Page 37 of Demetri
"You have what you need?" he asks, not answering my question.
"Yeah. We can go." I don't have everything I came for, but the feeling I'm having along with Sasha's behavior has me wanting to get the hell out of here and back to the clubhouse. I bypass the long checkout line and opt for the self-check instead. The whole time I'm scanning my items, I continue glancing over my shoulder. Sasha notices my nervous behavior.
"Everything is going to be okay."
"So, you feel it too?" I ask as I swipe my card, paying for my purchase. Sasha doesn't speak, but his nod confirms he has a bad feeling as well. "We should call Demetri," I suggest as we walk swiftly across the parking lot to the car. Once I'm settled in, Sasha climbs into the front seat, starts the car and pulls out of the store parking lot. Next, he retrieves his cell phone, swipes the screen, then places it to his ear. A second later, he begins speaking in a hushed tone; presumably to Demetri. While Sasha is on the phone, I twist around and look out the back window of the car to see if anyone has followed us. That is when I see a large black SUV coming at us at an alarming speed. "Sasha," my voice quivers.
"I see them, Glory. Demetri is on his way." The words barely leave Sasha's mouth when, suddenly, there is a loud, ear-piercing explosion. Time slows to a crawl as the world around me becomes deathly silent. It's almost as if everything is happening in slow motion. I open my mouth to scream for Sasha; only I can't hear my own voice. When Sasha struggles to control the car, he calls out to me in return. I see his mouth moving, but I don't hear his words. Out of nowhere a large force slams into the car from behind and my body is thrown forward against the driver and passenger seats. The force of the impact is powerful, and I watch Sasha's head bounce off the steering wheel. The car loses control, hitting the guardrail. The moment of impact is when the silence is interrupted by the unmistakable sound of screeching tires and crunching metal. The next thing I know my body becomes weightless before it's slammed against the seat in front of me once more, before being slung against the passenger door. My head bounces off the metal frame of the door as glass explodes into tiny jagged shards all around me and I'm thrust into darkness.
Blinking my eyes open, I try to clear the fog from my head, but it's no use. My vision is blurry, and my head is pounding.Where am I?As I fight off the darkness that is hell-bent on trying to claim me, the events that led me to my current state come rushing back to me — being at the clubhouse with friends and family. Me and Sasha at the store. An SUV was chasing us just before the crash. I let out an involuntary groan as I try lifting my hand to my face and struggle to move my body. Turning my head, I look to my left, and I am not at all prepared for what I see. A cry escapes my mouth at the sight in front of me. It's Sasha. He has blood coming from his head and his mouth. He hangs upside down, still strapped in his seatbelt. His arm dangles over his head and is twisted at an odd angle, leaving no doubt it's broken. "Sasha," I call out to him, but he doesn't stir.Oh, God. He looks dead."Sasha," I try again. Still no response.
Out of nowhere, my senses pick up on a strong odor; the distinct smell of gasoline. Fearing the worst, I conjure all the strength I have and roll to my side. I push up to my forearms while ignoring the pain radiating through my body. The sound a screeching tires, followed by a car door slamming shut causes me to sigh in relief. Help has come. Demetri and the guys are here. But when I hear the voices of several men speaking in Russian, my hope turns to dread. That's not Demetri. Quickly I try to scramble around the twisted metal and broken glass to find a way to escape, but the thought of leaving Sasha pains me. I can't do it. A second option comes to mind.Sasha's gun!I know Sasha carries. I need to find his weapon. It's our only chance.
Army crawling my way toward the front of the car, I whisper, "Sasha." He doesn't stir, and the amount of blood coming from his body gives me little hope. Reaching up, I tug on his suit jacket. I cry in relief at the sight of his gun strapped in his shoulder holster. Flicking the snap on the strap, I pull the weapon from the holster. I've never fired a gun before, and the weight of the metal feels foreign in my hand. But hanging around The Kings, I know enough about guns to do what is necessary.Check the safety and aim.Those are the only two things that matter right now.
