Cruel Enforcer by Maggie Cole

20

Sergey

My patience is wearing thin."How can there be nothing on him?"

Adrian groans. "Chill. I didn't say nothing. I said we haven't found anything yet. There's a big difference, and it's only been a few weeks."

"It's been a month!"

"We're close. I can feel it," Adrian insists.

I scrub my hands over my face. Since I walked out of Kora's office building, I've barely slept. I can't stop thinking about her or smelling the pillow she slept on, which still has her floral scent on it. I sent the tickets for the basketball game to her office with a note for her to take a friend. It only seemed fair since I stood her up the first time. She sent me a text.

Kora: I just got the tickets.

Me: Enjoy.

Kora: You don't have to give me your tickets.

Me: After what happened the first time, it wouldn't be right for you not to go.

There was a long pause before she replied.

Kora: Can I buy them from you?

Me: Are you trying to insult me?

Kora: Are you sure? They're courtside, not nosebleed.

My smile was bittersweet at her reference to the joke I previously made when I tried to get her to agree to go.

Me: Yes, I'm sure.

Kora: Okay. Thank you.

Me: You're welcome.

That was several weeks ago. If I can find out what Jack's hiding, Kora will understand why I insisted on doing this. Maybe then she'll understand she needs to trust me, and we can be together.

When I walked away from her, I was mad and hurt. It doesn't compare to the ache I feel all day long without her.

I used to miss Eloise, but I don't remember it feeling anywhere close to how bad this feels.

Adrian slaps a yellow envelope in front of me. It's four inches thick.

"What's this?"

He snorts. "Bogden's findings. I think you'll find it interesting."

Neicy.

I open it and pull out a stack of 8x10 photos. My gut drops as I sort through them. "Jesus."

"She's a piece of work. How is Kora related to her?"

I mutter, "No clue." Every photo I stare at makes my gut churn. I knew Neicy was taking advantage of Kora, but seeing it only makes me sick.

Adrian picks up a picture of Neicy in a jewelry store, paying cash for several items. "Family fucking family over."

The photos range from Neicy going on shopping sprees, to buying crack from her cousins on the corner, to having several nights at luxury hotels with her current boyfriend. Every photo displays her pulling out cash. The ones that break my heart the most are Kora handing her a thick envelope. I have no doubt it's the twenty thousand Neicy requested. Kora gets out of a taxi with an envelope sticking out of her purse in a different outfit, which makes me believe she gave her money more than once since I last saw her. One of the handoffs is on the street. Neicy didn't even have her go up to the apartment. The photos look hostile, and when Kora turns to get in her taxi, she's wiping tears from her eyes.

"What about medical records?" I ask Adrian, wanting to make sure I haven't overlooked anything.

He shakes his head. "Nothing. Bogden tapped into her phone records, too." He pulls out a stack of papers under the photos. "No traces of calls to anyone, except her boyfriend, mother, and some friends. This is ninety days before we started tailing her up until yesterday."

My heart breaks more for Kora. As much as I hate to wish anything medical on anyone, I know how much this will hurt her.

Adrian separates the paper pile and hands me a stapled packet. "Here's the documentation on everywhere Neicy's gone in the last few weeks. No doctor appointments. All she does is party, shop, or hang out with her boyfriend."

I collect everything and shove it back into the envelope. I don't want to stare at it anymore.

Adrian shifts in his seat. "How much did Kora give her?"

"Too much."

"You want Bogden to stay on her?"

"For now." Until Kora knows the truth, I don't feel right lifting the tail.

My bell dings, signaling I have company coming up in the elevator. "That's my brothers."

Adrian rises. "I need to go."

"Find something on that prick."

Adrian nods. "Don't worry, I will." He pats me on the back and leaves as my brothers walk in.

They all exchange greetings then my brothers take a seat at the table.

"It's confirmed. Three more leaders are dead on the Rossi side," Maksim says.

