by Roxie Rivera
Stepping into the hall, Yuri used the shadows to his benefit. Aiming his pistol, he cleared his throat. "Put the painting against the wall and your hands on your head. One stupid move and I'll have no choice but to fire."
Everything happened so quickly after he issued his warning. The idiot threw the painting and the sound of it clattering against the floor startled Sasha. In a heartbeat, the dog raced across the bedroom and into the hall. Before Yuri could call him off, Sasha had the intruder by the arm. A gut-wrenching scream echoed in the stillness of the house. Sasha flung the man side-to-side like a ragdoll.
"No!" The intruder screamed. "NO! Stop! Stop!"
"Oh my God! Yuri, make him stop!" Lena shoved by him and rushed down the hall. "Make him stop!"
Her shriek further agitated Sasha who must have bitten down harder because the man let loose a guttural scream.
"Yuri!" Lena screeched at him. "Make Sasha stop! It's my cousin!"
Her words hit him like a slap to the face. Her cousin? "Sasha! Lyezhat!"
The dog let loose instantly and the man stumbled backward and flat onto his ass. Sobbing, he held his arm to his chest and cursed a blue streak in Spanish. "My arm! That dog ripped off my fucking arm!"
When Lena tried to get close, Sasha barked at her but Lena stood her ground. "NO!"
Cowed, Sasha whined but didn’t try to interfere as Lena crouched down next to the man she'd claimed as her cousin. In a stupor, Yuri flicked the safety on his pistol and tucked it into the back of his jeans. He called off Sasha and forced him to the opposite end of the hall.
"Yuri, we need light. Hurry. Please."
Even though he wanted to demand answers, he found the nearest light switch. Thankfully it worked. Whatever this thief had done to bypass the alarm system hadn't affected the lights.
Wearing only his shirt, Lena knelt next to the bleeding thief. She tugged the black ski mask off his head to reveal his face. The two clearly recognized one another. Her gaze fell to the man's mangled arm and she squeaked. Eyes wide, she paled with fear. "Yuri, we need towels and an ambulance."
"Like hell," he interjected meanly. "He tried to steal from me. He's getting cuffs and a perp walk."
"Yuri!"
"Don't Yuri me, Lena." He ran a hand through his hair and tried to get a hold on his wildly vacillating emotions. Betrayal gnawed at him. "What the hell is he doing here?"
She glared at him. "How the hell should I know?"
He wanted to believe that this was a coincidence but it was too neat. "The first night we sleep together your cousin tries to steal from me. How do you explain that?"
Her expression hardened. Those dark eyes glittered with fury. "What are you saying, Yuri? If you want to accuse me of something, man up and fucking do it!"
He caught the hitch in her voice. She blinked rapidly before turning her attention to her wounded cousin. His chest ached at the realization he'd hurt her with his angry outburst. He had no proof and shouldn't have gone there.
Racing footfalls echoed downstairs. "Boss! Someone scrambled the alarm. I've got Derek on it but we heard the commotion! You okay?"
"Lena and I are fine. The intruder…not so much."
Jake appeared on the top step. He took in the scene with a quick scan. "Who the hell is this?"
Yuri's jaw clenched. He gestured to Lena. "Ask her."
Shock filtered across his bodyguard's face. "Lena?"
She gulped nervously and finally confessed, "He's my cousin. His name is Tommy Cruz."
White as a sheet, Tommy glanced from face to face. He licked his lips and kept his good hand pressed to his bleeding arm. He made no attempt to explain his presence.
"Jesus," Jake said with a shake of a head. "We're going to need an ambulance. I'll call 9-1-1."
"No!" Tommy finally spoke. "No. Please. If you get the cops involved, they'll kill him."
Yuri's gut clenched. "Kill who?"
Tommy swallowed and turned a regretful gaze Lena's way. "Your dad. They have your dad."
Her face slackened and she fell back hard on her bottom. "Who?"
"The Guzman cartel," Tommy answered in a shaky voice. "I'm sorry, Lena. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault."
"What did you do?" Her broken voice gnawed at Yuri. "Tell me!"
With a tearful exhalation, Tommy explained, "There was this painting and I thought I was doing the right thing. I did, Lena. I really did. It was so much money. The feria—I couldn't turn it down, you know? I fenced it—but there was a bounty on it. It belonged to Lorenzo Guzman. I didn't know." He started to sob pathetically. "Your dad was on the wrong side of the border unloading some inventory and they grabbed him."
"You stupid jerk!" She smacked her cousin hard. Yuri winced at the loud crack of her palm against his cheek. "It's always money with you! Always! You greedy bastard! If anything happens to my dad, you're going to wish Sasha had finished you."
Feeling the situation spiral out of control, Yuri stepped forward. "Jake, please go back to the staff quarters. Keep Derek there. I'll handle this."
"But, sir, I—"
"No." Yuri cut him off with a slash of his hand. "What you've heard doesn't leave this room, understood? Under no circumstances are you to contact Dimitri. No one else gets dragged into this mess."
Jake's lips settled into a grim line. "Okay, Boss."
He didn't like it but he would do as told.
