Not good in the swamp. Joshua repeated it over and over like a mantra. He'd want Sasha there to witness the torture he had in store for Sonia. Sonia. Images of her invaded despite his best efforts to stop them. Sonia in the swamp, that first night, her skin practically glowing. Her eyes when she looked at him, lying on her bed in her house. Her house . . .
He stopped in his tracks. Her home was just down the road from his. Gray said she couldn't have been gone more than a few minutes, five at most. He'd seen the taillights of the vehicle but when he'd given chase, it was gone. That fast. The trackers reported that it had gone straight to the highway. But had it? If it had stopped and dropped most of its occupants off first, and then sped away, the trail would continue to the highway.
His gut told him he was right. "Her house. They're at her house. That son of a bitch took her to her own home." The psychological repercussions would suit Nikita. He not only took Sonia from Joshua's house, but violated the sanctuary of her own home. That would stay with her for a long time. Nikita wanted her to know that he was all-powerful. He could reach out and get her anywhere. There was no safe place for her, no sanctuary.
He turned and started toward the door.
"They're coming at us. Two carloads. At least fourteen men." The warning came in his ear, the little radio that told him they were under attack any moment.
"This direction as well. Coming from the north. Carload. Seven."
"And from the east. Have another carload. Seven here."
He glanced at Fyodor with a raised eyebrow. Fyodor and Mitya brought crews. Sasha had one as well.
"Tell Sasha's guards what's happening and release them. If they try anything, kill them. No second chances." He looked at Sasha when he said it. "You turn on Fyodor or Mitya, I'll hunt you down, and the things I do to you will make what your father did seem like a picnic," he warned.
"Dmitri." Sasha raised his voice. "Tell the men to fight with Fyodor's crew. That's an order. I'm going with Joshua."
Joshua shook his head. "You're a powder keg for him. I'm an unknown. I have a chance to get her out of there without you. None, with you. Stay here and kill these fuckers. They're his men, not yours. They came here for you, shove it right back down their throats."
He didn't wait to see if Sasha argued. He slipped out the front door, whistling for his men. He had no doubt that Fyodor and Mitya could handle the men coming at them. Most weren't leopard and that put them at a distinct disadvantage. The fact that none had come from the surrounding swamp meant either they'd sent in leopards and the guards hadn't caught them yet, or they had no expertise and were too worried about the dangers to try it.
He signaled to Evan to slip through enemy lines and get their car. His crew would know to divide and take the two trucks they'd brought. Both were a distance up the road. Most of them slipped through as leopards. He stripped, rolled his jeans and put them in the small pack. They carried their bigger firepower in the trucks, in special compartments. He snapped the pack around his neck and shifted, rushing off into the night to find his woman.
*
SONIA made herself as small as possible. She wasn't certain how best to act, but she didn't want to chance rousing Nikita's ugly temper. There were brains and blood just feet from her. Twice, Nikita had stepped over the body of the dead man. She couldn't look at it without feeling sick. She kept her hands pressed to her eyes, desperate for a plan.
He'd sent his men to kill Sasha. There was nothing she could do to warn him. She had no idea where Joshua was, but she hoped he was far away. Secretly, she wanted him to come rescue her, but now that the blinders were off, Nikita felt too powerful. Too invincible. Too evil. How did one defeat someone like him? Was there anything sacred to him?
How much time had passed since he'd sent out the crew to go after Sasha? Every minute was an eternity. She had to stall. He'd made up his mind to take her to Miami. She'd heard him telling his crew to get everything ready to leave within the hour.
"Why do you hate me so much, Nikita?" she asked softly. "I loved you. I looked up to you. I thought you were to be admired and respected. I had no idea you hated me so much you wanted me dead. Or tortured. I know I was very young when my parents started working for you. Did I annoy you that much?"
She wanted him to think about those days. She'd followed him around sometimes, singing him songs, dancing for him. Sitting in his lap and holding him when she thought he was sad. Wasn't he capable of loving someone? What of his own son? She remembered times Sasha had gone to her mother, the stain of tears on his face, and they'd disappeared into a bathroom. He'd been holding his side, or there were bloodstains on his shirt. Now she knew Nikita had done that to him.
