by Lane Hart
I take the phone again and say, “Bye, Daddy. See you soon.”
“Love you, sweetie,” he replies before I turn around to put the phone down.
Good timing too because there’s a mechanical sound and then the door opens.
“So, Craig, what’s the plan for tonight?” Ivan asks as I go over to my luggage and start unpacking just to have something to do. Ivan said to act normal, so I figure it’s the most natural thing for me to work on.
“Four of the guys are coming up with Jimmy. They should be here in an hour. Then, tonight, the family is going to have dinner downstairs. That’s when we can finally get some sleep.”
“If we’re sleeping, then who the fuck is gonna watch her?” Ivan asks as he gestures to me with his thumb over his shoulder.
“One of them, probably Vinnie, will stay in her room or just outside the door, and another will be in the lobby all night,” Craig explains. “Since we’re on the sixth floor and there’s no balcony, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her jumping out a window.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out,” Ivan remarks with a nod. “And I could really use some Z's after pulling an all-nighter.”
“I hear you,” Craig agrees. Trying to pretend like I’m not paying attention, I still see him slip a hand in the front of his pocket and pull out a key card. “Once the guys get here, you can crash in the room at the end of the hallway.”
“I’ve got a room all to myself?” Ivan asks with his eyebrows raised in surprise.
“No,” the guard answers with a laugh. “That’s for all six of us. Two bedrooms, two sleeping at a time and four on duty.”
“Gotcha,” Ivan replies.
“Paul and Vincent slept today, so you and I get to go down first.”
“Perfect,” Ivan replies with a smile as if that will work out even better for what he has in mind.
Chapter Sixteen
Ivan
Not only will it be easy for me, Cain and Knox to subdue Craig when he’s sleeping and take over the room next door, but even better — we won’t have to pay for the room with a credit card, which is less of a paper trail. After that, we’ll just wait inside the room as each guard comes in to take over and tie them up, waiting for when Jimmy finally comes looking for his men, and his bride, then BOOM.
He’ll be dead before he even figures out what hit him.
I made a quick call to Knox’s cell phone from the room when Craig was in the bathroom. Now he’s sleeping in his bedroom with the door halfway open, so now I’m just waiting for a knock at the door.
I’m pretty sure I can even hear the big man snoring already. He’s gonna be so groggy, his reflexes will be even slower. This plan almost seems too easy.
The soft knock finally comes, followed by Knox saying, “Room service.”
“Huh?” Craig mutters sleepily, but I softly call out, “Just food. I’ve got it.”
“Don’t charge it to the room,” he mumbles as I walk over to the door and open it quietly.
“Hey, thanks. How much do I owe you?” I ask Cain and Knox, who roll their eyes and silently ease inside past me with duffle bags on each of their shoulders. Not one of us speaks again or makes a sound until the snoring starts up again.
“Grab him?” Cain mouths, obviously privy to the details of the plans Knox must have filled him in on.
With a nod, Knox and Cain lower their bags silently to the floor, and then we all tiptoe like the kids in a Scooby Doo show toward the dark bedroom. I go in first, having to push open the door wider for us to fit inside. Of course, it creaks.
“Mmm, you coming to keep me warm, Ivan?” Craig asks.
I freeze a moment, concerned what Cain or Knox will think before I say fuck it and go with it, “Yeah,” I reply.
“Good,” Craig murmurs.
The lump of his body is on the right side, so I go around to the left, climb up on the mattress and pray that his back is to mine when I lunge for his head. Thankfully, it is.
Hearing his humph of shock, one of the guys flips on the lights as I struggle to grab my right arm that’s locked in front of his throat to choke him out. Cain or Knox, maybe both, hold down his lower body as he fights for several long seconds before his limbs finally go slack.
“He’s out,” I say through gasps as I let go.
“So easy,” Cain laughs. “And everyone thinks he’s sleeping, so they won’t know we’ve got him hogtied until in the morning?” he asks.
“Yep,” I agree. “Two more will come in around seven in the morning to change out with us. That might be harder, so we’ll have to hope they’re tired and we can catch them off guard.”
“Let’s keep this one in this attached bathroom,” Knox suggest. “Then, when the other two come in and see you but not him, you can tell them he’s sick and that they should go check on him. They come through the bedroom door and Cain takes one, I get the other. By then you can pop in and make sure we’ve got them under control.”
“Sounds good,” I agree. “Except one is about the size of all three of us put together. What do you have in mind for him?”
“Hmm,” Knox mutters as he rubs his chin in thought. “Hit him over the head with something hard like the butt of a gun?”
“That could temporarily stun him,” Cain agrees.
“Might work,” I say as I think it over. “If it doesn’t take him down, though, we might be fucked.”
“We’re fighters. We can take care of him,” Knox says confidently. “And not to be an asshole or anything, but, dude, you look like you could use some sleep.”
“I’m exhausted,” I agree. “But I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until Maylin gets in from her dinner. And then what if one of the guys comes by to check on us?”
