Misha had flown to Paris to deal with the Devil.
Jean-Pierre was smart. Had he not involved Emily, Misha would’ve killed the Devil and Eden with ease. There would have been no reason to keep her alive. She had been involved as soon as the Devil kidnapped her. He would have thought she knew too much.
Misha’s fuck up, caused as much trouble as Jean-Pierre. They’ll both pay as soon as Emily is back with me.
Misha would not feel physical pain. I couldn’t do that to my cousin. But I would torture him some way. There had to be a price to pay. Misha had caused the deaths of innocents in America, and now in Paris. Had I been involved; this would’ve been dealt with quickly. And not one woman would’ve needed to be taken.
The least he could have done was get the Devil’s address.
Misha had tracked him fast. Hacked into all of our phones, and delivered the address.
But where are you, Misha? Hiding behind your computer in some room in Paris?
Although the engine hummed, silence hit the jeep. Everyone had their guns out. I held two in my hand. I was ready to shoot anybody. Ready to kill anyone to get Emily back.
Here we go.
The jeep entered a peaceful neighborhood. The kind that families chose to raise their kids. Several big houses outlined the roads. All buildings appeared to hold at least three to four bedrooms. Not high end architecture. Very middle class.
Lots of families here. How did my codes get here?
If only the neighborhood knew the danger around them. Such a nice peaceful place that could balloon into chaos within seconds. We had heavy weapons with us. I was confident that Jean-Pierre had his own artillery waiting within the shadows.
I’ll try to keep these families safe, but. . .
Families. That word made me think of Emily. We were supposed to be finding out if she was pregnant. We had been considering starting our own family.
Don’t think about this. If you do, you won’t be able to focus.
I tightened my hold on both guns.
A minute later, we stopped in front of the house.
A red sedan pulled up and parked behind us .
I glanced over my shoulder. “Who’s that?”
“A black guy,” Pavel said. “I don’t know. Perhaps, more of the mouse’s men.”
I squinted and gained a better look.
Maxwell stepped out of the sedan, wearing a black suit. Dread covered his face. Dark brown skin and hazel eyes, he looked the same, besides the black ring around his right eye.
Who punched him in the eye?
For some reason, my spirit brightened for the first time. I hadn’t realized how alone I felt. And looking at Maxwell’s broken face, I could tell he was just as miserable as me.
It gave me some comfort that someone else was missing Emily as much as me.
With no explanation, I opened the door and left the jeep.
Maxwell paused and yanked out his gun.
I walked over.
He spotted me, put the gun up, and rushed over. That New York accent rode every word. “Em called. I was supposed to give them this address, but I thought it would be smarter to get the girl first, and then call them.”
“Good.” I nodded in agreement. “If Jean-Pierre got Eden before giving me Emily, he may kill Emily, or dangle her in front of me to his bidding. This move makes us equal.” I looked back. “As long as she’s still alive.”
“Misha told me the Devil didn’t want to give her back.”
“Something to do with the Devil’s beef with Jean-Pierre.”
“So we’re going to kill the Devil?” Maxwell took his gun out.
“I haven’t decided yet. My focus is Emily and getting her back.”
“Me too.” Maxwell hitched the right side of his mouth in disgust. “Just point to the motherfucker I’m supposed to kill.”
I checked the empty sedan that Maxwell had left. “Where’s Misha?”
“He had to go back to St. Petersburg.”
Rage blazed through me. I gritted me teeth. “Misha and I will have a long talk after all of this is over. What happened to your eye?”
He frowned. “It’s a long story and not important.”
Emily’s men showed up next in several jeeps and vans.
Still gripping his gun , Maxwell checked their direction and raised his eyebrows. “Where are all the black people coming from?”
“Emily’s new crew?”
“New crew?” Maxwell studied them as they rushed out of their vehicles. “We’ll see about that.”
“She’s been busy.”
“She always is.” Maxwell glared at me. “I thought you was supposed to protect her. If I knew you couldn’t, I wouldn’t have left her with you.”
“Left her with me? Is that what you did?”
Maxwell turned to the house. “I’m taking her back to New York after this.”
“You must still be drunk.”
Maxwell pursed his lips.
“After this kidnapping, do you think I’ll let anybody else near Emily again?” A dark laugh hit me. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe from now on.”
Maxwell snorted. “You won’t get another chance.”
“I will, and this had nothing to do with me. It was all about a kidnapped flute player.”
“I thought she played violin.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It could.” Maxwell shrugged. “Regardless, is the flute player in the house?”
“You tell me. Misha gave us the location.”
Across the street, two men got out of a parked van and eyed us. They had guns on them, but they were smart enough not to pull them out.
These s must be the Devil’s men.
Pavel left the jeep and walked over to them. Maxwell and I headed that way.
When we met them, Pavel spoke, “Which one of you is the Devil?”
The man took in all of our faces and pointed a shaking finger to the house.
Pavel gestured at it. “The Devil is in there?”
They nodded.
“With the girl?”
The guy widened his eyes and nodded again.
“Thanks.” Pavel smiled, pulled out his gun, and shot them both in the forehead. One of his men cleaned up the bodies .
