Satin Princess(109)

Anton looks at me as if he can read every dirty thought going through my head. I’m about to lean in and kiss him, when I become aware of footsteps pounding down the hall.

Anton turns towards the door. “What’s going—”

“Anton!” someone yells, pounding on the door.

Anton gets out of bed and reaches for his boxer briefs. He pulls them on and heads straight for the door. I just barely manage to get my sweater on before he opens the door to Yulian.

His brother looks frantic. All he says is, “I found her.”





37





ANTON





“Where?” I demand.

“One of my leads checked out,” Yulian says. “I planted one of my guys at The Looter. He’s been there posted up at the bar for the last couple of days. A few hours ago, he called to tell me that a woman came in earlier and asked about security.”

“She’s looking to hire mercenaries?” I ask.

“Yes. Apparently, she doesn’t have as many resources as we thought she did.”

“She has money, though.”

“Rodion would have set her up well,” Yulian agrees. “The point is, my man tailed her.”

“Do we have a location?”

“It’s a house in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere in the valley, removed from the suburbs, but close enough that she won’t draw attention to herself.”

“How do we know it’s really her and not just another lead that takes us to a dead end?”

“Because I followed my guy’s direction to the house,” Yulian explains. “I saw her myself.”

“You saw her?” I ask, watching my brother closely.

“With my own two eyes.” Yulian looks remarkably pleased with himself.

“Did she see you?”

“No, I made sure she didn’t.”

I hope Yulian is right about that. With Marina, there’s no way to know for sure.

“How many men does she have with her?”

“Not many,” Yulian says. “I counted ten on the property. There may have been more inside, though.”

I nod. “She’s keeping a low profile. That’s unlike her.”

“She has a plan,” Yulian says. “You’d have checked all the places she was likely to hide out.”

“Hm. Maybe. Something is not adding up about this.”

“What do you mean?” Yulian balks. “It all makes perfect sense. We have to go now.”

I consider that silently for a moment. My thoughts are whirling fast, too fast to vocalize.

Yulian is insistent, though. “Brother, we could lose her if we hesitate. I know you’re worried about leaving Jessa. If it makes you feel better, I will stay with her. I’ll protect her.”

I raise my eyebrows. “You’d do that?”

“I’m your right hand, aren’t I?”

Jessa steps to my side. She’s back in her sweater and black leggings. Her euphoric, post-coital expression has vanished.

“Did you see any sign of Chris?” she asks desperately.

Yulian’s expression clouds over a little. “She has him in the house.”

“You saw him?”

“Yes, partially. The room he’s being held in has a window. I caught a glimpse, I think.”

“So he’s alive?” Jessa asks.

He nods. “It looks like it. But I can’t be sure.”

“Yulian!”

He sighs. “The truth is, he was unconscious, Jessa. He’d been beaten. There was blood everywhere. I’m pretty sure he’s still alive, but we’ll have to get to him fast.”

Jessa grabs my arm immediately. “Anton! Please. We need to leave now. I’ll come with you.”

Protectiveness like a lion roars inside of me. I shake my head. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Fine,” she snaps. “Fine! I’ll stay. But you have to go now. You have to get him before it’s too late. Please, Anton.”

“I’m not leaving you here without real protection, Jessa.”

“I have real protection,” Jessa says, clasping my hand tightly. “Yulian just said he’d stay here with me.”

Yulian nods. “And I’ll keep my entire crew with me. These are all men I’ve vetted and trained myself. They’re the best. No one’s getting past them.”

I’d like to have more time to prepare, but Jessa is right—for this to work, we need to move now. And Yulian has a plan. It’s about time I trusted his instinct.

“Okay, let’s go,” I say, moving back into the room to retrieve my clothes. “Yulian, give the instructions to the men. And get Lev, too.”

He disappears instantly. Jessa just stands at the door, looking lost. I pull on my shirt and walk to her.

“You need to stay here,” I tell her. “In this room.”

She frowns. “The house is safe.”

“Stay in this room,” I repeat. “Bolt the door.”

“Won’t your brother be with me?”

“You don’t need Yulian to protect you, Jessa,” I tell her. “You’re strong enough to protect yourself.”