Page 7

He left the engine running, hopped out, and started walking back the way he’d come.

I helped Vasha into the vehicle, then got behind the wheel and drove to the front of the compound.

We passed Jack and Vasha gave me one of those looks only women seem to have perfected.

“What?” I asked.

“You left him walking.”

I snorted.

“Yeah, and after he let you walk out of here he should be grateful that’s all I’ve done to him. You could have died walking to the next town, not to mention you exhausted yourself enough you slept for days.”

She kept quiet as I pulled into a spot in front of the clubhouse.

I frowned at the line of bikes and lack of other vehicles.

I’d thought that Luciana and Violeta would be here already, but it seemed we’d gotten here first.

I hoped that Vasha wouldn’t be overwhelmed with nothing but men inside.

She opened her door and I narrowed my eyes at her.

“You’ll wait until I get over there. I’ll open the damn door, Vasha.”

She cast me a startled glance, and I realized that no one had probably ever offered her such a courtesy.

It would take time for her to adjust to her new way of life, and the fact that not all men were assholes.

Well, maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

All men definitely had the ability to be assholes, and even I was one when the occasion called for it.

I led her up the steps and frowned at the loud music blaring from inside.

What the hell?

I’d thought we’d have a relatively quiet gathering so everyone could get to know my woman, not an all-out party.

We stepped inside and I froze.

Not only were the old ladies not present, nor their men, but club whores paraded around the place barely clothed.

A few were giving blowjobs out in the open, and I felt Vasha stiffen.

This was the last fucking thing I needed.

One of the regular women, Christa, came rushing toward me, pressing her bare breasts against me as she flung her arms around my waist.

“You’re here!” She squealed and bounced a little.

I could feel Vasha retreating, physically and emotionally, and I knew I had to stop this shit immediately.

I shoved Christa, not caring if I was gentle or not.

She could clearly see the woman standing next to me.

What the fuck?

“Back the fuck off, Christa. I didn’t give you permission to touch me.”

Vasha took another step away from me, and I knew I was fucking this up.

I needed to put Christa in her place, but at the same time, I didn’t need Vasha to lump me in with men like Grigori.

What the hell was I supposed to do to defuse the situation?

With club whores, I’d found that being direct, and even a bit mean, was the only way to get my point across.

Hell, some of them even got off on being treated like shit, which I’d never understand.

Vasha didn’t know that, though, and I didn’t want her to think badly of me.

I’d fucked up enough with her already.

I decided to ignore Christa and focus on my woman.

Maybe she’d get the fucking hint and disappear.

“Vasha, it’s not what you think.”

“Who is she?” Vasha asked, her voice barely discernible over the music and laughter around us.

“Christa is a club whore.” My woman paled and I cursed myself.

“Not that kind of whore! She’s here voluntarily. Christa and women like her are here for sex. They’ll sleep with anyone in a cut, even multiple guys a night. None of them have to be here, they aren’t paid for services rendered. It’s one hundred percent their choice.”

Christa tugged on my arm, trying to get my attention, but I was tired of her shit.

I kept my gaze locked on Vasha, willing her to understand.

I didn’t need this to cause a problem between us, not when we were finally getting to be in a good place.

She glanced at Christa, then looked around the room.

Her features were pinched and she was still too pale, but I could tell she was trying to view things from a different perspective.

She studied the inhabitants of the room before sighing and looking up at me.

“They’re not forced?” Vasha asked.

“Slider, who is she?” Christa asked, her whining tone grating on me.

“Vasha is my old lady. Now get the fuck away from me, Christa!”

She gasped, her eyes going wide as she stared at Vasha and took a step back.

Other people nearby were starting to notice that I was here, with Vasha at my side, and the room was growing quiet.

I was fucking pissed.

They were supposed to be here to welcome my woman, not fuck anything with a pussy.

Why the hell were the club whores even here?

I felt a presence behind me and turned to see Spider and Luciana.

The Pres narrowed his gaze on the room and I heard him growl.

Yeah, I wasn’t the only one pissed off at the turn of events.

I reached for Vasha, pulling her against my side, as Spider moved farther into the room, his wife trailing him with a disgusted expression.

It was no secret that Luciana detested the club whores and would gladly banish them from the compound, but that would never happen.

At least, not as long as we had single men.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Spider yelled.

“Anything here with a pussy that isn’t patched better get the fucking hell out of my motherfucking clubhouse! Now!”

The women scurried into their clothes and ran from the clubhouse.

