Gage confirmed my thoughts by greeting him with a nod as he slid next to me.
“Viktor.” Gage smoothed his own suit jacket, looking every bit the force that Viktor did, wet or not. His hand went to my leg. “This is Regan.” His eyes flicked to Cherry and then back to Viktor. “What’s going on, I thought it was just going to be us?”
My stomach tightened as the street passed us by. I was unsure where we were going and feared what may be waiting for us.
“I didn’t say that. I told you to come alone, but if you want her involved then I’ll trust your judgment.” He didn’t even glance towards me, his dark eyes stayed focused on Gage. “For now the girls can stay. I have a business need that you and Katya could help with.”
”The club.” Gage stated matter-of-fact and his hand stayed on my knee, unmoving.
“Exactly. The Dollhouse isn’t operational for us anymore. We need something new, somewhere new. This is a good opportunity to expand. I want you to open a new club in Miami.”
“What about Ian?” I could feel the tension running through Gage, in his fingers grip on my knee as he spoke.
“It’s unfortunate, but someone had to take the fall.”
“Better him than you?” It was almost a growl.
Viktor’s laugh was short and fake. “You mean you. Remember that could have been you, you turned over the club just in time. Who do you have to thank for that?”
“So you knew the bust was coming?”
Viktor cleared his throat and sat up, his cool control shifting to an icy anger. “Not exactly. I wouldn’t sacrifice any of my men directly, but you and I both knew there was an investigation closing in. So don’t blame me for your mans shortsightedness.” He picked up a drink at his side and finished the clear liquid in it before looking towards Cherry. “At least Katya had enough sense to protect our connections, and she protected evidence.”
“So you want Cherry to run the club?” Gage’s eyes slid to her and her red lips spread into a teeth-baring smile.
“I want her to assist you at running the club.”
“I can manage the girls.” She leaned forward and crossed her legs in a slow way that looked more like a show for us. For Gage. “He’s talking about a big club, more volume than the dollhouse, more girls, more everything. You’ll need help. And Mr. Kabinov,” she smiled at Viktor, and as we passed under a streetlight, I saw the bruise on her cheek that I gave her that she’d tried to cover with makeup, “He knows I’m good at managing them. It’s not an option. I’m part of the deal.”
“I know you two are effective when you work together. I need people I can trust to start this.” He focused on Gage.
My heart sped up at what could have been a compliment or a challenge. We were still in the city. The limo took turns, but the buildings around us were brightly lit and people walked the rainy sidewalks. We were safe enough, for now.
“So this isn’t just an idea, you’ve been planning? Do you have a place in mind already?” Gage asked, his fingers tightening on my leg slightly.
The small touch was reassuring. I knew our plan; go along with everything until we could put our own plan in place. After Dexter was paid off. After this last shipment. Next weekend, we would be out.
“I have a few choices. You can have the final say. I did promise you your own club, didn’t I? This is your chance, just not in this city.”
“What’s the timeline?” Gage leaned back in his seat, relaxed in the conversation.
“As soon as we can manage. The sooner the better. We need to recoup our losses from the bust and the girls.” His eyes went from dark to black pools as he leaned towards Gage. “I know you have an arrangement with the Rusnaks right now, so it’ll have to be after that.” He tilted his head, hissing in a breath and snapping his fingers like an idea just struck him. “I need to discuss that with you further.” He pressed a call button on the panel at his side. “Sid, pull off at the deli on the corner.”
The car immediately began to slow and pulled off to a curb.
Viktor turned back to Gage, continuing, “The girls can go in and get food, I need to talk to you. It’ll only be a minute.”
“Katya, order me the vareniki.” He held her hand, helping her to climb to the limo door that was now held open by the driver.
She said something to him I didn’t understand, and then took her time stepping out of the car.
I gripped Gage’s hand, not wanting to go anywhere, not wanting to leave him alone in the car with Viktor.
