Sinner's Obsession

Chapter One

Efrem

Tucking my gun into the back of my belt, I slip from the taxi as soon as it pulls up in front of Kaleidoscope. The bouncers at the door attempt to stop me as I climb the steps into the noisy club, but when I warn them in Russian that Mikhail’s going to be pissed if they make me late for our meeting, they let me slip by with little resistance. 

The men standing guard in front of Mikhail’s private room are another matter. The trolls scowl at me, arms crossed over their broad chests in an attempt at intimidation. But nothing is going to stop me from finding Dani. And if I know Mikhail, this is where he brought her. 

“I’m here to see Mikhail,” I state, trying the same trick as I did on the bouncers out front, hoping these idiots are just as gullible. 

Not a chance. 

The one on the right eyes me up and down before unleashing an ugly sneer. “Better luck next time. He won’t want to see your ugly mug when he’s got a sweet little piece in there with him right now.” 

My stomach knots, though the confirmation that I’m in the right place offers me a modicum of relief. “Don’t blame me when he finds out you’re responsible for delaying our meeting.”

“You think we’re stupid?” the guard on the left demands. “Mikhail doesn’t share. And he’s currently preoccupied, so fuck off, mudak.”

Temper rising, I clench my fists, debating whether it would be faster to kill these guys or try to reason with them. I’m leaning toward the former. And then my blood turns to ice as I hear Dani scream. 

My ears ring as my vision goes red, and in an instant, I have my flip knives in hand. My gun is a last resort—one I’m willing to use but would prefer not to because I don’t know where Dani is exactly, and I don’t want a stray bullet to hit her. 

“The fuck are you doing?” the guard on the right shouts, his hand immediately going for the gun in his waistband. 

I’m on him in an instant, kicking the weapon free of his hand and sending it spinning away across the club’s floor. 

“Idiot!” his friend snarls, going for his own gun as I engage the disarmed guard. 

Circling around the first guard, I force his body between me and the gun as the second guard tries to aim over his friend’s shoulder. 

“Shoot me. I dare you,” I taunt the second guard. 

“Put the fucking gun down, Vlad!” the first guard snaps, his eyes widening when he sees how close he is to being shot. 

Then I’m on him, closing the distance between us as I drop low, using his chest as my shield. I might be big, but so are these idiots, and I’ve trained for years in close combat, which makes me a hell of a lot faster.

I make swift work of him, moving up his body as I slash his torso with one knife and stab upward beneath his ribs with the other. His eyes widen in shock as the blade slips free of his body a moment later. But I’m not done. 

Gripping the back of his neck with one hand, I slit his throat in an instant. Stunned, he releases a choked gurgle as the blood runs down his chest. Then he drops to the grounds. 

Shocked, his partner watches him fall, his gun wavering just enough to give me an opening. I close the six feet between us, ducking to the side so I’m not in his direct line of sight. And at that moment, he manages to recover. 

Bringing the gun up just as I reach him, he gets off one shot.

A shot that sets my ears roaring as the bullet explodes past my shoulder. 

The club is so loud that the shot goes all but unnoticed except for the people sitting in the nearest booth. And as I knock the gun from the guard’s hands, I catch the clubgoers slipping from their table to make their escape. 

The second man is ready for me, his hands deflecting my first few attempts to drive my knives home. His knee comes up to catch me in the ribs, and I tense, taking the blow without relenting my attack. 

Thrusting forward, I drive the guard back against the door as he jumps away from my knife’s sharp edge. And in an instant, he has nowhere to go. He knows it too. Cussing virulently, he searches for an exit strategy, but I’m so filled with rage that this bastard doesn’t get to live. 

Slashing and stabbing, I create gaping wounds across his chest and abdomen within seconds, giving him a quick death as I open his throat like I did his friend’s. Breathing heavily, I flick my knives closed, then bend to grip his shirt and haul him out of the doorway. 

Grasping the door handle, I palm my gun, though I leave it hidden, tucked away in my belt. Then I push the door open. I step cautiously inside the private room. Scanning the space quickly, I find myself alone with Mikhail. 

And Dani in his arms. 

I recognize her petite form instantly as her platinum blonde chic bob stands out starkly against Mikhail’s dark suit. My stomach drops at the sight of her arm twisted at an unnatural angle behind her back. And I can see from her profile the tears and agony on her face. 

“Let her go,” I growl, closing the door behind me so one of Mikhail’s minions can’t catch me by surprise.

“Make me,” Mikhail taunts, and Dani sobs as he shifts, his lips curling into a sneer. 

Pulling my gun from my belt, I level it at him and cock the hammer. As if knowing my intent, Mikhail spins Dani to face me at the same time, one hand keeping her arm behind her, his other around her throat as he brings his cheek against her ear. 

I let loose a string of curses in my head as he uses her like a human shield. “Let. Her. Go,” I grit through my clenched teeth. 

“Or what? You’ll shoot me?” he goads. “You better be a damn good shot, or you might end up blowing her pretty little brains all over my nice shirt.”  

I freeze, knowing I can’t take the risk. Even if I did manage to hit Mikhail, the odds that I might injure Dani in the process are too great. Then my stomach somersaults as his leering gaze drops to my chest. 