Knox grabs my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “Again, Cain and I will hide in this bedroom, and then you tell them the restrained man is puking in the bathroom. No one will want to go near him if you say that.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m just so paranoid…”
“It’s the lack of sleep,” Cain says. “Everything seems worse than it is. We’ve got this handled. All you need to worry about is pulling the trigger when that fucker comes in here, whether it’s tonight or tomorrow.”
“Are you gonna be able to do it?” Knox asks.
“Fuck yes,” I tell him without hesitation. “He’s a dead man, and I won’t have any problem getting it done myself.”
“You’re sure?” Cain asks. “Because if you have any doubt, we need a backup plan.”
“Zero doubts,” I say. “The only way Jimmy Russo survives is if I’m fucking dead.”
“And we’re not gonna let that happen,” Knox tells me.
“I know. I appreciate you having my back on this,” I say to him and Cain.
“You would do the same, no questions asked. That’s how we roll,” Knox replies. “Now go try to take a nap or relax. Anything to prevent those bags under your eyes from getting bigger. We’ll tie this one up tight,” he says, nodding to Craig’s limp body.
“Good,” I say since my gas tank is running on nothing but fumes.
Chapter Seventeen
Maylin
Dinner with my father, Jimmy and several of their guards is so formal and boring. The two mob bosses talk business through salads, and by business, I mean securing drugs from an upcoming trucking shipment, or at least that’s my guess.
We’re in a dining room all to ourselves, so they talk freely and I hear more about their dealings than I care for.
I realized long ago that my father wasn’t a saint when I overheard phone calls from my bedroom about heroin distribution. He’s always tried his best to keep me away from any of the mob activities — well, until now since I’m sitting right smack dab in the middle of it.
What makes tonight even worse is that Ivan is not around. He’s supposed to be up in his room getting some much-needed sleep, but I hope he’ll sneak into my room later tonight.
By our first course, the conversation has dived straight into the wedding tomorrow. My father asks me if I’m all set, and I assure him that I will be when my dress is delivered.
“She’ll deliver all right,” Jimmy grumbles. “I have a hairstylist and makeup artist coming here first thing tomorrow morning to work on you too.”
I didn’t realize I looked so bad that I needed professional help, but tomorrow is our special day. Once in a lifetime, yadda, yadda. It will be such a relief to escape this man once and for all.
…
My dad and his two men walk me up to my room when dinner finally ends.
“You okay?” my father asks.
“Yeah, fine,” I tell him.
“Tomorrow could be…hectic,” he says, and I know he doesn’t mean the wedding. “You just lay low and stay out of the drama, if you know what I mean. I can leave one of my men here…”
“No, that’s okay. Jimmy probably wouldn’t like that. He would assume that you don’t trust him,” I say. “I’m okay. Friends are close.”
“Good,” he replies with a nod. “I love you, and I’m sorry I put you in this position.”
“It wasn’t entirely your fault,” I assure him. He would’ve been dead if he hadn’t agreed to Jimmy’s demands. “Everything’s gonna be fine,” I add.
“Right,” my father agrees before grabbing my shoulders to lean in and plant a kiss on my forehead. “I’m in room eight-oh-eight if you need me.”
“Got it,” I agree when he pulls away. “See you in the morning.”
“Goodnight,” he replies before he walks off down the hallway with his men.
I slip my key card from my small purse and slide it into the device just as the door to the room at the end of the hall opens and Ivan steps out. He must have been eavesdropping.
“Hey,” I say with a smile as he approaches, having missed him even if it was only two hours ago that I last saw him.
“Hey,” he echoes with a small grin. But as he comes closer, I see how bloodshot his eyes are and how his wide shoulders are slumped. He must desperately need some sleep after staying up all night and then the trip here…
“Have you slept any?” I ask, assuming he would crash while I was away.
Shaking his head, he says, “Couldn’t sleep until I knew you were back safe.”
God, he’s so freaking sweet.
“Come sleep with me?” I ask softly, nodding to my hotel room door. “We need to hurry. A guard will be up soon to check on me.”
“Definitely,” he agrees. “Lead the way.”
Inside the room, I leave the lights off and turn on just the light in the bathroom. “Go ahead and get comfy. I’ll get cleaned up and changed, then I’ll join you after the guard checks in,” I tell him, and he nods in agreement before he starts undressing, lifting his shirt over his head. And I can’t help but stare, because Ivan’s so amazing, and his body is incredible.
When he disappears out of sight, I finally lock myself in the bathroom to use the restroom and brush my teeth, readying myself for bed.
By the time I’m finished, there’s a knock on the door.
Here’s hoping they don’t ask to come inside.
“Just a second,” I call out before I pad over and open it with the chain still in place. Vinnie or Vincent is standing on the other side.
“Making sure you were in there,” he grumbles as he peeks in the crack.
“I’m in here and going to bed, so is that all?” I ask him. “Tomorrow’s a big day and I need my sleep.”
“Yeah, okay,” he mutters as I shut the door in his face, relieved that he didn’t try to do a search of the room. Jimmy’s worried about me sneaking off and probably hasn’t considered the idea that I could be sleeping with his new security guard.
Using the light from the cracked bathroom door, I find my way to the bed.
Ivan is sprawled out face down on the pillow, lips parted, eyes closed, already asleep and not even fazed by the knock on the door.
