Savage Tracker by Maggie Cole

22

Selena

Obrecht comes into my condo.I already packed my bag, and it's near the door. He wraps his arms around me. "I'm taking you to Nora's. Aspen and Anna will stay there, too. If you go anywhere, Matvey or Vlad will take you, but I'll feel better if you don't venture too far. Aspen and Anna will go to work and then return to Nora's."

My insides quiver. "Should I be worried?"

"No, my dorogaya. This is more for my reassurance that you're okay while I'm gone."

I nod and force myself to smile. "All right."

He picks up my bag and leads me out of the building and into the car. Boris and Nora's place isn't far. When we pull up to the curb, my stomach flips with nerves. "What's Nora like?"

Obrecht smiles. "She's a feisty O'Malley. You'll get along fine."

I softly laugh. "Feisty makes her sound a bit scary."

He shakes his head. "No, she's not. Don't worry." He opens the door, and I put my hand on his arm.

"How many days do you believe you'll be gone?"

He turns. "I'm not sure. The longest we've needed to be gone in the past has been eight days."

"Eight?" I swallow the lump in my throat.

"It's normally two to three. This is why I don't want you on your own." He puts his hand on my cheek. "Please don't worry. We're in a controlled environment and not in any danger, okay?"

I release a nervous breath. "Okay. Should I cancel my sessions with Carla?"

He hesitates. "Ask Carla to come to Nora's. Their penthouse is huge, and you can talk in private."

"Okay."

He gives me a peck on the lips. "Come on." He gets out, reaches in to help me out, then leads me into Boris and Nora's. We step out of their corridor and into the main room.

A red-haired woman is sitting on the couch with a baby sleeping on her chest. Surprise fills her face. She smiles and nods at me. "Obrecht. What's going on?"

"We have a situation. I'm having everyone stay here. Where is Boris?"

Nora's face falls. "Garage or something else?"

"Garage."

Relief replaces her worry. "He lost a bet and is doing laundry. Go on back." She refocuses on me. "I'm Nora. Please come in."

Obrecht tugs me closer to him. "Sorry. This is Selena."

Nora pats the seat next to her. "It's nice to meet you. Please make yourself at home."

"Thank you. Sorry to barge in," I reply.

She laughs. "No worries. It'll be nice to have company."

Obrecht kisses my forehead and leaves the room.

I take the seat next to Nora and stare at the baby. "Congratulations. She's gorgeous. What did you name her?"

"Shannon."

"Very Irish," I tease.

Her face lights up. "It was my nana's name."

"Were you close?"

"Very. Do you want to hold her?"

I hold my hands out. "Yes, please."

She gently hands the baby to me. Shannon never stirs and cuddles right into my chest.

"She's precious."

"Thanks. We think so. Is that a Greek accent I detect?" she asks.

"Yes. I moved when I was twenty." I stroke the baby's red hair. "I can't believe how much hair she has!"

"I know. Crazy, huh?"

"Yes. So Liam is your cousin?"

Nora puts her knee on the couch and turns toward me. "Yes. Do you know him?"

"I met him this morning. He was at the coffee shop with Hailee," I reply.

Her green eyes bore into mine. "How do you know Hailee?"

I open my mouth to speak, and a man's voice booms, "That traitor."

"Shh. The baby is sleeping," Nora reprimands.

Boris comes into the room with Obrecht. His face is red, and he sniffs hard. "Sorry. I need to go. Nora, I don't want you or Shannon going anywhere while I'm gone." He glances at me. "Hi, Selena."

My insides quiver. He and Obrecht both look angry. "Hi."

"Boris! Nora!" another man's voice booms.

"Shh. The baby!" a woman's voice says.

Nora shakes her head. "I think I need to give you Ivanovs lessons on how to be quiet around infants."

Dmitri and Anna come into the room. He sets an overnight bag next to mine, along with a laptop bag. "Sorry, Nora."

Anna pushes her blonde hair behind her ear and sits on the couch next to me. She kisses Shannon on the head and softly murmurs, "Hey, sweet girl."

"Where's Aspen?" Dmitri asks.

"Maksim went to pick Aleksei up. Maksim said Aspen would come after work," Obrecht states.

"Aleksei?" The color drains from Nora's face and she looks at Boris. He snarls.

Dmitri shakes his head. "Aspen isn’t staying at work. Until we know the entire situation, the women stay here." He takes his phone out of his pocket, swipes the screen, then says, "Bogden, go pick up Aspen at City Hall. Take her home to pack a bag and bring her immediately to Boris's." He hangs up. "Sorry, ladies, but no one leaves the penthouse."

Nora and Anna exchange a glance, which makes me nervous. I look at Obrecht.

"This is precautionary," he reiterates. "You don't need to worry. We're at the garage. It's more for our assurance you're safe."

"He's right. They control the garage," Nora states.

I don't know what the garage is, but something tells me now isn't the time to ask.

"Time to go," Dmitri states.

The three of us rise. I hand the baby to Nora. Obrecht pulls me aside and firmly holds my head. His icy-blue eyes drill into mine. "There's nothing to stress about. Just stay here so I don't have to worry where you are."

