Reunion Series-
Bits of Badass Women- Daisy and Raven…
As Raven waited for Daisy to meet her for lunch she had been thinking about what happened a few months ago on Valentine’s Day… and how it all ended. Shaking her head, she realized that she and the others were lucky women indeed. To have such strong and loyal men by their sides‒ men who would fight to keep them all safe in a‒ sometimes very unsafe world.
She slipped her hand down to cover her still flat belly. Yuri didn’t know it yet, but baby number four was well on its way. He or she had been conceived on Valentine’s Day and would be born right around Thanksgiving. Raven couldn’t wait. Her pregnancy was still in the early days though, so she wasn’t showing yet.
She smiled as Daisy slid into the booth across from where she sat. “Mornin’ Daisy, how are you on this beautiful day?”
Daisy shook her head and replied, “I’m just fine, how are you, dumplin’?”
Raven opened her mouth to answer her.
Daisy cut off her reply as she raised her finger to her lips and then cocked her head as if she heard something.
Raven did the same and then her eyes widened as the words she heard from the table behind them made their way to her ears…
“We have to be very careful that no one finds out about your operation,” one of the men said.
“Da, I know this,” the other man replied in hushed tones. “If we are found before we are ready then our plan will not work. We are still setting up our base and there is still a lot of work to do to get that right. I’m not quite sure that the men you are working with are the right men for us. They seem to watch us too closely. Like they’re spying on us. I do know they ask too many proklyatiye questions. I think they know what our purpose is and they want us to fail in our quest.”
“I don’t think that is true, my friend,” the first man disagreed. “Why would the Echos do that? We hired them to make this work.”
“YA soglasen,” the Russian man replied. “I went back to check on a few things and someone had disconnected some major couplings. If I didn’t know better, I would say they had been disconnected on purpose. Almost like someone doesn’t want us to succeed. We may have to move our timetable up.”
The other man growled. “We have waited too long already. Your group promised to share some of the profits if the Echos succeed in helping you. We can’t fail or be put off any longer. We have to make this work. There is too much at stake here.”
“I think the men you got us hooked up with are doing their best to wreck this deal.” The Russian man snorted, then said, “I am beginning to worry that maybe these men will go over our heads and do something stupid and dangerous. And that puts us all in danger. Not only from the Bratva but from other outside forces as well.”
“Maybe? But you all need to move quickly and quietly and get this done.”
The Russian man spoke again, “But how? How do we contact the Bratva without spilling our own secrets before we are ready?”
“I have someone watching the hotel and another body watching the shipyards and the gym,” the other man replied. “We have to figure out their schedules before we can find a good time to take one of them.”
“Tell me again why we need to kidnap one of the five brothers?” the Russian man grumbled.
“We need to get the attention of the big man, either Yuri or Sergi. We need to arrange a meet, so you all can make your case to them. Maybe instead of taking one of the brothers, we should just take one of their women? Rumor is they would all come to defend any of the women.”
The Russian man paused. “I don’t like that plan. My boss will never agree to it.”
“They are only women.” The American guy snorted.
“You have not heard the rumors about those Bratva women, have you?” the Russian asked. “They would rival their men as far as being ruthless against an enemy. We only want to get their attention, not start a war no one will win.”
“Nah, a woman is weaker and much less trouble than a man,” his American friend scoffed. “I know I can find someone who can point one of them out to us. You have come too far to fail your brothers now. We need some sort of bargaining chip to get the Bratva’s attention to your cause. We have to get a meeting.”
“I don’t like it and if our leader finds out about it, he won’t like it either,” the Russian man growled.
“Well then, just make sure he doesn’t find out then,” the American man stated as he chuckled.
The two men slid from the booth and walked over to pay for their lunch.
Daisy and Raven stared at each other.
Only after they were gone, did Daisy whisper, “Did you hear what I heard?”
Raven nodded. “If they want a meeting all they have to do is call and make an appointment. What kind of meeting are they looking for anyway? And what makes them think they have to kidnap someone to get the Bratva’s attention? Something is very wonky here.”
“I agree but who are they and what do they want with our men?” Daisy looked troubled. “And if they snatch one of us, our men will not work with them. In fact, they will hunt them down and probably shoot them instead of listen to them.”
“Maybe we should warn the others though, just in case they get close.” Raven snatched up her phone and sent an alert message to the other wives. She didn’t want anyone to get caught unaware. She looked up at Daisy. “Should we warn the guys too?”
