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Jaden crawled over to Iosif and checked his pulse. He was still alive. She dropped her head down on his chest and thanked the good lord he had survived. Then she heard a ringing in his pocket. Digging in his pants, she pulled out his phone and answered the call.
“Iosif, are you there?” a male voice asked.
“Who is this?” she asked pensively.
“This is his brother Roman, who the fuck is this?” Roman demanded.
“My name doesn’t matter. Only your brother matters, and he’s hurt. I don’t know how bad but he’s unconscious. Can you help him?” She rambled.
“Where are you?”
She gave him the address and hung up the call. Jaden traced the outline of his face while waiting for his brother to show up. With just her fingertips she brushed the hair from his face and touched his lips. She couldn’t let her mind wander too much but she wished with all her heart that she’d gotten the chance to see where this thing between them would have gone.
Then she hung her head as Billy Jo’s words echoed in her mind. She knew he didn’t want her in that way, but he wouldn’t let her go either. He was determined to make her life miserable, but she didn’t know why.
Seconds later, she heard a car stop near her. The brakes squealed to a screeching halt and a small cloud of dust flew around them. Jaden lifted her head and watched as a tall man stepped out and rushed over to where they were.
Roman stooped and checked over his brother’s condition. He saw the blood on the back of Iosif’s head and looking around he spotted the 2x4 with the blood stain nearby. He snapped his head around to Jaden and growled, “B`lyad! Fuck! Who the hell did this to him?”
“Billy Jo and his friends,” she barely whispered as she saw the distain flood the other man’s face. “He took the money from his wallet and his car keys too.” She sobbed. “I couldn’t stop him, and his friends just laughed along with him.” She hung her head shaking it slightly. “I couldn’t stop him.” She kept whispering. “I should have done something to help him, but I couldn’t. I’m so sorry.”
“None of this is your fault,” Roman assured her. Then he took a good look at Jaden and noticed her bruises and her cut lip. “And did this Billy Jo do that to you as well?” He motioned toward her face.
Jaden nodded. Each breath she took hurt. She had to take shallow breathes as drawing in air hurt like fire. She looked over at Iosif and asked, “Is he going to be ok?”
~* * * *~
“I don’t know. I have to get him home and have a doctor look at him.” Roman bent down and grabbed his brother by his shoulders. Lifting him up and carrying him over to the car, he pushed him into the back seat. When he turned around again to see her he caught the look of pain on her face. “Are you all right?”
Jaden shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.” She told him just before she passed out. She fell gracefully but ended up in the dirt anyway.
Roman cursed and went back for her. He lifted her up into his arms and carried her over to the car. Putting her in the back seat next to Iosif, he closed the door and got behind the wheel. Once he was back on the road he called Yuri.
When Yuri answered the call, he spoke, “We got a problem.” He growled at his brother.
“Of course, we do,” Yuri groused. “What’s up now?”
Roman gave him the short version of what happened “A man name Billy Jo Walker just attacked Iosif and left him unconscious in the dirt. He also beat a woman name Jaden. I’m taking them both back to my safe house on Cass Street. Can you send a doctor and a couple of security men over there?”
He heard Yuri growl and snap his anger over the phone. “Da, I’ll get them there. Ty che, blyad? What the fuck? Are you sure it was Walker who attacked your brother?”
“Da, the girl was able to tell me that much before she passed out. He beat the hell out of her too. What kind of man does that?” Roman paused, running his fingers through his hair before he added, “He’s got my car too. He robbed Iosif and took the keys to my car.”
“The Cubans will hear of this just before I tell them they better find him before I do.” Yuri gritted his teeth.
“Be careful, he runs with a pack of three other men,” Roman warned him. “He may not be alone when you find him.”
Yuri scoffed. “. It will take more than four men to get the better of my men. They know what they’re doing.”
“I want this Billy Jo. I want him to know who he messed with this time.” Roman growled. “I want to tattoo the word Bratva on his forehead just before a I put a bullet in his head.”