My stomach flips with nerves. "You'll be safe?"

"Yes." He kisses then hugs me. "I'll see you in a few days."

I don't want to let him go, but he releases me. I reluctantly step back, and the three men leave. When they're gone, Nora and Anna turn. Nora says, "Make yourself comfortable. Help yourselves to anything in the house." She hands the baby to Anna. "Here, get some practice before yours comes. I'm going to finish the laundry Boris started."

"Are you pregnant?" I ask Anna.

She beams. "Yes. We found out last week."

"Congratulations. Do you have other children?"

She shakes her head. "This is our first."

"How far along are you?"

She shrugs. "I'm not sure but not very far. I only peed on the stick. Well, I should say sticks, since I kept confirming it. My doctor's appointment is next week."

The baby wakes up. Shannon's face scrunches and turns red. A shrill cry fills the air.

"Oh, sweet girl. Let's go change your diaper." Anna repositions her in her arms and walks to the corner of the room where there are diapers and wipes.

I follow her. "Obrecht said you designed our building?"

She unsnaps Shannon's onesie. "Yes. It was the first project I did for the Ivanovs."

"I love all of it, but the roof is my favorite part."

Her face lights up. "I'm happy to hear that. It was fun to design. Dmitri was open to it when I suggested we utilize the space."

"Well, I've spent more hours there than I can count. It kind of saved my sanity," I add before thinking.

She pauses and tilts her head. "What do you mean?"

My heart races. I'm not around many people, but I also don't normally blurt out things about my private life. Now that I said that, I'm not sure how to get around it. "I went through a difficult divorce. Kora was my attorney. Sergey found out about my situation and moved me into the condo. I couldn't go anywhere for a while. The roof was my way of not going stir crazy."

Anna's expression turns sympathetic. "You were scared your ex would come after you?"

My heart beats harder. "Yes."

"And he would hurt you?"

My mouth turns dry. "Yes. I don't doubt he still would."

She opens her mouth to speak then shuts it. Her brows furrow. I wait, and she carefully says, "Before I met Dmitri, my boyfriend hurt me."

"He did?" I'm surprised. Anna seems to have it all. She's married, about to have a baby, and has a successful career. She's also beautiful and kind. I can't imagine her in any situation that isn't perfect.

"Yes."

"Are-are you still scared he'll come after you?" I ask.

Her expression turns confident. She shakes her head. "No. Dmitri took care of him."

Her words hang in the air. Obrecht's voice enters my mind, telling me he won't show Jack mercy and will have his day with him.

"If you're with Obrecht, my guess is he'll deal with your ex-husband, accordingly," Anna adds.

My chest tightens. I admit, "My ex was at the restaurant we were at last night."

Anna puts a fresh diaper under Shannon. "What happened?"

"Nothing. Obrecht thinks he didn't see me. He ushered me out the back alley."

She snaps the onesie back in place. "Did that stir up things for you?"

I bite on my lip. I don't like admitting it, but it did.

She puts her hand on my arm. "I went through a lot of counseling. If you ever want to talk, I'm here. But I also can give you the name of who I worked with if you want."

"Thanks, but I'm already seeing a therapist."

She nods in approval. "I'm glad. Is it helping?"

"Yeah. She's great. Obrecht told me to have her come here while he's gone." I glance toward the direction Nora went. "It's okay, right?"

"Absolutely." She picks Shannon up. "There you are, precious girl. All dry."

Aspen arrives as Nora brings a basket of clothes into the main room. Bogden sets her suitcase next to ours and leaves.

Aspen twists her fingers. "What did I miss? Maksim isn't answering his phone. Please tell me they're at the garage."

"Yep. All good," Anna chirps.

This is confusing."I have a question. Well, several."

Shannon starts whimpering, and Nora takes her from Anna. "Shoot. If we can answer it, we will."

"What is the garage?"

The room goes silent. The three women exchange a knowing glance. Aspen finally says, "Obrecht didn't tell you?"

My anxiety grows. I don't want to make assumptions about what they know or don't, or even if their husbands' wrath means the same as Obrecht's. "He's told me things. But I never heard of the garage until now."

Aspen sits next to me. "What did he tell you?"

I hesitate. I don't want to break Obrecht's confidence. Several minutes pass. I struggle about how to discuss things without saying something I shouldn't.

"If I tell you that there isn't anything Obrecht does that our husbands don't also do, does that help this conversation move forward?" Anna asks.

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Yes. Thank you."

She nods. "Sure. So the garage is where they take men who have harmed the family and will continue to if they don't stop them."

A chill runs down my spine. I ignore it and straighten up. If someone is a threat to the Ivanovs, I don't feel bad for them. Maybe it's all my years of having Jack hurt me, but I don't care to sympathize with anyone who could potentially hurt Obrecht. "And they are in control, so we don't have to worry?"

"Yes. If they weren't going to the garage and had to take care of things somewhere else, we would be nervous. But the safest place they can handle things is at the garage," Nora assures me.

