Chris
Fury, white hot and boiling, swept through my blood like liquid magma as I fought to control myself.
Now that I’d done a bit more digging, I found who was behind the shell corporations that rented the cars that had been tracking Raven.
VV Enterprises.
What a fucking joke.
More like, what a fucking idiot.
Who used their initials on a shell corporation if they were trying to stay hidden?
Bryan Volkov, that’s who.
He didn’t want to stay hidden because he wasn’t in any danger.
He was too powerful in Russia, but here in the U. S., he was almost as invincible. That’s what happened when you were rich, fueled by blood money.
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” I snarled in Russian as I grabbed my phone and ran from my office. “Kashton, let’s go.”
If he didn’t get his ass out here by the time the elevator came, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave him behind.
“You found her?” He was out of breath, his voice frantic as he swept a hand over his forehead. “How? Where is she?”
I slammed my palm on the elevator call button repeatedly, but it didn’t make the damn car come any faster. “We need a new building or move floors because I’m tired of being so far up that I’m forced to take the elevator.”
“I get that you’re upset, but I’d like for you to tell me what’s going on before I knock your teeth loose.” It took Kashton a while to reach his temper, but once he got there, nothing could stop his wrath. I’d been on the receiving end of a few of those punches, and trust me, I didn’t recommend it.
“Fucking Bryan.”
The elevator arrived with a ding that echoed on the empty floor, and we went in.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Kashton spoke evenly and calmly, but I knew him well enough that this was just the calm before the storm. “I asked you if it was him yesterday, and you assure me it wasn’t.”
“Well, I was wrong.” I clenched my hands into fists and barely concealed my fury. “The FBI and CIA don’t even know he’s here, or my informants would have told me. So, he’s gone fully under the radar to come here.”
“Your arrogance has put Raven in danger!” Kashton shouted at me, his face turning a bright shade of red as his eyes darkened with fury. “You should have investigated all angles, even Bryan. Now we don’t even know where the fuck she is!”
I held up a hand and pointed a finger in his face. “I didn’t say that. I know exactly where she is, and that’s where we’re headed right now.”
“Where is she?”
“Lake Oswego. Because, of course, Bryan would be pretentious and rent a house there.” One of the most upscale portions of the area. Typical Bryan style.
“How did you find this out?” We exited the elevator, and Oscar was waiting for us, with Caden in the back seat.
“Let me get in the car, so I only have to tell the Goddamned story once.” I handed Oscar a scrap of paper with the address on it, and we barely got the doors closed before the car took off.
Babushka: He won’t let her go unless you come yourself. I know you don’t want to see him, but he’s too stubborn, just like a few other Volkov men I know.
I didn’t appreciate mybabushkacomparing me to the man I’d hated most of my life, but I knew she was right. Just because I didn’t appreciate it didn’t mean it wasn’t true.
Slamming the front passenger door behind me, I muttered under my breath, curing my fucking grandfather and him interfering in my life.
“So?” Kashton asked as Oscar peeled out of the parking garage.
“I don’t know what he wants yet other than to talk to me.” In agitation, I tunneled my finger through my hair, tugging at the stands and letting the sharp bite of pain center me back in the present. I didn’t need my temper to make itself known right now. That would do nothing but hurt Raven.
Which was the last thing I ever wanted to happen.
I was so fucking head over heels for this woman, it wasn’t even funny.
Between the incident with Ayrton and this, she probably wanted nothing to do with us anymore.
Not that I would even blame her. Trouble seemed to find me wherever I went and drew anyone I cared for into it.
“Chris,” Kashton blew out a frustrated breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Stop blaming yourself for this. I’m sorry I added to it, but Bryan is the only one to blame right now.”
“And Bryan wouldn’t want her if she wasn’t our girlfriend.” The word girlfriend seemed tame for what she was to us. Little. Submissive. Love of our lives. She was all that and more.
“It’s not your fault that your grandpa is an insane, bloodthirsty bratva boss, Chris.” Caden was the epitome of calm. Poised. The things I should be, and probably would be, if it wasn’t Raven that was affected. “Just like it wasn’t my fault my dad was an alcoholic. We all have family that we don’t claim, but what’s happening right now is not. Your. Fault.”
Fucking hell, why couldn’t I get that through my stupid head right now?
I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing.
“Mybabushkatexted me the other day that she was in town. She didn’t mention Bryan. She knows how much I despise him.” I kept up my deep and even breathing. “I told her briefly about Raven. She wouldn’t tell him. She swore it on my father’s grave. But fucking Bryan knew. I wouldn’t put it past him to have an alert set up any time my name appeared on a police report.”
“You have the same thing for him, alerting you when he travels.” Kashton nodded, his cheeks still flushed, but he had calmed down and didn’t look as if he were ready to explode.
“Yeah.”
“She’s the one who texted me a little while ago when she found out Raven was in their house.” My hands clenched into fists. “Why would he do this? Involve her? Take her like that?”
“Because there’s something going on and it’s making him act rashly,” Caden pointed out. “Do you know if there is anything going on with his health? Maybe a scare or false alarm that made him desperate to reconnect with you?”
I shook my head. “Not that I know of. I’m at a loss right now. I don’t know what is so important now.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon, won’t we?” Kashton asked, his jaw clenching after he spoke.
I just hoped that things wouldn’t get too bloody.