Nikolai sat back in his ancient leather chair, a slight frown marred his features as always when he was in deep thought. The chair that was passed down to him from his father when he’d stepped aside as the Don of the Aleksandrov family, a true symbol of the family’s long standing power. It was comfortable, the light mahogany matching the rich oak desk in front of him, but no amount of comfort would ease his building frustration. Nikolai could already feel a knot forming at the base of his shoulders and knew a migraine would soon follow.

“I would like to know how that piece of shit found his way into the race, and why I didn’t know about it until I saw him 2 feet away from Tat'yana.” Nikolai barked, his voice menacingly low as he looked at each of his enforcers. Boris, Zavid, and Roman were the top 3 generals that Nikolai and Mikhail trusted. Boris was a 58, an old member of the family. He’d been working with the family since the twins were toddlers. He knew a lot about the business and customs of the other families and occasionally would provide advice for the twins. Boris was a tall man with a bald head and scruffy grey beard who looked strong despite his age. Zavid was 45 and very good looking with a dark tan complexion, gorgeous brown eyes, and a charming smile with a slight scar running through the side of his upper lip that only made him look dangerously sexy. Roman was a true Russian Krutoim' parene'. His dark hair was closely shaven and he had sharp angles to his face and even sharper eyes.

Each of the generals were strong loyal men who were determined and viscous, but the sight of Nikolai’s scowling eyes and the obvious anger rolling from him made them each shift nervously. An unhappy Nikolai usually resulted in a very painful and slow death. He couldn’t allow this type of slip up, things were going too well for everyone. All 7 crime families reported to Mikhail and Nikolai, keeping a perfect balance of peace in what would usually be turf wars and blood baths over drug shipments and family retribution. Nikolai would not allow Kirill’s arrival to fuck up the system he’d worked hard to maintain. Nikolai massaged his temples, his brain worked quickly to find some sort of solution to his new problem. When Nikolai finally spoke again his voice was steady and firm.

“I want Kirill found. I want to know where he goes, what he’s doing, who he’s talking to, and most of all I want to know why he’s here. I don’t want that son of a bitch to have indigestion without me knowing about it. Failure to alert me of Kirill’s whereabouts will result in dire consequences. Am I making myself clear?” A chorus of agreements followed as each general nodded their heads enthusiastically. Nikolai looked each of them in the eye and accepted this response before motioning for them all to leave him.

After they were all gone Nikolai turned his chair to face his twin. Mikhail had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his brooding expression made him look like a male model in his Armani suit. Remaining in the shadows he would observe and give Nikolai signals. They worked well together, as co-Dons of the family they rarely butted heads on any issue, which was beneficial. It allowed them to make split second decisions that kept them ten steps ahead of anyone foolish enough to challenge their leadership.

“This could cause some issues.” Mikhail noted, picking at his nails for invisible dirt. Nikolai sighed and knew his brother was just as conflicted as he was. Kirill’s arrival could only bring trouble. It was bad enough that he had a grudge to settle, but Kirill had always been ambitious and unpredictable. There was no telling what we would do to get what he wanted.

“Kak vy dumaete, chto on znaet?” Mikhail asked.

“Povere' mne, ya khotel by znate' ” Nikolai answered, not bothering to speak English. Mikhail growled and ran a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated; Kirill’s visit was putting him on edge. They were both silent for a moment, each lost in thought. Nikolai was thinking of possible outcomes to this situation and creating solutions for each one and Mikhail was thinking of various ways to kill Kirill before he had a chance to do any damage.  

“I think we should have more security at Ana’s apartment. Send Roman to follow her.” Mikhail declared. Nikolai couldn’t help but laugh at that statement and after a while Mikhail reluctantly joined in. When Ana had insisted on moving out of the family’s estate they’d tried to get her to move into one of the various lofts and studios they owned in town but she was determined to be self-sufficient. After she’d finally found an apartment that they approved of, Nikolai and Mikhail had sent Zavid to guard her. He was reliable and used to tailing individuals and reporting their actions so the job should have been harmless. Zavid was supposed to keep her safe from a distance without her knowing he was there but of course Ana had be raised with the family, she knew all of the tricks to hiding in plain sight and it had taken her less than an hour to figure him out. Once Ana knew she was being tailed she created a diversion, snuck up on Zavid, and sent him back to Mikhail with a broken nose and a black eye. Nikolai and Mikhail got the message, unfortunately for Zavid he was ridiculed for having his ass kicked by a girl for a long time afterwards though honestly there wasn’t much he could even do. If he’d caused any harm to Ana Mikhail and Nikolai would have him stuffed and mounted on a mantle for them to throw darts at. When they’d finally stopped laughing Mikhail wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

“Well we did teach her everything, we should have known she’d figure it out. But we do need to figure something out. I don’t want Kirill to get in contact with her.” Nikolai murmured. Mikhail thought about it for a moment.

