Page 7 of The Enemy’s Defector (Ivanov Syndicate #3)

KATERINA

“ W here are you, Nik?” I whispered to myself as I hid in another mostly abandoned guest house on the land.

My frustration scaled higher and deeper with every passing hour. I couldn’t explain this mad rush to find him. Anton had arrived home. I heard the commotion in the mansion when I lurked in the woods outside at night.

He’d shouted and ranted. He bitched and threatened.

Just like I had anticipated, he was furious that someone had dared to kill Dmitri.

And also just like I’d counted on, he was livid that I hadn’t gone to the Ivanov Family to fulfill that marriage arrangement.

Before he left to go to Greece for over a month, that had been the recurrent theme of our heated arguments.

He’d been so insistent that I marry into the Ivanov Family so he could later count on me as a spy. As a mole on the inside.

I’d never.

Anything Anton wanted was immediately the opposite of my goals because of my natural hatred for him.

I’d told him again and again that I wouldn’t go because I had to find the truth about my father. I’d been looking forward to his Greece trip to have unfettered access to hidden storage sites. The moment I went to the Ivanovs, I’d miss out on searching through any Kozlov properties.

It was in the eleventh hour, with desperation, that I’d asked the new maid, Lucy, to go in my place until I could find the proof I needed. Now that I had it, I could tell her she was free to divorce the Ivanov she’d married, probably Saul.

But first, I had to find Nik. Before freeing Lucy from the marriage she’d entered in my place, I was impatient to find the Ivanov brother I'd dared to be intimate with.

Unfortunately, it was easier said than done.

It didn’t matter which security cameras I hacked into, which garage cameras I snuck onto, and any of the security alarms at properties I tracked. I couldn’t find a single place where Nik could be held.

“Is he somewhere here, or with the Romanos? Or someone else?” Whispering to myself, I shook my head and rubbed my upper arms as I thought.

The heat hadn’t been turned on here in years, and with the gross neglect and disrepair that clung to the formerly well-maintained house, I felt more depressed and grimy. Stuck and lost.

Come on, think, Kat. Where haven’t you looked yet?

If Nik was held on a Kozlov property, I had a full report of those listings.

I knew all the corporation names and layers that Anton hid behind.

The real estate portfolio was easy for me to comb through.

But the list was long. I’d been working off a spreadsheet of listings that were categorized by acronyms. And I was nearly at the end of the list now.

I was nearly at the end of my patience, too.

In my peripheral vision, I caught sight of movement. Through the window, a couple of men stalked down the neglected path to reach this old place.

“Shit.” Hurrying to close my laptop and cram it into my bag, I removed all signs that I was in this room before dashing up the stairs.

Men only wore those serious, lethal looks when they were on the hunt. It was too similar to how Dmitri had looked when I killed him. I didn’t have to sit and ponder whether this pair was coming to look for me. They had to be. No one else would ever come this way.

I wasn’t taking my chances. Slinging the strap to my bag over my shoulder, I hustled to get upstairs and find another way out of this house. I reached the landing just as they busted in the front door, stomping through the first floor with speed.

“Where the fuck is she?” one asked the other.

I froze, not risking another step on these creaky floors up here. Holding my breath, I kept my back plastered against the wall near an old linen closet that lacked a door. Edging sideways toward the shadows there, I shuffled and didn’t dare to exhale too loudly.

“I don’t know. She’s not here. No one’s been here for years,” another said. “The dust isn’t disturbed at all.”

“She’s got to be somewhere,” the first man said as they continued to search the first floor. “She has to be on the estate since they found that one car near the gate.”

Dammit! They had to be referencing the car I’d practically stolen.

“And no cameras show her leaving,” he added.

“It’d be nice if we could find her and bring her to him,” the second man said. “He’s so fucking mad. Delivering her would be a perfect way to get in his good graces.”

I didn’t want to consider what would happen if I were captured and taken to Anton.

I couldn’t allow my mind to go there. These two showing up put a dent in my plans to find Nik, but once I was alone again, I’d resume the search.

“Plus, they’re dealing with the transportation details for tonight. For that asshole they took.”

Nik!

My heart raced faster, but it wasn’t anxiety tripping me up now. It was elation. They were talking about Nik.

“The cargo van came through earlier from the east, but one of the contractors was too independent. Yusef paused the transport to handle that dumbass.”

“So, where are they now?” the other man asked as they still stomped around and opened doors. “At least having the captive here will put Anton in a better mood.”

“We can hope,” the first replied dryly. “Hold on.” The sound of his phone ringing followed.

“Hello?” Once they walked around down there for another minute or so, it seemed that his call was done as he spoke again.

“They want us up at the gate. One of the Romano bosses is showing up and Anton wants all hands on deck, just in case.”

I shook my head, confused how Anton would both seem to want the Romanos as allies but then always be so doubtful and paranoid enough to keep them at arm’s length.

The two men left, and I sank to the floor to open my laptop again. The chase was on. I was racing against time now. With what those two men said, I was more confident than ever that Nik had to be nearby, on this estate.

So long as the Romano men were at the front and serving as a diversion, I could hurry to find Nik once and for all.

Replaying their words, I modified the search to see what they were talking about. With these fresh clues, I could track better.

The cargo van coming through the east would show up at one of two service gates, so I hopped onto the security system to track it there via the surveillance cameras.

Following the cargo van all the way toward another abandoned house further to the south end of the estate property, I saw him.

Nik was carried out and taken into a basement trap door off the side of the cabin-like house.

Nik!

