AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Baby, you can barely keep your eyes open. Lean on me and take a nap.”
I'm pleased when she finally slumps against me. I lift my arm to wrap it around her shoulders. She tenses at first, but as I start stroking her hair, she melts into me. I can’t help but lean down and take a whiff of her. She smells like sweet coconut and pineapple. I bet she tastes like she smells.
It only takes a few minutes before her breathing evens out and her mouth falls open. Bash and I sit in silence for the last part of the drive, wanting her to get as much rest as possible. After an hour and a half, we arrive at the safe house.
When Grady opens the back door, I scoop Scarlet into my arms and climb out of the SUV. She stirs, her head rolling against my chest, but she doesn't wake up. She’s probably still feeling the effects of the wine she drank last night, and a long nap is more than needed.
The house is already heated when we get inside. A crew stocked it with groceries and everything else we requested. There are several houses flanking this one. Our men will stay in them to keep an eye on things.
We have security everywhere. Motion detectors, surveillance cameras, satellite scanners, anything and everything that could alert us to any kind of intruder. We’re also on top of a mountain. The motion detectors and cameras start at the very bottom. We own the entire mountain. The only houses on it are ours.
I carry her into the main bedroom and gently set her on the bed. It worries me how light she is. I need to pay better attention to her nutrition. She stirs, but curls into herself, looking so innocent and vulnerable. I want to put her in my pocket and keep her there forever where she’ll be safe. She's actually pretty sweet when she sleeps. After tucking her under a blanket, I go to check on the men.
“Have we heard anything?” I ask.
Grady scowls. “Just talked to Declan. The Russians are denying that this was their action. Andrei told Declan that he has at least two dozen men who have gone AWOL, but there may be more.”
Fuck. That's not good. Ivan wasn’t well liked amongst the Russian mafia. He was a snake, and everybody knew it, but even snakes have admirers. We knew there was a chance he had some blind followers in the ranks who were still alive and would want to get their revenge for him.
“Andrei is cooperating fully with us and has offered up any and all resources we need in order to protect ourselves and the girls,” Grady says.
I grunt. Nice of him to offer, but there’s no way in hell we’ll use any of their resources. For one, we don’t fully trust them. And two, it’s never a good idea to owe someone. For anything. “Did they make it to their safe house?”
“Yes. They arrived about an hour ago,” Bash says.
The men who rode up with us stand around me, waiting for instruction.
“I want a sweep of the entire mountain. Everything. Check for bombs, sensors, trackers, bugs…anything. It's highly doubtful that they would have any knowledge of this property, but we need to be extra careful just in case.”
“Aye. They’re smart men. Like us, they can find out anything if they dig hard enough,” Patrick says.
That thought doesn’t sit well with me. He’s right. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. “Do a double sweep. Not a single fucking rock unturned.”
Without a word, they get to work. Most of them have been in our ranks since they were teens, Patrick included. They're dedicated and loyal because we pay them well and treat them with respect. We've made them rich. Unlike some of the other syndicates, we don't keep everything for ourselves. We want our men to be successful. This is one of the things that makes them so loyal. Why turn against us if they're making millions each year?
The three of us go inside and sit down in the living room with glasses of whiskey. “Scarlet's been having nightmares.”
Grady’s eyes darken, and Bash doesn't say anything. He already heard her admission in the car.
“Poor girl. She's been through too much,” Grady says.
I nod. “She has. Her sister's been the one person who’s made her feel safe this past week and we had to take that away from her. She's probably going to be impossible to live with, but we need to try and make the best of it for her.”
“She's our family too. We'll make sure she’s loved,” Grady says.
I narrow my eyes at my longtime friend. “Just make sure she's nottooloved by you.”
Grady smirks while Bash laughs.
“Jesus,” Bash says. “This guy is going to be over the fucking top possessive with her. I can already tell.”
I sit back and take a drink. “I'll kill either of you if you do anything to cross me when it comes to her.”
Both men hold up their hands, but they’re looking smug as hell.
“She’smine,” I say for extra emphasis.
They laugh. Bastards.