Spider stalked forward, reaching back to grab his wife’s hand.

I led Vasha farther inside, stopping at the table Spider was sneering at.

A Prospect rushed forward and started wiping it down, as well as the chairs.

Probably a good idea.

Who knew what had transpired in here already tonight, or when the last time was this place had been scrubbed.

Spider sat and pulled Luciana into his lap, and I did the same with Vasha.

Rocket and Violeta showed up a few minutes later.

The snarl on his face told me he’d seen the club whores outside, probably lingering in hopes they’d be allowed back inside.

Once everyone at the table was settled, and a Prospect had brought over beers for the guys and bottled water for the ladies, I introduced Vasha to Luciana and Violeta.

I wanted to tell her they’d both suffered at the hands of men and would understand what she’d been through, but it wasn’t my story to tell.

If they wanted her to know, they’d share the details of their pasts.

Or at least let her know she wasn’t alone.

It was my hope they’d become friends.

“I’ll make sure everyone has some extra work to do this week,” Spider said.

“Present company excluded. I can’t believe those fuckers had those women in here after I said I wanted everyone present. Guess I needed to spell shit out more clearly for the dimwitted in the bunch. How the fuck did they misconstrue the type of meeting I wanted? What part of you getting an old lady spelled out ‘bring in the club whores’?”

“How did you meet Slider?” Violeta asked.

Vasha looked up at me, uncertainty on her face.

I didn’t know if she was embarrassed over her circumstances, or if she wanted permission to tell them.

I gave her a slight nod, hoping it was what she needed or wanted from me.

I felt her body relax as she leaned against my chest, and I tightened my grip on her waist.

“Surge made arrangements for me to leave Russia,” Vasha said, then fell silent.

I pressed a kiss to her temple and decided to give them an abbreviated version to save her from having to speak about it.

“Surge knew I was thinking about settling down. Vasha needed help escaping a bad situation, so he brought her here. With some help from Wire, he married the two of us.”

Luciana stared hard at Vasha, and I knew she wondered if the trouble Vasha had left behind was similar to what she and Violeta had suffered.

The way Vasha was holding herself, and the slight tremor I felt in her small form, was enough to tell me she didn’t want to discuss it further.

The trauma of her time in Russia was still too fresh in her mind.

She’d barely been gone from that horrible life.

I hoped she’d heal, eventually, but I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight.

“With some luck, we’ll be adding to the list of kids around here before too long,” I said.

Vasha flushed a deep red and I chuckled, then kissed her cheek.

She was so damn adorable.

“Assuming my wife wants children right now.”

She gazed at me and slowly nodded.

“And not because she feels it’s her duty,” I added.

A slight smile spread across her lips.

“I want children with you.”

Violeta let out a cry and I jerked my gaze her way.

The look on Rocket’s face was priceless, a mix of horror and awe.

“My water broke!” Violeta struggled to stand and Rocket helped her.

Without another word, he scooped her into his arms and practically ran from the clubhouse.

“You going with them?” I asked.

“Could…” Vasha stopped and bit her lip.

“What is it, kroshka ?”

“Could we all go?”

Luciana smiled and stood, reaching for Spider’s hand.

“I think that’s an excellent idea. Violeta will want to know her family is there for her. Although, we should stop by Rocket’s house and pick up the bag Violeta prepared two weeks ago.”

I could feel Vasha withdrawing.

“She means you too,” I murmured in her ear.

“You’re part of their family now. By marriage, you’re part of Hades Abyss, just like them. You aren’t alone anymore, zolatka .”

She gave me a hesitant smile and stood.

I got up and led the way outside, glaring at my brothers.

None had come to introduce themselves, and I was pissed as hell.

Not only that the club whores had been inside, but because they’d avoided Vasha when she clearly meant something to me.

I hoped Spider ripped them to shreds later.

I did notice that Surge and Fox were both absent.

Maybe if they’d been present, they could have cleared the place before I arrived with Vasha.

Since Spider had called for everyone to meet at the clubhouse, I didn’t know where the missing members were.

I helped Vasha into the SUV, then drove to the hospital, stopping along the way to pick up a bouquet of flowers for Violeta and a small stuffed bear for the baby.

I knew an infant wouldn’t care about such a thing, but when he or she was older, Violeta and Rocket could explain the bear was a gift on the night they were born.

Maybe it would mean something to them as they grew older, or maybe it would collect dust and end up in the trash.

