Unbroken (Fighting for Gisele #3) (12 page)

The mob might go easy on Gisele for a while longer, but they wouldn’t hesitate to wipe him out. They could make it look like an accident, or they might not even bother with that. The thugs weren’t shy about enforcing their demands, and they had asked him to leave. But no underworld crook was going to make Micah flee. There was no way he was going to back down as long as Gisele was still at risk.

Chapter 12

The bodyguard dropped Gisele at the entrance, and she used her key to enter. There was no reason that she should be unwelcome. The guards didn’t pay attention to her, as after all, she’d lived there for a long time.

When Gisele went into her room, it was just as she’d left it. The maid had been in, but otherwise she suspected no one had entered. She stood by the window looking out for a few minutes. Even though she’d moved on, she had a sense of loss about it all.

This room had been Gisele’s, a private place where no one had bothered her. Despite the intricate alliances formed within the walls of the complex, she’d been left alone. Her only role had been to entertain, and during the high-stakes games to point out cheaters to her brother.

It had been a simple life, if shady. But it was all Gisele had known. She still retained fondness for her brother, and in a way, missed the family she’d had. Yet she had to face reality. Her birthday had altered the course of her life, and there was no going back.

Gisele remembered that her purpose in returning wasn’t to reminisce. She intended to see Alek, and hoped to learn something about his perspective. It was still difficult for her to believe that her own family was out to get her.

But Gisele had been raised within the mob circle, and any naivety she’d once possessed was gone. She knew what the mob was capable of, and how far their greed would take them. For after all, it was all about the money. Yet she rejected the idea that she’d become the enemy.

It was likely that Alek was in the complex. He left sometimes, but so often had guests or prepared for games, that he was usually easy to find. It proved so this time, too. Gisele went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to get a Coke.

Her brother strode in. “I thought I saw you.”

“Hi, Alek. I just came by to pick up some of my stuff.” Distracted by her brother’s entrance, Gisele closed the refrigerator, forgetting about the drink. “The new apartment is kind of empty right now.”

Something was off, as Alek didn’t greet her as she expected. He seemed anxious and fearful, emotions that were out of place. The complex was his domain. It was well guarded and he was at home there. Only invited guests dared to approach, so there was no reason for him to exhibit such an unsettled state of mind.

“Alek? Is something wrong?” Gisele was concerned about him. She didn’t seem to be the focus of his anxiety, so whatever was going on wasn’t related to her brother pressing her for secrets.

“Yuri is on his way here.” Her brother spoke as if he was out of breath. Gisele was stunned by his announcement, yet puzzled at his reaction.

“He’s our father,” Gisele said. “Why are you freaking out?”

“An unannounced visit?” Alek said. “Yuri hasn’t left Chicago since…well, since I can remember. He hasn’t been to Vegas since I took over.”

“He didn’t tell you that he was coming?”

“No, he didn’t,” her brother said. “And he’s on his way from the airport now.”

Gisele’s pulse raced. She certainly didn’t want to encounter Yuri; that wasn’t what she intended at all. “Why is he visiting Vegas? And why so suddenly?”

Alek raked a hand through his gelled hair. “I don’t know.” He took a breath. “Yuri only tells me what he wants me to know.”

It occurred to Gisele that maybe her brother didn’t know as much as she’d thought. How much had Yuri shared with his son? She’d assumed Alek knew about everything, but it was quite possible that he didn’t.

“Maybe Father doesn’t like how I’ve been running the operations out here,” Alek said. “Or maybe he is upset about how I’ve looked after you.” He hesitated. “I have no idea.”

Thoughts flew threw Gisele’s mind. She remembered things Alek had said, times that he didn’t directly challenge her, that he’d only made implications. It was possible he had been following orders, without knowing the finer details of the situation. Yuri was a control freak, and it wouldn’t be the first time he’d bossed his son around with little explanation.

Gisele hadn’t seen her brother like this before. Growing up, Yuri had been tough on Alek, teaching him to be a man and a business partner. But she hadn’t seen her brother afraid of his father. She tried to imagine Yuri’s tone when he’d called to say he was on the way.