Yuri was silent for a moment then asked, “What’s going on here Roman? You’re talking out of your ass. Suka, blyad. You don’t kill. You hate that side of things.”
Roman took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He usually didn’t think this way but this had been another of his nightmares coming back to haunt him. “I know, but I watched from the parking lot with Iosif a while ago and I saw what this man did. He just brought back bad memories I thought were long gone. Iosif told me he’s nothing more than a bully and now this bully has hurt my brother, only he didn’t do it face to face, nyet! No, he had to come up behind him to take him out. He took the coward’s way and now I want to teach him a lesson he’ll live to regret.”
“You’ve known at least one man like this before, haven’t you?” Yuri asked softly as he treaded lightly. They all had pasts but Roman had more than his fair share of brutality, more than his fair share of bad dreams and nightmares.
“Yes brother I have, da. The last time this happened I couldn’t stop it and a young woman paid the ultimate price and the bastard walked away like she was nothing more than garbage. I was only a kid and living on the streets and the bastard was an American. I watched him walk away and get into a limo. He told the driver to head for the airport as they had a plane to catch. He was meeting his wife there to come home.” Roman shook his head. “He just left her there like a bag of trash. I watched and waited but he never looked back. I will not let that happen again. Billy Jo Walker will not walk away after he destroys this girl. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“Then you shall have him brother,” Yuri stated calmly.
Despite this, Roman could hear the rage in his voice. It almost matched his own.
“I’ll send another team over to protect your family until this is over.”
The phone went dead in his hands and Roman put the vehicle in gear. He drove them to a safe house. As much as he wanted to take his brother home he knew he couldn’t. He wouldn’t put Stevie or his children in danger for anything and right now with Billy Jo out there, that’s what he would be doing bringing that kind of ugly home with him just wasn’t an option anymore.
When he pulled into the small house he owned on Cass Street, Roman checked the area well before he pulled into the garage. He lowered the heavy garage door before he got out of the car.
The house may be a small house, but it was well fortified. The windows were all shatter proof and the doors were all three-inch steel. As were the walls. There were hidden weapons all over the house in case they were needed.
When he got the door, it was open and he found Kosta and another of Yuri’s security team, Ivan waiting for them, they bypassed him and went to the car without saying a word. They carefully hauled Iosif out of the backseat and carried him inside. Roman pulled Jaden out and carefully carried her inside.
Kosta was standing in the hallway between the two bedrooms. Roman motioned for the other man to move aside, “There’s a cot in the closet. Set it up in here.”
Kosta moved to the closet door and retrieved the small cot, setting it up quickly.
Roman lowered the unconscious woman in his arms to the cot. Ivan had gone into the living room and when he returned he had escorted the doctor into the room.
Roman turned to the doctor and motioned him toward Iosif first. “He took a 2x4 to the back of his head a while back. He hasn’t regained consciousness since.”
“And her?’ the doctor asked as he laid his medical bag beside Iosif and began pulling out his equipment.
“She’s having trouble breathing. Some bastard beat her, then left both in the fucking street like animals.” Roman growled as he watched the doctor checking out his brother’s condition.
After a few minutes, the doctor looked over at the other man and announced, “Your brother has a severe concussion and a bruised jaw. Someone kicked him in the head after he was down. We’ll know more after a while. Right now, he’s in a place we can’t reach him. He’ll come back on his own, hopefully in a short time.”
“But he will come back?” Roman had to know.
The doctor nodded. “Yes, I think he will. There is brain activity present but it will be in his own time.”
Then the doctor moved over to the cot Roman was standing by. He brushed the hair away from her face and tilted her jaw upward. Opening her collar, he found old and new bruises. He tisked at the sight and saw Roman’s hand curl into fists as he continued his exam. He checked her ears and eye reactions and followed the line of her jaw to where it joined her neck. Sweeping his fingers down her neck the doctor brushed the collar of her shirt open revealing her upper chest.
He popped the buttons and opened her shirt to reveal her white bra. No one said a word until the dark bruises on her rib cage became visible. Then the three other men in the room growled with rage.