Daisy shook her head. “Are you kidding? They will be like hound dogs out huntin’ for wolves. They’ll sure as shit hit the streets to hunt down any threat and people could get hurt.”
“I’m going to reach out to a few friends of mine and see if I can get any information on these guys,” Raven told her. She typed a message and sent it out to several of her friends on the street.
Daisy nodded then looked away shaking her head. Looking back at Raven, she asked, “Did you happen to notice one of them was speaking Russian?”
Raven frowned then shook her head. “I guess I didn’t. I’m just so used to hearing it, I never thought about it before.” She paused. “So these men speak Russian and English as a second language. I wonder who they are and what they really want?”
Daisy rolled her eyes at her. “Girlie, what they want isn’t going to make a hill of beans difference if they think they have to kidnap one of us to get a meeting. Not to our guys.”
Raven nodded. “Yeah I know, but what do they want? And why do they need to kidnap someone in our family before they make contact with our men?”
~*~
Denny and Reuben carefully picked up the injured woman.
Boo groaned but otherwise kept herself quiet.
Denny reached the window first and he left her with Reuben while he climbed through. Then Reuben passed her to him and climbed out.
Raven climbed out to follow the others back to them.
A shot rang out.
Raven gasped as she rushed past the men.
“Ms. Raven!” Denny yelled at her.
When Raven got out front, Daisy was standing over a man with her rifle in hand.
The man looked to be bleeding out on the ground.
Abby and Salt rushed up to grab the man’s feet and arms. Dragging him around the corner.
Before they got very far, another man appeared from around the corner of the building with a gun in his hand. “Stop right there, bitches,” he growled.
They did stop, dropping the dead guy to the dirt.
He raised his gun, aiming it at them. “I ain’t gonna ask no fucking questions. You killed my brother.”
Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound whipped out as his head came off his neck and rolled to the ground. His body dropped to the dirt joining his head as blood pooled around his shoulders.
Raven, Daisy and looked down at him then their shocked gazes rose up.
Ana stood there with her bloody sword at her side as crimson covered the steel blade.
Daisy blinked her eyes rapidly at her. “Well God almighty, you just separated his head from...” Her shocked voice faded away.
Salt and Abby seemed unbothered as they turned to look at Raven.
“Let’s get going. NOW,” Raven ordered.
Denny and Rueben came along while carrying poor Boo between them so as not to injure her belly. They stopped and stared at all the blood and the two bodies.
Fred rushed over and stared down too. “Damn…” He looked up at the ladies and shivered. “Bratva women are deadly as shit.”
~*~
Yuri frowned and growled. “They need to learn that we will protect our women, all of our women. That to take one and hurt her is unforgivable and for that… they will pay the price.” He slowly swung his gaze around the room and glared at the women. “It is our job to protect you women. I know you are all aware of that. Yet, you took it upon yourselves to go against our wishes. You put yourselves in danger…again.”
Raven walked over to her husband and with her hands on her hips, she glared at him. “Yes, you are Bratva and you can protect us, but we are our own women too. If we belong to you, then you also belong to us. We are Bratva as well. We married into it. And we will protect you as much as you protect us. It isn’t that we didn’t think you would go in there and get her, we knew you would, we just did it without causing as much damage. Sometimes subtle is not your forte. We only wanted to know who we were dealing with first. Besides all of that, you men have taught us well how to defend ourselves against our enemies,” she put emphasis on our. “We are not exactly helpless here. We can and will defend ourselves and have your backs too, if there is a need.”
Chapter One
Raven rubbed her big belly and was looking at a display case at a shop just down the street from the hotel. It had been a long summer and now it was the beginning of the fall season here in the Big Easy as New Orleans was also called. She was seven months pregnant with baby number four and she couldn’t wait for this baby to finally get here.
Today, she was shopping for something special for her husband. Yuri’s birthday was coming up and she’d seen something in this shop that she thought he would appreciate. But for some reason she felt unsettled and it wasn’t just today that she felt this feeling. Something was wrong but she didn’t know what. She had had this feeling before and the event that happened gave justice to what she had felt. She had Kirill and Sasha with her on this trip but suddenly she wasn’t feeling so safe.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Kirill grabbed her and threw her to the floor, covering her expanding body with his own. A nanosecond later, the display case exploded as well as the massive glass window in the front of the store. She screamed.
Kirill was on his feet then he pulled her up and hustled her out toward the back door.
