When Michael reached the security guard at the gate, Igor and Dima gave a sigh of relief as the guard put his arm around Michael and took him through the gate.
Cassy was sitting at her desk in front of the window of what used to be her father's study. As she read emails expressing sympathy about Michael's kidnapping, something outside caught her eye. She glanced up and screamed. She rushed out of the room, down a corridor, and through the hallway. The front door almost came off its hinges, such was the force with which she threw it open.
“Michael,” she cried. “Oh my god, Michael.” She almost knocked him from his feet in her enthusiasm to hug him. She noticed both his ears were intact. “How did you get here?” she asked.
“Nice men,” Michael said.
The police officer who was at the house to monitor phone calls came out and scratched his head. “In all my years, I've never seen anything like this before,” he said.
That evening after the doctor had checked Michael's health and declared him well, Cassy rang the number that had been left on her car.
“Was it you?” she asked after Igor answered.
“Yes. But no cops. Just be glad you've got Michael back.”
“Thank you. I don't know what to—”
“Listen to me. We had to be heavy handed to get Michael out. In all probability, Hyka will turn violent and seek revenge. You need to take Michael to a safe place.”
“Where?”
“I have a house in London. I'll send a car at seven in the morning.”
*****
“Is this yours?” Cassy asked as she looked across the limousine to the private jet. Igor nodded.
“We'll be in London before you know it. Is Michael okay with planes?”
“He's flown before. I don't think it will be a problem.”
“Found me,” Michael said as he looked at Igor.
“Yes. We found you,” Igor said with a grin on his face.
In London, Cassy couldn't believe how large the house was. It was just outside the city in a leafy suburb. Because of the time difference, they'd arrived in the evening and it was just getting dark, but Cassy could see enough of the property to know that Igor was a very wealthy man.
“He's fast asleep,” Cassy said when she came back downstairs. “You've given Michael a lovely room.”
“The best in the house. In the morning, he'll be able to see the horses running around in the fields if he looks out of his window.”
Cassy sat on a huge sofa in the middle of the sitting room and looked at Igor. What had brought him to be so kind to them? He didn't seem to want anything, but that could change, she thought. The police had asked a thousand questions about how Michael had suddenly arrived home, but she'd told them she didn't know. Maybe the kidnappers had gotten cold feet, she'd suggested. She'd told the cops she was going to London for a few days to rest.
“Why? Why did you do this for us?”
“Do you honestly want to know?” he asked as he handed her a glass of wine.
“Yes.”
“Because I'm a sucker for a beautiful woman. I saw you on TV and saw how fucking upset you were. And I thought maybe I could get inside your panties.”
“You are really strange. Do you know that?” she said. “Why go to all that trouble just to get me into bed?”
“Well, put it this way: If I just turned up on your doorstep and demanded to fuck you, what would you have said?”
“I would have called the cops.”
“Jesus, Cassy. You're going to have to learn that the cops are assholes. They’re all on the take.”
“In Russia maybe, but not in America.”
“You are so naive. Anyway, what about you and me now? Will you fuck me or not?”
Cassy sipped her wine and looked at him. She was sorely tempted. The mix of danger and kindness that oozed from him was proving to be a powerful aphrodisiac. What harm could it do? He was hot, and it had been a long time since she'd had sex. Michael was safe, and Igor seemed to be protecting her. Maybe she owed him, she thought. What harm could it do?
“So what did you like about me when you saw me on TV?” she asked.
“All of you.”
“Come here,” she said.
He got up and walked to the sofa. When he stood in front of her, she could see the bulge of his penis through his pants. It was growing as she looked at it. She stood up and looked up into his eyes.
“Okay. Take me to bed,” she said
Igor picked her up as if she was a feather and carried her upstairs to a large bedroom. She gasped when he threw her onto the bed. Her skirt rode up her legs, and he looked at the shape of them.
“You are one fucking beautiful woman. I'm gonna really enjoy screwing you.”
“I suppose you'll have me begging for more,” Cassy said humorously.
“Yes,” Igor said seriously. “You will be begging me to fuck you more often.”
When he took off his shirt, Cassy was impressed by his hard muscles and the six-pack stomach. “I train a lot,” he said when he noticed her gaze. “Come on, get you clothes off.”