I have to climb over the top of him to get to the empty side of the bed, but even that doesn’t stir him.
Poor thing. He needs to catch up on his sleep after most likely being awake for thirty-six hours or so. So, I brush his hair back from his handsome face and watch him sleep until I doze off myself.
…
Ivan
I’m so used to the scene from my childhood replaying over and over again in my dreams that it hardly even terrorizes me anymore.
Only for some reason, tonight’s version is a little different.
When I peek through the keyhole and into the bedroom where my mother is being held at gunpoint by Jimmy Russo, it’s not my mother on the bed. It’s a younger woman with long, wavy red hair.
“Maylin?” I say aloud, but she doesn’t look at me, too focused on the killer pointing the muzzle of his gun right at her temple.
I try to turn the knob to get into the room and stop Jimmy, but I can’t. It’s locked. Jenny grabs my hand like every other time and pulls me away, down the hallway and then the stairs.
“No! Wait! I need to go back!” I tell her as I try to pull my hand free. But then the other women are behind me pushing me down the stairs and whispering, “He’ll kill you too if you don’t run!”
As if they’re psychic, the boom of the gun goes off once, then twice, telling me all I need to know.
Maylin’s dead, just like my mother, and I couldn’t save either of them.
I don’t want to run, but I can’t seem to fight the forward momentum. Fight or flight instincts take over, so I pump my legs to go as fast as Jenny runs, dragging me behind her until it feels like my lungs are gonna explode if I don’t get any air.
“Stop! We have to…we have to stop!” I try to tell her, but she won’t listen to me. “Stop!” I scream again, and that’s when the earthquake hits, shaking me so hard that I start to lose my balance and fall to the ground.
“Ah!” I scream as I startle awake. Sitting up in the center of a dark room, I feel around the bed, trying to figure out where I am.
“Ivan, it’s okay,” a sweet voice says from beside me.
Maylin.
She’s alive, not lying in a puddle of blood on the bed with a bullet in her head. Oh, thank fuck.
“You had a bad dream,” she tells me.
“No, it wasn’t…it wasn’t the same dream. It was…different,” I say as I pant and gasp for air.
“Calm down, you’re okay,” Maylin whispers to me with her arms holding me tight. “Just take slow, deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. In. Out.”
She talks me through the rhythmic breathing until my heart rate slows back down to normal again.
Then I remember where we’re at, the hotel, and what’s supposed to happen today.
“Shit! What time is it?” I exclaim in a whisper as I whip my head around to the clock on the bedside table and see the red numbers. “Fuck! It’s six o’clock! It’s almost time for the guard change!” I say as I jump out of bed and start feeling around the floor for my jeans to start getting dressed.
“I was gonna wake you up in time,” Maylin says. “Seven o’clock, right?” she asks.
“Yes, but they could come by early.”
“Well, aren’t Knox and Cain in the room in case they do?” she points out.
“Yes, but I need to be there too. Where the hell is my shirt?” I grumble.
“Okay, then let me turn the light on, so we can find it easier,” Maylin suggests. The mattress squeaks, and then a moment later the blinding light flashes on.
“There it is,” I say as I grab my shirt from the small sofa and pull it on. I sit down on it to put on my shoes. Finally finished, I get to my feet and tell Maylin, “I better head over there. We’ll come get you once we have the guards subdued.”
“What about the guard in the hallway?” she asks.
“Shit!” I mutter when I remember that someone’s posted just outside the door. “I’ll have to climb over the balcony
next door.”
“What? No! You could fall!” Maylin argues.
“I’ll be fine,” I say as I go over and rip open the blinds to look out, letting in the bright beams of the sunrise. “There’s only about two feet between them. That’s nothing.”
“Are you sure?” she asks as she leans against the door to look herself.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll text Knox and tell him to unlock the sliding door for me,” I say as I pull out the flip phone the guys brought from home for me yesterday and send a quick message that I’m coming over.
“I’m worried about you, all of you,” Maylin confesses.
“We’ll be fine,” I assure her. “You just get ready and dressed like you have every intention of walking down that aisle in a few hours, and I’ll come get you before anyone comes looking for you.”
“Okay,” she agrees, but before I start to walk past her to the sliding door, she grabs my arm to stop me. Looking down at her face, I finally take a moment to appreciate how beautiful her ivory skin dotted with cute freckles over her nose is in the early morning sunlight and the way her long hair is all sexy and messy from sleeping.
“Thank you,” Maylin says before she stands on her tippy toes to plant a soft kiss on my lips.
“Don’t thank me until all of this is over,” I reply with the corner of my lips lifting just a little, because how can I not look at her or accept a kiss from this gorgeous woman without smiling. It’s impossible.
“I have faith in you,” she says, her words spearing right through my heart because they remind me of the nightmare I just had, the one where I let her down and couldn’t save her.
“See you in a little while,” I tell her, leaning down to give her another quick kiss. Hurrying out the sliding glass door, I climb over the thin, metal railing. Then, it’s an easy stretch to grab the other side and hop over. Once I’m safely on the other balcony, Maylin shuts her door and I open the unlocked door to step inside.