Raven cried out in pain at his rough handling but Kirill didn’t stop until she was safely hidden from view. Sasha ran to join them and told Kirill he had backup on the way.
Raven slid to the floor and held her hands over her belly.
“What the hell was that?” Kirill growled as he ran his hands over the back of his head.
Raven looked up at him and asked, “What happened? Why did you take me down to the floor?”
Kirill looked at her and growled, “I looked up and found a red dot in the middle of your back. I took you down to stop someone from putting a bullet into your body. A bullet that might have ended your life.”
Raven shivered and wrapped her arms around her belly. She looked out the back door to see the clear sky and feel the warm air. The city was quiet now but that quiet was deceptive. Then she felt the unease again, only this time it was stronger, almost pressing into her soul.
Something was wrong and that something was coming for her.
A car screeched to a stop just outside the back door.
Kirill went to the door and looked outside. He looked back at Sasha and nodded.
Sasha came over to her and helped her up then walked her to the back door. Kirill stepped out then Sasha motioned for her to go and he followed. They got her into the vehicle and they sped away from the shop.
Raven didn’t say a word as the car drove her back to the hotel. They took her to the private elevators and got the car as close as they could before they would let her out. Kirill called for the elevator before she was allowed to get out of the car and then she was hustled inside the car and the elevator shot to the tenth floor. When it opened Yuri, Kosta and Felix were there waiting for her.
Yuri growled and grabbed her close to him for a moment. He held her tight and whispered calming words into her ear in Russian, “Vse budet khorosho, moya sladkaya.” It will be okay, my sweet. Then he turned and took her to their suite. Once inside, he demanded to know what happened as he glared at Kirill.
Kirill shook his head. “We were shopping and I looked up and saw a red dot in the middle of her back. I didn’t hesitate when I took her down to the floor. Next thing I knew, the window exploded as did the display case above us. We got her out of the shop and waited for backup to get there.”
“Did either of you see anything else?” Yuri wanted to know.
“Nyet.” Sasha shook his head. “We saw people ducking and running away but we didn’t see anyone watching the shop.”
Yuri knelt in front of Raven and took her hand. “Moya dorogaya, have you seen or felt anything out of the ordinary lately?”
Raven held her belly with her hand. Right now, the baby was rolling and kicking her hard. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I’ve been feeling uneasy but I didn’t know what it was all about. I still don’t.”
“Can you reach out to your network of friends and see what they can find out?” Yuri asked.
Raven shrugged. “I can try.”
Yuri laid his hand on her stomach and frowned as he felt the baby roll and kick out. He looked at Raven and said, “The baby isn’t very happy right now. I am not either. I could have lost both of you today.”
“I think I’ll go lay down for a little while. I need for this baby to settle down and it doesn’t seem to want to.”
Yuri helped her to her feet then he kissed her. Silent, he watched as she made her way down the hall to their bedroom. He looked over at the two men beside him. “What the hell is going on here, gentlemen? Who is after her and why?”
Kirill growled, “We don’t know but we’ll work to find out. You can bet your life on that.”
“Then find out.” Yuri ran his hands over his head and growled, “I refuse to lose her, she is my life. She and the children mean more to me than my life does. I can’t lose any of them.” Shaking his head, he vowed, “I won’t lose her.”
“We’ll find out who did this,” Kirill swore. “Felix and Kosta are on their way to the site and check things out.”
“See if you can get into the cameras of the area and see where the shot came from,” Yuri ordered him. “Maybe we can get a photo of our shooter.”
Kirill nodded then turned to leave. Sasha left with him but decided to stand guard outside the penthouse door. He knew Yuri probably didn’t need him there but he wasn’t leaving them alone.
~*~
Yuri made his way down the hall to his bedroom. He opened the door and found Raven lying on their bed, staring at the ceiling. She turned her head and he saw tears running down her face. He hurried over and knelt beside the bed. Brushing her tears away with his thumbs he said, “Hush woman, you are safe. I will keep you and our children safe from harm. Never doubt that.”
Raven raised her hand and cupped his cheek. “I never have and I never will, my love.” She sighed and turned her gaze back to the ceiling. “There is a disturbing feeling in the streets right now that’s all. I can’t get a handle on what’s going on out there. Neither can my friends but they feel it too.”
Yuri frowned, “What exactly do they feel?”
Raven shook her head, “They are unsure but they feel dread seeping into every corner of the city. Some whispers are whispering that death has come back to the city.”
Yuri frowned. “Death? What do they mean death? Figuratively?”
