One Cold Night, page 16
“Your family will pay for this. I will have them hunted down and killed. Slowly.”
“That’s what I needed to hear, thank you.” He approached the desk and reached behind the pile of books there to pick up his recorder. “Not only did you threaten one cop who you’ve admitted you put a hit on, but his brother who is also one, and the rest of my family.” He leaned closer. “I do hope there’s something on your files that connects you with any terrorist faction. Because I think you and Gitmo would make a lovely combination. None of your connections, none of your backup. Just you and a bunch of other scum sucking bastards.”
“You think you’re clever. Just wait.”
John tossed him some cuffs. “Put them on.” Once he was secure, he walked to his side of the desk. “You ever threaten my family again and I’ll make good on what I promised before,” he whispered in his ear. “Every. Single. One.”
The door opened and in stepped Davis’ contact at the FBI. “You okay in here, Officer?”
“We’re ready to leave. House secure?”
“It is.”
“Time for us to get moving, Wasyl. So, now that you’re officially under arrest, let me read you your rights.”
John continued with that, ignoring the increasing anger on Wasyl’s face.
“This will never stick,” he swore. “And I will find you.”
He walked up behind the man, gripped his arm in a punishing hold. “I ever see your face again or one that belongs to you and not even the Devil himself will be able to stop the hell I will unleash from raining down on you. The men you sent to kill her are either going to die or jail. We all know which option I’m hoping for. Don’t test me.”
They walked out of his study and passed his family and staff, all of whom were also in cuffs. Even his wife. John made him walk slow so every single one of them could take a good look at him. The loss of respect couldn’t be ignored from those observing the parade through the opulent mansion.
John climbed in the backseat with him, unwilling to give him any chance of figuring out a way to get free. The ride to the station was done in silence. Same as before he marched him slowly through the gathered crowd of reporters. He didn’t cover his head, left it visible. As he continued into his precinct, he was met with a wall of cheers and congratulations from the men and women he knew. Even so, as he constantly moved the prisoner, the FBI spread out and picked up the ones whose names had been on his payroll.
I seriously owe Terri something for all she got me. Opening a single cell, he pushed the man in and freed his hands. “We’ll be back to get you processed soon.” He went to the door. “Want me to leave you another pair of shoelaces? Make everything easier on all.”
He muttered something in Ukrainian that John knew wasn’t polite. He shut the door with a satisfying click. The FBI had brought in others and they were cleaning up other precincts around the city at the same time. Terri had worked swiftly and sent the information to Davis’ contact. The man was good and mobilized in no time, aware Wasyl would vanish if they waited much longer.
While it wasn’t a breech or potential fire fight like he was used to, John had to push off the exhaustion. Digging into his pocket, he called Davis, pretty sure that Leena still wouldn’t answer. It ran more times than he was happy about before his brother answered.
“We’re okay, a few minor injuries but we’re both fine.” The words were the first thing out of Davis’ mouth.
“What the fuck happened?”
“They breeched her perimeter and regret it now.”
“Let me talk to her.” His entire body shook.
“No can do, bro. she’s getting some x-rays at the hospital and I’m under strict orders not to leave the dog I’m at the emergency clinic with. It was the only way I could get her to go. Otherwise she wouldn’t have gone to the hospital.”
“Clinic? Shit, what dog?” Please don’t be Argo. He didn’t want it to be any of her animals but he knew that it was one of them.
“Hope, she’ll be okay. They’ve stopped the bleeding and are just sewing her up, but I can’t leave until Leena gets back.”
“What hospital is she at?” His heart calmed a bit even as he berated himself for being glad it wasn’t Argo.
“I have to go, we’ll call you when we’re finished up.” Davis hung up.
Staring at the phone in his hand, he realized that Davis hadn’t even asked him how it had gone on his end. He had other things to finish up right now and would wait for the call, no matter how impatient he was about hearing Leena’s voice.
αβ
“Where are you?” John demanded, fist clenching.
“I’m in my house. Just got back from seeing Mom.” Davis muttered something to someone else before coming back to the line. “Why? What’s going on? I haven’t heard from my famous brother in a while. What’s it been, three months since you took down Fyodorov family?”
I know how long it’s been. I’ve had to deal with all the political crap and couldn’t get away to see Leena. A fact that had made him extremely pissed. “About that. And I’m trying to get in touch with Leena. I’ve not been able to reach her on the phone. You two were damn chummy, have you heard from her?”
“She’s fine, John.”
“Damn it, Davis. How do you know this? Have you gone to see her?” His entire body vibrated with tension. What the hell was his brother doing seeing Leena? She’d not taken any of his calls and if he tried to call from a different number, the moment she realized who it was, the call had been disconnected.
“We just had lunch together.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me?”
“She was just here. Gone now, but she’s fine. All healed up and as beautiful as the day I met her.”
She’d been in town and hadn’t even contacted him. John swallowed back the nausea that jumped up from his gut.
“I see.” He ended the call and sank to the chair nearest his suddenly weak body. His phone rang seconds later. “Prince,” he said automatically.
“You’re like a schoolboy who’s had his dick smacked. Look, we’re not a couple and I’m not trying to be with her behind your back. She was passing through and stopped by for a visit and lunch. She’s not going to come to you, John. You want her, you’re going to have to go after her. And since she’s not going to be home for a while, I would suggest you track her down in Iowa, she’s heading to a competition.”