"Zamir's got more strength right now," Dmitri states.

"We're going about this the wrong way," I blurt out.

"Sergey," Boris warns.

Maksim's eyes turn to slits. "What are you two hiding?"

"Nothing," Boris replies and gives me a look to shut my mouth.

I blurt out, "We need to get in the Petrov organization and destroy it piece by piece until nothing is left."

Boris growls a sigh and shakes his head.

Dmitri turns in his chair next to me and scowls. "Are you crazy?"

"No. If we only kill Zamir, we don't destroy it all. They're still a threat."

Maksim leans over the table and points. "What you're suggesting is suicide. We stick with the plan. We let the Rossis and Petrovs kill each other off. Nothing has changed. Don't get any crazy ideas, little brother."

It doesn't surprise me my brothers won't listen to me. My thoughts are dangerous, but I don't see how to destroy the entire Petrov operation unless we're on the inside. We'll always be watching our backs, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Dmitri sits back in his chair. "We play this out for now. If anymore Rossis end up dead, we need to intervene."

"Darragh is in agreement. We'll have his blessing," Boris states.

I groan. Darragh is Killian and Nora's uncle. He's the head of the O'Malley crime family. In order for Boris to marry Nora without her family disowning her, my brothers and I had to meet with him and agree to an alliance. The meeting was a few weeks ago, and I'm still a bit uneasy over it.

Boris scowls. "We don't have the power to do this without the O'Malleys."

"Yeah, and your dick made sure we got it, didn't it?" I sarcastically remark. All my brothers and I warned Boris to stay away from Nora. We love her and her brothers like family, but there was no way he could get involved with her without dragging us into O'Malley crap. It ties us for life. The meeting with Darragh was painful. I sat quietly and let Maksim speak for us. He assured Darragh we were all for the alliance but weren't going to take orders from him. All I see is a future of O'Malley headaches, especially since his son, Liam, is now out of prison and always dragged Killian into all his bad decisions.

"Something you want to say?" Boris asks.

"Nope. Already said it," I remind him. Boris and I got into it after the meeting with Darragh. I love my brothers. No matter what, I'll stand by them, but it doesn't mean I have to like all their decisions.

Maksim moves the conversation along. "We should be good to go tomorrow to finish the cleanup on the city lot. The weather is forecasted to cooperate, assuming nothing changes."

We go through several of our projects. When my brothers leave, I take out all the information Adrian gave me on Neicy.

This is going to crush Kora.

I can't keep it from her.

I text her.

Me: I need to see you.

Fifteen minutes pass. Dots show up on the screen then go away. I finally get a message.

Kora: Did you call it off?

Me: Nope, and I'm not going to.

Kora: Will you tell me your intentions?

Me: You already know the answer to this.

Kora: Then we don't have any reason to get together.

Me: This isn't about what you think.

Kora: I don't think it's a good idea.

Me: Don't trust yourself around me?

She doesn't reply, and my heart races faster.

Me: I'm not texting you for a booty call.

Kora: What is this about?

Me: I can't discuss this over text.

Kora: I'll call you then.

Me: No. Trust me. We can't discuss this, except in person.

Kora: I'm home for the next hour. Can you come now?

Me: I'll be there in fifteen.

I breathe a sigh of relief she's going to meet me. As much as I'm dying to see her, I've intentionally not contacted her. I don't know how she will react, but I don't want her getting this information alone.

My stomach twists on the way to her place. When I get to her front door, she opens it, and how much I miss her intensifies. She seems to have gotten more beautiful. She's wearing a hot-pink pencil skirt and black top. My mind immediately goes into overdrive, and my pants get tighter in the crotch.

She had to wear pink.

"Come in," she says and opens the door.

I step in, reach to hug her, then freeze.

She doesn't want to be mine right now.

"Have you been good?"

She smiles, and my heart squeezes. "Okay. You?"

