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CHAPTER9
Kirill
Danger.
I’d sensed Candy was in danger almost immediately after I’d left the meeting at the construction site. Call it a sixth sense, but Rian’s exclamation had bothered me all day. I’d expected to find her at home, although likely behind a locked door. She’d left in an obvious hurry, dropping her damp towel on the floor in the bathroom, the cup of coffee she’d started to drink remaining half full on the counter.
When she didn’t return, the rage had started to build. I’d planned on taking her away from the apartment and to somewhere safer, but she hadn’t given me the chance. And I hadn’t been given the opportunity to intercept her at Killian’s before she’d taken another shift. Other pressing business had kept me from scouring the streets in order to find her. An informant had information he thought I’d want to hear.
While I was angry she’d obviously kept portions of the truth from me, my protective side was struggling with the need to do my job.
I’d weighed the option of whether or not I believed she’d be safe inside the fucking sleazy bar in order to handle the situation. There’d been silence on the streets of New York, even though I’d scoured the city several times, making certain the few assholes we’d trusted enough to become informants understood that they owed their loyalty to the bratva.
So I’d gone.
Finding the asshole with a bullet between his eyes had pushed buttons no one wanted to push. It had also been nothing more than a goddamn decoy.
I roared into the parking lot just as a car screeched out of the parking lot next door.
Candy’s car door was open. I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, jerking the car into reverse, spinning the wheels with enough force the rubber burned on the pavement. As I floored the accelerator, screeching out of the parking lot, I pulled my weapon into my hand.
The fuckers thought they could outrun me. My hand remained wrapped around the steering wheel as I shoved the gear into fifth. I was already doing eighty in a thirty-five zone. While the last thing I needed was to be hassled by the police, if I’d been two minutes later, there wouldn’t have been a chance in hell to find her. Not in this damn city.
The last thing I was going to do was allow Candy to be taken. I skidded around a corner following them, now only a few hundred yards away. When they made another turn, I realized they were heading out of the Irish-controlled community and into Russian territory. The driver was also headed to the freeway. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
Speeding up, all I could think about was getting to her. They were headed into a commercial area, the only businesses open the twenty-four-hour pharmacies. When I was only fifty yards back, the shooting started.
Even more concerning was that they were using assault rifles, which meant whoever had taken her were professionals. I weaved back and forth, hissing when a bullet smashed through the windshield. I was finished with playing games. Within seconds, I careened beside them, slamming the car into the driver’s door.
The quick movement allowed me to take a quick glance into the car, a splash of illumination coming from streetlights. While the gaze was quick, at least I knew who I was dealing with. The three assholes from the bar. What I didn’t see was Candy. There was no way they’d had the opportunity to drop her anywhere, which meant she was being kept on the floor or in the trunk.
The anger slammed against my insides, gnawing at my gut as I smashed my car into the driver’s side again. This time, the force I used was enough to shove the bastard off the road, his front right tire jumping the curb. The fucker tried to stop, the screech of brakes easy to hear through the hole in the windshield, but he couldn’t control it, careening into the brick-sided wall of the building.
I was already out of the car, racing in their direction.
Within seconds, the three men jumped out, two of them raising their weapons at the same time I did. Unfortunately for them, I was a crack shot and hell of a lot faster. The two men went down hard, one shot between the eyes, tossed backward from the impact. The other I caught in the throat, his body crumpling to the pavement, gagging on his own blood. Dropping and rolling, I shifted my attention to the third asshole, powering off three shots in a row.
I never missed.
The first shot shattered the asshole’s shoulder, pummeling him against the wall. The second tore through his chest. And the third was a direct hit to the center of his face.
I took a deep breath, jetting toward the vehicle and peering inside. Fuck. Then I heard an intense moan.
I hit the unlock button on the key fob and rushed to the trunk. When I opened the lid, her angelic face peered up at me.
“Candy.”
Her lower lip quivered, her eyes enlarged. I gathered her into my arms, gently easing her to the ground. While she continued to whimper, my first glance indicated the bastards hadn’t hurt her, just minor cuts and bruises. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright.”
She said nothing as she clung to me, taking shallow breaths. I scanned the area, hissing as I yanked out my phone. The area needed a quick clean, hopefully before the police arrived. “Vassily.”
“Kirill. I’m surprised to hear from you.”
“No time for bullshit. I need you at the parking lot on the corner of Second and Alcove.”
“How many?”
“Three, plus a vehicle. I also need a sweep at Killian’s Bar and Grill. There’s an older Chevy Cruze that needs to be removed and stored.”
