Burn For You, page 5
And just to the fucking idea of a woman who has shown barely any interest in me. Actually, she outright said she wasn’t interested. I had to know for sure so I got in her space and that pretty blush just came to life. She definitely wants me. I just need to keep bringing her attention back to me. It's ridiculous and downright insane, but I can’t stop it. I can’t stop wanting her. Even though I fucking know better. Even though my baby sister already warned me away from her. None of that seems to matter when I imagine her beautiful face scowling at me when I enter the diner or the way she smiles at me when she thinks I’m not looking.
Straightening up I place my head under the water and scrub away the evidence. My euphoric release lasts for only a few moments before I spiral back into my thoughts. My mind feels like it's being strung in a million directions. I have what feels like a thousand tasks that I need to complete in the coming weeks for Da, and that doesn’t even cover the fact that I need to find a way to get Greta out of this fucking marriage.
God knows that my sister would likely murder her new husband in his sleep. She has zero desire to settle down. Forcing her would only make her more angry. I would feel bad for the poor bastard if he wasn’t a raging psychopath. Jesus, Greta would end up destroying the alliance before her wedding night was over.
Shutting off the water I step out and dry off quickly. As I pull on a pair of comfortable sweats, the thought of settling down, of finding someone to love and start a family with, lingers in the back of my mind. It's delusional and naive to think I will ever have that. Unfortunately, that doesn’t stop part of my head from wanting it so fucking badly.
I head to Con's office slash bedroom. He's the one person who can help me untangle the mess of tasks and responsibilities that await me. Even just sitting in silence sometimes helps me work through things.
He’s unsurprisingly sitting in front of the screens, clicking away. I plop down onto the couch in the corner of the room and sigh heavily which only causes Con to chuckle.
“Fuck off,” I grumble out.
He just chuckles harder, his focused eyes never straying from the screens, “It’ll get easier, brother.”
I sigh and close my eyes, resting my head back against the back of the couch. It’s strange I’m sure, but I get more rest here on this couch than I do in my own bed. I can’t decide if it’s Con’s steady presence or if it’s the need to not be alone.
“Have you seen Declan lately?” I ask.
It’s so silent that I open my eyes and see Con facing me, his brows drawn together in concern, “Not since you had that meeting with the Cartel. He’s been…quiet.”
I hum, concern closing in, “Is he okay?”
Con shrugs, but I can see the worry in his expression as he murmurs, “I think something is bothering him. He went kind of dark after the meeting with Viktor. He shows up to things…but I don’t feel like he is really present.”
"Yeah, I've noticed that too," I reply, my voice tinged with worry. Declan has always been more of the silent type, but this is different. He's been distant, and more reserved than usual, and it's starting to raise red flags in my mind.
I had noticed the same timeline. I remember it vividly, the way he had stood stiffly and barely blinked at my Da and Viktor discussing Greta being single. I’ve known for a long time that he had feelings for my sister, but that confirmed it. Ever since that moment, he’s been painfully absent.
He doesn’t come home until the early hours of the morning to sleep for a few hours, and that’s if he even shows up at the condo. He goes to work engagements when requested but other than that…he’s just gone. It's not abnormal for Declan to be a quiet fucker, but he doesn’t usually run away from me and Con. We have always been a trio of brothers. Even during our difficult times. That’s why this is so alarming. He just…abandoned us to deal with whatever shit is going on in his head alone.
“I don’t know how to help if he won’t talk to me,” Con murmurs, almost to himself. My heart pangs at his sadness. Con has always been exceptionally close to Declan. They are actual brothers - by blood. Twins to be exact, so I can’t imagine how his distance has been affecting Con. I think if Dec knew how hard it was on his twin, he would make an effort to come home. But I know that Con would never tell him and I can’t break Con’s trust unless he asks me to speak to Dec.
I run my hand through my drying hair, “I can try to talk to him. He’s going to be fine.”
Con hums but doesn’t say anything as he turns back to his screens.