Raven shrugged. “I don’t know but one of my contacts, Freddie, told me this happened once before. Maybe fifteen to twenty years ago now, death stalked the streets.”
Yuri’s frown deepened. “I don’t remember that.”
Raven looked at him and shook her head. “You wouldn’t remember it. You and yours were safe here in the hotel but for those who lived on the street, this feeling was very real. So was the threat of death. Someone murdered five people, mostly women before he stopped.”
“Five women died?” Yuri was shocked. “How did this news never reach us?”
Raven shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t imagine you were in tune with the streets back then. You were still trying to get your businesses up and running.”
Yuri sat down hard and reached out to hold her hand. “Tell me how it was back then.”
Raven shook her head. “I was only a kid, so remember that. Nicky and I had just gotten away from Carlos and his gang and we were living on what little food we could steal back then. I hadn’t really made too many new friends at the time and I didn’t trust anyone really. I was maybe thirteen or fourteen back then. I began to notice the world around me about the same time and watched as the people on the streets began to watch all the closer what was going on. I began to hear rumors about certain areas of the city. Nicky and I had found a place we could stay at and we kept to ourselves pretty much. We’d come out during the day but getting toward afternoon we always got back inside and barricaded the door. Then one night we could hear running footsteps. Nicky looked out a peephole and he saw an older man running, he was being chased by a younger man with a knife. The younger man’s face was snarled with fury and he was yelling at the older man that he wasn’t a real man and he didn’t deserve to live. We watched as the younger man cornered the old guy and was moving in on him. Nicky turned to me and said, ‘We have to help him. We can’t let that little prick kill him. What kind of people would we be if we let that happen?’ I knew he was right but I was so scared.”
Yuri squeezed her hand as he waited for her to continue her story.
“I grabbed a piece of a metal bar that had been laying outside and I snuck up on the younger guy. So just as he was about to stab the older guy, I swung it. He turned his head and glared at me and then he got hit and went down. I kicked the knife away from his hand and God help me I hit him again. Then the older guy reached for the bar and took it from me. He threw it away. I helped him up and I brought him back to mine and Nicky’s place. He rested awhile and then he thanked me for what I’d done.”
“Who was the older guy?” Yuri wanted to know.
Raven turned her head and stared at him for a moment before she told him, “His name was Carmine. He runs the streets now, same as he did back then but he’s older and wiser now. He says the streets are his home and someone has to watch over them. I still see him from time to time.” She shook her head and stared at the ceiling. “I saw him last week and he told me death was back for him and that I should be careful.”
Yuri frowned. “You should be careful? He told you that? Why?”
Raven turned her head and whispered, “I stopped death from claiming him that night. Death is still pissed about that.”
Chapter Two
Yuri went down to the security room in the basement.
Kirill was there studying camera footage from the streets around the shop they had been in this morning when the bullet took out the window.
“Did you find anything we can use to track down the shooter?” Yuri asked.
Kirill looked up at him and shook his head. “I found the flash of the rifle when he shot out the window and I told Kosta where to look for his sniper’s nest but Kosta just got back to me. They found where the shooter was but he wasn’t there any longer. Did Raven say anything?”
“Da, actually she did.” Yuri nodded. “Fifteen years ago, she and Nicky were living on the streets and at the time there was a guy roaming the streets just killing people. He murdered five women before he went after Carmine, a man she knew back then, but Carmine caught a break when he ran past where they were staying. Nicky told her they had to stop it, so Raven snuck out of her place, grabbed a metal bar off the street and clocked the killer in the head twice. She got him out of that situation and he’s still alive today.”
Kirill shook his head. “I don’t remember hearing about that.”
Yuri shrugged. “I didn’t either but she told me we were fairly new here and we were too busy setting up our businesses and such. We could have been, I don’t remember.”
“I will look and see if there are any records of such a thing happening.” Kirill assured him. “I cannot see how we missed something like that happening here but if Raven said it happened I have no reason to think otherwise.”
“Da, that is very true,” Yuri agreed with him.
Just then, Kosta and Sasha walked in.
Kosta was carrying a small box. He looked at Yuri and handed him the box. “We found where the shot came from and we found the bullet casing but we also found this when we searched the site.”
Yuri looked at his man for a moment then he opened the box and looked inside. All he found was a chess piece, the knight and a spent rifle casing. “Kakogo cherta?” Yuri swore in Russian. What the hell?
Then they all heard a gasp.
Yuri looked toward the door.