“We’ll only be a minute.” Gage lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. “Go on in.”
I didn’t want to go against Gage in front of Viktor, but I resisted rising, even as he lifted my hand to help me out. I looked directly at Viktor. “Your driver is coming in with us.”
He narrowed his eyes like my words confused him but then waved his hand. “Fine. He likes this place.” He raised his voice so he could be heard out of the car. “Get some food for yourself, Sid.”
I figured as long as they stayed parked here, nothing too bad could happen.
We hurried into the deli, escaping the stinging rain. The inside was bigger than expected and warmer too. The glass windows in the front gave me a good view of the dark limo, silent and still at the curb. I sat at a table against the glass, not bothering to even pretend to be interested in the food.
Cherry placed her order and sat on the opposite side of the table from me with that red devil smirk I hated. “So you needed a chaperone to come into the deli with me?”
“It has nothing to do with you.” I flicked my eyes to her but kept my voice flat. “You’re nothing. I don’t think about you.” I looked out the window, dismissing her.
She leaned back in her chair with a laugh. “You’re the only one that thinks that. Look at who was invited tonight and who wasn’t.”
“But we’re both here now, not in that car.” I don’t know why I even continued the conversation.
“For now. But are you trying to earn a place?” She leaned forward on the table. “Should I expect you to take up an actual role, besides just being Gage’s shadow?” She lifted her hand, stopping me from responding. “I’m only curious if we’re going to have to learn to get along. We work on the same team, same goals. And I’m not one to let personal shit interfere with business.”
“Keep it all business, and there’ll be no personal shit to interfere,” I replied and she nodded.
Sid approached, dragging a plastic chair across the linoleum floor and sat at the end of our table. He grunted a greeting and unwrapped a pickle from tinfoil.
I turned back to the window. Still nothing from the limo.
The woman behind the counter called out Katya and Sid’s food order, and they went to retrieve it. Sid turned to me with his bag in his hand and nodded to the door, we could go back out.
Gage looked and sounded fine when I got back in the limo. Their conversation returned to Miami and on who Gage should contact to arrange looking at places. Within a couple of turns we were back to where we had parked our SUV, and we got out.
It took all my energy to wait till we were back at our place, but I wanted Gage to give me his full attention before I asked, “What did he say?”
He was peeling off his jacket and tie, rolling his neck like a weight had been lifted. “He’s concerned about Anatoli and his plans. Seems they’re not communicating well. He wanted information about this week’s shipment.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and undid the straps to my heels. Gage had told me to dress up to meet Viktor since we weren’t sure on the location. “Did you tell him?”
Gage removed his guns and holsters, laying them on the bedside table, and then he paused from undressing to face me. “No. I mostly told him what he already knew, with a few extra details he can’t do much with.” He ran his hand over his head and down the back of his neck, lines forming on his forehead. “I don’t trust Anatoli, but I trust Viktor even less, es
pecially after what Anthony said today.”
We had wanted to tell the FBI, but even if Viktor was part of it, he wasn’t one of the good ones. He had his own motives.
I sighed; brain swirling through the fog we were stuck in. Nothing was clear and it was hard to see which way to go. But I let the relief of being home drop over me. We had gotten through today. One day down, only six more to go. I hiked the edge of my skirt to remove the gun strapped to my thigh, adding it to the ones on our nightstand.
“I need to talk with Anatoli about this.”
“About what?” I questioned, surprised.
“What he thinks about Viktor being so curious. Viktor knows how this goes. In these operations, no one is given all the information; it works in cells to protect the whole. But he wanted in, it could be nothing, but,” Gage shrugged, “I’ve got to tell Anatoli. I don’t want to take chances on shit going bad with this, not when we’re so close, and Dexter’s going to be here.”
***
We were meeting at the docks, not with Rusnak but with Viktor. He wanted to talk about the shipments with Gage, something about arranging a new connection. Rusnak had told Gage to meet with him, and see what he might be able to arrange.