It must have been an upsetting call, and her mobster father must have been royally intimidating. Gisele could ask herself why. But she had a feeling that it had to do with her, and what she had hidden. She was relieved that the diamond was securely in a vault in Switzerland.

Yuri could be a scary guy, and Gisele had witnessed his anger. Yet it hadn’t been directed at her, and now she feared that it would be. Alek was a nervous wreck, thinking that he was under the gun. But she had no doubt that she’d be the focus of his ire.

“He wants to see you.”

Gisele had to get the hell out of there before Yuri arrived. She did her best to remain calm. “I’ll make sure I get together with him while he’s in town.”

Alek snapped at her, “I don’t think that’s going to do it. He expects you to be here.”

Yuri could be terrifying, and Gisele had no desire to see him until everything settled down. “Didn’t you tell him that I moved out?”

Alek stared at her as if she’d spoken Greek. “Why would I?”

Gisele excused herself and fled to her room. There wasn’t much time. If Yuri had called and was on his way, he might arrive any minute. Picking up her clothes was out of the question, as such trivialities no longer mattered.

Grabbing a small suitcase, Gisele tossed a couple of treasured items into it, including her photo album, then snapped it shut. She slipped from her room, and when Alek was nowhere in sight, she went downstairs to make a fast exit.

In the hallway leading to the entry, a couple of thugs blocked Gisele’s way. She recognized them, as they were regulars around there. How dare they approach her? She was a Danilov. “Get out of my way.”

“Yuri has requested a meeting with you,” one of the guards said. “You shouldn’t disappoint him.”

If Gisele had a choice, she’d gladly disappoint him. But clearly the guards had been ordered to detain her. Each of them outweighed her by many pounds of muscle, and was surely armed. There was no way to escape.

Unwilling to show her distress, Gisele lifted her chin and spun around. “I’ll wait in the library, although I must say this is rather inconvenient.”

The guards didn’t reply, just watched her walk down the hall. Gisele went into the library, tempted to lock the door to the room. But that would be pure folly, as Yuri would just have them break down the door. If nothing else, she could retain her self-respect.

She thought of texting Micah to alert him that Yuri was on the way, but that would pull him into this. It was better to avoid any premature rescue attempt. She’d wait and see what the situation was first.

The more she pondered Yuri’s tactics, the more annoyed she became. Gisele was his foster daughter, and he had no right to treat her this way, under any conditions. The man assumed she had a valuable item that he saw as rightfully his.

Gisele was fully aware of Yuri’s true motive for raising her, taking her into the family. And it still hurt to think that she’d been used in that way. She wasn’t about to be pushed around, and she intended to make that clear.

The click of shoes on the polished floors meant that Alek was pacing the hall. Gisele deduced that meant Yuri had arrived, and would enter shortly. Several guards passed by the open doorway, and one stood by the entrance to the library, as if she might make a run for it.

Gisele remembered why she’d been willing to move to Vegas and work with Alek. Over the years, she’d tired of Yuri’s arrogance and his ill treatment of those around him. It had been so much better when she’d left Chicago and didn’t have to see him on a daily basis.

Gisele hadn’t seen Yuri at all in the past few years, and it had been nice. It was unlikely she would have visited often, even if their relationship hadn’t been destroyed. But her birthday and the subsequent inheritance had wiped out any possibility of mutual civility.

Then Yuri entered the complex; Gisele heard his gruff voice. He sounded like a mobster, and even more, acted like one. Instantly, she heard him ordering people about in his heavy Russian accent. After a short delay, Yuri entered the library.

With her small suitcase by her feet, Gisele stood up. It wasn’t out of respect, but more that she didn’t want him looming above her. She looked at him, noticing his scowl. Yet she had trouble believing that he would harm her, or worse, kill her. This man had raised her, and that had to mean something.

A butler followed Yuri into the room, and offered drink service. Instead of a thank you, he was met with a growl. “Get out! This is a private meeting.”

