HIGHLANDER: The Highlander’s Surrender Bride (Scottish Alpha Male Pregnancy Romance) (6 page)

Chapter 5

Chloe waited patiently while they did yet another security check on the large private jet. Somewhat patiently, anyways. She had been waiting for several hours, and those three cups of coffee were starting to catch up with her. It had been surprisingly hard to track down Alexei, taking her almost three weeks to figure out where he had been going with her stolen security pass. The thought still infuriated her. In comparison, it had been relatively easy to find the private jet registered under his name that just happened to be parked at the small airstrip just outside of Washington D.C.

              That’s what he gets for messing with an investigative journalist, Chloe thought to herself, trying to ignore the near constant ache that thoughts of him pulled up inside her.
I knew he was dangerous
, she told herself, trying to refocus on the self-imposed mission in front of her.
I know he’s in there.

              She waited, timing it perfectly as she hastily skittered up the rolling staircase and through the door, just as the security guard stepped aside to have a quick, and illegal, cigarette. Chloe was pretty sure there was some sort of regulation about smoking around airplanes. There were regulations about everything else, she knew.

              It took only a few seconds to creep the already open hatch and into the large, luxury airliner. And a few seconds after that to realize that it was completely empty. She sighed harshly in the empty cabin. She had been so sure he would be there. And a part of her admitted she had wanted to see the look in eyes when she confronted him.

              Her eyes swept over the lush, deep red upholstery, and what looked to be authentic crystal decanters with matching tumblers glinting prettily next to it. She had found out quite a few things about Alexei on her search to find him and recover her stolen property. That he was one of the richest men in the world, for starters. Owning more business than she could count with assets totaling over a billion dollars. The idea still boggled her mind, but looking around the expensively decorated private jet, she could see the truth of those statements.

              Chloe had also found out that a lot of the money he had made had been due to the Russian mafia, in one form another. It had broken her heart to read that, although she wasn’t sure why. She had known him for only a single night. Chloe wrapped a protective arm around her middle, and her insides lurched. Well, perhaps he had given her more than one night, she thought to herself. A lot more.

              She knew she should have gotten her period two weeks before, and she was never late. It was the kind of thing she would never had thought would happen to her, but the suspicion invaded her thoughts daily. She glanced around the plane again. And then there where the other rumors she had dug up. Rumors that said he had gone straight and narrow. Was trying to the right thing with his life, and break all ties with the mafia.

              But she wasn’t sure she believed it. Why else would he steal her security pass? Why else would he need access to senator Shields, and crooked politician that she herself had exposed? She moved to take a closer look at a shelf of photographs, but the insistent urge to use the bathroom inconveniently returned just then. There was still so much she could learn there. She knew she had at least twenty minutes before the guard returned from his clandestine smoke break.

              Chloe peeked behind her, seeing the bright green sign for the lavatory, and took a chance. Hastily, she crept back through the massive cabin and into the most spacious, well adorned airplane lavatory she had ever seen. She was used to flying business class, but still. She swept a hand over the giant marble countertop and gold fixtures. Hurriedly, she shut the door, berating herself for getting distracted.

              Chloe was just finishing up washing her hands when she heard the noise. It had her heart racing with panic in her fluttering chest. It was not a noise she wanted to hear. Several rough, male voices speaking in Russian suddenly filled the cabin of the plane. Her mind brought up all the things she had read about the Russian mafia, their cruelty, the viciousness. There was no way she should get out of the bathroom with out immediately being seen. She was trapped.

              Cramped in the dark space, Chloe shifted, trying to get more comfortable as she finally realized this might be the most dangerous situation she had ever gotten herself into. She cursed herself firmly before taking a deep, calming breath. After she had first heard the group of men board, things had gone from bad to worse in a hurry.

              She had been forced to cram herself in dark space under the cabinet. Luckily it was empty, and big enough for her, folded in on herself as she was. Shortly after, the worst thing that could have possibly happened, did. The roar of the jet engines bubbled to life, rattling her. And a few minutes later, they were taking off. She had braced herself against the small interior of the cabinet, trying to support herself as the plane threw itself into the air.

Chloe had spent much of the trip swearing at herself, making promises that she would never do something so foolish again. At least the space under the cabinets were large enough to hide her. But after several hours her legs and back were starting to scream at her in discomfort.

The flight seemed to last forever, and after the immediate threat of discovery passed, after seven hours still no one had discovered her, and she began to dose despite herself in her cramped hidey hole.

She wasn’t sure when it was, she had lost all track of time, but the hushed voices had her ears pricking up sharply, mostly because it was one of the first conversations she had overheard in English.