As Jake headed for the stairs, Yuri added, "There will be another car or two arriving within the next hour. Pay no attention to them."
When Jake was out of earshot, Yuri addressed Lena. "Go get some towels from my bathroom." He touched his pocket but it was empty. "Find my white phone. It's probably on the floor."
Lena held his gaze before finally nodding and pushing off the floor. As she passed him, he grasped her hand and dragged her close. Cupping her face, he kissed her tenderly. Later, in private, he would apologize for jumping to conclusions. She seemed to understand and returned his kiss with the gentle affection he'd come to expect from her.
Alone with Tommy, he fixed him with a glare. "I'm only going to say this once so listen carefully. If you lie to me and it causes Lena or her father to be hurt, I will make sure that the rest of your miserable life is excruciatingly painful. Me entiendes?"
Tommy nodded. "Yep."
When Lena reappeared, she pushed his phone into his hand and rushed to Tommy's side with the towels. She wrapped them tightly around his injured arm but she was anything but gentle with her cousin. Yuri dialed the only man who could help him.
"Do you know what fucking time it is?" Nikolai grouched at him.
"I need your help." He caught Tommy glancing at him. No doubt the conversation the younger man couldn't understand left him uneasy. Good, he thought angrily. He wanted the little prick to sweat.
The sound of rustling fabric came across the speaker. "What's happened?"
"Not over the phone," Yuri replied. "I need you here. At the house," he added. "And bring Kostya." Without saying the words, he'd told Nikolai how serious this was.
"Twenty minutes," Nikolai said and hung up the phone.
As he pocketed his phone, Yuri grew aware of Sasha's continued whining. The dog had blood matted around his mouth. The sight of it made his gut churn. Even though he'd bought the dog specifically for protection, he'd never really imagined Sasha would ever have to bite anyone.
Glancing at Lena, he said, "Nikolai will be here soon. Keep that arm wrapped. We'll get him medical attention as soon as I have all the answers I need."
"Okay."
"Sasha." The dog clambered to his feet and followed him through the master bedroom and into the bathroom. He grabbed a wash cloth, got it wet and soapy and made quick work of cleaning the dog's face. Later, when he had more time, he would brush his teeth. For now, this would have to do.
With Sasha clean, Yuri led him to his bedding and gave him a stay command. Sasha whined, no doubt because he wanted to keep Lena in full view, but obeyed nonetheless. Yuri shut the door
, closing the dog safely inside. He didn't want to take any chances with Nikolai and Kostya coming.
Out in the hallway, he discovered Feodor kneeling next to Lena. It wasn’t until that moment that Yuri realized how scandalously underdressed she was. She had his shirt tucked around her thighs but he doubted she had anything at all on under the thin cotton.
Crouching down behind her, he rubbed her back. "You should get dressed. It's going to be a long night."
She didn't argue with him. She took a step away from him but then hesitated. It finally occurred to him that she had no idea which guest room Feodor had given her. The older man gestured to the door right next to Yuri's master suite.
After she entered the room, he caught Feodor's questioning gaze. With a shake of his head, he silently communicated that this wasn't the right time. Feodor didn't push. Instead, he said, "We should take him downstairs."
Yuri agreed and helped secure the towels firmly around Tommy's bleeding arm. The skinny bastard hissed in pain as they got him to his feet but Yuri didn't feel any compassion. If the Guzman cartel, one of the most notoriously violent gangs south of the border, had Lena's father in their custody, he was probably feeling a great deal more pain than this.
They were halfway down the stairs when Lena caught up with them. She'd thrown on a pair of hot pink shorts and gathered her hair in a high ponytail. An expression of fear and worry twisted her beautiful features. Yuri's heart ached for her. He could only imagine what she was feeling right now.
Down in the kitchen, Feodor draped a tablecloth over a chair and put another on the floor to protect it from any dripping blood. Tommy sat down and anxiously eyed them as they waited for Nikolai to arrive.
Clearly needing to feel useful, Lena asked Feodor, "Where do you keep the cleaning supplies? I'll tackle that mess upstairs."
"Leave it," Yuri said with a wave of his hand.
"But—"
"Nikolai's man will take care of it, Lena."
Her eyes widened slightly. Whether she knew of Kostya or not, he couldn't say. It was likely Benny had spoken of him but he couldn't be sure. Either way, she seemed to understand what he meant.
The doorbell chimed loudly. Yuri shook his head as Feodor shuffled toward the arched kitchen doorway. "I've got it."
He crossed the house and unlocked the reinforced double doors. Smoking a cigarette, Nikolai stood on the top step. He'd come alone in his sleek black car but Kostya was pulling into the driveway behind him.
Nikolai took his final drag and lifted his shoe to snuff out the cigarette. He pocketed the butt instead of tossing it carelessly into Yuri's landscaping. "So?"
"It's bad." Yuri watched Kostya climb out of his SUV. Raising his voice, he said, "Bring your cleaning bag. There's a lot of blood."
"Disposal?" Nikolai asked as he trailed him into the house.
Yuri shook his head. "He's still alive. He needs a doctor."
Nikolai frowned. "Is it one of your bodyguards? Was there a botched hit?"
