I Thee Take (To Have And To Hold Duet #2) - Natasha Knight Page 0,71

brother.”

He studies me. “Nothing is going to happen,” he says, turning back to the gates as we near them, turning the volume up on the radio when we see the first armed guards come into view. I slow the car, pushing the button to roll down my window part of the way, irritated by the rain pelting my face. Dante tucks his weapon out of sight and sings along to some of the lyrics. The guard leans his head down to look inside the vehicle as he pushes his automatic rifle behind his back.

“Gentlemen,” he says. He has to scream it over the rain. Lightning electrifies the sky just beyond the hulking house.

Another man shines a flashlight inside checking out the backseat.

“This is a private residence. You’ll need to turn around.” He’s soaked, umbrella barely hanging on in the wind.

I turn the music down. “I expect Pérez to have booked a private residence considering.”

He studies me as his colleague knocks on the trunk of the car.

“Why are you so late?”

“We got lost. This place is the fucking end of the fucking world and road signs don’t exactly help when you don’t speak the language.”

“Name.”

My brother turns the music back up and leans across to look at the man. “You don’t recognize my brother? He’s fucking famous.”

The man looks from him to me. He gives up on the umbrella with the next gust of wind and tosses it aside, letting the rain cascade down his face. “Name.”

Committed.

“Grigori,” Dante says, sitting back in his chair as I survey what’s beyond the gates. More armed soldiers, smoking, a few feet away. Lights from the house, about a mile farther down, and more than a dozen vehicles dotting the place. At least of those I can see.

“I gotta take a piss,” Dante says to the man.

“Just a minute. Let the man do his job,” I tell him.

“They could pay a fucking monkey to do this job faster,” he mutters half in English half in Italian. The monkey part loud and clear.

“What did you say?” the soldier asks.

The man at the back knocks his fist twice on the trunk.

“Pop the trunk,” the one from the back yells.

I do. “Is there a problem?” There’s nothing in there but a spare tire.

“Your name doesn’t appear to be on my list,” he says, eyes narrowing on us. His accent sounds local.

“Clean,” the man at the back says, closing the trunk.

“Then your list is wrong.” I turn to Dante. He’s waiting for my signal. I need to get inside. If I have to kill these fuckers to do it, I will but I don’t want to sound the alarm.

“I don’t think…” the man starts then stops. “Shit!”

I follow his gaze to where another vehicle drives erratically toward us from inside the gates. It’s a large SUV and I can only make out the shadows of the two in the front seat. The driver honks his horn angrily.

“Petrov,” the one with the clipboard says.

“Mother fucker,” the other one curses.

The driver lays on his horn opening his window and flipping us or the guards or the whole lot of us off as he barrels toward us and even over the music, I can hear him laughing.

“Fucking asshole,” clipboard guy says as he jumps backward.

I hit the gas and pull through the gates, only managing to miss the SUV by a hair. In the rearview mirror I see it swerve as if to run over the soldiers.

“Who the fuck is fucking Petrov?” Dante asks.

“He’s the asshole that got us in,” I say once we’re far enough away from the gates that I can’t see the soldiers stationed there anymore.

“Two guards at the front door,” Dante says.

I park the car where I have a clear exit, avoiding the collected SUVs and sedans with drivers sitting inside, smoking their cigarettes, smoke wafting out of the cracked open windows.

Lightning crashes over head as the lights blink once, twice. The soldiers at the door look at each other with uncertainty.

“Front door,” Dante says, opening his door.

“Let’s go get my wife.”

We climb out of the car, adjust our jackets and walk at a normal pace through the rain. One of the soldiers tosses the butt of his cigarette, gives us a nod as the other opens the heavy door.

I make a note of the soldiers stationed inside as we enter a hallway where a woman stands ready to take our coats. Except, we’re not wearing any. My brother gives her a nod and a wink. Women always