Havok: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance - Riley Rollins Page 0,16

carries in his hand, and a look of sheer terror overtakes his face.

"Good night, Mr. Ovechenko," I say. My silenced pistol makes two soft cracks, and he crumples to the ground, a spatter of bright red blood coating the elevator wall behind him.

The elevator door closes automatically. I re-holster my gun, turn, and walk away.

I take the stairs.

There's a White Bear meeting the next night. The boys all gather around the table as usual, waiting for pakhan Petrov to show up and start the meeting. Everyone except Igor, that is—which I don't like at all. An image flashes through my mind of Igor abducting Penny on her way home from Fascinations. The thought enrages me.

Yeah, I can admit it to myself, I'm worried about that girl. I know it's only a matter of time before that fuck Igor gets her in his sights. Lately I've been watching him as much as I've been watching the club. And that's why I didn't react fast enough to stop the stabbing. I'm thinking too much about Penny, the tormented girl who's too good for the lowlifes who surround her. She's got a kindred spirit. She should be far away from me, Igor, and the rest of them. Helping sick people in the hospital who deserve her attention, making something real out of her life.

It's not like me to worry about a piece of pussy. Pussy is disposable.

But there's something about Penny that's very much not disposable. Something that needs my protection.

"Heard you really fucked up Ovechenko," says Luka with a grin, popping a dumpling in his mouth. "HazMat was scrubbing that elevator all morning after a little old lady found him in there."

I smile grimly at the thought of his corpse rotting, the hot morning sun pounding down on the metal elevator. That's what happens to enemies of the Bratva.

To enemies of Vladimir Vladimirovich Ivanov. This kind of shit is how I earned my nickname. Havok.

Luka, Valentin, and I bullshit for a few more minutes until Petrov finally shows up.

"Hey, boss," says Valentin. "You hear what Havok did to Ovechenko?"

Petrov smiles. "Another job well done by our man Havok."

He sets his briefcase on the table, snaps it open, and pulls out a manila folder. "Havok, glad I rely on you, soldier. Because you have new mission."

"I'm on it," I say.

He opens the manila folder, pulls out a stack of paper, and slaps it down on the table in front of me.

"First girl job. Be easy."

On top of the stack of papers is a photograph of a woman on a stage.

It's Penny.

My mission is to kidnap Penny.

11

Penny

The next day, I'm working the afternoon shift. Mackenzie corners me in the dressing room five minutes before my shift. "Here," she says, opening the utility closet and pulling me inside. It's cramped, musty, and stale in here.

"What's up, Kenzie?" I ask as she pulls the door closed. A mop handle jabs into my back, and I twist uncomfortably, trying to shove it aside.

"Remember what I said about Marcy and Jen?"

"Yeah."

"It's getting worse."

I furrow my brow. I don't have time for this right now.

"Those two new hires from last month—Ruby and Mandy—same story."

Okay. Well, maybe that is a bit weird. Now that I think about it, the turnover has been really high lately.

"You're telling me you can't find any trace of them?" I say.

"None. No answer to texts or calls. All moved without warning. Landlords have no clue."

My heart beats faster, and acid burns in my stomach. For some reason, this is actually giving me really bad anxiety now. I need to stop by my locker and grab some pills to calm myself down.

I want to believe that Mackenzie's just being Mackenzie, but this is getting a little too strange to be a coincidence.

I glance down at my cell phone, toggling the screen on. "Shit. I'm on in one. I'll find you on my break."

Mackenzie nods at me, worry in her eyes.

When I come out on stage, I see the one thing I always hope not to see. Brock's paying me a visit at work.

As if that's not complicated enough, Havok is working security tonight. It's going to be a mess of a night if they recognize each other.

"Hey babe," Brock calls out from the audience. I can practically smell the booze on his breath from here, and I have no idea how he got into the club like this.

I give him a small, reluctant wave as I swing my weight around the pole on stage. I'm naked