“What if I follow her for a while? She won’t notice me, and I could watch out for her.” Mikhail suggested. Nikolai’s dark eyes flashed to his twins.

“You think that’s a good idea? You guys can only dance around flames for so long without being burnt” Nikolai asked. He knew Mikhail and Ana’s situation was complicated. He noticed the sideways looks, the way his brothers eyes would follow her as she walked around the room, and how often they would be stuck in awkward situations. The three of them had been close since childhood. When Ana was born Nikolai and Mikhail were already 18 and making minor decisions for the family, but they would take time to watch the baby, mainly because their father was fascinated by the child. When she was a toddler they’d spoiled her, giving her toys and treats much to the dismay of the nanny who watched her. Nikolai and Mikhail loved having Ana as a sister. Nikolai wasn’t sure when things had changed for Mikhail, but he noticed changes in his mannerisms. It became clear there were some heavier emotions in their relationship, but Nikolai never know how to address it. He trusted his brother, but Ana was the family’s princess. The brother in him wanted to support Mikhail but the over protective male in him wanted to beat Mikhail bloody for even looking at Ana. Nikolai knew he couldn’t ignore the situation for too long, especially now with Kirill’s spontaneous arrival. Mikhail watched his brother for a long time before sighing and shaking his head.

“You’re right. YA ne dolzhen byte' vovlechen. Prosto ne nasha printsessa bezopasnoim' Niko.” Mikhail replied flatly, walking out of the office.

Outside of Ana’s Apartment

Leaning her head forward to rest her forehead on the door, Ana stood outside of her apartment door and sighed. She couldn’t bring herself to open the door since every cell in her body demanded that she collapse into a deep sleep. This is what she got for spending all night speeding down various dirt roads. Her nice warm bed with comfy pillows and Egyptian silk sheets were all just beyond the door but her arms felt like lead weighing her down. Instead of opening the door she looked at the ripples in the paint on the door, counting each one as she followed it with her eyes. Ana always crashed after a race. All of the adrenaline was fun in the moment, feeling her heart beat faster, the engine gun, the vibrations of the car, and the tingles inching across her skin. But once it was over her body felt like an empty juice pouch. Ana took a deep breath, filling her lungs to the brim and opened her unlocked door. It was a bad habit but she ever locked her apartment door, much to the twin’s dismay. She shut the door behind her and didn’t bother turning on a light, she could find her way around in the dark.

Ana’s apartment was quaint. With one bedroom and one bathroom she barely ever had company, unless the twins decided to have a spontaneous lecture about her safety and cook for her, which was rare. Her kitchen was mostly unused since her daily diet was cereal and takeout. The living room had a large flat screen, an X-box 360, a large collection of DVD’s and video games, and a large leather couch. On one side of the room the wall was covered with motorcycle helmets that Nikolai had bought for her even though she never wore one while riding. He bought her one for every few months in a desperate attempt to convince her to wear them, and she used them as wall decoration. On the other wall was an array of Native American dream catchers in various colors. She didn’t have a lot of furniture, nor did she take a lot of time decorating anything since frankly Ana didn’t care. She bought what she needed to be comfortable, she didn’t need the extra fluffs and frills.

Ana made her way to her room, stripping along the way leaving a trail of clothing behind her until she was down to her bra and panties. By the time she made it to her bed Ana flopped down onto her sea of fluffy pillows and teddy bears, the one girly thing she allowed herself. She stretched her back, pointing her toes outward and rolling until something in her back popped and a knot of tension was released. It had been too long since she’d had a good night’s sleep. Ana rolled over and reached for her nightstand where a large bottle of extra strength Tylenol waited for her. Opening the bottle and swallowing two of the pills without water she looked at the two picture frames on her nightstand. One had a picture of her and the twins when she was 13. They were at the beach, the twins shirtless and in swim trunks and Ana in white shorts and a pink bathing suit top. Ana remembered the day perfectly. There was going to be some sort of meeting at the estate and Dimitri wanted the three away from the house, so the twins had taken Ana out for a beach day.

 It had been a bright sunny day, and Ana remembered being very excited to be outside. She’d run down the beach and played in the water, attacking Mikhail and Nikolai with turrets of the salty sea water. At some point they’d taken a break from playing in the water and walked among the vendors, where Ana had seen an old woman selling dream catchers. She’d become fascinated with them and Nikolai had her choose one to buy. She chose a large 10 inch white dream catcher with longer leather twines and tan feathers. The picture had been taken by the woman who was selling the dream catchers. Ana was in the middle, scrunching up her face while smiling wide, showcasing her braces. Nikolai was holding her dream catcher in one hand, holding Ana’s small hand in the other, and smiling down at Ana, and Mikhail was holding her other hand while looking to the side of the camera. His eyes were haunting, surveying their surroundings as always. After the picture was taken the twins decided that they would play in the water for a little longer before walking down to get something to eat. Ana loved the picture, it was the only one she had with the 3 of them.