Raven stood there staring at the box and the knight piece in horror. “He’s back,” she whispered, then she crumpled to the ground.
Yuri dropped the box to the floor and rushed to his wife. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the sofa. Carefully lying her out on the sofa, he began calling her name, “Raven, Raven come on sweetheart. Open your eyes. I need to see your eyes.” Kosta brought him a damp washcloth and he used it to wipe off her face. “Raven, my love, open your eyes.”
Raven groaned and tried but it took her a moment to finally open her eyes. Her face looked pale and she was shaking. She looked at Yuri and whispered, “He’s back.”
“Who? Who is back?” Yuri whispered.
“Death…Death is back and he’s pissed.” Her eyes widened and she grabbed Yuri’s shirt. “You have to find Carmine and get him to safety! He missed killing him once, now he’s a target. Please, please go get Carmine and get him somewhere safe. Please?”
Yuri nodded slowly. “I’d think after all this time he wouldn’t even bother looking for him but I will send Kosta out to see if he can find him.”
Raven reached for the bracelet she wore on her wrist. “Carmine gave me this all those years ago. He said that if I ever needed him I should send this back to him and he would come for me.” She gave the bracelet to Kosta. “Please find him and bring him to me for his own protection. Please beg him if you have to but bring him back for me, please.”
Kosta took the bracelet and nodded. “I will, my lady,” he whispered softly.
Raven smiled slightly. “I’m no lady but I know you will try. Thank you.”
When Kosta and Sasha left the room, Yuri helped Raven sit up and then he sat down next to her. He reached for the box and then asked her, “So what does this chess piece mean to you and why did you faint at the sight of it?”
Raven clasped her shaking hands together. “Let me calm down for a moment, ok?”
Yuri nodded. “YA podozhdu. Take as long as you need, my love.”
She took a deep breath then let it out and closed her eyes. She took a few minutes before she finally spoke,“Fifteen years ago we found those chess pieces all over the place. Some were clutched in the hands of his victims, some were found at other crime scenes. When I stopped him that night from killing Carmine I took his knife. He sent word out on the streets that he wanted his knife back but I never gave it back to him. Now fifteen years late, I guess he went from using a knife to using a rifle.”
“I wonder where he’s been since then?” Kirill wondered.
Raven began to shiver. “I don’t know, nor do I care. I’m just worried that he’s coming back here to finish what he started fifteen years ago.” She turned to Yuri and said, “Carmine and I both saw his face fifteen years ago. He’s never been caught because he leaves no one behind that knows what he looks like. He’s coming here to kill us because of that.”
Yuri growled. “Not while I live and breathe.”
Raven cupped his jaw and smiled. “I know you will protect me always, my darling man but you have to be aware of things. He will come.”
Meeting her eyes, Yuri told her simply, “Then I will kill him.”
Kirill cleared his throat.
Yuri looked over Kirill and raised a brow at him.
Kirill nodded his head at him. “Da, I found the news articles from fifteen years ago. Raven was right, this bastard killed seven people before he disappeared. He used his knife freely and often.” He shook his head. “What he did to his victims is outrageous.”
Yuri nodded. “Look around a bit and see if anyone else has had this problem on a lower scale. Like other towns I mean. If he left New Orleans, maybe he went somewhere else and continued his killing spree.”
Kirill nodded and began his hunt on the dark web.
Raven frowned then asked, “Can you check the hospitals and coma units to find out if a John Doe was found. Maybe he was recovering part of the time. I mean I did hit him pretty hard. He could have been found and taken to hospital.”
Kirill nodded. “I can check on that.”
Yuri got to his feet and pulled her up to hers. “Let’s get you back upstairs. You need to rest.”
Raven shook her head. “No Yuri, I don’t need to rest. I need to be doing something to find this killer. The fact he came back after so long means he’s back for a reason.”
“And I won’t have you worrying about this man.” Yuri growled. “Not when you’re pregnant. You worry about the baby still growing inside you. My men and I can protect you and Carmine and this city.”
Raven nodded. “I know you will try.”
“And we will succeed.” Yuri growled. “I will never give up on keeping you and this city safe.”
“I know.” Raven nodded. “But you can’t fight an evil you can’t find and you won’t see this man until it's too late to stop him.”
“We will see about that.” Kirill growled. “Because to catch a killer like this one you have to think like he does. We know how a man like this thinks, we’ve done it before and we will do it again. You have to have faith in that.”