Either way, I wasn’t going empty-handed.

While Ryker had technically been the first member of the club to have a kid, he didn’t live with us anymore.

Spider and Luciana had a daughter, but they’d adopted her.

It didn’t make Marianna any less loved, or less a part of the Hades Abyss family, she just didn’t share blood with Spider and Luciana.

We all adored her, though, and I knew Rocket and Violeta’s kid would be the same.

If Rocket knew what they were having, he hadn’t said a word to anyone.

There were bets in the clubhouse as to whether they would have a boy or girl.

I’d stayed out of it, but I knew Surge had five hundred riding on the outcome, and some had tossed in as much as one thousand into the pot.

Violeta had heard about the bet and just rolled her eyes, telling them they were more immature than her.

Even though she was eighteen, she’d had to grow up fast, and in some ways, she really was more mature than some of the men I called brother.

We found Luciana and Spider in the waiting room in the maternity wing.

Rocket was nowhere in sight, so I assumed he’d gone with Violeta to hold her hand.

I hope she didn’t break it.

I’d heard horror stories of women in childbirth getting superhuman strength.

My sweet Vasha didn’t seem capable of breaking bones, but I hoped like hell I’d find out one day.

The more I thought about having a family with her, the more determined I became to knock her up as soon as possible.

Assuming I hadn’t already.

It took hours, but eventually Rocket came out with a huge grin on his face and a small bundle in his arms.

“I’d like you to meet Zoe,” he said, pride shining in his eyes.

Luciana ran her fingers over the baby’s cheek, then rushed down the hall, most likely to check on her sister.

But if Rocket was out here, then I knew Violeta was fine.

He’d have never left her side otherwise.

Hell, he’d gone on a murder spree to get justice for what she’d suffered not too long ago.

Spider hadn’t demanded his patch, but he’d hit Rocket where it would hurt -- in his bank account.

Once his sins had been atoned for, everything went back to normal.

Mostly.

“She’s beautiful,” Vasha said.

“Maybe we’ll have one of our own someday soon,” I said, giving her a slight squeeze.

“When you’re tired of my wife being back there, just toss her out and lock the door,” Spider said.

“Otherwise, you might not get rid of her.”

Rocket snorted, then turned to carry his daughter back down the hall.

Spider shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, a contemplative look on his face.

When he hadn’t thought anyone was looking, I’d seen the soft way he stared at that little girl, and the way he eyed his wife.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they tried to adopt another kid, maybe when Marianna was a bit older.

She had some developmental delays and took up a lot of their time, but they adored her.

Spider eyed Vasha, then gave me a chin nudge to step away for a minute.

I led Vasha over to a chair and kissed her cheek before handing her a magazine off a nearby table.

“The Pres needs to discuss something with me. Probably club business. I’ll be across the room.”

She nodded and sat patiently.

I followed Spider far enough away that no one would hear us, not Vasha and not the nurses at the desk at the front of the hallway.

I didn’t have any idea what he’d need to tell me right now, but it apparently couldn’t wait, and that was never a good sign.

He pulled out his phone, tapped and swiped at the screen, then held it out to me.

I saw he had a message from Surge, but the words on the screen chilled me to the bone.

They know where she is .

I tried not to glance at Vasha, not wanting to alert her to a problem.

I’d keep her safe, somehow.

My gaze lifted to Spider’s and he reached over, tapping the screen again until a message from Fox appeared with an image attached.

It was a young man, probably not much older than Vasha, and he’d been brutally attacked and killed.

On his chest was a pinned note.

She’s next .

“That’s Anatoly,” Spider said.

“The man who helped her escape and come to the US. If they found him, then there’s a good chance they really can find Vasha.”

Bile rose in my throat as I stared at the image.

There was no fucking way I would let them get anywhere near Vasha.

I’d die to protect her.

“What do we do? “ I asked.

“They’re coming to the compound for her, from what we can gather. Fox has been working with a few men in the city where Anatoly was found. He was closer than I would like. The Russians might already be in town by now. Fox said the body was at least a day old. If they have access to a private jet, it wouldn’t take long to reach us. An hour max.”

“I won’t let them have her.”

He nodded.

“I know. But she’s not safe here, Slider. After what happened with Violeta, we’ve taken measures to improve our security, but do you want to risk it?”

“So where do I take her? The chapter in Mississippi can’t be much better than here.”

Spider wiped a hand down his beard.

