Page 41 of Dangerous Obsession

“Detective Akers is willing and ready to do anything we want.” Sven squares his shoulders as he speaks.

“What?” I ask, confused.

Sven looks at me then back at Dad, whose eyes fix on him with angry intrigue. “It looks like Ms. Akers has been taken. She turned herself in at Murphy Street precinct and a dirty cop took off with her. We think he’s in bed with the Italians.”

Dad rolls his eyes and coughs. When he regains his composure, he shakes his head. “I want nothing to do with this. You boys try my patience sorely.”

“Dad, listen to him,” I plead, and his chest heaves in anger. But before he can rebuke me, Sven continues.

“Willow Akers has been missing for twelve years. She just resurfaced and the entire NYPD is on alert because one of their own has really shown his hand. The cop has been arrested and questioned. He gave up the location but Monroe is holding the dogs off until Leo can get in there. Now, if we want more fingers in the pie, I know we can turn Akers to our side. He is willing to do anything to get his daughter back.”

Sven’s pitch is so convincing even if I wasn’t determined to get Willow back safely, I’d go along with him. I glance at Dominic, whose opinion is the real one that matters. When Dad dies, he takes over this business entirely. No more running thoughts by the old man; Dominic will be the leader. He will have to deal with the fallout when things go sideways.

“It makes sense, Dad.” Dominic’s eyes fix on me with fury and distaste, but he knows as well as I do that it actually does make sense. Having more cops on our side for whatever reason is the only thing that gets us out of trouble sometimes. “Detective Akers is next level. We have only sergeants on our payroll. A man at that level is a good asset.”

I turn back to see Dad mulling it over. He has no clue why I need him to agree so badly, and no one in this room understands how much my heart is burning to get back onto the street and search, and if Sven has the address, he’s going to cough that up the instant Dad agrees.

Dad closes his eyes for a moment, and given his drugged state, I almost believe him to be sleeping when he opens them. He’s a proud man, always sticks to his word, but I can see him wavering—if for no other reason than he is dying and doesn’t want division between his sons when he departs this place to cross over. His tongue searches his teeth beneath his lips and his nostrils flare.

“Do it then.” His tone is cold, slicing through any hope I have of him actually having compassion for me in this life, but at least he’s agreeing to help. “Dominic, go to the detective. Make him understand what he will owe me if we do this. Roman, go to the precinct; find out how deep the ties are with the Italians. If that man is really dirty we need to know what he knows, and we need Monroe to silence him.” Dad’s eyes turn to my face and I swallow my pride.

“Leonid, take Sven. Go and use Monroe’s address for this girl you insist you must have.” I hate that he still refers to her as a girl. I want him to understand she’s a powerful woman in her own right. And now she will be a mother. And he will have a grandchild before he dies—hopefully. “You understand I am doing this only because the benefits of having her father working for us outweighs the danger?”

“I understand.” I say nothing more. This is business to him, but to me it’s more personal than I’ve ever been.

“Sven, if it goes sideways—kill her.” Dad’s orders will be obeyed, and he looks me directly in the eye as he gives them.

“Yes, sir,” Sven replies, and I know he will keep those orders. Now I need to go rescue my woman and unborn child. And when we come back, he will see that she has always been exactly what I need.

“Let’s go, Sven.” I turn and head out the door, barely waiting for Sven to keep up. I’m going hunting, and I never ever come home empty handed.

24

WILLOW

My shoulders hurt and my chest aches too. I’m nauseous, but that has nothing to do with being tied up on the cold hard ground of whatever this building is. I cried myself to sleep after a harrowing two-hour conversation with whoever that man was. He demanded that I give him information about Leo, but I honestly couldn’t tell him anything. I don’t even remember what street the safe house is on. I told them what I know and it wasn’t good enough. They lashed my wrists together and I sat down, then lay down, and now I’m waking up alone.

My hands are still tied together in front of me, feet too, and I heard the rhythmic tick, tick, tick of a clock in the room but I don’t see anything. The table and chairs block my view from seeing much. I’m surprised I was even able to sleep on this hard ground. I blink my eyes a few times and push myself up off the floor. The door stands open, but I’m not stupid enough to believe they’ve left me unguarded. There has to be a man with a gun out there charged with watching me so I don’t run.

I take a better inventory of where I’m at. The clock on the wall ticking its way into my brain is in view now. It’s past eight a.m. I’m normally awake at this time, though I don’t normally stay up as late as they kept me up. And after being soaked by the rain for so long—despite my clothing being mostly dry now—my skin hurts. A nagging fear in the pit of my stomach tells me I’m only good to them if I continue to offer information to them about Leo’s family. I just can’t do that to Leo.

He may have been really shitty to me, but I love him. No matter what they do, I have to protect him for as long as I can. I know he will come for me. I know it in the very core of my being. He will never let them hurt me. He won’t even let his family hurt me. Of course he will come find me.

I wrestle with the rope tied around my wrists and see the way my skin has reddened around it. I’ll never get this loose, but I can untie the rope around my ankles, which must have seemed pointless last night before I fell asleep. I work the knot and slowly make progress at freeing myself, and one of the goons from last night struts in with a gun in hand.

“Oh, look who’s awake. You know the boss ain’t here today. I could tap that pretty little ass of yours and no one would know it.” He lays his gun on the table and stands over me with a smirk.

“Fuck you,” I mutter as I finally untie the rope around my ankles. He just watches, as if he doesn’t care that I’m letting myself out of his restraints. “You idiots are horrible at this shit.” I rub the tender skin around my leg where the rope was and he chuckles. I remember his beady little eyes watching the enter conversation with his boss. He was just aching to get his hands on me.

“You should really watch how you talk to me, you know?”

“Why’s that?” I ask, glaring up at him. “You don’t scare me. The worst you can do is rape me or kill me. Then my pain is over, and I never have to see your face again. But you? You’ll be hunted by Leo the rest of your life and he will make sure you stay alive to suffer.”

The man crouches next to me, and I can smell his thick cologne. I would expect a mobster to be one of two things—a thug with beer on his breath and tattoos everywhere, or a classy man with a suit and power. This man is different. He has a single large tattoo on his neck, an eagle with its wings stretching up toward his ears. He wears a black t-shirt and black jeans, dark eyebrows shading his threatening eyes. He reaches out and tucks a few strands of my hair around my ear while he clicks his tongue. He’s too close, and I want him to back up.

“It’s a shame Leo soiled such a pretty woman. I’d have taken you right into my collection, made you a queen, treated you to the world.” His hand lingers on my face, brushing his thumb over my cheek bones as he seductively smiles at me. “You’re ruined now, unusable.”

“Fuck you.” I turn my face away from him and close my eyes.

---