Page 44 of Rush

“Dad? Please tell me that’s not you,” said Nathan.

“We are out of time. It’s me. One of the women had dark hair, so perhaps he’ll think it’s her. Just be nearby. Once he approaches me, we’ll be taking a walk behind into the alley on the other side of the plaza.”

“I don’t know,” smiled Tailor, “he’s kinda pretty. I mean, he’s a lot taller than Lena, but with all that black hair…”

“If you finish that sentence, I will release my knife into your body,” growled Trak. Tailor could only laugh, nodding at Alec and Noah to follow him into the alley to wait for their friend.

“Look alive, everyone. It’s two minutes to eleven,” said Rush. The men moved into position, strategically hiding their large bodies behind vendor carts, buildings, anything that might conceal their size and bulk.

Trak was hunched over, his crossed legs, pretending to be digging in a carpet bag, most likely empty. It made him appear smaller and more feminine. When he heard a voice behind calling the woman’s name, he knew his mark had arrived.

He wasn’t prepared for who he saw.

“Hello, Antonio,” said Rush, standing next to the man. Trak stood, pushing off the scarf and shoving it inside the bag. Walking toward the closest kiosk, he handed it to an old woman and gave her a hundred dollars.

“Thank you,” he nodded. She smiled at him, probably happy that her day’s sales were made.

“Why are you here?” he questioned.

“Let’s go for a walk, Antonio,” said Rush, gripping his arm as they walked across the plaza. He pathetically attempted to break free from Rush’s hold, even crying out that he was hurting him.

“If you don’t let me go, I’ll scream!” he threatened.

“Do it,” growled Rush. “I dare you. Do it, and I’ll have you jailed so fast it will make your head spin.” He thrust the man against the wall of the alley, finding himself surrounded by another wall of the human variety.

“What do you want?” he asked in a panicked voice.

“Why did you make the women think you’d disappeared? Where are your friends?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, shaking his head. Trak stepped forward with the large knife spinning in his hand. Sunlight gleamed off the blade, catching the eye of the little man against the wall.

“I think your memory had better return, or I’m going to send pieces of you back to Grigoryan.” Antonio’s eyes went wide as he swallowed.

“He’ll kill me,” he whimpered.

“I’m going to kill you, so you can choose which one of us gets the honor,” said Rush calmly. “Where are the other men, and how do you know Grigoryan?”

“He’s my uncle,” he said, looking down at his feet. “My mother is his half-sister. I’ve always admired him and thought he was a smart man. I wanted to be like him.”

“Are you stupid or something?” frowned Ghost.

“I’m not stupid,” he said, jutting his chin upward. The men just cocked a brow, glaring at him. “He needed help finding men, and those two guys were useless helping at the zoo. I told my uncle that Toni and Gail could help us get men. You know, like attract them in the clubs or something.”

“Why were you going after Caroline?” glowered Rush.

“She’s hot,” he smirked. Rush slammed a fist so hard into his gut, Antonio couldn’t breathe. He fell to the ground, gasping for air, spitting, and coughing. Looking up, he realized there were four massive beasts growling into his face, and they were not human beasts.

“Again. Why were you going after Caroline?”

“My uncle wanted her. I don’t know why, but she wouldn’t give me the time of day. I could never get her alone, and she always was carrying some sort of weapon.”

“That’s my girl,” grinned Sniff.

“Where did he take the other men?” asked Noah. Antonio stared up at him and knew instantly who he was. Why were these men so large?

“We had them out at an abandoned factory, but something happened to it. My uncle was furious. Then, something went wrong with his business. Something about industrial espionage or something. I’ve never seen him so angry.

“He asked me to bring them all to him in Sozopol, south of Burgas. That’s where all the other men are now. I called him this morning and told him they wouldn’t be able to get into the city because the police and military have it locked down. I got in because I have my work papers for the zoo.”

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