"Same." I stare at her, trying to find something in her eyes that will let me back in, but I don't find it.

"What can I do for you?" she asks.

"Straight to business, huh?" I tease, but it comes out accusing.

She sighs, shuts her eyes, then admits, "This isn't easy for me, Sergey."

Good. She still has feelings for me.

"Then why don't you trust me and stop staying away from me?" I didn't intend on getting into this, but it flows out of my mouth. I feel like my soul is gone without her. She filled something in me. I'm not sure what it was, but the ache never goes away.

"I can't."

This conversation isn't going anywhere. Give her the information.

"Sorry to hear that. I miss you." I hold out the envelope toward her.

She doesn't reach for it. Sadness fills her eyes and slices my heart further. "I miss you, too. I wish you would trust me instead of expecting me to be the only one who dishes out the trust."

Ouch.

"I do trust you."

She snorts. "Yeah? How?"

"I clearly stated this was for your protection. It's never been about trust."

She blinks hard and turns her face away. When she turns back, her eyes are glistening, and she takes the envelope. "What is this?"

"Information on Neicy."

Her eyes widen. "What has she done?"

"I think it's better if you open it and see for yourself."

She stares at the package then pins her gaze on me. "Why would you have information on my sister?"

"I told you I would protect you. It includes people hustling you."

A line forms between her eyebrows. "Hustling me?"

I nod to the envelope. "Open it."

She hesitates then slowly removes the contents. As she thumbs through each photo, the color drains from her face.

"I'm sorry to be the one—"

"The one what? To pry into my family life and follow my sister around?" Her voice cracks, and her lips quiver. Tears well in her eyes.

"Lapa—"

"Don't call me your lapa!" she cries, and a tear slips down her cheek. "You didn't have a right to do this."

"She's stealing from you. You don't deserve—"

"Get out!"

"Kora—"

"Leave!" she yells. Her face scrunches, and she looks away. Tears drip off her chin.

I try to put my arms around her, but she shakes out of my grip. "Don't touch me."

"Kora—"

"Get. Out," she enunciates in a dead voice and opens the door.

I stop in the doorway. "I didn't do this to hurt you."

She laughs with more tears falling. "Did your spy tell you how my mother and sister hate me? Or how they only use me for money? Did they fill you in on how ashamed they are of me about who I am and what I've become?"

My chest tightens. I try to hide my anger. Not at her but at her mother and sister who can't see and appreciate the amazing, beautiful person she is. "You have nothing to be ashamed of. If they can't see the exceptional, special woman you are, then they don't deserve you."

"Just leave," she quietly says and turns away from me.

It kills me to leave, but I do. When I get in my car, I call Bogden.

In Russian, he answers, "Sergey. What's up?"

"I want immediate notification if Kora visits her sister."

"Will do."

I hang up, go back to my penthouse, and pace. I want to help Kora, but I'm not sure how. If my brothers did to me what Neicy did to her, I would be a wreck. And what she admitted to me about how her family feels about her angers and hurts me. I can't get her face full of tears out of my mind. An hour passes, and I receive a message.

Bogden: She's at the apartment.

I text my driver and sit outside her mother's building. A half hour passes, and Kora steps out of the building, wiping her face.

I jump out of the car and pull her into my arms.

She attempts to push away from me. "What are you doing? Leave me alone."

"No," I say, holding her tighter.

She shoves her arms into my chest again, but it's pointless. I'm a lot stronger than her.

"Stop fighting me. I'm not letting you go," I tell her, and my heart shatters further when she breaks down sobbing.

"Why do they hate me?" she cries as her body heaves against mine.

"Shh."

"I'm so stupid."

"No. You're not. You're generous and kind."

She shakes her head into the curve of my neck.

I manage to get her in the car. I tell Igor her address, and she whispers, "No."

I lift her chin. "Where do you want to go?"

Her tear-filled eyes drill into mine. She doesn't respond.

"My place, Igor."