the liquid himself as he knew it potential for rend
ering its victims unconscious rather quickly. When the girl was out like a light, Owen wiped the rest of the liquid on the sheet and picked her up.

  Quickly and quietly, he made his way out of the suite but as he did, he bumped into a table and the vase on it fell to the carpeted floor. It barely made a sound as it hit, but he paused for a moment and listened... he didn’t hear anyone stirring. He let himself out of the suite and made his way down the hall to the empty room again. He would have to stay there for a few more hours until the elevator was usable again.

  Nikoli jerked up from a sound sleep. He didn’t know what woke him but something had. He listened intently without moving and he thought he heard the sound of a door closing. He got out of bed and grabbed his pants. Pulling them up, he noted Bella was still asleep. He went over to Malina’s door and pushed it open, fully expecting her to be sleeping. His eyes widened when he saw an empty bed.

  He walked closer and as he did, he smelled a sweet sickly scent lingering in the air. He knew what it was and it sent a rush of panic through him. He went back through the suite and woke Bella. “Come on we have to get the others.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked him quietly looking over at the open door between their room and Malina. She grabbed his arm and held it tight. “Is everything ok with Malina?”

  Nikoli turned his head and stared at her. “Nyet, she’s not ok. She’s been taken and I have no clue by whom. Get dressed quickly and quietly. Whoever took her is still on this floor and I do not want him to hurt her or get her away from us.”

  Bella grabbed her clothes and dressed quickly. The suite they were in was interconnected to the rest of the rooms on this side of the hall. The others arrived quickly, coming through the interconnecting doors.

  Nikoli had already called down to the security rooms and his men were on their way up. They couldn’t come up the elevator, so they were using the stairs.

  When they arrived, Kirill set up his laptop and began using film from the security tapes. Everyone was searching for someone but they didn’t know who they were looking for.