“Where?”
Davis clucked his tongue. “You figure it out.” He ended the call.
John shoved a hand through his longer hair and sighed. Getting to his feet, he dialed his captain while he walked through his apartment. Davis had a house here, had made a life for himself. While John, hell, there were boxes still. He hung out with his SRT crew but that was it. He didn’t have other friends. Even the people he’d grown up with he didn’t talk with regularly.
“Captain? It’s Prince.”
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m taking some personal time.”
Epilogue
Leena rolled her shoulders as she waited for the time to pass after the track laying so she and Pax could begin. As usual her dogs didn’t act as if they were worried in the slightest. She however, even after participating in all these events still got knots in her stomach. The moment she shifted in her chair, his ears swiveled in her direction.
“Not yet, Pax. Not yet.”
When the time came, she’d prepared herself and the two of them worked together like a dream. She read his cues and knew he had it. While he rested for the protection test, she took some water.
“You’re looking stressed,” Ameil, a volunteer, said with a smile.
“It’s the tracking, always the tracking that makes me a nervous wreck. I’m fine with obedience and protection but that one always worries me.”
He patted her shoulder. “You two looked great out there to me. Just like you did with the other dogs you have. You and Argo especially.”
“Thanks. That dog and I have an incredible bond.”
“Nearly as good as you and Falco.”
Even after all these years, the backs of her eyes burned at the mention of her heart dog. “Yes, nearly.”
“I’ll see you at the dinner tonight?”
“Absolutely. See you then.” She headed back to where she’d left Pax. He was on his back, completely at ease with everything around him. He’d been her joker and prankster as a younger pup, pushing her buttons but after that incident at her house, his switch had been flipped. He’d been beside Hope when she went down and he’d brought her attacker to the ground, showing an intensity she’d not ever had from him before. Finally, now she felt he was ready to try for his IPO 2 title.
Now they had to wait and search four blinds and demonstrate a back transport of the decoy. That was the new additions, for there were still the IPO exercises. She settled on the ground next to Pax and dug her fingers into his coat. He rolled over and licked her hand.
“Are you ready for this, boy?”
The look he gave had her chuckling. “Right, it’s my issue. Not yours.”
She’d never seen him so focused; he knocked the blind search out of the park and did wonderful with the back transport. The other exercises he was used to doing.
As they finished up and she waited for the judge to give her the nod where she could release him, she whooped and whistled for him to jump up in her arms. He hit her hard with his eighty-five pounds, but she didn’t care. Holding him she kissed him, tears of pride streaming from her eyes.
“You did it, Pax. You passed.” She accepted the congratulations offered and dropped back to her knees to hug him again. “I’m so proud of you.”
A shadow fell over her and she wiped her eyes and tipped her head back to see who stood there. Her heart skipped more than a few beats as she found John standing there.
“John,” she whispered.
“Leena,” he said in a voice as soft as hers.
Pushing to her feet, she did her best not to eagerly eat up his form. Damn man was fine as hell and she’d missed him so much. He bent to say hello to Pax then he turned his eyes back on her.
Moving even closer he stopped right before they touched.
“What are you doing here?” She pushed the words—somehow—past dry lips.
“I came for you. My brother said you were in Oklahoma City having lunch with him the other day.”
“I dropped off a dog for him.”
He frowned, creases appearing in his brow. “A dog, my brother?”
“Yes. Hugo, a Belgian Tervuren.” Her fingers burned with the need to touch him. To feel his skin beneath hers. Taste him on her lips. “Don’t you two talk?”
“We can discuss my relationship with him later. I came for you and to discuss ours.”
“I can’t.” She shook her head. “I can’t, I have to go.”
“Hell, no. I love you, Leena Parsons. I love you with every breath that I take. With every beat my heart gives me. I love you.” He cupped her face. “I want you in my life. I want to wake up beside you and fall asleep with you. I want to see you across the breakfast table. I want to help you do chores.” He swiped her lower lip with his thumb. “I want to be your husband.”
Christ, she was about to cry again. “I can’t move to Oklahoma City, John. I’m sorry but I just can’t.”
“You have cops in your town. I’ll move.”
“Small town cop is a step down and much less active than being part of SRT.”
“I’ll be fine. I want to be with you, and I loved being there. With you. With the dogs.”
She hesitated for half a second before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, the leash falling to the ground. She moaned as his taste filled her. This man had come to her life one cold night and had filled it with such heat, she never wanted it to vanish. “Yes,” she whispered against his lips. “Yes.”
* * *
The End
* * *
Davis will have his own story, Unraveling the Code. Here’s a sneak peek of the cover. It is a forced proximity, frenemies to lovers romantic suspense.
About the Author
Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached here. She can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
She is married to a career military man. They are owned by four Borzoi. She spends her days sharing time between work, writing, and dog training.
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I hope you enjoyed reading One Cold Night. If you could help others to find and enjoy this book as well, I would appreciate that act of kindness. You can do this by recommending it to your friends and/or reader’s groups. Also by reviewing it to let others know you liked it, even only a line or two—and why. Every bit helps, makes all the difference and is absolutely appreciated.
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Additional Books by Aliyah Burke:
Sensual Romance Publishing
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D.A.R.K., INC.
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