“They took over an old military facility. It’s small, smaller than our compound, but it’s also more secure. They have a bunker there with everything you’d need. Food, water, electricity. They even put a TV down there and stocked some other things to keep people entertained if they’re confined in the space for very long.”

And that’s where he wanted me to take her.

A bunker, with no natural light.

A tomb.

What if they did break through and get to us?

We’d be sitting ducks in a place like that.

Spider had to know that.

Was he hoping the Russians wouldn’t know about the Mississippi chapter?

It wasn’t like we could hide there forever.

Sooner or later, we’d need to come home.

Would the Russians be waiting when we did?

I looked over at Vasha, flipping through the magazine, a smile on her face.

This would destroy her.

She’d thought she was free.

If she knew they were here, that they were coming for her, I didn’t know how far she’d retreat into herself.

I didn’t want to lose her when she was finally opening up to me.

It seemed like we were getting somewhere and now we had to deal with her past far sooner than I’d have liked.

I’d had every intention of making sure Grigori and the man who’d bought her would never come after her.

I just hadn’t acted fast enough it seemed.

“All right. I’ll take her. We’ll need some things from the house, and I’ll have to use one of the club vehicles. I don’t want her on the back of a bike for that long.” Or at all until I knew if she was pregnant.

Riding from my house to the front of the compound was one thing.

But hitting the road was completely different.

“Take whatever you need. I’ll have Cotton and Fangs give you an escort, keep an eye out for trouble. You just focus on your woman and keeping her happy. Don’t fuck this up, Slider. Even if you didn’t get her in the most conventional way, she’s still yours and the two of you could have something really great.”

He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know.

I’d already decided that Vasha was it for me.

Hell, I’d known that before I’d even discovered we were married.

Deep down anyway.

I might not have been willing to admit it, and had chalked up my feelings to whatever Surge put in my drink, but on a primal level I’d known she was mine the second I saw her in my bed.

And I wasn’t letting her go.

Not now, not ever.

“I’ll call Cotton and Fangs, make sure they’re ready and waiting. I’ll also put everyone on alert. Surge has a picture of Grigori and Vladimir, as well as some of their hired muscle. I’ll get those images out to everyone, including you and our brothers in Mississippi so everyone knows who to watch for. It doesn’t mean they won’t hire others, but at least we aren’t completely blind.” Spider patted my shoulder.

“We’ll do what we can to keep her safe. She’s one of us now, even if she doesn’t have a property cut and isn’t inked.”

I winced, knowing I needed to handle that shit.

I should have ordered the cut the second I knew I was keeping her.

The ink, however, probably needed to wait a little longer.

After the state I’d found her in when she’d run, I didn’t want to add any more stress to her body, and telling Vasha we had to leave because of Grigori was going to be bad enough.

“Let Violeta know we were here?” I nodded to the things we’d brought with us.

“Maybe give her and the baby the gifts from us. I don’t want to take more time going back there and giving the Russians even more opportunity to snatch Vasha.”

“Get her to the bunker. We’ll handle things here, and don’t be afraid to accept help, Slider. She’s your priority, not your damn pride.”

I knew he was right.

No matter how much I wanted to end Grigori’s life with my own hands, it was better to focus on my wife and let the others handle everything else.

As long as Vasha was safe, that’s all that mattered.

In the end, it might be better if I wasn’t the one to kill the men coming for her.

I didn’t want to see fear in her eyes when she looked at me.

I’d already proven to her that I was a complete asshole.

Didn’t need to tarnish my image even more.

Vasha wasn’t the type to see that sort of display as my way of protecting her.

I worried if she knew I’d killed Grigori or the others that she’d simply think of me as a murderer.

Part of me wondered if she could handle this way of life.

Sure, she’d been through hell, but if she expected me to walk the straight and narrow, that wasn’t going to happen.

The club was my life, my family, and I owed them everything.

If they needed me, I’d be there, regardless of what it entailed.

I knew that Spider was trying to clean things up a little, now that we were starting families and had kids at the compound, but we’d never be completely legit.

Guns and drugs were too profitable to turn away from them completely.

Vasha had no idea we were into that shit, and I planned to keep it that way.

The less she knew about my dealings with the club, the better.

I needed her to feel safe with the men I called family.

If she knew we were outlaws, that we killed people, sold guns and drugs, and over the years we’d taken on other not-so-savory jobs, then she might very well ask to leave.

And that shit wasn’t happening.

She was mine, and I wasn’t about to let her go.

I made my way to her side and hunkered down in front of her.