The doctor didn’t pause as his hands gently pressed down on her ribs. A slight groan came from her throat as she tried to move away from the doctor’s hands. He held her in place and finished his exam quickly. Then he pulled her shirt together and buttoned enough of the buttons to cover her up again.
He turned his head and stared at Roman for a moment. “I know this isn’t what you want to hear but this woman should be in hospital. She has at least three broken ribs and a possible fractured jaw. Even if it isn’t fractured, it’s bruised badly. This is only the last of several beatings she’s taken I imagine. Some of the bruises on her body have already began to fade.”
“It isn’t safe for her to be moved. The man that did this to her is on the loose and I don’t trust him not to come back to finish what he started.”
The doctor nodded. “Then keep her from moving around too much until her ribs begin to heal. She might find it easier to breath from an elevated position. I can wrap her ribs for now and leave some pain pills but that’s all I can do from here.”
Roman nodded and assisted the doctor to help him get the girl to a sitting position. He stripped off her dirt smudged shirt. “Wait she has something strapped to her stomach.”
The doctor paused and looked. “Yes, apparently something she was hiding. I see a small chain. It’s probably jewelry?”
Roman shrugged. “We will leave it be.”
Then the doctor began the time consuming job of wrapping her chest and abdomen in elastic bandages.
When he finished, Roman nodded toward the dresser and said, “You’ll find a clean shirt in the top drawer.”
The doctor grabbed a clean shirt and they finished dressing her.
As they laid her back on the bed, Roman pulled off the rest of her work uniform but before he covered her up, Kosta handed him a few more pillows so the girl wouldn’t be lying flat on the bed.
Lying her against the pillows everyone in the room watched as her breathing was more like normal. She was still pale but her breathing was much better. Color was beginning to come back to her cheeks at least.
As they all left the room, Roman glanced over at the doctor and asked, “Ok, how long do you think before Iosif wakes up?”
The doctor shrugged. “It could be a few minutes or tomorrow morning. I just don’t know. While he sleeps his body is healing so don’t try and wake him until he’s ready to wake on his own.”
“And the girl?”
Again, the doctor shrugged. “Again, while she’s resting her body is healing as well. While she didn’t sustain the same injuries as your brother she did take a beating. Her broken ribs account for that much. The other bruises on her body tell another tale. Whoever beat her has done this before I’m thinking.”
Roman nodded. “It does look that way doesn’t it? I’m wondering why she put up with that behavior.”
“Do you think I wanted him to beat me?” came a small voice from behind them.
Roman and the doctor turned to observe the girl.
Her eyes were open now and she was glaring at both of them. “I didn’t, believe me I did not.” She turned her head as she spoke, “Billy Jo Walker is a pig. Every time I would move or find a new job he would find me and when he did he made my life a living hell. This last time he didn’t find me for a week and he let me know just how inconvenient I was. Making him chase me all over town.”
“Why does he come after you all the time?” Roman asked.
“Because I’m his favorite punching bag I guess,” Jaden answered. “He’s been after me this way since I rejected him in high school. He just hated to hear the word no.”
“Well, he won’t be bothering you here.” Roman stared at her.
“Don’t be too sure about that. Billy Jo has no brains. And no fear either. He thinks just because he’s a part timer with the Cuban mob, he’s got connections.” She shook her head. “I did tell you he wasn’t very smart didn’t I?”
Roman grinned slightly. “You did, but what does any of this have to do with my brother?”
Tears rolled down her pale cheeks. “Not a damn thing. Iosif was just someone who tried to stop Billy Jo from hurting me today.” She moved her head and her gaze sought out Iosif. Then she looked back at Roman. “Is he going to be ok?”
Roman tightened his hands into fists and glanced back at his brother. “I hope so but whoever hit him, really did a good job. He’s got a severe concussion and hasn’t regain consciousness yet. We have to wait until he wakes up before we know anything.”
Jaden hung her head. “I’m so sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything,” Roman assured her.
