Page 10 of Nikolai

"No problem," Reid says and looks at me again. "You're safe here."

With one final jerk of his chin, Reid strides past Sam and me then disappears out the front door.

5

Nikolai

Polson, Montana. I take in what has become my new home for the past year as I drive down the winding road leading to my brother's clubhouse. He's the Vice President for The Kings of Retribution MC. Funny how our lives and ways of living mirror one another, considering it was only last year we finally met. Logan is the product of a whirlwind romance my father had years ago before marrying my mother.

It's mid-evening, and the sun is starting to set on the horizon, turning the sky several shades of blues and purples. It's getting warmer this time of year, but snow still covers the mountain peaks off in the distance. As soon as I landed, I had an unread message from my brother. It seems a bunch of shit went down while I was gone. A man is dead, and Reid is recovering from pretty significant injuries sustained during the situation. On a good note, Alba and Gabriel's sister are okay, and so is their unborn child.

I turn my truck off the main highway onto the dirt road heading for my final destination. As soon as I crest the hilltop, the clubhouse comes into view, and coming home never felt so good. The Kings took me in like I was one of their own, even gave me my own private room at the clubhouse to crash in whenever I like. Looking around, I notice all the men are here, minus Reid's bike. Parking my truck along the side of the building, I climb out and make my way inside. The blast of warm air and the smell of tobacco hit my face the moment I pull the front door open. Inside, I find the guys sitting around a large round table in the center of the dimly lit room.

"Nikolai. Get your ass over here," Jake's boastful voice carries throughout the room. An empty chair is waiting for me as I step to the table. "Good to have you back in town." He slides a glass from the center of the table toward me. A bottle of my favorite vodka is sitting in the middle, along with some bourbon. Reaching out, I tip the bottle, pouring myself a shot worth in my glass.

A short cigarette balances between Jake's fingers as he leans back in his chair. "How were things back home?" raising his hand, he takes a toke off his cigarette.

"Unresolved," I pause, taking a sip of my drink before finishing my statement. "but nothing we can't take care of."

Jake chuckles. "Oh, I do not doubt that."

I look to my brother, who sits across from me, his looks mirror my own, except our hair color. Logan speaks, "Good to have you home." He lifts his drink in the air.

"It's good to be home." When I say those words, I mean them. Polson is a world away from where I grew up and what I called home for so long, but Polson feels like the place I was always meant to be. I want my roots to take hold in these mountains. Pulling a deep breath through my nose, I let out a long exhale. "Aside from enjoying a drink with my brothers, what else is our meeting about?" I ask as I look around the table.

"Gabriel's woman has a friend who is looking for work. The girl needs to lay low for a while," Logan informs me, and I watch Gabriel become a little tense, and I wonder if this has anything to do with what Alba just went through.

"Is this related to your woman's attacker?" my eyes settle on Gabriel.

"No. Never again will a man harm her." Gabriel's tone is low and full of promise.

"Alba's friends Leah and Sam are looking to find work. We figured they could work at Kings Construction. That's if you are cool with it. It's Leah who is in trouble, but both Sam and Leah need a fresh start," Jake adds.

A woman?

"Leah's hiding from her family, her father, to be specific. We don't know every detail, but enough that he beat the shit out of her a couple of weeks ago, and it has happened before. She's scared to death of him." Jake doesn't have to say more.

"Have you dug around to find more about her father?"

"We're looking into who he is," Jake tells me.

"If she's under your protection, she is under mine as well." I look to Gabriel since he can most likely get word to them much faster than anyone else. "Have them at my office first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll get it all sorted." Gabriel nods his response, then pulls his phone from the inside of his cut, his fingers tapping at the screen. My thoughts briefly shift to the problems my father is dealing with, and the fact that I'm back here instead of there helping him with our future shipments.

"How's the old man doin'?" Logan asks.

"He is well."

"You mentioned things overseas are unresolved. Anything the club can help with?" Logan pours a little Jameson into his glass. The rest of the men eye me, waiting to see if I'll indulge their curiosity.

I let out an exhausted breath as jetlag starts to set in. "Unfortunately, there is nothing to be done from here. A shipment of weapons was stolen from its departure point, as well as the unfortunate death of one of our men." Abram's cold dead eyes followed by the memory of his wife's tear-streaked face after we paid our respects to her family comes to mind, and my hand tightens around the glass in my hand.

"Damn, brother. Sorry to hear that. Any clues to who is behind it?" Logan asks, before striking a match across the rough surface of the table, and lighting a cigarette.

"We suspect Miran Novikoff is behind the thefts. There have been similar incidents involving other syndicates in other territories," I tell them.

"Novikoff," Jake repeats. "The name sounds familiar."

"They've been around for some time now. Novikoff was a good friend of my grandfather, and they were in business together. Novikoff used to have dealings here in Montana and still conducts business in Canada. Back in the day, he would accompany my grandfather on his trips here. That's probably why his name is familiar to you. When my grandfather died, my father cut all ties to Novikoff. You can say there is bad blood between the two families. Up until now, he hasn't been an issue. Over the past year, his operations have grown in numbers, though. Smaller groups are popping up all over Russia. They're recruiting by the masses."

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