Just seeing his body being carried was proof that he lived. It had to be. I refused to believe that he could be dead or severely wounded and unconscious.

I’m coming, Nik. I’m coming for you.

Counting on the guards to be at the mansion and addressing the Romanos who’d shown up, I shoved my arms through the sleeves of my black hoodie and shoved my things into my backpack.

I had to make the run for it, and sticking to the shadows on this rainy night would have to give me the secrecy to reach him.

Once outside, I paused and scanned my surroundings for any sign of anyone nearby or watching.

This house was so far back, I doubted anyone would be near with those two quickly stepping in to check it out.

Yet, I was cautious and careful as I slipped through the wood line and aimed in the direction of the cabin where I saw Nik moved.

Rain fell steadily, soaking me, and I prayed that the waterproof promise of my backpack held up to keep my laptop safe. I’d purchased it just for this situation. Securing the straps as tightly as possible, I carried on and jogged through the thin woods toward the other building.

I reached it quickly, but I had to pause for a long moment behind trees to the side.

Not only did I need to check for any watching eyes, but I also needed to catch my breath.

I was winded, more than I usually might’ve been.

Staying fit was something I committed to.

But then again, I was more stressed than I typically was.

With this mad rush to rescue Nik and free him, I wasn’t calm enough to breathe properly.

The moment I felt strong and prepared, and also when it seemed like no one was watching this side of the house, I stepped forward and approached the side door.

This entrance wasn’t the one Nik had been carried inside through, but I hoped it would be a slimmer point of egress where I’d only need to shoot one guard instead of two.

Water slicked my fingers as I held Dmitri’s gun up. I didn’t have many bullets left, but I’d made every one of them count.

Breathing in and out as steadily and evenly as I could manage, I put one foot in front of the other and stalked up to the door.

Not once did I loosen my grip on the gun.

I couldn’t. This was too risky. This was literally a fight to the death, and I was determined this rescue attempt wouldn’t end in mine. Or Nik’s.

This was it.

I was risking it all.

Not fulfilling that marriage arrangement was the first strike of defecting from Anton.

Killing Dmitri was the second strike of defying the family that was supposed to be mine.

And now, risking my life and preparing to fight and kill to free Anton’s captive? That would be the third and final strike.

I was done with my uncle.

I could never have any safety with him ever again here.

Now, more than ever, I was cutting all ties to the supposed leader of the Kozlov Family.

The real boss was my father, but he’d been taken too soon.

Stepping carefully through the cabin, listening for any sounds and tense for an ambush around each corner, I tried to reassure myself that what I was doing wasn’t wrong.

That had my father lived, he would’ve approved of my saving Nik.

That if Anton hadn’t killed my father, he’d be proud of me for staying loyal to his old friends in the Ivanov family.

I was loyal to my father, the memory of him. Never my uncle.

Sneaking down the stairs after checking the first floor, I held my breath in longer bits, so nervous and wired up as I willingly crept deeper into the cabin space.

It would be harder to have my back covered here.

Anyone could catch me, behind me on the stairs down.

Another exit point wouldn’t exist down here and I wouldn’t be able to just turn and run away to safety.

Entering the basement felt like tiptoeing into hell itself, but I didn’t waver.

I didn’t quit.

With one step after another, I stuck with my determination to find Nik.

And there he was. As I opened my narrowed eyes wider at the sight of him slumped in a heap on the floor, I froze.

He looked so still, so bloody and beaten, that he barely resembled a man.

His face was turned away from me, but I knew it was him.

I felt his presence, just like I always had my whole life.

Something about this man made me gravitate toward him, to always mark his location and to forever make me aware of where he was in my proximity.

That dark brown hair looked filthy and bloody, but despite the grime and redness on the back of his head, I knew it was his hair.

I recalled gripping it as he went down on me that one night.

I remembered threading my fingers through the silky softness as he crawled up my naked body to hover over me and then enter me.

Oh, Nik.

It was him, the boy I used to admire and want to be near. The man I couldn’t tell myself to stay away from whenever we crossed paths.

He was supposed to be my enemy, someone off-limits despite our earlier beginning of friendship before Anton killed my father.

I swallowed hard, hating how raw my throat and lungs felt from the shallow breaths I’d managed in the anxious hurry to find him.

At last, he was within my reach. I’d found him, and I’d damn well get him out of here.

I wasn’t going to wallow in shock or glee.

It was far too soon to feel happy. First, I had to help get him out of captivity.

Then, I’d assist him however I could until he was safe and strong again.

It would be the last straw where my uncle was concerned.

I’d defy him like this. I was proud to go against his wishes to save this one man who’d always captivated me.

“Nik,” I whispered, as a warning in case he’d be startled at someone down here and as a heads up that I had come.

He didn’t stir—not physically. His body remained a lump on the filthy floor, but a low moan escaped him.

“Nik,” I repeated, still keeping my voice just below an actual whisper. I hadn’t risked coming this far to give myself away. I wouldn’t dare make it known to any guards or soldiers watching him that I’d come to spring him out of jail.

I stepped closer, feeling the increasing pressure to hurry. So much time had passed already and I couldn’t be sure of how long the majority of the Kozlov forces would be preoccupied at the mansion with the Romanos coming to meet. I had to hurry. I had to move and get Nik away.

But as I drew closer to him, a shadow blurred to my right.

Someone else was down here.

He sneered at me as he charged forward to intercept me, too quickly, too forcefully.

With a panicked gasp that I’d failed Nik and myself, too distracted for a second too long, I held my hand up to deflect his strike at my head, his fist a huge mass aimed for me with sinister accuracy.