"Little girls grow up and become sluts for men to use. That's their purpose." He waved his hands in the air. "All that women's rights crap is foolish. Women need to know their place. You serve a man. That's what you're made for." His voice rang with sincerity. He believed the garbage he was spouting.
"Why do you want to hurt me?"
He turned fully to face her, a half smile on his face. "I enjoy it. I like hurting women. Or men. It . . . arouses me. Not the way Tregre put those marks on you; they're all superficial. They couldn't have hurt much. What I will do to you, you won't find pleasure in, but I will."
She couldn't go to Miami with him. Whatever happened had to happen here. If she was to escape, her only chance was the swamp.
"I'll enjoy watching other men use you, but later, after I get what I want from you."
She tried not to look the way she felt--terrified. He knew about Gatita. His leopard would tear her apart if she attacked him.
"Are you pregnant now?"
Her heart stuttered and then began to drum wildly. She shook her head. "I don't know. He . . ." She didn't know if he thought Joshua had forced her. If he thought that, Joshua might be safe from him. "I don't know. My leopard was in heat."
He smirked. Leered a little. Looked at her with contempt. "So were you. In heat. You probably seduced him. It got a little rough and you probably sniveled and begged him to stop. But he didn't, did he?"
She shook her head, looking at his face. Just the thought of Joshua raping her aroused him. She could see it in his flushed face, his darkened eyes and the bulge in his trousers. She forced herself to look away and push down fear. He would get off on her fear. That was part of his enjoyment of hurting others. How did men get like that? Were they born? Were they made? What difference did it make? He was there, a monster standing in front of her.
Joshua thought himself a monster because he went after men like this and sometimes, his rage blinded his ability to end their lives fast. He didn't truly understand what a monster was. She couldn't imagine Sasha's life, a young boy exposed to the cruelty of a vile, depraved man who enjoyed hurting others.
"What does your leopard do when you hurt others? When you hurt women?" she asked curiously. What would a leopard exposed to such violence do?
Nikita walked right up to her, caught her hair in his hand and jerked her head back. "He craves blood. The kill. Sometimes I let him come out and play. It's exhilarating to see that look on their faces, so much fear when they're hunted by a predator. He hates every woman I touch. He wants his mate. He wants sex. I don't let him have either and he's savage. Every time I come close to you, he rages for your blood." He laughed and let her hair go, stepping back as one of his men hurried into the room.
Gatita, is there any talking to his leopard?
It is evil. It wants to kill you and me. It is like Sasha's leopard when he touched you.
She pressed her hand to her mouth to cover the gasp of shock. Sasha had to fight his leopard every time he made love to her? She hadn't been his mate. Did that mean leopards couldn't be with anyone else? No, Joshua had. So that meant the continual exposure to violence changed the leopard as well as the man.
"We're not going to wait for them," Nikita declared. "If they can't handle that sniveling idiot of a son, they'd better not come home, Filat."
&nbs
p; "Mr. Bogomolov," the man he'd referred to as Filat said. There was respect in his voice, but also steel. She remembered him from her childhood. He'd picked her up occasionally and given her cookies. She knew he was Nikita's closest and most trusted advisor. "If we don't get Sasha, there's a chance he can undermine us with the other vors."
"We're no longer in Russia."
"No, but we have to work with those here. Also the Italians. And this man Tregre. He's in tight with Lospostos. Lospostos runs a huge territory. He's powerful and right now, untouchable. If Sasha remains alive, he will always be a threat to you, your biggest threat. He cannot make allies of these people. Shore up this alliance with Tregre. Get him to kill Sasha if our men miss him."
"He knew where the bitch was and didn't tell me," Nikita snapped.
Sonia could see he was thinking over what Filat had said. He didn't necessarily like it, but first and foremost, Nikita was a businessman. He didn't get to where he was without doing what was best for his business.
