But I'm rock hard and pressed against her back, and every instinct is screaming at me to wake her up and take what I want. I just won't cross that line no matter how badly I need the release.
I can force her to marry me and I can make her live in my house and sleep in my bed. But I won't force that particular act on her because even I have limits to what I'm willing to do.
My watch buzzes again, and I carefully extract my arm from around her body to check it. She makes a small noise in her sleep and rolls onto her stomach but doesn't wake up. I grab my phone from the nightstand and check the notification that woke me.
Jovan 11:47 PM: We found him. Positive ID on Andrei at residence on Kosovska Street. Moving now?
I'm instantly alert. We've been hunting this bastard for seven months and I can't miss an opportunity to take him when he's so close. That jewelry store was a dead end, like everything else. I feel like I’m chasing my tail, but maybe this will be our night.
I type back quickly with one hand while I climb out of bed.
Vadim 11:48 PM: Don't move yet. I'm coming. Ten minutes.
I dress without turning on any lights and holster my weapon at my hip. Danica's still sleeping peacefully when I leave the bedroom and close the door behind me. She has no idea what I'm about to do, and that's probably for the best. The less she knows about my work, the safer she'll be if things go wrong tonight.
Outside, the air is cool and Vuk's waiting in his car at the curb with the engine already running. I slide into the passenger seat, and he pulls away from my house before I've even closed the door properly. If he's this eager, it must be good intel.
"How sure are you?" I ask while I buckle my seatbelt.
"We're certain, Boss." Vuk takes a corner too fast. "Jovan saw him enter the house an hour ago and he hasn't left."
"Who else is there?" I check my gun to make sure a round is chambered and it's ready to go.
"Boris, Nenad, and Jovan are already watching the exits." Vuk runs a red light while looking both directions, but at this hour, no one is out and about. "If he tries to run, we'll see him."
"What's the plan when we get there?" I slide my gun back into the holster. Usually, I'm the one calling the shots, but I trust my guys, and Vuk has been with me long enough that he understands how I move.
"We go in quiet and confirm it's really him." Vuk glances at me. "Then we take him."
I shake my head and roll my neck to release some of the tension. I'm not used to sleeping in bed with someone. I feel stiff.
"No, we need to be absolutely certain he killed Dominic before we do anything permanent." I watch the buildings flash past. "If we're wrong, this could start a war we can't finish."
"Yeah, good…" He grunts. "So we'll take him somewhere to question him, then."
Vuk cuts the headlights before we reach Kosovska Street and coasts the car to a stop behind a delivery truck. I grab my gun from its holster and check the clip before chambering a round. The street is deserted and most of the houses are dark at this hour.
We walk through an alley that runs between two homes that look abandoned and come out near the target house. Nenad's already there waiting for us in the shadow of a fence. He nods when he sees me and keeps his hand on the gun tucked into his waistband.
"Lebedev went inside around eleven and we haven't seen him leave." Nenad seems calm for how important this night is. It's good. It means he understands what's at stake here. "Boris is watching the back entrance in case he tries to run."
"How many other men are in there?" I study the house from our position across the street, hoping these guys have more intel than just an idea that Lebedev is inside.
"Four on the ground floor, at least, maybe two upstairs." Nenad points toward the second story. "We think he's in the room with the light on."
The house looks abandoned with weeds growing wild in the yard and paint flaking off the siding in chunks. One of the downstairs windows has plywood nailed over it and the front porch sags in the middle. It's exactly the type of place someone would use as a temporary hideout, though I'm not really holding my breath. I really need to stop being pessimistic.
"Anyone else go in or out?" Vuk pulls his own gun and checks the chamber.
"Nobody." Nenad shakes his head. "I've been here the whole time since we followed him in, Boss."
I cross the street, and Vuk and Nenad follow close behind me with dead grass crunching under our boots. We reach the front porch, and I test the first step with my weight before putting my full foot down. The wood groans but holds, though the noise is loud enough that someone might hear us coming if they're listening for something.
The front door's unlocked when I try the handle and it swings inward on rusty hinges that creak, but I step inside with my gun raised and my finger on the trigger. The interior smells rancid from garbage and mold and broken furniture is scattered across the floor. This place has definitely seen better days.
A staircase rises along the left wall, and I can see the second floor landing at the top where a pool of light beckons us forward. Imotion for Vuk and Nenad to follow me and we start climbing. Every step creaks under our weight no matter how carefully we move or where we step. It's like this old house wants to scream that we're approaching, but since the house has been telling on us, I figure someone would be coming to investigate. Yet there's no movement.
What we have here is probably another dead end, but we can't turn back now. If I don't see this through and he's up there, I'll never forgive myself.