The man left and the door clicked shut behind him. Gisele should have been scared, but she was mad instead. “How dare you treat people like that?”

Yuri glared at her, and his expression was cold. For the first time, Gisele was truly frightened. She looked deep into his eyes, but found no sympathy. She wondered if the man had a heart.

“Sit down, Gisele.” Her mobster father sat in an overstuffed armchair as though they were about to have a father/daughter chat.

Gisele chose a chair as far from Yuri as she could manage, and looked at him defiantly. “You could have called and let me know you planned to visit.” She met his icy stare. “This is very rude. I have plans today.”

“Your plans just changed,” Yuri said.

Obviously, this wasn’t a social visit. Yuri didn’t even offer to get drinks, and showed no concern for her comfort.

Yuri leaned back in his chair and put his hands on his knees. “It’s time we had a talk.”

“It has been a while since I’ve seen you,” Gisele said. “I’m sure there’s a lot to catch up on.” She intended to play innocent for as long as she could. Yuri would make a show of strength at the first opportunity, and she needed any advantage.

Yuri didn’t respond to her; it was as if she hadn’t spoken.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and I’m here to enlighten you.”

Gisele’s palms were sweaty, and she wiped them on her jeans. She made every effort to retain her composure, but was sure that Yuri knew of her distress. He had known her for most of her life, so it was more difficult to hide her real feelings.

“Your father worked with us, as you know,” Yuri said. “Andrew Shelton was a skilled accountant, and we pressed him into our employ. And he was loyal, but only under duress.”

Hearing Yuri speak of her father, Gisele felt the loss anew. “Don’t speak ill of my father.”

Again Yuri ignored her. “Andrew went to prison, but he kept an important secret. When I discovered that he’d tricked us, I assigned a couple of my men to interrogate him.”

Gisele couldn’t fathom a prison allowing mobsters to visit an inmate. It occurred to her that the men might have been inmates themselves. “What do you mean...
interrogate
?”

“Your father had something of mine,” Yuri said. “Unfortunately, my men were a bit rough in forcing him to reveal where he’d hidden it.” He lifted a hand. “Your father didn’t survive the questioning.”

Gisele was stunned. “You
killed
my father?”

Yuri’s lack of response was her answer.

Tears welled in Gisele’s eyes. “You told me that he had a bad heart…that prison was too much for him.” She stared at the heartless man across from her. “You
lied
to me.”

Gisele’s pulse raced, and her heart threatened to pound out of her chest. The mob had killed her father, and then raised her based on a lie. She tried to put it all together, but failed. It was all too overwhelming. The urge to lunge at Yuri was strong, but Gisele was frozen in place. Her limbs felt heavy and she was unable to make a move toward him.

Yuri’s silence was as unnerving as his revelation. Gisele knew he had more to say, and she dreaded hearing it. Her mouth was dry and she gripped the arms of the chair to still her trembling. She was staring at her father’s killer, but she couldn’t allow herself the luxury of grieving, not right then.

“I don’t think you should say more.” Gisele blurted out the defense without thinking. The crushing blow that Yuri had just delivered was enough for one day, and she sought to fend him off.

But such was not to be. Yuri had an agenda, and was not to be deterred. “I knew your mother Catarina quite well,” Yuri said, as if discussing the weather.

Gisele was upset that he would utter her name.

Leaning back, Yuri said, “Let me tell you a story.”

As if he hadn’t already told her enough, Gisele listened in horror as he continued. “Andrew claimed that his wife died in a car accident while on holiday in Italy.”

Claimed
? Where was he going with this? Gisele had been in school when her mother had gone away. She remembered begging to go on vacation with her, then her mother hadn’t come back. The sadness hadn’t seemed to lessen, despite the years that had gone by.

“At the time, I didn’t pay much attention, but I should have.” Yuri looked thoughtful.

“The situation was that Andrew feared me, and the control I had over him,” Yuri said. “He knew when I discovered what he’d taken from me that I’d come after him. Most of all, he feared for his family’s safety.”