Cruel Enforcer by Maggie Cole

8

Sergey

Eloise has alwaysmessed with my head. I'm pissed at myself for letting her get between Kora and me. I hurt Kora, and I'm kicking myself for it.

I go home and change. I put on a dark pair of jeans, a black T-shirt, and a blazer. The sleeves are ruched to my elbows and display my arm tattoos. It's tailored to fit me perfectly and has several seams designed in it.

When I pick Kora up, the blood pounds between my ears harder. She's wearing a hot-pink, cold-shoulder top. It has rhinestone straps. Her black skinny jeans show off her long legs and ass perfectly.

I hand her a dozen long-stemmed pink roses and lean down to kiss her cheek. "You're stunning, my lapa."

She reaches out and traces one of the seams on my jacket. "So are you. I love this."

I slide my hand around her and palm her ass. "Are you hungry?"

She nods."Mmhmm. Where are we going?"

"That depends."

"Please don't tell me I have it wrong, and you're one of those guys who makes me choose where we go."

I chuckle. "No. I can make a choice."

She smiles. "Good."

"You don't like to pick?"

She shrugs. "I make decisions all day long. It's kind of nice not to have to figure out every detail of my life."

"Are you picky?"

"No. I was raised to be grateful for whatever is in front of me."

I grunt. "You and me both." I drag my index finger over her jawbone. Her sculpted features take my breath away every time I see her.

She briefly closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

I steal a quick kiss. "We should go."

"Let me put these in water. And thank you. They're beautiful. Pink's my favorite color."

My pulse increases, and I lick my lips. "It's quickly becoming mine, too."

"Really?" She seems surprised. I can't fault her for it. I'm not a guy who would be into pink normally.

"Yep."

She bites on an amused smile. "Okay, give me a minute?"

"Sure." I release her.

She goes into the kitchen, finds a vase, and fills it with water. Then she cuts the stems and sticks them in the glass. The scent of roses fills the air. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome. By the way, you have a nice place. Have you been here long?"

Pride crosses her face. "A few years."

"It's nice." I hold her jacket out. She turns and slides in. I wrap my arms around her and button it. The scent of flowers and sugar fills my nose. I murmur in her ear, "You smell good."

Kora turns her face toward me. I splay my palm on her thigh, and her breath hitches. I press my lips to hers for another quick kiss. "Do you have work to do tonight?"

She sinks into me. "No."

It would be so easy to stay here and order in.

"Good." I kiss her neck, spin her, and lead her out to the car. As soon as we're both inside, my phone buzzes. "Sorry. Let me turn—" There's a text message.

Dmitri: Maksim took Aspen to the hospital. Call me ASAP.

I hit the button.

He answers immediately.

"Dmitri, I didn't see your text. What's wrong?"

"Wes sent Aspen a poisonous snake, and it bit her."

Rage cyclones through my body. "That mother..." I take a hard breath through my nose then glance at Kora. "Is she okay?"

"She's still unconscious. We just got here. Boris is trying to calm Maksim down."

I put my hand on Kora's thigh. "I'll be there soon." I hang up and shake my head.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

"Aspen got bit by a poisonous snake."

She gapes at me for a brief moment then recovers. "How would that happen?"

Disgust and hatred fill every particle of my being. "Wes Petrov."

"What does that mean?"

"Dmitri said he sent her a gift."

Worry explodes in Kora's expression. "Where is she?"

"They just arrived at the hospital."

"Is she okay?"

I pull her into me. "I hope so." I roll the divider window down. "Change of plans. Northwestern Memorial." My hand balls into a fist. I take controlled breaths, trying to calm myself. My jaw spasms, and it only infuriates me more.

Kora wraps her hand over my knuckles. "Sergey, are you all right?"

"Yep."

She quietly says, "I need to ask you something."

I raise my eyebrows.

"What's the deal between your family and the Petrovs?"

My stomach drops. "Nothing."

She angrily states, "Something has to be. After everything that happened in the VIP room and now Aspen—"

"The Petrovs are the scum of the earth."

"Sergey, I don't want to be rude, but I'm also not stupid. The Petrovs are mafia. I know I was intoxicated, so things are a bit fuzzy, but I remember Maksim saying something in the VIP room to Wes about Ivanovs being off-limits. Then Wes said something about inciting a war between Ivanovs and Petrovs. What did that mean?"

