Page 79 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“Grandma, what is going on?”

“What’s going on is that Leo’s wolves are circling,” she snaps. “Now shut up and listen to me, if you want to survive. You’ve made it this far, but you need to do something far more extreme. It’s been two years since… since Leo did what he did. It’s time for you to fight back.”

“I can’t fight him!”

“Yes, you can. Because you have proof and your own testimony”

I’m confused. “What proof?”

“Aleks gave me a USB drive before he died. He had someone inside Sokolov’s inner circle. But he couldn’t take the drive to the police or the Feds because there was talk about Leo paying off the authorities to keep his name out of Dalton. But they’re getting close to this address now…”

“They found us?”

“Not yet, but they’re in the neighborhood. Ivan has spotted a few of Leo’s people in town. It’s only a matter of time.”

I shudder in Chance’s embrace. “They were close to discovering us,” I say. “For two years, I stayed with Zoya in Chappaqua. It was decent and quiet, for the most part. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t get a job. I spent most of my time indoors. The anxiety was through the roof. It got so bad that I couldn’t even sit down to paint anymore.”

“Leo’s men came after you,” Booker concludes.

“They were spotted in town. That same night, Zoya gave me the USB drive and the go bag you found in my car and sent me on my way. She had Ivan leave a car for me just outside of town. All the precautions were taken to get me out of there without picking up a tail. I guess somewhere along the way, I failed, because Max Sokolov caught up with me.”

“Do you remember how you got here?” Chance replies.

I shake my head slowly. “No, but I must’ve driven a long way. The car you found me in is the car Zoya gave me. I was terrified to be out in the open like that, but I needed wheels for this trip. I couldn’t risk airports or bus stations. I don’t even know what happened to Zoya or if she’s still alive. She said she was going to leave in the morning, too, though I have no idea where she was headed.

“But I know she insisted I come here. I’d be safe here, she said. With what was on the USB drive and my testimony, the three of you could reach out to people you trusted in law enforcement, all of your military buddies and whatnot… she said you three had the spine needed to see this through, to take the Sokolovs down for good and to save me.”

It’s amazing how close I got to making it. My eyes fill with tears as I look up at Chance, then at Booker. “I was driving up here because I knew you were the only ones who could keep me safe, who could save me.”

“Then you need to trust we will do precisely that, Anya,” Booker says, gently caressing my face. He pulls me into a soft kiss, and I feel his emotions pouring into me.

His strength and his devotion surge through me like fiery sunlight, filling me to the brim and making my heart beat a thousand times faster. I hold on to him for dear life, crying my heart out while kissing him at the same time.

Before long, the three of us are making sweet love on the furry rug in front of the fireplace, the photo album forgotten on the coffee table as our bodies intertwine, building a future as far away from our past as possible.

“There’s no other way around it, is there?” I ask, resting my head on Chance’s broad, muscular chest, while Booker trails delicate kisses down my spine. “Except facing Leo head-on.”

“It might come to that, yes,” Chance says and sighs deeply, “unless we manage to retrieve that USB drive information before Leo makes his move.”

Booker grunts as he sits up, running a hand through his messy hair. I love the disheveled look about him. The afterglow of our lovemaking always hits different with him. “Either way, Leo isn’t getting anywhere near you. He knows we’re not to be played with. Otherwise, he would’ve already made his move.”

“Fair enough,” I whisper.

I want to believe him. But something tells me Leo is an absolute sadist who loves to play with his food. Perhaps he wishes to torment me with all the uncertainty mustered by this current limbo situation before he swoops in and dashes any hope of salvation I might have left.

That being said, Zoya sent me up here for a reason.

And I feel safe in their arms.

It’s got to count for something.

21

Anya

“You’re already looking a lot better than the last time I saw you,” Dr. Rollins tells me as he enters the exam room.

Nico has been by my side the whole time, patiently waiting for my test results with me.

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