It's silent for a while as I watch Con work. I don’t know shit about computers but it's still fun to watch him code at the speed of light, pulling up different windows and hacking into things he has zero right to be in. Illegal as fuck, but we aren’t exactly straight-laced citizens.
Con hums again, low in his throat effectively dismissing this conversation.
I start to slide into sleep when Con sucks in a hard breath and mutters fuck.
My eyes snap open and the sight on the screen jolts me out of my drowsy state, adrenaline instantly replacing the haze of sleep. There, in the apartment above Greta's diner, a place I know like the back of my hand is a scene that ignites a fury within me.
A tattooed man has Len pinned against the wall.
"Trace his face, now," I bark at Con, my fists clenching as I watch the scene unfold on the screen. All my exhaustion and tiredness just vanish as fury floods me. I leap off of the couch and walk over to Con, standing beside him and waiting for him to give me answers.
Con's hands are a blur as he works, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a similar sense of urgency. "On it," he replies, his voice just as tense.
As he works, I can't tear my eyes away from the screen. There’s going to be a conversation had with Con in the near future about why the fuck he has her on surveillance but that can happen later. For now, I need to know what threat we are facing and how we can fucking destroy it.
As the details of the man's face become clearer on the screen, I commit every line, every tattoo to memory. This man has just made himself an enemy of the O'Sullivan family, and in our world, that's a dangerous place to be.
"Got him," Con announces, pulling up a file on the screen. "His name's Ivan Petrov. He's one of the enforcers for the Romanov family."
Ivan Petrov. The name is like a bullet, and it hits me with all the force of a direct shot. This just got a lot more complicated. You see, Dmitry Romanov is a psychopath but Ivan Petrov? He’s worse. He basically taught Dmitry everything he knows. If the stories surrounding the Romanov Heir are bad, the ones that surround Ivan are fucking twenty times worse.
"Fuck," I mutter under my breath, a cold realization setting in. This isn't just some random act of violence; it's connected to the very core of the underworld we operate in. There’s gotta be a fucking connection that I am not seeing right now. "What the hell is he doing with Len?"
Con shakes his head, "No idea, but this doesn't look good.”
The clarity of the feed improves, showing the fear and struggle on Len's face. She must have gone out tonight, she’s got on a tight little dress that does nothing to hide her voluptuous curves, and her hair, and makeup are done beautifully. Maybe she brought this man home for a night of fun and he ended up being violent? Or fuck, maybe that’s the guy that had her running away and nearly dying on a park bench?
The look of fear and defeat on her face cuts me deep. It’s a look I never want to see again, especially on her beautiful face. My heart pounds against my chest. The sight of Len cornered and terrified, sets off every alarm in my head. The obsession I was starting to feel about the girl wells up and takes hold of me. No one touches her but me. Fucking no one.
Connor is already on his phone, alerting Dec most likely. “Let’s go. We'll get her out of there."
I nod, feeling a sense of urgency like never before. "Tell Dec to be ready for anything. This could get messy.”
As I head towards the door, the image of Len's frightened face burns in my mind. The idea of her being tangled up in something involving the Romanovs and my world is unsettling. She's innocent in all this. I won’t allow anyone to hurt her. It’s a decision I am making with zero thought of repercussions or backlash from the Romanovs. I honestly don’t fucking care. My obsession with Len and her past just increased tenfold. I refuse to allow them to take her from me.
The cold Boston night greets me as I step outside, but it does nothing to cool my heated thoughts. My steps are quick and determined as I head towards my blacked-out SUV, Con right behind me tapping away on his phone. He’s likely got the feed pulled up on his mobile now that we are heading towards the apartment.
Ivan Petrov is a known entity in our circles – ruthless, loyal to the Romanovs, and not someone to be taken lightly. But my resolve is firm. Whatever his reasons for targeting Len, I'm going to put an end to it. She's been through enough already, and I won't stand by and watch her get dragged deeper into this underworld. I don’t have answers as to why Len ended up in Boston but I don’t fucking care. If I have to burn the alliance to the ground I will. Len is mine. It might take some time to convince her of that, but I can be a patient man.