She lifted her gaze from the magazine, but the slight smile on her lips faded as she looked at me.

I didn’t know how to tell her we needed to leave, or why.

The last thing I wanted to do was stress her out more, or scare her.

I knew that saying Grigori had come for her would do both, and she’d likely ask about her friend, the one who was now dead.

“ Kroshka , we need to take a trip somewhere for a little while.”

Her face paled.

“They know where I am, don’t they?”

I didn’t know how to answer that, but I nodded, knowing I couldn’t lie to her.

Even if I didn’t want her to be scared, I also didn’t want to keep the truth from her.

I needed her vigilant of her surroundings at all times, at least until we reached the bunker.

After that, I hoped she’d relax, even if I didn’t think I would.

“We’re going to go home and pack a bag each, then I’m driving you farther south. The men you met before, when you ran, do you remember them?”

“Yes.”

“We’re going to their compound. There’s a safe place for us there.” I reached up and ran my fingers through her hair.

“I need you to be brave for me. We’ll face this together, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Believe me?”

“Yes, Slider. I believe you.”

I pressed my lips to hers, then stood and took her hand.

She rose to her feet and followed me out of the hospital.

On the way to the house, I kept an eye on her as well as the surrounding area.

Her hands fidgeted in her lap and her feet shifted restlessly.

We pulled through the gate and I went straight to the house.

I’d barely come to a full stop before she flung open her door and hopped out.

I couldn’t be mad at her, even though I wished she’d have let me help her.

She raced inside, and I followed.

Vasha pulled handfuls of her clothes from the dresser and boxes, then frantically looked around the room.

I pulled down two bags from the top of the closet, handing one to her while I packed my own belongings.

In the bathroom, I gathered items we would both need and shoved them into a smaller travel bag.

It took us no more than fifteen minutes before we were back in the SUV and headed out of town, with Fangs taking point and Cotton right behind us.

Two hours into the trip, Vasha was slumped against the window.

Even in sleep, her hands twitched and her body shifted.

We drove straight through, making the trip in less than five hours when it should have taken seven.

As we neared the compound, a Prospect at the gate held up a hand to stop us.

I rolled down the window and waited for the kid to approach, and I did mean kid.

He didn’t look older than eighteen, if even that.

Though he may have had a baby face, his eyes belied the things he’d seen, and the comfortable way he wore the gun at his hip told me enough.

He eyed my cut through the open window and gave me a nod before looking at Fangs and Cotton.

“Titan said to expect you. Follow the road to the right and toward the center of the compound. You’ll see a few trucks and bikes. That’s where you’ll need to stop.”

“Thanks.”

He opened the gate and we pulled through.

I followed the directions he’d given and climbed out once I saw the vehicles and Titan.

The Pres stood with his arms folded over his chest, a grim expression on his face.

I could tell he didn’t like this any more than I did.

He’d spent time with Vasha, and I could tell the day I’d caught up to them that he was protective of her.

I was counting on that right now.

“We’ve got everything down there you could need. If you’d like any men with you, there are six bedrooms. Most are bunk style, but we moved a queen bed into one of the rooms and pulled out those bunks for now. Thought you and your wife would be more comfortable that way. There’s also a five-drawer chest in that room. Reception on your phone won’t work, but there’s a landline in the common area. Number for my cell and the clubhouse are written down next to it.” Titan gave a nod of his head toward what looked like an old barn with machinery inside.

“Entrance to the bunker is in there.”

I got our bags out of the SUV and handed them off to Kraken and Stone, then lifted Vasha into my arms.

She was so exhausted she only mumbled in Russian before quieting once more.

I followed them inside the rickety structure.

Titan pointed to the hidden entrance and I watched as a pallet of hay bales shifted over to expose a staircase.

I carried Vasha down and had to admit I was a bit impressed with the bunker.

There was a common area as he’d mentioned that boasted several couches, a large TV and what looked like a Blu-ray player, a cabinet full of movies, a large table with eight chairs, and a fully functional kitchen.

Support beams were strategically placed throughout the area.

Once I found the room with the larger bed, I laid Vasha down and started putting our things away.

There were two bathrooms.

One was more private while the other was set up with four stalls for toilets, four sinks, and four fully open shower stalls.

No way I was putting Vasha’s things in there, so I took the private bath.

I didn’t know how long we’d be here, but I hoped that Grigori was stopped soon.

This place was more than I’d expected, and I was grateful for their assistance, but it wasn’t home.