“…We have to do it now, Sergio. We have to get rid of him.”

“But, sir, surely his still has some use–.”

“You said he wants out?” This voice belonged to someone older, his voice roughened by years of cigarette smoke and age, although they both were thick with a Russian accent. “You know there is only one way out of the
Bratva.
”

Chloe’s stomach dropped at the hidden meaning of his words. Who were they talking about?

“Sir, it won’t be easy. He’s rich, you know that, and is always surrounded by a security detail. It will be almost impossible to get him alone.”

“Just do it, Sergio. He holds some delusion that you are friends. Figure out a way to Alexei alone, and give him what he wants. He wants to cut ties with the
Bratva
? Then the
Bratva
will cut him, do you understand?”

Chloe couldn’t hear anything else after that, as the men walked back into the cabin. They were talking about Alexei! Instinctively, she placed a hand over her stomach, right over the spot where she suspected their child was growing inside of her.

So, the rumors she had dug up were true after all. He was trying to go clean, trying to be a better man. And they were trying to stop him, for good. The thought of anyone harming Alexei had tears burning unexpectedly in her amber colored eyes. Hastily she swiped them away. She had no time for that, not when Alexei’s life was on the line. And probably her own, if she couldn’t figure out a way to get off of this plane alive. Chloe sat in the dark, and began to plan.

Chapter 6

Chloe jolted awake as the tires of the plane jumped along the landing strip, causing her to jostle her incredibly sore and stiff body. She had no idea how long she had been doubled over underneath the large lavatory cabinet, but she desperately wanted out. No, she needed out, she realized as the claustrophobia she had been battling started to creep back, making her already frazzled body flood with another rush of adrenaline.

The plane finally slowed, and then stopped completely, and before long she could here the sounds of the men grow fainter and fainter, and then blessedly, nothing. Silence rang for a long time before she could work of the courage, or the strength, to crawl out of her hiding space. Slowly, cautiously, she opened the door just a crack. No sound greeted her.

She barely held back a moan of pain as she eased herself out from underneath the cabinet, trying to stretch out unused legs that had long since fallen asleep.  It took several more moments, and several more minutes of swearing under her breath as she tried to stand, pins and needles shooting across her body. Finally, she was up. Chloe tried to take a step, but stumbled, having to catch herself against the lavatory door.
From now on, I’m flying first class only
, she promised herself as she tried to get her legs to take another step.

Eventually, she made it out the luxurious lavatory and back out into the main cabin. She ran to the spot where she had left her small bag, fortunately still undiscovered where it sat hidden where she had left it near the back of the cabin. A rush of gratitude that she had turned her cell phone off flooded through her. If that phone had rung…

She hurriedly dug through the bag, finding the cell phone, and hastily turned it on. She had to reach Alexei, to warn him. Those men had sounded like they weren’t going to wait around to try and kill him, and Chloe meant to reach him first.

Quickly, she pulled up the phone number she had found while digging up information on him, hoping that he would be at his office. She dialed it, and prayed desperately as it rang once, twice, three times. Finally, someone answered.

“Hello? Who is this? How did you get this number?”

              Chloe sighed in relief at the sound of Alexei’s gruff voice. It sounded like music to her ears.

              “Alexei, it’s me, Chloe.” She heard him gasp.

              “Chloe? Are you okay? Really, how did you get this number, it’s supposed to be secure,” he chuckled roughly into the phone. “You really are good at your job, I guess.”

              “Listen, Alexei. I don’t have time. Just listen, the
Bratva
are planning on have you killed.”

There was a moment of complete silence before he spoke again. “How could you possibly know that, Chloe?”

“It’s a long story, and I really don’t have time to explain right now, but they’re sending someone name Sergio after you.” From his brisk inhale, she assumed that he recognized the name. The loud sound of a passing jet engine temporarily stopped their conversation.

“Where the hell are you, Chloe? I tried to keep you out of this,” he sighed heavily.

“I’m on a plane…somewhere. But you have to believe me. You have to be careful, Alexei.”

“Don’t worry about me,
krasivyy.
I believe you. No one else would know that name.” The tone of his voice changed, suffusing with concern for her, and it sent warmth winging through her, despite the fear and adrenaline still rushing through her system. “But what are you doing, love, getting tangled up with the
Bratva
? Where are you? I’ll fly out tonight, I’ll come get you…”

“I don’t think that will be necessary…” Chloe whispered as she finally looked out one the round windows on the airplane. She took in the vast grey sky, the snow covered ground surrounding them. The tri-colored flag blowing in the chill winter wind, and the signs posted to the small airport, most in Russian, one in English.