The streets blur past as I make my way to the diner. We pull up to the rear of the diner at the same time that Dec pulls in, the tires on his white Camaro screaming to a halt. He doesn’t even spare me a glance as he dashes inside and up the stairs to the overhead apartment with his gun drawn and ready.
“I want him alive,” I bark out, knowing that we will need answers.
His nod is the only confirmation I get as I follow him up. Len and Ivan aren’t in the hallway anymore, the door to the apartment is closed. Fear snakes down my spine at the thought of what he could be doing to her. It’s very possible that I am too late. That I wasted too much time having Con look into the man when I should have just stormed over here. She could be dead on the floor. He could be assaulting her and I just didn’t fucking get here in time. The options seem endless.
Luckily, Dec wastes no time, breaking down the door without even checking the handle and storming inside.
The sight of Len, back to the floor crying with Ivan hovering over her, will be burned into my mind forever. She’s damn near shaking with fear, her dress is ripped to shit, her breasts are exposed. She has purple and head marks covering her neck and chest from where Ivan decided to lay his filthy fucking hands on her. Fury races through me, fiery hate and malice. I have never…ever been this fucking angry.
Declan tears Ivan off of her, and I see red when I notice that his pants are unbuttoned and slightly pulled down. We made it just in time and that thought fucking enrages me. She was seconds away from being fucking raped by this piece of shit.
I want to be Declan, who is pounding his fist into Ivan's face repeatedly. Blood smearing and bones cracking. The sound of flesh being split is enough to have a smile dancing across my lips until I glance at the shocked fearful expression on Len’s beautiful face.
“Enough,” I bark, placing a hand on Declan’s shoulder.
He flinches, standing up and towering over Ivan's unconscious form. His gaze flicks to Len and softens before he glances at me with worried eyes.
I look at Len, noticing her tear-stained face and the way her bottom lip wobbles slightly. She breathing rapidly, nearly hyperventilating with her gaze firmly stuck on Ivan.
“Len,” I murmur, trying to be calm and not scare her further.
Her eyes snap to mine and a sob escapes her, her breathing picking up even more. “I-I’m s-sorry.”
My brows furrow, “What the fuck do you have to be sorry for?”
She flinches at my tone and squeezes her eyes closed. I mentally smack myself for being a fucking heathen and not calming my tone. I guess I just can’t stand the thought that she feels like she has to apologize. She should never apologize for someone else being a piece of shit.
Her delicate hands rub at her chest, and my attention is brought back down to the way her breasts are exposed. I growl, frustration coursing through me at Ivan and this entire situation.
“She’s going to pass out,” Con murmurs, his eyes firmly fixed on the small woman.
“Fuck,” Dec barks out at the same time that her body drops dead weight and her head thuds against the floor.
I sigh and grip my nape, deciding to take charge and get this mess handled, “Dec, take the piece of shit to the basement at our place. Con, call Greta. I doubt Len would be comfortable waking up at our place.”
I hate that I need to be logical about this. Honestly, I want to do nothing more than whisk her away to my apartment. I want to tuck her into my bed and watch over her. I never want to let this woman out of my sight again.
But that’s not rational. I know it and so would everyone else. She needs to wake up somewhere that she can feel safe. And she doesn't know me. Not yet anyway.
Con nods, grabbing his phone out of his pocket and exiting the apartment presumably to call my little sister.
Glancing down at her, I grimace at the bruising. I quickly whip my sweatshirt over my head and kneel beside her, taking my time to cover her exposed body in my clothing. No one should see her body while she is vulnerable and can’t consent. I realize I could have easily grabbed some of her clothes but…I like seeing her in mine. I like the idea of Len being wrapped in my cologne. And I don’t think I could have stepped away from her.