“I wonder, little pet. You think we can get him to do it?” Mikhail murmurs against Dani’s ear. “Kill you in his desperation to save you?”

She jerks away from him, her tearstained face twisting with revulsion. And when her blue eyes find mine, I see the silent fear there. Her plea for my help. 

The hand around her throat slowly travels lower, and Dani sobs as his fingers slip beneath the collar of her sweater. 

“Don’t fucking touch her,” I growl, my fingers tightening around the grip of my gun as I stride forward. 

“Ah-ah,” he chastises, getting far too much enjoyment out of making Dani scream in pain. 

She leans forward as far as he’ll let her, trying to ease the pressure he’s putting on her arm and shoulder. And though I’m desperate to get to her, my feet freeze at the horrible sound of her agony. 

The rules of his sick game are suddenly clear. If I move forward, he’ll hurt her. If I do nothing, he’ll molest her. And if I try to shoot him, he’ll make sure I kill her. 

“Please,” Dani sobs brokenly, her eyes dropping to the floor, and it rips me apart. 

I don’t know if she’s begging me or Mikhail, but I have to do something to help her. 

“I suppose if you’re still alive, that means your pakhan is too?” he asks me, a hint of annoyance tinging his tone. 

“You thought it would be so easy to get rid of us?” I snarl, my muscles tensing with the need to act. But if he’s talking, it seems Mikhail’s not hurting Dani, so I’ll search for an opening while he thinks he’s toying with me. 

Then his eyes give him away as they flick toward the door behind me. He’s stalling.

“No one’s coming,” I state coldly. “No one heard that gunshot. Your club is too noisy. So, how long do you think it will be before someone comes to check on you? Your guards are dead, so they won’t be interrupting us.” 

“Maybe not, but I can wait. It seems to me I have the better leverage.” His eyes flick back down to Dani, and his hand wanders and inch lower beneath the neckline of her sweater. 

She shudders visibly, her tears streaming harder down her cheeks now. 

“Perhaps, but I think you overestimate my willingness to share what’s mine,” I snarl.

“And you’re willing to let me break her arm to stop me from taking what I want?” Mikhail mocks. “I don’t think so.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But if you break her arm, you will lose your leverage. You do not think I could get to you before you make your next move?”

The smug confidence slowly slips from his face as I continue to stare him down, my gun never wavering. His tongue darts out to wet his lips, revealing his nerves, and I know I’ve put just enough doubt in his mind to shift the weight in my favor. 

“Let’s stop playing games, shall we?” he suggests, his voice maintaining its oily diplomacy even as his eyes dart anxiously over his shoulder. 

Then his hand slides out of Dani’s shirt to wrap back around her throat like a collar. I bristle at the threatening gesture but don’t want to make a sudden move that could end up hurting her. 

Heart in my throat, I watch as Mikhail slowly backs away from me, forcing Dani to step back with him. Refusing to let him put more space between us, I step cautiously forward, following his pace but not daring to close the distance. Because, despite my bluster, I can’t stand the thought of him hurting Dani. 

If he makes one wrong move, one tiny slip-up, I’ll put a bullet square between his eyes. I just need an opening. 

It’s too late by the time I spot the hidden door behind him. For an instant, I’m terrified he’ll force Dani through the door before I can get to him. His fingers tighten around her throat as he releases her wrist to grope behind him. And that’s when I take my chance. I’m determined to reach her before she slips through my fingers. 

Then the door opens.

With a last smug sneer, Mikhail shoves Dani toward me with such force that she stumbles. And in the second that I instinctually lower my gun to catch her, he’s gone. 

The door locks behind him as Dani collapses against my chest. And though I want to chase him down, to rip him limb from limb, Dani needs me right now. 

Clinging to my blood-soaked shirt, she sobs uncontrollably, her body shuddering violently against my chest. Decocking my gun and putting on the safety, I shove it into my belt at my back. Then I wrap my arms around her, holding her close. 

“You’re okay, Dani. You’re safe,” I murmur, and though my hands are covered in dried blood, I cradle the back of her head, tucking her beneath my chin as I try to hold her in one piece. 

“I’m s-sorry. I’m s-sorry,” she sobs, her breaths ripping from her lungs as she grips my shirt like her life depends on it. “I sh-shouldn’t have gone. Y-You tried t-to tell me.”

“Shhhh,” I soothe, stroking her hair. “You’re okay,” I promise, though my eyes stay trained on the hidden side door just in case Mikhail is stupid enough to show his face. 

“Are P-Pyotr and S-silvia and I-I—” Another strangled sob cuts Dani short as she peers up at me in panic.

“They’re fine. They’re alive,” I assure her. “Breathe, Dani,” I insist, worried she’s on the brink of hysteria.

Nodding, Dani attempts several calming yoga breaths, though her stuttering hiccups make her shoulders jerk against my chest. 

“Did he hurt you?” I ask, my eyes dropping to the arm Mikhail had so brutally pinned behind her back. 

“I’m f-fine.” 

She continues to stutter, but I can see her calming down now that her fear is subsiding.  

“Good,” I breathe, my relief intense as it seeps through my chest. “Then let’s get you home.”