They were still alive, which was a good sign. Perhaps the gangsters concluded they weren’t doing any harm. Squirming a bit, but that had to be natural in their position, right? Plus they’d been warned, so the Mafia had a solid reason to assume they would keep quiet.
But would they?
She knew there was no going back for either of them. When Luke confessed to her, she saw he was broken. His burden had been unbearable, and he would never condone the hideous crimes they tried to drag him into. Tasha didn’t know how long he could take it before it drove him mad. She would stand by his side, whatever he decided, and she wouldn’t let him give in. There was no going back for her, either. She was an accomplice, technically, and if the police or the federals ever did nail the organization, she’d go to trial right next to him. She would not let that happen. It wasn’t fair. All the money in the world wasn’t worth it.
“Do you have anyone else you can trust? Lawyers? Judges? You must know some senators or something?”
“I do. All of them, take your pick. But do I trust them? Not for a minute. Never met a politician I trusted. Most of them play golf with Vincenzi, or order hookers from Vincenzi, or get their daily fix-”
“I get the point. What then?”
“I’m thinking.”
“This doesn’t look good, does it, Luke?”
“Not particularly, no.”
He drove to her place and parked right in front of the main door. There was no reason to try and hide. Tasha still looked around, and this time she thought she caught a glimpse of a suspicious sedan parked down the street, but then again, it was New York, and dark sedans were as common as yellow taxis. She was a hundred per cent sure they were being watched, and didn’t care. From now on she wouldn’t let herself get scared. Luke held her hand, and that gave her all the confidence she needed. They were together, against the world.
Tasha popped open a bottle of white wine.
“Isn’t it a bit early?” Luke said.
“Hurry, before it’s too late.”
“Don’t say that.” He picked up his glass. “We’ll get through it. I won’t let them win.”
She smiled, and they drank. She wouldn’t let them win, either. Fuck the Mafia! No slimy piece of shit gangster would stand between Tasha and her man! What could they do? Every two-bit dumbass could sell drugs and weapons! Every moron could organize a revolution in a third-world country!
Let them come. See what they can do against a woman in love! Now there was a fool’s errand.
“Fuck them,” Tasha said as a toast, raising her glass.
“Fuck them all,” Luke agreed.
Tasha made spaghetti, and they finished the bottle, smiling all the way. Happiness turned out to be not in huge countryside mansions or sports cars, not in successful careers. Now that their lives were in real danger, none of that mattered to Tasha. She hadn’t thought about work since Friday, and even now the thought of it seemed meaningless. What mattered now was sitting next to her man, seeing him eat and drink, and look at her lovingly. All she wanted was for them to sit there like that, without having to worry about Mafia or other people’s finances all of that sounded ridiculous, like something made up out of sheer boredom.
However, the question was almost palpable in the air between them, just waiting to be spoken out loud. Tasha was the one to do it: “What’s next?”
He took her hand. “I want to make love to you. Let’s keep them thinking all we do is fuck.”
“I like the sound of that.”
They kissed and went into the bedroom. They made love, giving it all to each other, never once remembering about their troubles. There was no place for it there and then. Afterwards they slept for a few hours and woke when it was already dark outside. They had an early breakfast, then watched TV for – a while. They desperately needed a break, something to take their minds off the situation.
Of course, in the end there was no escaping it.
Luke stood up with a start. “Can I have your phone?” he asked.
“Sure, in the bag. What’s on your mind?”
“I just thought of something. I need to make a few calls.”
He grabbed the cell phone and locked himself in the bedroom, leaving Tasha to wonder. She was excited to see him get busy, her heart racing. There was a glimmer of hope on the horizon. The solution had been found. Eureka! From Luke’s eagerness she judged he had a new plan, this time surely more concrete than the previous one. Couldn’t get any worse, could it? Unless Agent Chris had been onto something.
Tasha chuckled. The sound stemmed from nerves, rather than amusement, but the circumstances allowed that.
Luke spent over an hour in the bedroom, constantly talking to people, and listening a lot. Tasha prayed to God whoever he called were reliable, loyal. Something told her this was their last shot at getting out of this. She was ready for a sudden knock on the door any time now. She imagined coming over to the peephole and finding two well-dressed men standing on the other side of the door. Armed, both of them, and waiting patiently for her to open the door. They wouldn’t storm it, no. Why bother? They knew they had the high ground no matter what. And there was nowhere to run. Sure, they could exit though the patio, jump down to the pavement, but there would only be more men waiting for them.
Tasha wanted to step out and look, to spit down on their oily heads.
She remained on the couch, one foot twitching, waiting for Luke. That was all she could do at this point, really. Wait.
After ten more minutes she relaxed. Was he negotiating a deal with the Mafia? Or was he consulting a lawyer? It had to be one of those two things, but secretly she hoped he was talking to Agent Chris, offering him money. She’d have done so, but from the way Luke’s contact had reacted it was clear that money wouldn’t do the trick. If everyone at the agency was so afraid to cross Vincenzi, then Tasha was afraid to even speculate who they could talk to.