"Be ready to move. Reach out to Tony. Tell him the second it's done to call in. We'll leave then. You're right. This is our best shot at getting Sasha and the rats that followed him. I want them all dead. And their families, Filat. Every last one of them wiped from the earth."
"They've gone into hiding," Filat said, "but they'll have to come out sometime. If we get Sasha, we'll get the others and their families."
"While I'm waiting," Nikita said, his voice a smirk as he turned and looked at her, rubbing his crotch lewdly, "I'll be occupied with my newest little slut. You like her?"
Filat nodded. "You willing to share her?"
"If I do, it has to be soon. Tregre may have put a baby in her. We'll get rid of it. Until then, we can have fun the way we like. There's always her mouth. She'll learn to be a good little cocksucker, won't you, Sonia?"
Gatita. I'm not doing this. I'm not. If he comes near me, I'm going to hurt him. He'll probably kill us. If not, he'll beat the holy hell out of us.
I won't let him touch you.
His leopard is a killer. It wants to kill us both.
Nikita started toward her as Filat laughed and put a cell phone to his ear. He leaned against the counter as if he was about to watch a show. Heart beating hard, she watched him coming, feeling Gatita coiling and ready to strike. Her stare was focused, the predator watching prey.
Nikita stopped abruptly and laughed. "Her leopard is close, watching me. I can see her. I've never had a woman who was leopard other than Sasha's mother. She was a timid, stupid woman, always so eager to please, completely unlike this one, Filat. This one's a fighter."
Filat straightened, his eyes on her, darkening with pure lust. "Tony isn't answering. They must be at the house. Just a minute, boss. This is going to be fun." His hands went to his shirt.
There was a slight sound and everyone turned their heads to see Joshua standing at the foot of the stairs, regarding them all with amusement. "You were going to start the fun without me? I found her, by the way. She fights like a wildcat."
Silence followed his statement. Sonia's mouth went dry. He sounded so sincere, but then every statement he made was true. The leopards listening for their human counterparts would have to say he was telling the truth. She didn't dare look at him, even though she wanted to drink him in. How had he gotten in? Just waltzed past Nikita's guards and gotten in through her bedroom balcony? And where were Evan and Kai? They wouldn't let him just come alone.
"What are you doing here?" Filat asked carefully.
Joshua's face changed. He looked cold. Arctic cold. Like a glacier. "Came home to find my house on fire and the woman I've been fucking gone. I decided to go look for her. If she started it, I was going to beat her within an inch of her life. If she didn't, whoever had her clearly tried to burn me out."
"This woman is my son's wife," Nikita said.
"That's not exactly the truth," Joshua said. "Like you, I don't like being lied to. I don't do business with people prone to screwing me over. I didn't know who she was to you when you asked about the painting. I was already fucking her and I wasn't about to give her up until I knew if she was carrying my kid."
"Your leopard marked her." Nikita made it a statement. The way he said it, the ritual disgusted him.
"My leopard got off on that shit and so did I. Made her think she was special to me." Joshua's voice held a convincing sneer.
Sonia's breath caught in her throat. He sounded so frank. So real. Even Gatita had to acknowledge that what he said was the absolute truth. She had a choice. She could curl up inside and die, believing Joshua had truly played her, or she could fight back, whether he'd done that or not. She had choices. She might be in a room with predators, but she wasn't without her own weapons. She chose to believe that Joshua Tregre was her man and that he'd just walked alone into the lion's den for her.
His bodyguards have to be close. Gatita was positive. They wouldn't let him come alone. Kai and Gray watch him all the time and Evan rarely leaves his side.
That was true, and it made her feel better, although if he'd come with just those three men, they would have their hands full subduing Nikita's guards outside.
"You touch her?" Joshua's voice was casual. For the first time he glanced at her.
His gaze hurt. It burned. She felt it all the way through her skin, straight to her soul. Cold as ice. Not one trace of the warmth, or the heat or desire his eyes usually held when he looked at her.
She looked down at her fingers, twisting them together, trying to figure out his plan, forcing her mind away from betrayal. It was so easy to go there. Her father's actions had been the first betrayal, putting his wife and daughter in jeopardy. Nikita pretending she mattered in his household. Even Filat had been nice to her. And Sasha. She had believed Sasha had tried to kill her. It was a long list of men who had misled her into believing she mattered to them. Joshua was playing right into her worst fears.