Raven shivered. “God, I hope not. I know you guys can do this but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Just please don’t go so far deep that you can’t come back from that dark place. Don’t lose your humanity for too long.”
Kirill nodded. “I hear you.”
Yuri escorted her to the elevators and up to the tenth floor. He left her resting and went back down to the security rooms.
Kirill looked at his boss and asked, “We need him for this mission, you know that don’t you?”
“I know.” Yuri nodded slowly. “But I just hate the thought of bringing him to our city.”
Kirill agreed, “I feel the same way. But if we can’t find this creep any other way we may have to bring in the Butcher.
Yuri sighed. “Da, I need to speak to Sergi first and fill him in on this situation. Then possibly the other factions in the city. We all have to be alert to this guy being back here.”
“Da, they need to be warned about him,” Kirill said. “From what I read from fifteen years ago, he hit most of the faction’s districts as well as our own. They might be able to tell us more about the murders back then than we can get from old newspaper articles.”
“See if you can break into the police reports from that time as well,” Yuri suggested. “Find out the names of his victims and look up their autopsy reports. That might be able to give us more information than we have right now.”
Kirill nodded. “I can do that. Not everyone has their old cases available anymore. At least not online. I guess it depends on when they switched over to digital.”
“Well, find out what you can,” Yuri told him. “I’d better call Sergi and see what he has to say about this mess. He’s not going to be happy Raven was shot at today, at any rate.”
“Net, he’s not.” Kirill shook his head. “But this came out of nowhere. We weren’t expecting this.” Then he turned to look at Yuri. “Is she okay? I took her down kind of hard then I hustled her out of the store without thinking. I hope she wasn’t hurt by that.”
“The baby was moving about ok, I guess.” Yuri shrugged. “If she wasn’t alright, I don’t think she would have been quite so active. I guess we just have to wait and see. Maybe I should have her looked at by a doctor.”
“It probably wouldn’t hurt and it might put Sergi’s rage to rest.” Kirill shrugged. “You know how he gets about Raven.”
“Da, I know but I’m not happy about this issue either.” Yuri growled. “But like you said before we had no warning about this bastard.” Shaking his head, he growled. “I’d better call the doctor and have her checked out before I call Sergi.”
Ten minutes later, the doctor showed up and Yuri showed him to where Raven was resting. He closed the door behind him and left Yuri pacing the hall outside his bedroom door.
A few minutes later, the doctor appeared and was putting his jacket back on. He closed the door behind him and looked at Yuri. “Your wife is fine. The jolt didn’t seem to hurt her or the baby. However, if she suddenly develops any pain or has any bleeding please let me know. She’s far enough along that the baby could be born but I’d rather he or she wasn’t just yet. She’s still got some time before that baby comes and the longer Raven holds it inside the better.”
Yuri nodded. “I agree. If something comes up I’ll call you.”
When the doctor left the penthouse, Yuri went to his den and reached for the phone. He took a deep breath and dialed Sergi’s number.
Chapter Three
Sergi answered the call and he listened as Yuri told him of this morning’s events. His hand tightened on the receiver and his rage grew as he heard what had happened to Raven. “I am on my way. But I want all the information you can find on this killer when I get there. Svyatoy ad!” Holy hell… He swore as he ended the call.
Tapping his contact list, he called his pilot and ordered his plane to be ready to go in 30 minutes. Next, he called Nikoli and Nicky. Nicky asked Sergi if he could to go along with him and Sergi gave his permission. Finally, he called Felix of course to go with him, because if he didn’t, Felix would make sure he got to New Orleans no matter what. Sergi knew better than to attempt to go anywhere without his faithful bodyguard.
Thirty minutes later, Sergi, Felix, Nicky and Nikoli were airborne and on their way south.
Sergi looked over at Nicky and asked him what he remembered from that time. “Yuri told me this morning that Raven remembered the chess piece, a knight I believe he said it was. Do you have any idea what she was talking about?”
Nicky paled at the mention of the knight piece and he swallowed hard but finally nodded. “I remember it. I was maybe ten or eleven. It happened about a year and a half or so after we left Carlos’ house. We were barely making it but Raven wouldn’t give up. She always said we were going to survive on the streets of the city.” He shook his head. “She was what? Just fifteen or sixteen at the time? Maybe a little younger, but she was determined we weren’t going to steal any more. She had to lie to get a job but she did. She worked so hard to keep us both on the straight and narrow. The streets were dangerous too, especially for a kid and a young teen woman.”