Finally, after an hour and a half, Luke emerged from the bedroom.
Chapter 9
His face was red, and he looked overall crushed. He stumbled to the couch and crashed next to Tasha, putting his arms around her. They sat like that for a long time, until he was ready to talk.
“I did it.”
“What? What did you do?”
He looked up at her; his hands were shaking. “I got rid of the company.”
“Wha- How?” Tasha tried to process this piece of data, and couldn’t. She’d taken part in selling and buying companies, but that process took months. There wasn’t a yard big enough for this type of a sale. You couldn’t just go around buying and selling billion-dollar businesses. None of it made sense.
“I… I just called up the board of directors. Well, one of them, and I offered them my fifty-two per cent.”
Board of directors! Of a company sponsored by the Italian Mafia! If the gangsters had only been watching before, now they would surely take action. These thoughts must’ve been written on her forehead, because Luke said, “Don’t worry. I trust this man. I offered him a quarter of the firm for bus change and a sandwich. Hundred million via direct wire transfer.”
“Is that even legal?” She knew well enough it wasn’t.
“I don’t think it matters anymore.”
“And if he tips off Vincenzi?”
“He won’t. There’s too much in it for him. That share is worth north of a billion and a half. I’m practically making him king.”
“You can’t do that!” she said, unaware of it. Of course he could, should’ve done so a long time ago.
He said nothing for sometime – he was still in shock, looking past her at nothing. She couldn’t imagine what was going through his head. She couldn’t give up something she’d been building all her life. And what Luke had built was gigantic! An international business, which brought billions! She had to remind herself that it was blood money, made on suffering and exploitation of God knew how many innocent people. It was a dirty business, and in a way it had never belonged to him.
The Mafia was responsible, they were to blame, and they were the criminals here. Blood-sucking, ruthless parasites. There was nothing to feel sorry about; Luke had simply given them what was theirs to begin with. It was their problem now, and they would have to deal with that.
“Did you sell all of it?” she asked. “Every last bit?”
“Everything. I now own no business and no shares of it. I’m sorry, Tash, but I’m unofficially unemployed.”
The joke would be funny, if it weren’t so sad. She gave him a kiss. “It’s okay. And what about us? They’ll be all over us once they find out, right?”
“I suspect so. That’s why I haven’t officially signed anything yet. I need to meet the board to put all the signatures on to the dotted lined.”
A meeting. It meant there would be other people. They couldn’t trust anyone. The board members would without a doubt have their lawyers present, and if the Mafia provided those, then Luke wouldn’t return from that meeting.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, once again reading her mind. “We’re meeting alone, just the four of us. No lawyers, no advisors.”
“And these men can be trusted?”
“No, but their greed can be. They won’t turn down this much money.”
“If you say so.”
“It’ll work.”
“And once it does? Once Vincenzi finds out? This will be in the morning papers.”
“I’m still figuring that part out, Tash.”
That didn’t sound too encouraging, but the rest of the plan was sound. Getting rid of the vermin-infested company would be a good step towards escaping the grasp of the gangsters. If they made it in time.
Tasha tried to think positively. Everything would be fine.
“Will you leave?”
He looked at her in silent confirmation. Of course he would. Luke would have to leave. There was something else in his glance, something Tasha had figured out even before she’d stated her question. Would you leave with me if I do?
She knew she would have to. She knew all along. From the very day she met Luke Tasha knew everything. It was woman’s intuition, she gathered, or some sixth sense. She had known all along – about the trouble with criminals and about the inevitable resolution to the problem. They would both have to leave the country. They would have to leave behind everything they’d worked for, and Luke had already taken his first step towards that. But was she prepared to do the same?
“Don’t look at me like that,” Luke said. “Will you come with me?”
She bit her lip.
“Please say you will! We’ll figure it out! I still have enough money for us to live anywhere in the world!”
“Except New York. Or LA. Or the United States altogether.”
He held her gaze. “I-”
She put a finger on his lips. “I need time to think about it.”
“But there is no time left!” he protested.
“Shhh. I believe you, Luke. And I ask you to do the same. When are you meeting with them?”
“Tonight. But first, I need to do something else.”
He gave her a quick kiss and got up, going to the kitchen, where Tasha’s laptop sat on the counter. He asked for the password, and she recited it without hesitation.
There was no going back. That, too, she had known all along. They were meant to be together, and they were meant to escape together. In the beginning, she thought it was Luke who would bring fun and carelessness into her life, but now it was obvious that she was the one meant to liberate him. She had accepted her role. It was, perhaps, pretentious to look at it that way, but they were both sacrificing their lives for each other. To be together, to be free, they had to give up their former lives, their established careers, and in Luke’s case wealth. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like fate, and it grew on her. There was nothing wrong with it.
Luke joined her back at the couch with the laptop in his hand.
“I’ve made a reservations for two tickets out of JFK at two in the morning.”
Tasha’s eyes widened, and her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. “You what?”