“Let’s go.” I headed down the walkway.
Maxwell took out his gun again and followed.
Annoyance hit Pavel’s voice. “Where’s Misha?”
“He headed back to St. Petersburg.”
“Why?”
Maxwell cleared his throat. “long story.”
I frowned. “I have no time for games, Maxwell.”
“Man, I’m not coming between Misha and you. Why he left is his story to tell.”
“Misha fucked up and now Emily is gone,” I growled. “Him and I will talk soon.”
“If it matters, Misha’s going through a lot—”
“He should have been here.”
Nodding, Maxwell left it alone.
We stepped to the front of the house. Pavel remained on my side. Maxwell stepped forward and knocked on the door.
No one answered.
I knocked.
Sound came from inside. Footsteps, and hushed noises.
Maxwell tilted his head to the side. “Some guy peeked his head through the curtains and then jumped back. I think he’s still there, hiding behind the curtains.”
“Shoot him.”
Maxwell shrugged, pointed, and shot.
I pointed at the door for the others. “Let’s go.”
Pavel and David kicked down the door, shoving it off the hinges.
The scent of blood drifted my way.
I raised both guns and shot the first man I saw. Bullets slammed into his chest. Bloodied holes remained. There was no time to waste conversation. Everyone needed to understand who had come, and that I wasn’t playing.
I shot the Devil’s men before they could lift their weapons to aim. Anyone that I didn’t get, Pavel, David, o
r Maxwell did . Fast. Efficient. Our men moved into the room, firing on the Devil’s men.
“Wait!” A huge man dropped his gun and raised his hand. A clear mask covered his face.
What’s up with the mask?
“Hey!” The masked-man ducked. “I’m on your side!”
Pavel and David stopped right in front of them, aiming their guns at his head.
“Hold on.” I gave my guns to the man closest to me, and then held one hand up for my men. There was no need to shoot. We had a smart guy here that would be ready to talk.
No one lowered their guns, but everyone stopped shooting.
Waving smoke away, I walked forward and scanned the space.
A woman sat on the floor, wearing a torn sequenced gown. She had a caramel complexion. From some sort of interracial courtship, although I couldn’t guess what her parents must’ve been.
She looked a mess. Yellow stains spotted the front of the gown. She smelled like piss and sweat. Hair toppled and all over the place. Dirt smudged her face. On one side of her face, three long gashes sliced her cheeks.
Is this what Jean-Pierre has been obsessed with all these years? This is the woman you start a war for?
The tiny, dirty woman held something in her arm. Apparently it was invisible, she kept stroking the air and looking down at it.
“Hey?!” The masked man kept his hands in the air. “I work for Misha. Call him up. He’ll explain everything.”
The guy grabbed my attention.
Pavel and David moved to the side, and let me walk to the clear masked man.
I stopped in front of him, giving us no space. A closer look didn’t help the matter. I now understood why he wore the clear mask. There only appeared to be raw and chewed-up skin underneath it.
What a disgusting face.
“Are you the man they call the Devil?” I asked.
He inched back. Spit bubbled on his scarred lip. “Yes.”
I gestured to the dirty woman on the floor. “And that is Eden?”
She stopped stroking the air and bobbed her head. “Y-yes, I’m Eden.”
The Devil nervously turned her way. “Uh, yes. But as I explained to Misha. The girl is linked to an old enemy that I—”
“Be quiet.” I placed my hands in my pockets , walked around the room, and gestured to his dead men. “Where are the codes?”
“They’re in my pocket.” The Devil still had not lowered his hands. “Celina has the other part. The sister unit.”
Celina lied to you. She has nothing. The sister unit is in Moscow.
“Give them to my men.” I walked further into the house, scanned the area, and stopped in front of a dead woman that had been tied to a chair. One of her arms lay on the floor next to her cut-off foot. Both had been placed in a neat line.
What the Devil had done to her had been sickening. He hacked off her arm, and mutilated different parts of her body.
What type of man would do this?
The dead woman’s head drooped forward. It was still attached to her body, but barely. Her chin rested on her chest, which did not rise or fall.
Leaning forward, I tilted my head to the side and studied the dead woman’s arm. “You used a saw on a woman?”
“I…well, Misha said that…I should get the codes back…at all costs.” The Devil glanced around the room, as if looking for help, but all of his men had either been shot dead or were currently being dragged out the back of the house by David and Pavel.
Shots sounded next.
Everyone involved in this situation would have to die. The Devil’s kidnapping of Jean-Pierre’s lady had affected me. No one could live. Not the Devil. Not even Jean-Pierre. And anyone that helped in any way , they would drown in their own blood.
When you get Eden back, and you’ve given my mouse to me. . .cherish those last days, Jean-Pierre. Soon. . .I will kill you.
I turned to the Devil. “What’s your connection to Jean-Pierre?”
“H-he did this to my face.”
Interesting.
I inched closer, to study the damage peeking out from under the mask. “But he didn’t kill you?”
“No.”
I frowned. “I would have definitely killed you.”
Silence bridged between us.
I shrugged. “But then, that’s why they call me the Lion, and Jean-Pierre the butcher.”