“You stay here, all right?” Gage put the SUV in park off to the side of the Marina, but a dock was in front of us. “That’s Viktor’s boat there. But he won’t talk with you there, not yet. You stay here and call me if you see anything. I’ll text if anything goes bad. Okay?”
“I’ll keep a look out.” I ran a finger over the gun at my hip. Maybe we were paranoid. It had been two days, and we’d heard nothing about Anthony’s body being found. Maybe we really were in the clear for that. “Be safe, all right?”
It hurt my muscles to let him walk away. I reached for him as he opened the door, but he was already turning back to me, kissing me like it was our first, or last.
Movement from the dock made us pull apart, Viktor was walking down the pier from his yacht.
“I’ll be back soon.” He pressed his lips to mine one last time and walked away without turning back.
I sat in the car, nerves vibrating in me, eyes scanning around the dark, ears straining to hear anything beyond the choppy waters splash against the boats. When I saw them, I immediately pulled out my phone to text Gage.
Two men
I didn’t waste time trying to type in more. They had appeared from another boat and were making their way down the dock now, towards Viktor’s boat instead of to land. I slid out of the car, silent, easing the door closed so as not to be heard. But I was so far away, they wouldn’t have heard anyways.
Their backs were to me, and in hats and big jackets, under the cover of a night sky, I couldn’t make out who they could be.
I kept my phone in my hand, but it didn’t vibrate, so I continued my path to the dock. I didn’t want to draw attention, but my slow pace was driving me insane, especially when the guys jumped over the half door of the stairs leading onto Viktor’s boat.
I quickened my pace then, not trusting the situation, not wanting Gage to be outnumbered by three. My heart pounded in my ears.
It exploded when I was wrenched back by my arm, and a hand covered my mouth, pulling me into his tall, slender frame.
“Sweetheart, shh.” His lips moved in my ear, his breath blew down my neck as his hold tightened around me. “You need to stay out here. You don’t want to go in there.”
When I stilled, he lifted the hand covering my mouth by an inch, but his head stayed pressed to the side of mine.
“This is why I didn’t want you back yet. This was supposed to be all cleared up before you came back. Before I came for you.”
“What are you talking about? Gage is in there.” I could barely breathe. My body screamed to get to that boat, but Rusnak had already disarmed me.
“I knew where you were, but I knew you needed space. I knew you were safe there. That’s why I didn’t tell him, I wanted you to have time. I gave you time, but he ruined it. Aw, sweetheart, I told you I could protect you and take care of you.” He placed a kiss just under my ear. “Now watch this.”
39: Orders
HIS WORDS SOUNDED SINISTER AND SENT A panic crashing through me. I twisted in his arms, using all my strength to throw my body around and jerk free. But the freedom was short lived before a jolt of pain shot through my shoulder and down my body. My feet were off the ground as he lifted my arm behind my back and then dropped me to my knees, my upper arm still firm in his grasp, twisted behind me.
He was speaking in a stream of foreign words I didn’t understand, but he was demanding as he growled them. He tugged on my arm with each syllable, pain shooting from my shoulder, making me yell out but paralyzing my body. His other hand tangled into the top of my hair, pulling strands loose from the bun I had it in as he jerked my head back to look up at him.
“Suka.” Crouching behind me, his breathing was sharp and forceful as he dipped his face closer to mine. “Zatknis bliad.” The painful grip on my arm lessened the closer he got, but it was still firm. “What do you think you can do?” His Russian accent was more pronounced than ever. His eyes softened and lids dropped as he skimmed my face. “Such spirit, but so foolish. I said stay here.”
I couldn’t catch my breath. My chest rose and fell with my gasps, and I strained to look at the boat from the angle he had me twisted in, hoping with everything in me to see Gage walking out. Not to help me, but just to know he was safe. Rusnak’s words tumbled in my brain, making me crazy.
“Please don’t hurt him. Please.” I’d beg for him, I’d do anything for him.