With the car upside down and smashed all to hell, I watch three men walk around the car as they look for a way to get to me. I know it's me they want. The warning at Charley's said so. These men wish to harm Demetri and to get to him; they want to use me. My eyes follow the black boots crunching on the gravel. Even though my heart is about to beat out of my chest, I keep the gun trained on the man standing at the back-passenger window. Without hesitation, I fire the gun, hitting him in the leg. The man bellows and spits out a string of words I don't understand. A second man runs in the direction of the car, and just as I am about to fire a second shot, two hands wrap around my ankles from behind, and I'm roughly yanked backward. The sudden movement causes me to flinch and lose my grip on the gun. I scream as loud as I can in hopes someone will hear me as I am drug across broken glass and out of the back window. The moment my body clears the car, I start kicking and hitting at the man trying to restrain me. "Get the hell off me, motherfucker!" I ball my fist and land a blow to the asshole's nose. He, in return, backhands me across my face. The slap knocks me off kilter long enough for my assailant to flip me over and zip-tie my hands behind my back.
Once I'm restrained a second man joins his friend and the two of them haul me up by my tied hands and drag me away from the wreckage toward a black SUV. When I look over my shoulder at the car, I see smoke and fire coming from the rear. "No!" I cry thrashing against my capture. The smoke emerging from the car becomes more intense. My struggle to break free is fruitless. I helplessly watch as flames engulf the car before I'm tossed into the backseat of the SUV. My last thoughts as the door is slammed in my face are of Sasha. I pray Demetri gets to him in time.
17
Demetri
Out of nowhere, a sick feeling comes over me. At the same moment, my phone rings. Pulling it out of my pocket, I swipe the screen. "What's wrong?" I bark.
"Mr. Volkov, we're being followed," Sasha says, his voice hinting at the urgency of the situation. My pulse quickens, and my heart beats heavy against my chest. "Who?" I flick my eyes to Victor, who is standing nearby.
"I don't know. A black SUV. Darkened windows. No way of knowing who is driving."
"I'm on the way." Tires squealing and Glory screaming is the final sounds to come through the phone before the call abruptly ends. I look up from the phone I have gripped tight in my hand to find all the men eyeing me. "They're being pursued by a black SUV." I start moving across the yard.
"Where?" Jake asks.
"They had just left the store."
"Jake, is everything okay?" Grace calls out as we rush past her and the kids. "Jake!" Grace's voice rises.
"Lock it down," Jake orders his men, as I break out into a sprint, heading for the front of the clubhouse, where my vehicle is parked, with Victor at my side.
Chaos erupts within the clubhouse. "Go. My brothers and I will catch up with you once we have the women and children safe." Logan tells me, holding my grandson in his arms.
"Demetri." Glory's father rushes toward me. "What the hell is going on?"
"Mr. Keller, Glory is in trouble. You and your wife stay here with the others. I'm going to get her." As I turn to leave, his hand shoots out, grabbing me by the arm.
"If something happens to my daughter, Mr. Volkov—" He leaves his sentence hanging, but the tone in his voice and the hardened look on his face lets me know his words are a warning.
"I'll bring her home. You have my word."
His eyes cut to his wife who is standing off to the side, her hand covering her mouth as tears roll down her cheeks. "You better." He warns his voice stern before letting go of my bicep. Walking up to his wife, he pulls her into his arms and comforts her.
Nikolai jogs up as I jerk the car door open. "Gather all my men. I want them to tear this town apart looking for those sons of bitches." I bark my orders to Nikolai. Racing to his ride, he throws his leg over his motorcycle. Gravel hits the front of the car as Nikolai takes off ahead of us.
Not far behind, Victor and I peel out of the compound parking lot. I punch the dashboard several times as we barrel down the highway toward downtown. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck," I yell angry with myself for letting her leave my sight.
Rounding a bend in the road, we notice an orange glow contrast against the darkening sky accompanied by thick grey smoke. The world appears to slow down around me. My heart stops beating, and my breath gets caught in my throat. Instantly I recognized the overturned and mangled car on the side of the road up ahead.Glory. A couple of police cruisers block the short bridge we need to cross to get to the other side.
"Boss?" Victor's voice catches as he slows the car to a stop. The look on his face as he stares forward guts me, but Glory is my single concern now. Without hesitation, I fling the car door open and take off toward the accident scene as fast as my feet can carry me; the scene already riddled with first responders.
