Page 1 of Venus

Chapter One

Venus

Shortly After Lemon’s Kidnapping…

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Piston, annoying bastard, was like gnat buzzing around my head. I could bat him away, but he kept coming back for more. So I chose to ignore him.

It was dead of night with waning crescent moon. Cloud cover made even that light minimal. Ripper and Wylde, with Salvation’s Bane MC and Iron Tzars MC, had been working on finding Victor Zaitsev ever since Victor’s men nabbed Lemon thinking she was me. But I’d been searching for that motherfucker long before Lemon’s abduction. Twenty years longer. Since before my sister, Millie, met and attached herself to Shadow from Bones MC. Before me, Millie, and Shadow made it back from Poland with our little sister, Katya. Why? Because he is bastard who needs to die.

Victor forced me into a splinter of FSB. Which is basically same as KGB. Just different letters. And not as open about their heavy handedness. His intention was to have someone on inside to keep him out of trouble. Once in the FSB, though, they made me into something… more. One of many killers, but even more than that. I was their secret asset. The assassin to send when all others failed. Training was brutal. Work, even more so. I became very good at what they tasked me with. Too good.

“If you’re not sure, I can always call in backup.”

Fucking Piston. He knew very well I didn’t need backup. He wanted me to engage with him and I refused. Instead of taking hint, Piston kept coming back for more. Like gnat I thought of before.

“Too many people here as it is,” I muttered, never taking my eyes off my target. We were in middle of nowhere, Western Montana. It was privately owned stretch of forest land over thousand square miles. Small cabin sat in middle of woods as out of place as hunting cabin in middle of suburbia. While able to fall off grid, whoever built it would still have comforts of good old U. S. of A. Roughing it, this place was not. More like rich man’s idea of roughing it. There were even solar panels set up outside cabin along with gas tank.

Piston said nothing. Just put his field glasses to his face and surveyed area in direction I was looking. “Never met a woman as prickly as you.”

“Never met man who can’t take hint like you. If you can’t see target, stay out of my way. Last thing I need is to have to tell Rocket I killed you because you were stupid.”

That shut him up. Of course, Piston was just as likely to be smirking at me as he was to be angry with me for my outburst. I could have glanced at him to find out, but I could just make out silhouette of man in open window of cabin.

I dressed head to toe in pink. Every day. Hair, nails, clothing, even my bike was pink. It had been my pink Harley that had made Victor’s men believe Lemon was me. But reason I did was because I had to wear pink contacts. I had to wear pink contacts because contacts themselves were sophisticated surveillance equipment that enhanced my vision in both bright and dark conditions. Is long explanation, but basically, I could see like spy camera. I could zoom in or pan out as long as something was in my field of vision. Came in handy in combat. And spying. Only problem was they tinted my eyes bright pink. So, all the unnecessary pink was to conceal the necessary pink.

And no. The FSB didn’t have such things. I got them from man who helped me once. I helped him back until the balance tipped in my favor. Now, he is one of very few people outside of motorcycle clubs I’ve worked with I can call friend. No, it was more than that. All those men and women weresem’ya. Family. Giovanni Romano was too. Not that’d I’d ever tell him that. Man was too arrogant as it was.

“Oh, I can see it fine. I’m just hopin’ and prayin’ to the sweet baby Jesus in the manger you don’t honestly believe it’s gonna be this easy to catch this fucker.”

I didn’t acknowledge Piston, but I had same concern he did. I could see Victor in that house. Just by small window in front. This situation was most definitely a set up. From this angle I couldn’t see anything obvious, so I’d have to prepare for theunobvious.

“Stay out of my way, Piston.” I put as much command and venom in my voice as I could, hoping stubborn bastard would understand I meant business. “No one asked you to come along. I’ve been doing this by myself for very long time.”

“Surprised you lasted a week without a keeper.” I could hear amusement in his voice and wanted to scratch his eyeballs out. Something else about me to stick out. My fingernails were filed into nearly razor-sharp two-inch-long daggers. Pink, of course. I used them like weapons they were. Just as I was trained.

Which brought me back to Victor. He wasn’t nearly as smart as he thought he was. I gave myself about a thirty percent chance of killing him tonight, but I also thought it very likely I’d shake his confidence enough for him to rush to put distance between me and him. Victor would make mistake, and Wylde or Ripper would have him. Assuming I was right and he knew I was after him. If he did, he’d be ready to get away. Of course, if Piston hadn’t been on my ass, I’d have put my chances at fifty-fifty.

“Cost me this kill and you won’t last another hour, let alone week.”

Without acknowledging him further, I moved from my scouting position and toward cabin. I didn’t have to look at him to hear his amused chuckle. I decided then that, no matter what, once I finished here, I was going to kill Piston.

The darkness was full of night noises. Bugs, frogs, and occasional cry of owl or small animal punctuated darkness. That was good because it meant everyone here was in house and not disturbing nature. It didn’t miss my notice that, even though Piston often annoyed me, he’d managed to not announce his presence to wildlife around us. I didn’t want to admire him for that, but it had been my experience that not many warriors could lie in wait long periods without disturbing creatures around him. Piston could. Even when he interacted with me, he managed to keep his energy low or something. It was almost like he was part of nature itself and I was the intruder.

Once closer to cabin, I circled around back. There wasn’t window or back door, but was easier to slide underneath. Building was set on slope, so one side was about three feet above the ground, held by posts at corners.

I rolled under crawlspace. As I suspected, even though this place was built with comfort in mind, there was still rustic, authentic feel about the place. As such, wood board floor had gaps and made it easier to see who was inside and where they were.

Victor!

Hewashere. Figure in window was, indeed, Victor. So many lives he’d ruined. He’d terrorized Katya. Millie, too. I certainly hadn’t been his only victim. Even now, he managed to control my life. He’d sent his men to get me. They took my young friend, Lemon, instead. It made me want to put distance between me, Salvation’s Bane, and Grim Road. Which just pissed me off even more. Because, while I loved all old ladies of every club I’d spent time in, Lemon was one woman who truly got me. Even more than my own sister. I’d never told her about my life before and she’d never asked, but Lemon justknew. She was more intuitive than any woman her age had right to be and it made me want to make sure she was always this confident. I felt almost… motherly toward younger woman. It brought out in me Russian mother bear.

I rolled out from under cabin and to my feet. Darting around building, I took step forward, getting ready to kick in door when solid body shoved me to the side and I fell. Piston rolled to his feet, putting himself between me and threat I hadn’t seen.

The fight was immediate and intense. Both men threw series of complicated punches and kicks. Like style of fighting Millie used. There were no rules to this fight other than to stay alive.

For some reason, I hesitated. I glanced at Piston who was holding his own. Though the two men seemed to be equal in skill, Piston was by far stronger physically. He was also vicious like I’d never realized. That brief moment cost me.

Victor saw me and drew his weapon. I sprinted few feet separating us and kicked out just before gun went off. I hit his hand so his aim went to the left, the gun flying across the yard. There was muffled grunt and I froze split second before whipping around to see if he’d hit Piston. Moment I did, Victor shoved past me, pushing me hard enough to make me stumble forward two steps. And he was gone.

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