I directed my attention back to the woman who had started it all. “I’m Kazimir. You’re coming with me right now.”
Shaking, she rose and lifted the invisible thing in the air. “Okay.”
I stared at her empty arm as she stroked and shushed it.
What’s going on?
I scowled at the Devil. “What is she doing? Did you give her something?”
“One of the men did. Not me.” The Devil’s voice came out shaky. “I killed the guy when I found out he did it. I’ve done my best to keep her safe and fed—”
“She smells like shit. Her face is scarred.” I spat out the words. “And she looks deranged, like she hasn’t slept, or eaten in years. Now I don’t know much about Jean-Pierre’s taste in women, but I bet he wouldn’t lay with one that smelled this bad. He’s big on perfume.”
The Devil went silent.
Jesus. There are no rules to this world anymore. How is he treating you, mouse? Is he being a monster like this one?
David walked up to me. “What do you want?”
“Kill everyone accept the idiot with the mask and the smelly woman. She’s the key to getting Emily back. And this Devil may one day be the trap to get Jean-Pierre later.”
I turned to Boris who came up on my right. “Tie up this Devil. I was going to kill him, but he may be a good bargaining chip with Jean-Pierre. Who knows what the Butcher would do to get his hands on him.”
The Devil shook his head. “Kazimir, p-please. I was following orders. Please, don’t give me to Jean-Pierre. I would rather you kill me now.”
“Misha, wouldn’t tell you to kidnap any women. He said, get the codes. That was it. You’ll also have to come with us, and explain to Jean-Pierre, that you did that to her face.” I studied the woman. “Someone fix those cuts up. Why would someone cut that face?”
It looked like someone had sliced three to four lines in her cheeks.
Everyone glanced her way. One of Emily’s men grabbed bandages, headed over, and cleaned the wounds. She jumped a little but let him.
I checked my watch.
We need a location for the exchange. This could work. I’ve got the girl. He can’t hurt my mouse anymore.
I watched Boris tie the Devil up and take him away.
Maxwell walked over to me. “She’ll need stiches too. The bandages won’t be enough.”
The woman jumped again.
They bandaged her face on the side. Another gave her a bottle of water. She set the imaginary animal on the ground and sniffed the water before drinking it. She finished the first in seconds, and immediately started coughing .
Someone offered another bottle. She hugged her stomach but gulped down the second.
“Now what?” Maxwell put his gun away. “Kazimir, I don’t care who we kill, just as long as we get Emily back.”
“We’re close, Maxwell. One part is done. Now for the hard part.” I left the hysterical woman, walked to the window, and stared out of it.
Maxwell walked up to the window with me. “I thought finding the flute player was the hard part.”
“No.” Kazimir glanced over his shoulder at me. “The hardest part will be exchanging this one for Emily.”
Following my order, David and Pavel left no one alive. Emily’s men stacked the dead bodies in the back.
Maxwell did his own investigation as the others cleaned up. Every few feet, he would analyze the blood splatter, and knocked over furniture in front of him. After a while, he stopped at the sawed-up woman. “Who’s the dead woman in the chair?”
“I don’t know. Jean-Pierre only bitched about one woman. We’ve got
her.”
“And the exchange?”
I shook my head. “I keep thinking the airport, but he can shoot my plane out the sky as we leave. It needs to be a public place. Lots of opportunity for casualties. I don’t know much about Jean-Pierre, but I know he cares about the French. He wouldn’t want any citizens harmed, if they don’t have to be.”
David came up to us and put his gun away. “What’s next?”
I considered the question. “We need somewhere big and public, but a place that we can control.”
“Nothing too touristy.” David bobbed his head. “Military will be there, and Jean-Pierre controls them.”
“Maybe, a shopping center would keep the military busy. The more people around the better.”
David held his chin and then let it go. “We have a massive shopping center with an underground train. Thousands of people will be there. I can get my people there fast.”
“Underground is good.” Maxwell chimed in. “Em could escape around some shit like that. If you give them an exchange with lots of options, she might run away before the exchange.”
My body tensed. “She better not. It could get her killed.”
Maxwell gave me a weak smile. “Em doesn’t like to be trapped. I can’t guarantee she’ll sit still and be quiet.”
Me either.
“We’ll figure out something.” David pointed to the window. A long violet limo arrived in front of the house. David appeared embarrassed. “My grandmother sent her limo to help. She thinks you should talk to her first.”
I eyed him. “And do you think it’s necessary?”
“I do, but that is just my opinion.” David shrugged. “But, on another note. . .I have an idea. These men killed some other guys in here. They’re Corsican.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. These guys were guarding someone.” David gestured to the dead woman in the chair. “Probably her.”
“So maybe the Corsican will come this way?”
“That’s a chance.” David pulled out his phone. “I’ll have some of my men check out the shopping center that I was talking about. The rest can keep their eyes on the house.”
Blue interjected, I hadn’t even realized she was around. “I could put a camera on the door, and maybe in the house. If they see any Russian around, they may not come.”
“Good point,” I said. “Keep your people further away and hidden David, but give Blue anything you can to monitor this house.”
Dirty Minds: The Lion and The Mouse (Book 4) Page 5