Sergi looked angered but he said nothing as he listened.
“That night we were eating a late supper,” Nicky went on. “We heard footsteps outside and I went to the window and looked out. I saw an older man. It looked like he had run into our alley by mistake. It was a dead end alley and when he saw that, he turned to face whoever was chasing him. I saw the man walking toward him and I almost called out but Raven put her hand over my mouth. So we both watched as he moved forward to get at the older guy. I was so afraid for this man so I told her, ‘we can’t let him kill him.’ Raven nodded and she told me, no matter what happened I had to stay inside. She slipped out and picked up a piece of rebar on the street. She sneaked up behind him and hit him really hard. So hard she laid open his face on the left side, but he turned around and snarled at her so she smacked him again and he finally went down. She grabbed the older guy and she brought him inside. The attacker had stabbed him in the side so she patched him up and we shared what little food we had with him. He left the next morning but before he did, he warned us that maybe the place we had wasn’t safe for us anymore. He told us where there was a safe place. So we packed up and moved there before the sun came up. The man was still unconscious in the alley.”
“No one knew who he was?” Felix asked. “The cops never showed or what?”
“This was the streets man,” Nicky scoffed. “A place where no one calls the cops and no one was gonna bother that monster either, Felix. We didn’t know him but we heard the rumors in the streets that were going around. They called this man La Mort…Death.” He shook his head. “I was never more scared in my life than I was that day. When the man turned to face Raven he got a good look at her. But she also got a good look at him. Even with his laid open cheek, she swung again and he went down, then while we were packing up our stuff the next morning, he was gone.”
“What happened after that?” Sergi wanted to know.
“Carmine, the man she saved, showed us a new place to stay and we were looking over our shoulders for a long time after that. The killer didn’t come around again but he was still in the city. We would see him from time to time but only from a distance and he never saw us. He seemed to be looking for something or someone.” He shrugged. “I mean it wasn’t like he could ask about us and we stayed out of his sight. Then suddenly, he was no longer there. We had no idea where he went but for the longest time. We asked around but no one had seen him. Eventually, I guess we forgot about him.” He shrugged.” Well no, we never forgot about that monster, I guess. Who could?”
Nikoli looked over at Sergi and shook his head. “And now he’s back and he’s looking for her. After all this time.”
“She’s the only one in the city that has seen his face,” Nicky pointed out. “Well, her and Carmine. Maybe you could have Yuri looking for him and taking him in custody until this is over.” Shaking his head, Nicky admitted, “I’m not sure Raven would like it if this bastard got close enough to Carmine to kill him. He helped those who needed it and I know he’s still a good friend of hers.”
Sergi growled and they were silent the rest of the trip south.
When they landed Yuri and Sasha were there to meet them.
Sergi shook hands with Yuri and immediately asked, “How is Raven doing?”
Yuri shook his head. “She’s fine. When Kirill took her to the floor she wasn’t hurt. She’s just rather shaken that this killer is back. She wants to get out there and find Carmine and warn him about this guy.”
Nicky looked over at Sergi and smiled faintly.
Sergi shook his head and said, “Da, Nicky already warned us she would want him found.”
“Da, she does,” Yuri acknowledged. “We’ve found more out about this killer and what he did to his victims and it's not really pretty.”
Nicky nodded. “It wouldn’t be would it? They called this guy Death and when you live on the streets you get to see everything, whether you want to or not. You also hear the whispers and rumors too. If you were listening to the rumors you would know why they called this man La Mort. He was brutal to his victims. They were all stabbed fifty times, almost to the point of mutilation. His knife disappeared after the night he went after Carmine and it hasn’t been seen since. But that knife was legendary. I remember Raven was stunned when she saw it.”
“Why was that?” Sergi frowned.
Nicky shrugged. “I don’t know why, remember I was just a kid back then. You’ll have to ask her.”
“Let's do just that,” Sergi stated. “I want to see her anyway. I have to see for myself that she's alright.”
Just then Felix exited the plane and joined them. Sergi’s security team had come down with them and they stood all around but Felix had been waiting for some faxes to come through. He nodded at Sergi and said, “The information came in and I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
“Let’s go to the hotel before I see any more bad news.” Sergi growled. “I need to see Raven and then I need a large drink.”
Everyone moved toward the cars and then made their way to the hotel.
When they got there they found Raven sitting on the sofa waiting for them. She looked up at Yuri and asked him, “Can you call Ana to come over here, please?”