"Okay. So what do we do while they're gone?" I ask.

She shrugs. "Hang out. Relax. Try to avoid wondering when they're coming home."

For the next few days, that's what we do. We make meals together, watch movies, and play games. Liam, Killian, Nolan, and Declan all visit at different times. Carla arrives each morning, and we have a session. At night, I put my head on the pillow and deal with the ache I have to see Obrecht. My dreams vary from the same nightmare I've had about Jack and a new one, where I'm in a hotel with Obrecht and a girl with blue hair. We're standing in the room and she keeps saying, "Happy birthday," but it never goes past that point, so I don't understand what the dream is about.

When the third day arrives, I feel like I'm going stir crazy. I've bonded with the girls and had a good time, but I miss Obrecht. As much as they've told me not to worry, I'm starting to. They keep assuring me this is typical, but I also see the anxiety growing on their faces. I begin to pace, wondering where he is and when he's coming back to get me.

My phone rings and the screen displays the word private. I answer it, hoping it's Obrecht and he's on another phone. "Hello."

"You think you can hide, but you can't. You're mine. I own you. Once a slave, always a slave," Jack’s voice echoes in my ear.

I drop the phone.

"Selena, what's wrong?" Anna asks and picks up the phone.

I grab it from her and hang up. My hands shake and my lungs feel like they can't hold any air. I stare at her and can't help the tears that drip down my face. I barely manage to get out, "He found me."

Anna's eyes widen. She yanks the phone out of my hand, takes out the SIM card, and goes into the kitchen. In seconds, the card is cut in half. She goes into the corridor to get her bodyguard, Victor, and tells him about the phone call.

Liam walks in. He studies Anna and Victor. "What's going on?"

"Selena's crazy ex-husband somehow found her number and called her," Nora blurts out.

Liam's eyes turn to slits. "What did he say?"

My cheeks heat with embarrassment, but I find my voice and tell him. I avoid the gazes from the other girls.

I just admitted I was Jack's slave.

"I destroyed the SIM card," Anna says.

Liam nods. "Good." He pulls his phone out of his pocket and puts it to his ear. "Finn, are you still in the vicinity?"

I watch him, not sure who Finn is or why he's calling him.

"Get his phone. Do whatever you need to and get it fast. Call me when you're done." Liam hangs up. "Do you know how he would have gotten your number?"

I open my mouth to answer then stop.

Liam raises his eyebrows.

I finally ask, "Do you have someone watching my ex-husband?"

He doesn't confirm nor deny it.

"Why?" I ask.

"Sorry, lass, but I can't discuss things with you."

"Obrecht told you to follow him?"

He shakes his head. "No. But he knows."

When I don't reply, Nora steps next to me and puts her arm around my shoulder. "Liam, what's going on? If this involves Selena—"

"It doesn't."

"You knew who I was, didn't you? Before Hailee introduced us at the cafe?" I ask.

Guilt passes into his expression. "Yes."

"Are you watching me, too?" Maybe I should feel scared at that thought, but I'm not. I'm just super confused.

"No. But I have eyes and ears on your ex at all times. He's not going to make a move without me knowing," he claims.

"Why?" I ask again.

"It doesn't involve you, but he also isn't going to come near you."

"He was at the restaurant the other night."

"Yes. We didn't know you were there. It was a coincidence," Liam claims.

"How do you know?"

"I just do." His phone rings again. "Finn."

The baby cries through the monitor. Nora releases my shoulder to attend to her.

Anna steps next to me. She puts her arm around me where Nora's was. "That's good if Liam is watching him."

Liam hangs up. "We have his phone. It doesn't look like he had a tracker on it."

"How can you know that?"

"Declan is with Finn. He's going through it again, but he is ninety-nine percent sure he didn't track the call."

"And Declan knows about these things?" I ask.

"Yeah. He's a tech guru. He got through his passcode in no time and doesn't see anything that could have traced the call."

I sigh in relief. "Okay. Thank you."

Liam hesitates then says, "Can I talk to you privately?"

A knot forms in my throat. I swallow it and nod. Liam leads me into the den and shuts the door. "There's something I hope you can help me with."

"What?" I nervously ask him.

Liam's green eyes assess me. "Can you tell me about Jack's family?"

"He doesn't have family. He was an only child and his parents died in a car crash. Why do you ask?"

Something passes in Liam's expression. I'm not sure what it is. "Did you ever meet his parents?"

"No. He was ten when the accident occurred."

Liam's jaw clenches.

"Why are you asking about his family?"

He smiles, but it seems forced. "No reason. I must have gotten my information mixed up." He takes out his phone and shows me a photo. "There's one more question. Do you know this man?"

A chill digs its way into my bones. I've seen the evil eyes staring back at me too many times. I can still hear his voice, telling me he's going to get his chance with me one day. I grab Liam's arm to steady myself. "Why do you have his picture?"

"So, you have seen him?"

I try to catch my breath. "Yes. It's Mack."

Liam lowers his voice. "Did he hurt you, Selena?"

I meet his gaze. "No. But he wants to."