Chapter 9

Kris walked hand in hand with Raisa down to the boardwalk. Once they were down the steps and level with the boardwalk, he pulled her up to his side and let go of her hand. Putting his arm around her waist and holding her as close as possible and the two of them still walk comfortably. She fit against him like she was made to fit there. She fit in his arms, dancing like she was made to fit there, too. The same was true when they had slept spooned together last night as well. It was like against all the odds of the universe he’d just moved to live and work next door to the woman made just for him.

That a fat, over-entitled pig of a Russian mob reject thought he had a right to her angered him. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out as they walked past the restaurant and all the lights from the big floor to ceiling windows that faced the lake. He wanted so badly to kiss her and let her know how much he wanted her to always be his, but he knew he needed to get them far away from those windows and the eyes of people enjoying their own romantic evenings.

He heard Raisa sigh beside him and it wasn’t a pleasant romantic sigh but one of bone deep tiredness. He knew before she even spoke that in the silence her mind, just like his, had gone back to the problem they faced. Gregori Volkov and the Syndicate. “What are we going to do, Kris? He will never stop.”

He squeezed her tight for a second before turning to face her. Tilting her head up to look him in the eyes, he said. “Let’s try to not let him ruin tonight, Raisa. We can talk about him tomorrow; for tonight let’s just try to focus on us. On exploring this connection, we feel and seeing what could come from it.”

She nodded. “I’m trying, Kris, but I keep seeing his face, telling me he always gets what he wants.”

He slid his hand behind her head as he leaned down toward her. “Let’s see if we can’t quiet those voices for a little bit.”

Then his lips found hers and he pressed in, consuming her lips until her hands slid around his neck. His other hand went around her waist and pulled her up against his body, and she moaned and melted against him.

As she moaned, her mouth opened, and he took advantage, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Before either of them knew it, they were both pressing tighter against each other, mouths and tongues dancing together with moans and groans. His hand tightened in her hair, the other one sliding down her back and catching her heart-shaped rear, pulling her even tighter against him.

Without a thought, she moaned and hopped up, wrapping her legs around his waist, the short dress riding up as she pressed against him. He was right; he thought she fit him perfectly. Kris was definitely lost in the feel of her in his arms, rubbing against his body. He was sure that she was feeling the same way as him when the sound of an alarm horn shattered the silence of the night. Friday was calling, and that meant a security breach back at the apartment or at his shop. He pulled away and she slowly put her feet back on the ground, stepping back enough that he could get the phone out of his pocket. “Status.”

“Sorry to interrupt, Thorn,” came the AI’s distinct British accent. “There has been a security breach at Raisa’s apartment. Three men are currently inside and from the sounds reaching the camera in the hall, they are destroying her place.”

He cursed. “Do you have my current location?”

“Of course.”

“Send it to the car and have James pick us up on the road. Contact Mac and the local LEOs. We are on our way.”

He looked down at Raisa. “There’s been a break in at your apartment. Friday says it sounds like they may be trashing your place. She’s called the police and our car is on its way. Let’s get up to the road, sweetheart.”

She nodded. “See, he isn’t going to give up. Maybe I should just give him what he wants.”

“No! Don’t give up yet, my love. I haven’t rattled his cage. He’ll let you go. I’ll make him let you go. I got authorization to dismantle his organization. Just hang in there for a little while longer.”

She nodded and leaned against him. Kris could feel the fear pulsating off of her, and he rubbed her shoulder and back as she leaned against him, nuzzling his neck. He tried to make himself relax and enjoy the rush her attention was causing, but he wanted to know how bad the intruders had trashed her place. He also wanted to see if any of Friday’s camera angles caught good enough pictures for Spidey to run facial recognition on them.

He knew from what they’d found out and what Raisa had told him that the locals would take a statement, but not look into, the crime. Volkov paid them to look the other way and punished those that didn’t severely. So Kris knew he was on his own in dealing with Gregori and the Syndicate. Honestly, he liked it that way. If he needed help, he’d call in some of his back-up team, but first he’d just start the pressure himself.

It was time for Gregori to feel the pain of having a Thorn in his flesh and Kris was more than ready to oblige the man. But first assess the current situation and then get Raisa tucked in and calmed down at his place. Damn the man. Thanks to this, she would not be in the mood for anymore romance tonight. The perfect date ruined by a slimy Russian crime boss. Soon he would pay for this and every other insult he’d sent Raisa’s way.

Kris had his authorization, and he would not waste any time on putting the squeeze on Volkov. In fact, not only was he not going to waste time, he was, for the first time, going to allow himself to enjoy his job. He was going to enjoy it fully.

*****

Raisa

Raisa stood behind Kris at the shattered entrance to her apartment. The men that Gregori sent had kicked it in, destroying the door and the frame. There was no way she could stay here. She couldn’t even shut the door, and there was no way she could lock it. They had arrived before the police, and Kris denied her entry. Even from the entranceway, the destruction of the living room was clear.

There were parts of her couch, cut up and tossed everywhere. They had driven some of her keepsakes and kitschy figurines into the walls. They threw the frame of her coffee table and end tables through the large glass door and windows, and it lay half over the railing of the balcony.

The police arrived and entered first, going through every room and then wanted to know where she had been during the break in. She told them she had been on a date with her boyfriend and that they’d come home to this mess.