Rusnak’s face glazed over, ice freezing his features as he released me with a shove to the gravel parking lot. “He’ll be fine, as long as he doesn’t fuck up again, and he remembers who he works for.”
I lifted myself up on hands and knees, testing if he’d let me stand without hurting me.
He watched me with a look of disgust as he brushed his hands off on his pants. “You didn’t want to be part of this. He had no business bringing you in.” Then he glanced towards the boat and walked away. “Get up. Go back to your car,” he commanded, not pausing as he moved with purpose towards the docks.
I scrambled to my feet and spotted two figures coming off the boat. I was sure Gage was one of them, and I didn’t care beyond that. But fear at what Rusnak was planning didn’t give much room for relief.
I pulsed with adrenaline, all pain from my scrapes and sore arm vanishing. My pace was quick, but I hesitated since Rusnak said he wasn’t going to hurt Gage. I didn’t want to do anything to change his mind.
I closed in on them, approaching the pier. Viktor was the man with Gage, I could tell now.
Rusnak stopped at the start of the pier and raised one arm out straight, firing a soundless shot that sparked in the night.
I yelled, heart exploding in a painful silence.
Viktor dropped to the wood planks. Gage stood frozen. Or maybe it was only that time had stopped for that moment, until I realized the scene. Gage was standing.
A gun was in Gage’s hand now, raised up, but Rusnak lowered his and strolled down the pier to him. He was saying something, but the chilly night air carried away the words before I could make them out.
Gage put his gun back under his jacket and passed Rusnak on a path to me, and I hurried to meet him.
His strides were long and fast, but it still took too long to reach him. He extended his arm to me, and I wrapped my arms around his waist, crashing into him, squeezing him to me as he engulfed me. His warmth thawed the icy fear that gripped my muscles.
He pulled back in an instant. “Are you okay?” His hands smoothed my hair, running over the loose strands that Rusnak had pulled free. “You said two men, Rusnak and who else?”
I shook my head, gripping his shirt and pressing my hands to his strong body, not wanting to let him go. I had been so scared, twice I thought he might die, I couldn’t stop touching him. Bu
t we weren’t free yet. “Two other men went on the boat.”
Gage turned as Rusnak approached and pushed me behind him with one arm.
“You parked here?” Rusnak strolled up to us, pointing at our SUV with a sneer. “Take that car home, and keep your phone on. I’ll call soon so we can meet.” He walked to the side so I would be in his sight, but Gage rotated, keeping me behind him.
“Don’t do that, act like you’re going to protect her. From what? Me?” He was walking a wide arc around us, but I refused to meet his eyes. Instead, I watched his hands for what they may do. “You know I wouldn’t hurt her. I’m the one that protects her where you fail to.”
Gage’s chest vibrated with a growl, but his voice came out low and cold, “I don’t know what the fuck you’ll do after what just happened down there.”
“What just happened is that I eliminated a problem,” Rusnak was matter-of-fact.
“More like you caused one, when the others—”
“They told me to. I haven’t gone rogue, these orders came from the top. And his death is convenient. It will solve several problems, just wait and see.” He gestured down the dock, where the two men were lifting Viktor’s body off the wood and carrying him onto the boat. Anatoli sucked his teeth. “That was supposed to happen on the boat, but oh well, we’ll burn the dock too.” He shrugged, and then pointed back at the car. “Now, leave before your car is seen. And remember, keep the phone on and be prepared to meet tonight.”
Gage pulled me in front of him as we walked to the car, angled so Rusnak was never at our back.
“Wait, Regan,” Rusnak’s voice was smooth but chilly.
I turned to face him, putting my hand out to keep Gage from leading me away.
“I didn’t want you part of this, but you are now. I trust you know better than to talk about what you saw.” He stood still, eyes piercing me through the night and hands clasped in front of him.
OtherSide Of Fear (Outside The Ropes #3) Page 33