“Oh my god…”

“What? Chloe, what is it?” Alexei demanded.

“I think I’m in Russia.” There was stunned silence from the other end of the call, but she didn’t hear his words as the cell phone was ripped suddenly from her still stiff hand.

“Actually, you are in Russia, my little stow away.” The harsh, familiar voice had her looking up into the face of a surprisingly handsome older man. But his green eyes were dead, lifeless. She reached for the phone, but he stepped back, holding it to his ear, and that’s when she saw the gun pointing straight at her.

“Hello, Alexei? This is Dominic. But I think you already knew that.” He chuckled evilly as Chloe could hear Alexei’s furious shouts from where she was standing several feet away. “I have the woman. Meet me in two hours, and I will give her back to you. Don’t meet me, and she dies. You?” He paused for a moment, as if listening, running the barrel of the handgun over his mustache. “Either way, you die.”

Another moment of silence, before Dominic spoke. “Fantastic. You are making the right choice. I will send you the coordinates. Come alone, Alexei. No tricks, or she dies.” Again, he seemed to be listening, and then it was obvious that Alexei had hung up. Dominic was about to hang up as well, when another call came through. Chloe tried to keep her face straight as she recognized the number, but she must have given something away.

“It’s someone you care about?” He asked, before answering the phone. Chloe felt a moment of pure dread as she heard the chirpy receptionist’s voice over the speaker.

“Hello, Ms. Smithson, this is Cassie from Dr. Chavez’s office. We have the results of your pregnancy test. Congratulations, you’re going to be a mom! Please come in anytime within the next few weeks to go over all of your care options–.”

Her happy voice was cut off abruptly as Dominic ended the call.

“Pregnant?” He gave a slight chuckle, but the noise made her skin crawl. “Does Alexei know?”

“It’s not his!”

“So it’s his, and he doesn’t know yet.” He grinned at her. “Perfect.”

Chapter 7

Alexei felt his heart pound painfully in his chest as he pulled the big car up to the spot Dominic had told him to come. It was a big, abandoned warehouse parking garage, and it was completely empty, the sound of his footsteps echoing as he got out of the car. His heart stopped completely as he watched Dominic walk out from behind a large shadow, followed by Sergio pushing a bound Chloe roughly in front of. He prayed desperately, if ever there was a time that he needed his famed luck, it was right now.

“So, Alexei, you came after all.” Dominic sneered. “So sentimental.” He gestured, and Sergio gave Chloe a shove that sent her sprawling to the hard concrete in front of them. Alexei ran to catch her, but was stopped by the barrel of the evil looking gun pointed directly at his heart.

“Just let her go. You said you would let her go, Dominic.”

“And you believed me.” The older man shook his head in mock pity. “Really, Alexei, I’m wounded that you don’t know me better than that.”

Alexei took a step toward her, but was stopped again, this time by Dominic’s words.

“Oh, yes,” he said casually, “There is something I think you should know before you die.” He gestured flippantly with the gun, a dark emphasis to his words. “The sweet Chloe is pregnant. With your child. We just found out a few hours ago.” Each word was like a blow to his chest, breaking him down, and then filling him with the fiercest fury he had ever felt boiling through his veins like lava.

              If Dominic thought his words would make this fight easier, he was sorely mistaken. In one anger infused moment, Alexei charged him with a beastly roar that echoed over and over in the parking garage. Dominic only had time to blink in surprise before Alexei was barreling into him, knocking the gun from his shock numbed hands and shoving him hard to the floor. A soft click behind him had his head whipping around. Sergio was holding another gun, aiming for him.

              Alexei watched in horror as the gun moved, pointing not at him, but directly at Chloe. His heart lurched. His
krasivyy!
Without a second thought, he jumped, just as the sound of the gun went off loudly in the large garage. He dropped to the cold cement floor as something plowed into his chest. As he lay there, he could hear the sounds of the police force that had been hiding for hours surrounding Dominic and Sergio, demanding that they put their hands up to be cuffed.

              He blinked to try and focus on the worried face suddenly in front of him. It was such a beautiful face. Chloe’s big almond shaped eyes stared down into his, and he felt more at peace than he ever had in his entire life. Finally, he had done something worthwhile. He had saved her. He had saved the woman that he realized he loved too late, and he had saved their child.

              “Alexei, stay with me.” He tried so hard to keep his eyes open, but they were so heavy, he just couldn’t fight them anymore. As unconsciousness pulled him under, he could still hear Chloe’s tearful voice in his ear.

              “Stay with me, Alexei. Don’t leave me. I love you. Stay with me…”