I should have known she would eventually ask questions. Kora is intelligent. She can put two and two together. My world with the Petrovs has never crossed into any of my personal relationships before. I'm unprepared.

All the time I've not been able to sleep, I could have been thinking about how to respond to this.

My chest tightens. I firmly respond. "We have a history, and it's not good. That's all I'm saying about it."

She turns to stare out the window.

I sigh and lower my voice. "I'm sorry. That came out harsh, and I didn't mean it to."

She turns to look at me, and I cringe inside. She's grappling. I assume she is debating whether she should even be in this car with me, much less on a date.

I will not let the Petrovs destroy any more good in my life.

I reach for her face and cup her cheeks. "I'm sorry, my lapa. Some things are better not discussed. The Petrovs unfortunately were part of my childhood. My mother got involved with them. It's messed-up family stuff, and I don't want to discuss it, but please don't be angry with me."

She hesitates then smiles. "Okay. You're forgiven."

I'm only partially relieved. Kora's too smart to drop this and let it go. It is only a matter of time before she asks again. I need to figure out what I'll tell her.

I pick up her hand and kiss it. "This is screwing up the night I had planned for us."

She tilts her head. "You still didn't tell me where you were taking me."

"I'm not telling you. Maybe we won't need to stay at the hospital long, and we'll still get to go."

We pull up to the hospital entrance. The car stops. I open the door and step out, reach in for Kora, then guide her inside.

We get to the waiting room, and my brothers and Adrian are there. Maksim is aggressively speaking in Russian, and everyone is huddled around them. Nora and Anna are several feet away.

I release my hand from Kora's back. "Excuse me for a minute." I join my brothers.

Maksim says, "I don't care what the consequences are. I want him found and taken to the garage immediately."

Dmitri puts his hand on Maksim's shoulder. "You need to calm down, or they will throw you out of here. We will handle this. Right now, you need to focus on Aspen."

Maksim's eyes turn to slits. He barks, "She could die!"

Adrian's phone rings. He says, "It's Obrecht. Let me find out where he says we're at."

Maksim holds his hand out. "Let me—"

"Mr. Ivanov," a nurse says.

Maksim spins. "Yes."

"The doctor said you can go in now. She's trying to wake up."

"Is she okay?" I ask.

The nurse smiles. "I think we caught it in time. Come with me."

"Thank you." Maksim follows her down the hall.

"Ladies," Dmitri says.

Kora asks, "Do you know if Hailee or Skylar know about this?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so. We don't have their numbers, and Maksim's been..." Nora glances down the hall.

"Okay. Will you excuse me so I can call them? I'll be in after."

"Sure," Nora replies.

"You want me to wait with you?" I ask.

She smiles and shakes her head. "No, you go in."

"Okay."

We go into the room. Maksim is still seething, and we try to keep him quiet. Aspen finally wakes up, but the doctor comes in, and we all leave.

I stroll down several halls and find Kora. Her back is to me. She looks agitated and leans against the wall then shakes her head, focusing on the ceiling.

In an annoyed voice, she snaps, "How much do you want, Neicy?"

Who's Neicy?

She repeats in a firm voice, "How much, Neicy?"

I almost turn to walk away and give her privacy, but she exclaims, "Twenty thousand!"

My red flags go up, and I stand paralyzed, unable to stop eavesdropping.

"What do you need twenty thousand dollars for?"

Why is this woman asking her for money?

Kora snorts. "If you expect me to give you twenty grand without knowing what it's for, you must have lost your marbles."

Who is this person?

Kora's voice changes to worry. "What's wrong?"

For the next few minutes, Kora goes back and forth with whoever this Neicy person is, begging her to tell her what is wrong. "No! Don't hang up!"

I get angry. Whoever is on the other end of the line is playing games with Kora. I can see it without knowing the entire situation.

They must have hung up. Kora calls her right back and begs, "Please tell me what's wrong."

A long pause takes place, and Kora holds the phone away from her ear. I can hear a woman's muffled voice even though I'm several feet away.

Kora finally says, "I'll have to move some things around. I'll bring the money over in the next few days."

I don't like any part of this conversation. This Neicy person gives me bad vibes.

"Okay. Will you at least tell me if you're going to be all right?"

More silence.

"Neicy, please tell me what you're having done."

More loud shouting. Kora cringes and holds the phone away from her ear again.

Where's my piranha? Why's she letting this woman treat her like this?

"Okay. I'll see you in a few days, then?" There's a brief silence, and Kora hangs up. She puts her hand over her face and gently bangs her head into the wall.

