Their Battle for Love (The American Soldier Collection 15)

“Nicolai?” he yelled into the phone and Murin looked concerned as he stood there next to him.

“Thank you for the heads-up. They’ve been eliminated. What about Malayna? Any news?”

Dubkova exhaled. “We sent Star a location. Hopefully we’re not too late. It’s nearly morning.”

* * * *

Malayna stared at Vlladim in disbelief. She felt tired, weak, and her heart stopped pounding so heavily inside of her chest. She didn’t want to give up hope that her men could find her once again, but something fired up inside of her.

He stroked his hand along her thigh and looked at her breasts. She stared at him with daggers in her eyes and a hatred that went beyond anything she’d ever felt before. She was a different person than months ago, hell, than three years ago. She felt empowered in a way, capable if she was willing to accept her abilities. This man, this monster was taking away everything she had gained. Her lovers, her life, her father, her art, a potential for success. Was she really going to sit here and let him get away with it or was she going to fight for it?

She could die trying, but at least she died by her hands and by making a stand.

He moved his hand in between her legs.

“I guess the hope that you’re still a virgin was lost on those four assholes,” he said to her and she didn’t answer him.

He gripped her face and stared down into her eyes with that hateful, dark, murderous expression. “How could you, Malayna? After all those years how I didn’t force myself on you and take what was surely mine, not Cornikup’s.”

“I don’t belong to you just like I didn’t belong to him.”

He shoved her face hard and then stood up. “You’re wrong. You belong to me. Why do you think I hunted you down and came back for you? You are what I lived for and sold my soul for.”

“What? You killed the two men you had take me from the gallery and Cruz? He’s probably dead right now by my father’s hands.”

He shook his head. “They’re so stupid and so are you. You think this is a better life, the daughter of Nicolai Merkovicz? The whore of four men in the Mulicheck family? You don’t know how many people want your father dead and want your lovers dead. How else do you think I was able to get the money to pay for this, for the help I got? By offering your father’s head on a platter.” He glanced at his watch. “In fact, he should be dead right about now.”

The tears filled her eyes. Was it true? Was her father killed? Were her men in danger of dying, too, and this was some sort of wild hit on both families from someone else? She needed to know who helped him. Even if she died here she would know who was responsible for all of this.

“Who would help you? Who would be so stupid to try and kill men from two powerful families?” she challenged him.

He chuckled and then grabbed the arms of her chair and pressed his face close to hers. “Men you know nothing about. Men your father, other members and friends of your family have helped and have allowed to have power they don’t deserve.”

“Who? I don’t believe you,” she said to him.

He grabbed her face and she gasped, feeling the bruises instantly on her cheeks.

“A Russian family and a man your father thought he killed years ago.”

He forced his lips upon her and kissed her forcefully. She tried pushing him off of her but he was too strong, too big to fend off. She wasn’t going to allow this. She wasn’t going to be his prisoner and allow him to rape her, abuse her, and put the same fear in her he did for years.

When he pulled back and cupped her breasts, she turned away from him and cried out in anger. He gripped her breasts harder and then reached down and ripped her dress, shoved his legs between her legs, and nearly knocked her backward off the chair. Her eyes locked onto the gun he placed on the table. Her heart began to pound and she screamed when he bit her skin on her chest. She wasn’t going to let him take from her body.

He was hurting her, squeezing her so roughly, and then reached under her to lift her ass and her dress so he could force himself on her when she reached out to the right and gripped the handle of the gun. Just as his fingers scraped along her inner groin, she pulled the trigger against his side, shocking him and her. The sound was so loud and he fell back onto his ass, the blood seeping from his side. She jumped up and ran for the door and out into the darkness. Her feet were bare, her dress ripped, and it was cold, windy as she just kept running and running.

“Malayna! Stop! You fucking bitch, I’ll kill you,” he hollered at her as she continued to run along the dirt road and up toward what she thought was the main road. Her feet were getting all cut up and she held on to the gun and ran then fell when her feet hit a tree limb in the driveway. She thought she heard heavy footsteps. She got up then turned to see Vlladim jump at her. Not seeing the tree branch, he fell over it and grabbed at her leg.

Lights suddenly came up around the place as she kicked at his hands gripping her leg and pulling her down. She heard the sirens and someone was yelling when she pointed the gun down and shot him, once, twice. She fell backward, knocking the gun from her hand as he crawled up her body and reached for her throat. He was choking her and she was losing her breath when suddenly someone tackled him and then began pounding on Vlladim. She heard the crack, and Star’s face filled with hatred and anger as he broke Vlladim’s neck, and Lucca and Border fell to their knees next to her.

“Oh God,” she cried out and hugged both men. “You came for me again. You came.”

“Always, baby. We love you. Always,” Border said to her.

Epilogue

Krane loved the way Malayna felt in his arms. She was clinging to each of them any chance she had. Even with his arm in a sling she wiggled her way under his good arm and cared for him, pressed kisses to him, and loved him every chance she got. He looked at his brothers who also gathered close, not wanting to be too far from her at any given time. Not after what happened at the last gallery event.

“I want to show you something before the other guests arrive. I’ve been working on it for a while,” she told them and they followed her over toward one of the walls that was covered until the gallery event began.