Declan glances at me and frowns before his gaze falls back to Ivan, “He dies.”
I nod, already knowing that the man on the floor won’t live to see freedom again. I murmur out, “Just get answers out of him before.”
Declan nods and then hauls the unconscious man over his shoulder with ease. Exiting the apartment and heading back to our place. Hopefully being able to play with that shithead will be enough to bring him back from whatever depression is gripping him. I would let him torture and kill a dozen shitty men if it meant he stopped hiding away.
Looking back down at Len, I’m struck again by how beautiful she is. I hate that her soft face is bruised by that nasty fucking man. She should be cherished, not fucking beaten. I don’t know what has happened for her to end up here, but I vow that I will make sure she is safe. I don’t fucking care what I need to do, I will make sure she is perfectly safe.
The sound of rushed footsteps has me spinning and drawing my gun. I immediately lower it when Greta makes a gasping sob sound as she takes in Len’s unconscious form. My baby sister is sporting a white dress that is barely decent. Clearly, she was also out tonight.
“What happened?” She cries, kneeling down next to Len with tears in her eyes, “I was just with her.”
“One of Romanov’s men,” I state, studying my sister. She’s a caring woman, always has been. But her fear for Len seems to go beyond that. I think she might actually consider her a friend, which is something that my dear sister doesn’t typically do. She’s kind, sure. But G doesn’t allow people to get close to her. She doesn’t trust anyone easily and I understand why. People can be fucking backstabbing snakes. We learned that a lot over the years with people who would use us to get to Da.
“Why?” She asks, her tear-filled eyes boring into mine.
I hate that I don’t have answers for her. I don’t like not knowing things. Surprises can get you killed in my line of work. I know that I need to find answers but right now, I just don't have any.
I sigh and run a hand through my hair, “I don’t know, G. I’m going to need you to take her home, take care of her. When she wakes up, I need you to push. We need to know about her past or we can’t protect her.”
Greta’s eyebrows pull together in thought, “I don’t know if I can force her to tell me.”
I nod, “I know, but honestly if we don’t know what we are up against then we have no way to keep her safe.”
Greta’s eyes ping around my face in search of…something. I don’t know what but she seems to find it and she nods, “I’ll try. Can you carry her to my car?”
“I’ll carry her to mine,” I reply, motioning towards the bathroom, “I need you to grab whatever she might need. I’ll drive her to your place and carry her in.”
Greta nods, glancing down at her friend again before standing. Her soft reply is nearly inaudible, “Thank you.”
She turns to go towards Len’s bathroom but pauses and turns towards me, her expression completely serious, “I don’t know what has happened to her but she’s under our protection. I don’t care who is after her or what shit she is caught up in, Li. You have to promise to help me take care of her.”
I study my sister again, knowing that she means every single word. She’s a kind soul, maybe a little eccentric but she loves hard. And it's clear that in the months since Len arrived, she has burrowed her way into my sister's heart.
“Of course,” I reply sincerely. If there’s anything I know in this world it's that I would do anything for my sister.
As my sister heads to pack for Len, I ease my arms under her and lift her against my chest. Even in sleep, she is stunning. One of her small hands comes up and fists my shirt as she buries her face in my neck. The soft sigh she lets out has my heart squeezing painfully.
Con follows me down the stairs, opening the backdoor to the SUV. Instead of laying Len down, I climb in and keep her secure against my chest. I’ve never wanted to hold a woman. But I can’t seem to make myself let go of her. Her face in the crook of my neck with her hand holding my shirt in a vice-like grip has my heart pounding furiously. I want this. I want her to find safety and security in me. I want to be the man she goes to.
I didn’t realize my obsession was so…deep. Because right about now, I’ve decided that my little angel is going to be mine. I don’t plan on ever letting her go.
∞∞∞
I’m extra quiet as I open my bedroom door and check the hallway for Mom and Dad. They would be pissed if they saw that I was still awake. But I can’t sleep without knowing if Greta is safe.