The doctor stepped over to her and began checking her out again. “Miss, you should try to get some more rest. Your ribs are broken which is very painful and they need healing sleep to get better.”
Jaden tried to push herself up but cried out as the pain flared from her rib cage. She fell back against the bed and new tears rolled down her face. “Oh my god, that really hurts.” She whimpered. “But I can’t stay here. Billy Jo will find me. He always does.”
Roman stomped over to the side of her bed. “He wouldn’t dare come here and if he does, not even his connection to the Cubans will save his life.” He growled.
Jaden glanced up at him and tried to smile but she still felt the dread in her heart. “You don’t know Billy Jo.”
“No little one,” Roman tried to reassure her. “Billy Jo doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”
The doctor turned to face her and jabbed her with a needle.
Jaden cried out as he injected her with a sedative.
Both men watched as her eyes closed against her will and she drifted off into a drug induced sleep.
Roman turned his head to stare at the doctor. “Did you have to do that?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, I did. She would have tried to move and she doesn’t need the added stress on her body right now. This Billy Jo really hurt her and she needs time to heal before she runs again. She’s terrified of this man and she doesn’t want to bring trouble to your door.”
Roman turned his head and stared at the young woman in question. Then he turned to look at his brother. His brother was sleeping as well and Roman sighed. He had a feeling it was going to be a very long night.
On the other side of town Billy Jo and his friends stopped the car they took. It was a nice car and had some power and Billy Jo really liked driving the machine. It was a vintage Mustang but it had been fully restored to its former glory. As he pulled it off the road he began going through the glove compartment and found the papers for the vehicle.
He looked at the registration papers along with the insurance papers. He skimmed over the name on the articles and was rifling through the rest of the stuff in the compartment when his buddies rolled up behind him. He passed off the paperwork to one of them and continued to search the car.
“Hey do you know who this car belongs too?” Jason asked with a touch of fear in his voice.
Billy Jo looked up at his friend and scoffed. “I don’t fucking care who owned it before I got it.”
“Oh, you might care about this.” Jason sneered.
“And why is that?” Billy Jo asked.
“Because the car belongs to Roman Salizar, that why.”
“And who the fuck is Roman Salizar?” Billy Jo sneered.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of the Russian Bratva right?” Jason asked.
Billy Jo paused and narrowed his eyes. “Bratva huh?” Then he sat back in his seat and swore, “Well, shit on a shingle. How the hell did that bitch get tight with the Bratva?”
“Better question is what the hell are you gonna do now?” Jason wanted to know. “You’ve already got the Cubans pissed at you, in fact you’re lucky to be alive because of them, now you got an enemy of the Bratva too? Buddy, you might just be screwed here. Maybe it’s time to get out of town for a while till things cool down a bit?”
Billy snapped his head to glare at Jason. “Now, why the hell would I want to leave town? I’ve got an ace in the hole remember?”
Jason shook his head but he didn’t say anything.
“Maybe we should get rid of the vehicle and just keep our heads down for a while?” Larry suggested.
Billy Jo smiled widely. “Maybe we should get rid of the evidence at least.” Then he growled at his friends, “But I don’t hide from anybody! Bratva or not, they can’t find me anyway. Nor can the Cubans. I’ve moved since the last visit they made.”
“What exactly is your ace in the hole?” Jack asked tipping his head to one side.
“I know exactly who Jaden Gibbons actually is and who she belongs to,” Billy Jo informed them. “Her daddy tried to kill her once but didn’t quite finish the job. If the Bratva comes after me, I’ll just call her daddy and let him handle it. He’d be willing to pay for the information I can give him. He wouldn’t want his wife to find out about his bastard daughter after all, or any of his associates.”
They pushed the car further off the road and Billy Jo himself doused the car in gasoline and then they all stood there watching when Billy Jo tossed a match into the window. The whoosh when the car burst into flames had them all scrambling away from the area and they rushed to their own car and sped away with Billy Jo driving.
The light of the fire lit up the darkness of the night and as he drove away, Billy Jo smiled.