"I decorated her, added to the marks on her," Nikita sneered.
Joshua's ice-cold gaze flicked over him. "That body belongs to me, not you, Nikita," he said softly. "The only marks on her should be mine. It's called ownership."
"I like your way of thinking, but I have to dispute your claim. My family had her first."
"And you lost her. For a fuckin' year. I'd say that was the end of your claim. She's got my kid in her belly and she isn't goin' anywhere." His accent deepened, but he looked the exact same. Tough as nails. No give.
Nikita held up his hand, his oily smile plastered on his face. "Bitches are rarely worth fighting over. This particular one led my son around by his dick until he was useless to me. Her family owes me a large debt. Her fucking father stole from me." His voice hardened, snapped like a whip when he mentioned her father. "I treated him like a brother, and he stole from me. So, I took his wife, and now I'll take his daughter as payment."
Joshua slowly shook his head. "That's not happening, Nikita. I can see why you would think you had a claim, but I can't let her go until I know if she's having my kid. I need a son."
"You're young. You can find others like her."
Joshua sent him a faint grin. "Because there's so many."
The mild sarcasm should have sent Nikita into a fury. Sonia remembered how he would get angry over the smallest perceived slight. She knew he had never forgiven her father. He wouldn't even say his name. He wouldn't allow them to say it. When she was young and didn't know the truth, she thought it was because he grieved for him. Now she knew it was because he despised him--and because of her father, her as well.
"I understand," Nikita said. "I wouldn't want to give her up if I thought she carried my child in her belly. Perhaps we should negotiate. The pipeline could be very lucrative. I would consider giving up my claim for a larger percentage."
Joshua shook his head. "With regret, I can't change that deal. It isn't just my deal. Elijah is a big part of that, and you don't want to fuck with him--not when it comes to money or product."
Drugs? Her stomach l
urched. She pressed a hand to it and breathed deeply to keep from vomiting. She was in so far over her head. She had to trust Joshua. She had to. She had no other real choice. He played both sides to get rid of people like Nikita. It was just that he played the game so well. Even Nikita, who barked orders at everyone, respected him enough to bargain rather than pull out a weapon and shoot him.
She glanced at the dead man on the floor. Joshua hadn't even commented. The sight of all that blood leaking all over her beautiful wood floor, now completely ruined, made her stomach heave again. She wanted this to end. What was he doing, just standing there, smirking a little, ignoring her as if she was so much garbage?
"I would lose face in my community if I allowed this bitch to live without compensation."
"You had your compensation, you son of a bitch, when you took a blowtorch to my father and you made my mother sleep in your filthy bed," Sonia snapped, loathing and contempt dripping from her voice. She couldn't stand listening to him one more minute.
Nikita's face darkened with fury. He couldn't turn anger on Joshua, but he could her. He always got his way. No one thwarted him in anything. He had to listen to Joshua because he needed an ally, but to him, Sonia was nothing but a plaything, a toy to be used and discarded.
He strode across the room, clearly prepared to hit her, his fist clenched. Joshua was there first, his hand in her hair, yanking her head up so that she had to look into his eyes. All that crystalline blue blazed with anger.
"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." He enunciated each word. "I thought I taught you to keep your fuckin' mouth closed. Do you want another lesson?"
Instinctively she cowered away from him, pulling into herself, trying to be smaller. She shook her head. The action hurt, not just because of his hand holding so tightly to her hair, pulling on her scalp, but because it made her temple throb. His thumb, as he slid his hand out of her hair, slid over the swollen, darkened bruise with exquisite gentleness.
"When men talk, Sonia, what do good little girls do?" His voice was a sneer.
"They stay quiet," she whispered.
He patted her cheek. "That's right." He turned back to Nikita. "She's learning. She's a fighter. Makes her a wildcat in bed, and I enjoy the lessons I give her far more than she does, because she doesn't want to remember."