In the other picture frame there was Ana’s only picture of her mother. She was smiling at the camera, her smooth cocoa skin shining and her face was cheerful. She had her hair tied back into a ponytail and she was wearing a long blue sundress that was covering her very pregnant belly. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach in the picture, and Ana always felt like it was the only way her mother ever got to hold her. The picture had belonged to her father, and after his death Dimitri had given it to her. Ana sighed and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would come quickly. It didn’t. Instead her mind went back to the end of the race, or more specifically, Keith/Kirill. Nikolai and Mikhail never reacted that way to anyone else she had met. Then again, everyone she knew was involved with the family in some way, so the twins could censor her interactions. Maybe they were overprotective because they didn’t know this stranger? But they must have known him, Nikolai identified him...

Ana rolled back over and got out of bed. There was no way she’d get any sleep tonight, so she might as well do something with her time. She ventured into her closet and found a pair of loose fitting purple sweat pants and a sports bra. Might as well go to the gym located in her apartment complex and tire herself out that way. A nice four mile jog on the treadmill and some crunches may help. Maybe if she pushed herself hard enough her brain would shut itself down from exhaustion and let her sleep peacefully. Ana made her way downstairs to the gym and opened the opaque glass door, expecting an empty gym to greet her, instead Ana squeaked as she slammed face first into a very muscular sweaty chest. Ana stepped back immediately but her heel slipped and she lost her balance. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her, catching her before she had the chance to kiss the floor hello. Ana’s eyes travelled up the muscular tan chest to find a gorgeously handsome face looking down at her with concern. The man had a strong jaw adorned with a lovely 5’o clock shadow, long wavy hair, and kind eyes. He didn’t have the hardened gaze or the predatory demeanor that Ana was used to seeing, which was…oddly refreshing.

“Whoa, sorry about that, I wasn’t paying attention.” The man said, his voice deep and apologetic as she lifted her back onto her feet and then quickly stepped back. Ana’s skin tingled, alarming her. She searched the strangers face for some sign of deceit or trickery. Something to make him more similar to the men she was used to, the dangerous men who worked within the families and concocted under handed deals.

“Miss? Are you okay?” the man questioned, snapping Ana out of her thoughts and making her realize she’d been staring. Ana blinked and cleared her suddenly dry throat.

“Umm, yes I’m fine.” Ana assured, stepping around the man and into the gym, desperate to escape the awkward situation, mainly to keep from ogling his chest. The man’s eyes followed her, Ana could feel them but she figured he’d leave soon.

“Umm, ma’am? You shouldn’t stay out here too late. It’s not safe for a young lady such as yourself.” The man said. Ana turned around to face him and frowned. The stranger was worried about her wellbeing? Something was off about him, he was far too nice and boy-scout-y. Ana looked him up and down. He was built, with muscle that must have come from a combination of hours at the gym and some other extra physical activity. His face was kind but had the type of concern that came from public officials. Ana wasn’t used to being around this type of man, which intrigued her.

“Let me guess, neighborhood watch?” Ana inquired, tilting her head to the side. The man laughed and shook his head, distracting Ana as his mane of glossy brown hair shook. She couldn’t help thinking about how soft his hair looked.

“No ma’am. I’m a cop, well, a detective actually. I’m John.” He admitted, tilting his head down shyly. Ana smiled at his bashfulness and extended her hand. John reached out to clasp her outstretched hand and Ana nearly purred. His hand was large and warm as he gave her hand a firm shake.

“Well officer I assure you that I can take care of myself.” Ana assured with a smug smirk as she turned around and walked to the far side of the gym, a clear signal that the conversation was over.

John watched the intriguing woman as she walked away from him. It didn’t escape him that she didn’t introduce herself, or how cryptically she said she could take care of herself. John shook his head and began to walk back to his apartment. He wondered about her, the mysterious sexy woman who was at the gym at 3’o clock in the morning. Her voice was soft and sweet, like chimes, but her eyes made her seem far too old, like she’s seen the worst of life. For some reason John wanted to stick around to make sure she stayed safe, since only the demons of society were out at this time of the night. Then again, she could be one demons he wanted to protect her from. Lord knows she has the look for it, John though, remembering her tight frame, her perky breasts, her smooth cocoa skin against his hands, how she felt in his arms, and how she subconsciously licked her lips when he’d caught her. She felt way too sinful with her body pressed against him. Fuck. John was definitely taking a cold shower. Perfect, just the thing he needed before the morning shift at the precinct dealing with scumbags who pay their way to freedom, money grubbing lawyers, and the fucked up criminal justice system.