Her gasp was so loud as she sat forward, shocked at him. “Are you out of your mind? That’s Storm Jones’s company. Those guys are not men to mess with. There is no way I’m doing that. Besides, I quit. You can take the contract and shove it up your—”
Demyan yanked her hair back making her slide half off the chair. She screamed and grabbed onto the arms of the chair so she wouldn’t fall.
“You don’t seem to get the man’s orders, Aspen. You are going to do this. If you don’t, you’re good friend India is going to experience exactly what you did when you were seventeen. Except, she won’t be saved by anyone. She’ll be sold to the highest bidder as a sex slave and shipped out of the country. She is used goods though, the way she fucks around so much, but can still grab a pretty penny.”
The tears stung Aspen’s eyes. India would never survive that. Aspen didn’t even want to think about these men doing that to her best friend.
“Why are you doing this? Because of the construction job? I’ll get you something else. Something bigger than Pro-Tech Industries,” she said.
Andrei walked closer and cupped her chin. “My sweet, sweet Aspen. You will do as I say or India will disappear tonight.”
He leaned down and kissed her deeply and all she could do was let him as she fell under the strong arm of the Russian mob that now owned her once again against her will.
When he finally released her, Iakov released her hair and Demyan was there to pull her up from the chair. He cupped her cheek and stared down into her eyes.
“We’re going to make a good team, and perhaps not only in business.” He ran the palm of his hand from her cheek to her neck then over her breast.
She pushed his hand away and he gripped her, got between her legs causing them to spread open nearly ripping her skirt.
He held her neck and face in between his hands and stared down into her eyes.
“Men have died for less. Behave and do as we say and no one will get hurt.” He leaned forward and sniffed her hair, his lips and tongue collided against her ear and neck and she squirmed under his hold.
“Let her be, Demyan. There’ll be plenty of time for that. She’s ours now and she knows it. Iakov, show Aspen out. She needs some time to digest her new position. Oh, and don’t think about sharing it with your bodyguards. No one will know your new title. For now. You’ll do what we want or your brother and his friends will find themselves in need of medical attention if not an undertaker.”
Iakov showed her out and she felt her body shaking with fear. These men were criminals of the worse kind and now she was going to be forced to help them destroy men who she desired but could not have in that way. As they made their way through the hallway she was so upset she nearly missed the sight of Victor Sotoro. What the hell was he doing here? It had to be to see Andrei, but why? Was he going to be forced to help take down Pro-Tech Industries, too? Or was Dmitri correct, and Sotoro was working for Andrei already and helping to take Storm and the team out of commission?
She wondered if Storm, Winter, and the guys knew they made such enemies. As she exited the restaurant, anger began to build inside of her. She was as good as dead anyway. Why not go out in a bang and clean out the spies in Pro-Tech Industries, while a
lso work to enhance another security firm much larger than all of these? If she was now being pulled into mob-related operations, she could get killed. Why not make it worth it?
Andrei wanted her to be a player in his little game. Then she was going to be the best player of them all.
* * * *
“What the hell is going on, Storm? Aspen hasn’t answered any of my calls,” Porter demanded as he stood in his hotel room in Germany. His buddies were all there waiting for him to make this call and get word on Aspen. They were all concerned.
“She ditched the security team we placed on her. I’ve got men trying to track her down,” Storm told him.
“How the hell does my sister ditch two of your best security men?”
Porter’s buddies, Piers, Wren, Reid, and Silas, smirked.
“I’m sure my sister helped,” Silas said in the background, speaking of India. Porter knew India and Aspen were best friends. They helped one another get through some pretty tough times.
“She’s more resourceful than any of us, including you, Porter, have given her credit for. I told you what was going on. I just hope she’s not alone with Andrei.”
“You and me both. He’s wanted her since day one. He’s been out for our territory for years and taking Aspen as a teen was a strategic move on his part. He should have been taken out for it,” Porter said.
“Yeah well that wasn’t in the plan now was it? She definitely knows that he’s the one who had her abducted. I won’t let that need for revenge cost her her life.”
“Nor will we, Porter. We’ve spoken to Dmitri and claimed her our property,” Storm informed him.
Porter was silent. He knew that these men were in love with his sister. They denied those feelings to protect her and keep her out of this life, a life maybe they were all destined to be involved in. But Aspen had been through enough years ago. She had a bull’s-eye on her forehead and the only way to get rid of that bull’s-eye was to get rid of Andrei.
“I hope Andrei abides by this move and stays clear of her,” Porter told Stone.
“He’d better. Andrei, Demyan, and Iakov have no business doing anything in Texas. This is our territory.”