I slide my arms around her and murmur in her ear, "Who were you arguing with?"

She jumps then leans into me. "My sister."

"What's wrong?"

She hesitates then shakes her head. "Nothing." She spins. "Is Aspen doing any better? Can I see her?"

I cross my arms. "Kora, what's wrong?"

She looks away. "My family is complicated. I don't want to get into it."

I stay silent, debating whether to push her or not. I don't like what I heard, and my gut is telling me something isn't right.

I just made her stop pressuring me about my family situation.

"Can I see Aspen?" she asks again.

"She just woke up. The doctor is examining her."

"Kora!"

We turn. Skylar and Hailee are trotting down the hall. Hailee is wiping her face.

"Is she okay?" Hailee frets.

"Yes. The doctor is with them now," I assure them.

"How did—" Skylar's cheeks heat. "I need to go to the restroom." She quickly turns and walks down the hall.

That was strange.

"Ladies. Aspen is passed out again. They expect her to sleep a long time because of her pain meds," Adrian says behind me.

Did Skylar run away because of Adrian?

I need to ask him what's up between them.

"What did the doctor say?" Hailee asks.

"The doctor said it was shallow and doesn't think she'll have any long-term issues. It's going to take a few weeks, possibly months for her to be back to normal, or know for sure," I reply.

"Months!" Hailee shrieks.

Adrian winces. "Easy there, killer. I'd like to keep my hearing."

"Sorry."

Adrian cracks his neck. "Dmitri and Anna are staying with Maksim. He said to have the rest of us leave."

"I'll go get Skylar and tell her," Kora volunteers.

Adrian walks past us. "No. I'll relay the message."

Hailee's eyes widen, and she focuses on Kora.

Yep. Something is definitely going on.

"We'll meet you in the lobby." I escort Hailee and Kora through the hospital with a hand on their backs.

"We should wait for Skylar," Hailee insists when we get on the elevator.

I snort. "Adrian will bring her to us. Unless there's something you're worried about?" I arch my eyebrows.

Hailee's face turns red. "No."

"Okay. Have you been working out?"

"No. Why do you ask that?"

"You seem like you have tons of energy."

"Ha ha! Funny!"

"Did I miss a joke somewhere?" Kora asks.

"Just facts I learned about Hailee regarding her pot-smoking skills."

"Hailee doesn't smoke weed," Kora informs me.

"I did once," she claims.

"Mmm... I think we went over this?" I tease.

Hailee rolls her eyes. "I inhaled."

I grunt. "No, you didn't."

Kora bites on her lip. I've not asked her what she thinks of my pot habit, but I'm pretty sure she's aware I smoke. In my experience, most attorneys are closet smokers, but I'm not sure what her opinions are or if she ever does.

"I did," Hailee quietly mutters. Then she says, "I guess it's good Aspen is sleeping. I've got a ton of paper umbrellas to finish making."

"What for?" I ask.

"For my students to decorate. The theme for our bulletin board outside our classroom is April showers bring May flowers."

My lips twitch. "How very teacher-ish of you."

"Are you making fun of my profession?"

"No. I loved kindergarten. My teacher got mad when I sniffed the glue though."

Hailee groans. "You weren't one of those kids."

"My friend dared me. I couldn't back down."

She shakes her head in disapproval. "Do you know how bad that is for you?"

I snort. "It's not as bad as what I made my friend do."

"What's that?" she asks.

"I dared him to eat it. After I sniffed it, he couldn't say no."

Hailee puts her hand over her face and shakes it. She opens her two fingers, revealing her blue eyes. "You were one of those kids."

I proudly smile. "Yep."

"Your teacher must have been happy when the year was over."

"Ms. Ebony? Nope. She loved me. Cried when I graduated to first grade." She did. She was my favorite teacher, too.

"Probably tears of relief," Kora points out.

"Doubt it. She used to bake cookies and sneak me a few, up until I was out of elementary school." I rarely think anything happy about my childhood. Until I was twelve and Zamir broke me, I didn't know any evil. Sniffing glue was the worst thing I ever did. After Zamir, it became hard to remember anything before it.

Hailee smirks. "My guess is she wanted to make sure you didn't eat more glue."

"I only sniffed it. I wasn't dumb enough to put it past my lips." I glance at Kora, checking her out like a pervert, then cockily claim, "I reserve my mouth for the finer things in life."