“Here. All you need to do is type in your ID. Take your time.”
He gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to put an end to this mess.”
He got dressed and grabbed the keys to the car. Tasha followed him to the door and gave him a tight hug.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. Wait for me, okay? And keep your cell close by.”
“I will.”
It was hard to see him go, to be left alone in the apartment that suddenly felt too small and insecure. Tasha locked the door, even putting up the chain. It was funny: no chain would hold back armed men, if they wished to invite themselves in – it was a psychological thing. She walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She needed to calm down. Back at the couch, sitting in front of the laptop, it hit her: she would have to leave tonight, in just a few hours! It was impossible to comprehend. She couldn’t deal with it.
She picked her mobile phone and texted Kelly: caffe bene in 15?
The reply came almost immediately: in 25.
Tasha finished the wine, tasting every sip like it was her last one, and each one really felt that way. She chuckled nervously. She was about to cry again, but in the end only one lonely tear made its way down her cheek. She wiped it off and went to get dressed. Nothing fancy, only comfortable jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie she had had since college.
It was already dark outside, and she couldn’t make out anything suspicious no matter how hard she tried. There were a few cars with their engines on, headlight set on low. Any one of them could belong to the mob, and have a couple of men inside. Tasha walked down the street anyway, making her way to the café as if there was no danger. She reached her destination with no trouble, and no cars followed her along the curb, the way they show in movies. Black sedans and SUVs passed her on her way, none of them interested in her. Perfect.
She was at a table five minutes early, as usual, drinking coffee from a large paper cup. Kelly joined her on time, surprisingly, with her own cup of coffee and a honey bun.
“Wow, what happened, sister?”
Tasha broke down. She cried, hiding her face in Kelly’s chest, as her friend held her. She let Tasha cry it out, then helped her wipe the tears off. She waited for her to speak then, not touching her food or the coffee.
“I don’t know what to do, Kel.”
Kelly giggled. “You? You are Tasha Hendricks, you know what to do before anything even happens!”
“Not this time.” She drank the coffee, and Kelly did the same, biting into the bun.
“Tell me,” she said with her mouth full.
Was it smart to tell her only friend the truth? Common sense told Tasha that yes, no question about it, but fear for her friend made her reluctant. In the end, she just couldn’t hold it inside any longer. She turned to Kelly, looking around for any eavesdroppers. She saw none.
“Listen. What I’m about to tell you, you absolutely cannot tell anyone. Don’t even bring it up in our conversations. Ever.”
“You’re scaring me,” Kelly replied, only half-jokingly.
“There’s a good reason for that, because I can’t stress enough how sensitive the matter is.”
“Is it the sex?” Tasha didn’t even smile, and that really got Kelly’s attention. “I’m all ears.”
Tasha breathed out, deciding where to start. She started at the very beginning, sparing no details this time. She told her about Luke’s initial secrecy about his personal life, and how she began suspecting something was wrong. She said she didn’t want to believe it until the very end, until Luke confessed, and then Tasha revealed everything that was going on with South East Financial – the drug trade, the weapons trade, the money laundering, everything. She then recalled the day in every detail: how even the FBI agent wouldn�
�t help them, and how she felt she was being watched all the time, and how Luke had seemingly come up with a plan. She said he had sold off the wretched company, and now they had a shot at escaping clean. Kelly listened without interruption and got so involved in the story that she completely forgot about her coffee.
“Well, what does that mean?” she finally asked, as Tasha took a large gulp of coffee to aid her dried mouth.
“Long story short, I need to leave the country tonight, or else Luke and I get killed.” She whispered that last part, lest somebody heard her.
“Wait, what?”
“I know. It’s terrible. You see why I don’t know what to do?”
“So, let me get this straight. Your billionaire boyfriend turned out to be neck-deep in with the Cosa Nostra?” Kelly asked like a studious pupil eager to write everything down as the teacher says.
“Well, yes, but it wasn’t his choice. They made him.”
“And you are so sure of that why?”
“Because he gave it all up,” Tasha said. The answer seemed too on the nose.
“Exactly, sister. Your billionaire special man gave up his fortune to be with you. He told the damn Mafia to go fuck themselves, and you are still not sure what you gotta do? Can we please trade places?”
Tasha gave her a thin smile. “So you’re saying I should go?”
“Damn straight! What would you be leaving behind? Your accountant’s job?”
“Hey, I’m a well-respected financial advisor!” Tasha wasn’t actually mad. Getting this kind of support from Kelly was exactly what the doctor ordered.
“Advisor-shmadvisor! Where’s he taking you?”
“Switzerland.”
“No extradition there, huh? That’s a good thing. The Swiss will protect you, Tash! Have you ever heard of the Italian Mafia activity in Switzerland? No. Nobody has.”
“I guess. What about you? I’ll be leaving you behind.” Thinking of it now, Kelly was the only thing Tasha would miss in this country.
Her Russian Millionaire (BWWM Romance Book 1) Page 22