Yuri frowned and asked her “Why do you need to see Ana right now?”
Sergi frowned. “What is it, milaya devushka?” Sweet girl.
“Please just ask her to come over.” Raven’s eyes filled with tears but she wouldn’t tell anyone why.
Sergi and Nicky went over to where she was and they both sat down beside her.
Nicky reached out and took her hand in his. “Are you okay?” he asked her quietly.
Raven leaned over to lay her head onto his shoulder. “No, I don’t think I am. I haven’t thought about that night in years. I never wanted to I guess.” She looked at him and finally admitted, “I guess I never wanted to admit this before because it's so wrong, but when I swung on that prick I was hoping to take his head off. I was only fifteen but I felt I hit him hard enough to kill him and I thought I had. But then he turned and even with the blood running down his face, the look he gave me has haunted me for fifteen years. It used to wake me up some nights. Over the years, his bloody face has been in my nightmares. I can still see that snarl and the insanity in his eyes sometimes.” She sucked a shuddered breath, then reached out and took Sergi’s hand.
“What you may not know is later that night I went back outside and I found his knife. I kept it all these years. Then today, I got it out when I was alone and I looked at it again.”
“Why would you do that?” Sergi looked troubled.
Raven shrugged. “I thought maybe I got it all wrong fifteen years ago.” She shook her head. “But I know I didn’t. That prick was going to kill again that night. He was going after a harmless old man. Maybe it was because Carmine saw something he shouldn’t have or he was afraid he’d seen something he wasn’t supposed to… I don’t know and I don’t care. If he didn’t want to risk being seen, he shouldn’t have been there in the first place.” She looked over at Nicky and said, “When I went looking for his knife and I found it, coming back to where he was laying I stopped and thought how easy it would have been to shove it into his chest and just end him.” She paused. “It would have been really easy to do it, but I’ve never been a killer and I hope I never have to take another person’s life.”
Sergi gripped her hand tightly in his. “You couldn’t have done it. Not to an unconscious man. You might have been able to do it if someone threatened you or your family but not to an unconscious person.”
Raven shook her head. “You don’t know the person I was back then. Nicky and I were on our own and had been for some time. We scrambled every day just to have a roof over our heads and something to eat. Sometimes our meal came from the dumpsters when we didn’t have any money. We collected cans and bottles and would sell them to get a few dollars. We didn’t have much but we never wanted all that much as long as we were together. Times were tough but we survived and some would say we even got stronger.”
Nikoli walked over and knelt in front of her. “I know I can’t ever thank you enough for what you did for him.” He took her hand in his. “You watched over him and taught him what it means to be a real man.” He shook his head, “Every so often, he’ll remind me what you taught him growing up. I’m only sorry it took us so long to find him. To find both of you.”
Raven shook her head. “I loved him and he needed me. But now he has you and Serenity and his own family. The same as I do, but he’ll always be my little brother even if that was never true.”
“And you will always be my big sister.” Nicky gripped her other hand tighter.
Just then, they all heard a knock on the penthouse door.
Yuri walked over and opened it and found Ana and Sazon on the other side.
Ana looked confused as Yuri let her inside. She gazed around the room and caught Raven’s eyes as she asked her, “What’s going on?”
Raven got up and waddled over to the hutch to pull a drawer open. Reaching inside, she pulled out a cloth covered item. She turned and handed the item to Ana. “I need to know if your family made this. I think so, because of the engraved signature on it.”
Ana looked puzzled then opened the cloth and froze then she gasped. Inside the cloth was a finely engraved knife. It was bigger than most knives and the handle was made of ivory. As she tipped the knife over on its side, she shook her head. She was looking at the initials engraved on the blade. She raised her head and swallowed hard. “What the hell is this? Where did you find it? This blade has been missing for years.”
Sergi surged to his feet and demanded, “What do you mean it's been missing for years? Are you asking if she stole it?”
Ana shook her head. “No I didn’t say that, so don’t put words in my mouth please. I remember this blade as it was ordered for special delivery. When my grandfather finished it, he mailed it out to the buyer. A week or so later, the owner called us and asked how much longer would it take to get the knife done. Grandpa told him he mailed it out already but the owner never received it. We tried to track the order but we couldn’t find it. Grandpa ended up making another blade and the buyer came to our house to pick it up in person.” She shook her head. “We never did find this one. So to see it now was a real surprise to me. So yes, it was made by my family.”
Nicky and Raven looked at each other as the room went silent.