She Was Being Tracked
1050 Words
Nikolai's pov
The basement stank of blood and sweat, a metallic smell hanging heavy in the air.
Two men sat chained to chairs in front of me, their heads drooping, blood dripping steadily onto the concrete floor.
I leaned back against the damp wall, arms crossed, watching them.
Liam’s basement wasn’t new to scenes like this.
Hell, it was part of one of his strip clubs—of course, there’d be blood here.
What amused me was how Liam ran his dirty business right under the noses of the cops upstairs.
Brilliant, really. Nothing hides better than in plain sight.
But my amusement didn’t last long.
Liam’s guy hadn’t shown up yet, though I knew it wouldn’t take him long.
Probably stopped to check in with Bill, maybe even Alex.
She was upstairs, waiting in one of the private rooms.
I hated having her here. The club reeked of booze and cheap perfume, and everywhere you turned, there were reminders of s*x.
It wasn’t a place for her, but I couldn’t risk leaving her anywhere else right now.
She’d been panicked when I brought her in, but what surprised me—what I still couldn’t get out of my head—was how she’d handled herself before we got here.
Those two assholes sitting there, bleeding? She’d secured them.
She hadn’t screamed or fainted.
She threw up, sure, but she’d blamed it on eating lunch too soon before “saving lives,” as she put it.
She’d even suggested we bring them here.
Her anger at the situation had been unexpected. Who the hell was this woman?
I still didn’t trust her, though.
The virginity thing didn’t add up.
If she wasn’t a virgin, why push back so hard on the test my father insisted on?
But this wasn’t the time to unravel that mess.
The basement door creaked open, interrupting my thoughts.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the stairs, and I straightened.
Liam stormed in, his fists already clenched.
I knew that look—he was ready to throw down.
“How dare you drag my daughter off campus!” Liam’s voice boomed.
Bill followed right behind him, his eye now black and swollen.
My lips twitched. Had he enjoyed his nap? Probably not.
I kept my posture relaxed, though my muscles were tense and ready.
If Liam wanted a fight, I’d give him one, but not yet. Not here.
“It’s a good thing I did,” I said, keeping my tone even. I gestured toward the two bleeding men.
“Look what I found waiting for her.”
Liam froze, his eyes darting to the captives.
“These guys were on campus, watching her,” I continued. “I was there for business—tracking someone.
The guy I’m after has a project to finish, and he’s only reachable at that campus.
It was pure f*****g luck I saw these assholes and realized they were there for Alex.”
She should’ve been home.
Safe. Out of harm’s way.
But no, she had to be on campus, surrounded by threats she couldn’t even see.
“Bill was there to protect her,” Liam said, his voice tight.
“Yeah?” I shot back, my temper rising.
“And did your precious bodyguard even notice the blacked-out car parked and waiting for her?
Sticking out like a goddamn neon sign?
No.
He was too busy watching her like some creep.”
Bill stepped forward, his voice indignant.
“I would never look at her that way.
She’s like a daughter to me.”
I snorted. “A daughter you’re going to get killed.”
“Enough!” Liam roared, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
I bit back the retort on my tongue, grinding my teeth instead.
My fists itched to hit something—someone—but I held back.
Liam was Alex’s father.
He was also someone my father had made it very clear I needed to respect, to work with.
No waves, no fights.
But that wasn’t who I was.
It took every ounce of control not to lash out.
My father had drilled discipline into me, but this?
This was pushing all the limits.
“Where is Alex?” Liam asked, his voice sharp but steady pulling me out of my thoughts.
I took a slow breath before answering, forcing myself to stay calm.
“She’s upstairs. She’s the one who suggested we bring them here.”
That earned a nod of approval from him, which only made my irritation simmer hotter. “Good,” he said.
“She knows this is the best place to get answers.”
I couldn’t help but scoff. “With cops partying upstairs?”
Liam shot me a look. “Those cops are friends.
I take care of them, and they take care of me.
I don’t need to explain myself to you, Nikolai.
Most of the men upstairs owe me their loyalty—and their freedom.”
His confidence grated on me, but I kept my mouth shut.
He turned his attention to the two unconscious men we’d brought in.
Their hands were bound, heads slumped forward, blood staining their shirts.
I’d started with their nails—just enough pain to get most men talking.
It was pathetic how easily some cracked, spilling secrets for the smallest reprieve.
These two, though? Stubborn.
Liam stepped closer and tilted one man’s head back, inspecting him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my tone clipped.
“They have the mark,” he said, his voice grim as he stepped back.
“What mark?”
I hadn’t looked too closely before. I’d been too furious, itching to tear them apart for daring to target Alex.
She might not mean much to me personally, but she was my wife, and that meant she was under my protection.
If anything happened to her, it would be on me. I’d be a joke in the Greco family—a man who couldn’t even protect his own.
Liam gestured for me to take a closer look.
Reluctantly, I stepped forward and tilted the other man’s head.
There it was, inked at the base of his neck: a coiled snake, its fangs dripping blood.
My stomach tightened. I hadn’t seen that mark in years.
- Writer
