Bratva's Captive - Piper Stone Page 0,23

the hell was he doing here?

I moved to the door, cutting the security then opening. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I thought you could use a piece of advice.” Travis glanced over his shoulder again.

Huffing, I yanked him inside, closing and locking the door and immediately rearming the system. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“I think I realized that when you asked me to take care of disposing a dead body. What the hell is going on, Nikolai?”

I motioned him to follow, heading back into my office and switching on the light.

He noticed the two bags, eyeing them for a few seconds before lifting his gaze. His expression was one of concern. “It’s happening, isn’t it?”

“It?” I asked as I returned the gun to my holster.

“They’re after you.” While he said the words in a matter-of-fact manner, I could smell his concern.

“I’m not certain who they are, but I have a situation that must be handled.”

“Look, I did what you asked, but barely managed to take care of it before two goons showed up. Don’t worry. They didn’t see a goddamn thing, but there was no doubt they were hunting for you. They had assault rifles as well as other weapons. They didn’t pay any attention to the girl’s car.”

“Shit. I forgot about her damn car.”

“I take it she’s here.”

I nodded, moving toward the bar and making two drinks. “A necessary but difficult complication.”

“Is this Russia we’re talking about?”

“I’m not certain yet.” The less he knew the better. It wouldn’t matter if I left the city, Travis could still have a target on his back. The mercenaries would leave no stone unturned in their effort to find me.

He remained quiet until I handed him a glass. “Her keys were in the car, so I made a decision, taking it before daylight and hiding it in a safe spot. You know at some point she’s going to be reported missing.”

“I appreciate that but make certain it’s nowhere near you. Your house. The bar. A family member. Nothing. I may ask you to dispose of it at some point, but we’re not there yet.”

“Jesus, buddy. This is some heavy shit. I figured as much. There’s no way it’ll be found or can lead to my involvement.”

“Good. Now, you need to forget you ever knew me.”

Laughing, Travis took a gulp of his drink. “That’s not an easy thing to do, but I hear you. Are you getting out of town?”

“That’s a possibility.”

“Do you have anywhere to go?”

I snorted and swirled my drink. “That was the one mistake I made. After all these fucking years, I didn’t think anyone gave a shit about the bastard son any longer.”

I heard the jangle of keys and glanced at my friend. He’d been good to me since the day I’d arrived, never giving a second thought about serving me a glass of whiskey. After a year, we’d become friends. Eventually, I’d shared a portion of my life, although I’d never allowed the man to know the horrors of what I’d been through. He was tough, but some stories were best left in dark places.

Travis grinned as he held the keys in front of me. “I thought you’d need somewhere to go. I have a cabin near the Canadian border. Close enough, I know of a place you can cross without detection if needed. It ain’t fancy but there’s electricity and running water, enough wood to keep you warm for a couple months and plenty of trees around for you to cut some down yourself. I equipped it pretty well, but you’re going to need some supplies.”

“That’s not a good idea.” Although the location was perfect, the last thing I wanted to do was involve him any further.

“I don’t know everything you went through and I’m guessing I don’t want to know, but it’s obvious that someone wants you dead. Then there’s the girl.”

“Fuck. Don’t remind me.”

“At least she’s one sexy little vixen,” he said, laughing, cutting it short when I didn’t make a sound. “Okay. You need to listen to me. The cabin was my pop’s. He willed it to me, but I’ve never made any formal change in the ownership. There was no need. With no mortgage, no one has to know I own the place. I’ve used it for hunting and fishing sometimes. As I said, there are some supplies, but you’ll need to stop at a local store on the way. They don’t question. They don’t bother paying any attention to anyone, if you know