"No." Sadly, he said, "That would actually make this whole situation so much simpler. No—it's Lena's cousin."
Nikolai's eyes narrowed. "The fence?"
Yuri shrugged. "I don’t know. He was trying to steal from me."
"Why? Lena's father and the nephew deal with high-end fencing. I've never known them to dabble in the B-and-E end of things. Joe Cruz is extremely careful."
"Apparently he wasn't careful enough. Hiring idiot nephews to work for you appears to have its drawbacks. "
Kostya appeared in his scrubs and looked like a surgeon. He had his red bags in hand. "Where am I going?"
Yuri motioned to the grand staircase. "Top of the stairs. You can't miss it. And don't open the bedroom doors. I've got Sasha closed in and he's incredibly agitated tonight."
Kostya nodded and headed upstairs to do what he did best.
With a flick of his fingers, Yuri indicated Nikolai should follow him to the kitchen. His voice lowered, he admitted, "I'm out of my depth here. This is cartel shit and I don't know how to help her."
"Her? You mean Lena?"
"Her father is being held by the Guzman Cartel."
Nikolai wiped a hand down his face. The heavy ink on his fingers and the backs of his hands drew Yuri's gaze. With an irritated sigh, Nikolai said, "I can't promise anything, Yuri. I need the facts first. Then I'll do what I can."
Side by side, they entered the kitchen. Tommy took one look at Nikolai and jumped off the chair. Stumbling backward, he knocked over two chairs and held up his uninjured arm. "No. No. No." He shot a pleading look at Lena. "Don't let them kill me."
"They're not going to kill you!" Swallowing nervously, she glanced at Nikolai. "You're not, right?"
Showing his dark sense of humor, Nikolai chuckled. "No, Lena." He flicked his attention to Tommy. "Not tonight, at least."
Her cousin went ghostly white. "Look, I didn't have a choice. I needed that painting."
Yuri held up a hand. "Sit. Then start from the beginning."
Tommy did as instructed. Gulping, he licked his lips and told the whole sordid tale. "We had these paintings, right? Like—we were holding onto them until the heat died down so we could fence them. They were supposed to be Tio Joe's retirement. He's getting out of the game and these paintings were mega cash."
"Retiring?" Lena sounded shocked. "When did he decide that?"
"A few months back," Tommy said. "He didn't want to tell you until it was a done deal. He said this was going to be a promise he wasn't going to break."
Yuri witnessed the pain flashing across her face. He thought of the way he'd stood her up at the restaurant. Her reaction made so much more sense. He vowed then and there he was never going to break another promise to her.
"So Tio went down to Matamoros to unload a shipment of shit that we've had accumulating in the warehouse," Tommy continued. "While he was gone, I got this call about one of the paintings. This chick was offering big bucks for it, way more than Tio thought he'd get for it through his connection in New York. I wanted to surprise him. I wanted to show him I was serious about taking over the business and producing a profit. I made the deal, got the cash drop and left the painting in one of the empty warehouses near that old gas plant where your dad likes to make transactions."
Lena cursed angrily and rubbed her eyes. "You fenced a hot painting to some chick in a warehouse and it never occurred to you that it was a bad fucking idea?"
Tommy grimaced. "I know. It was stupid."
"Yeah, it was, Tommy. You know the rules. You only fence art to another fence. Layers of protection, Tommy. That's the only thing that keeps you safe."
Yuri stared at Lena. He'd known she was street smart but apparently she possessed a wealth of criminal knowledge.
Feeling his stare, she rolled her eyes. "Let's just say dinnertime conversations around my house didn't revolve around the weather or the upcoming elections."
"Clearly," he muttered and turned back to Tommy. "This painting you fenced? How did a cartel painting get into your hands?"
Tommy shrugged. "I don't know. We don't touch the cartel business. Like at all. That shit is crazy dangerous. I guess the fence who sold to Tio Joe lied about the painting's provenance."
"Obviously," Lena grumbled. "But why come here tonight? Why try to steal one of Yuri's paintings?"
"The one I sold was a Galán. I tried to get a hold of the buyer but her phone was a burner. It's dead. So I went online and tried to find out everything I could about the painter. I read that the last one sold at an auction was sold to him." He gestured to Yuri with a tip of his chin. "A record price, too. So I figured maybe they would take this painting as a fair trade for your dad's life."
"Figured?" Yuri asked. "You don't know for sure?"
Tommy shook his head. "They won't let me talk to him. They've shut me out."
"I talked to him on Sunday morning." Lena spoke so softly Yuri barely heard her. She glanced up at him with shimmering, watery eyes. "He called and it was so early
. I thought he sounded strange but it never occurred to me that he was in trouble."
"What did he say?" Nikolai wondered. "Maybe he was trying to give you a message."
She shook her head. "He told me he loved me and asked me if I had my gun close. That was it."
"He was trying to warn you," Nikolai replied.
"Yes." She made another face. "God, I'm so stupid. The other night, at 716, I busted a dealer called Chains in one of the back rooms. He told me that Tommy had screwed up a job but I didn't ask which one because I didn't care."
Yuri heard the anguish in her voice. He pulled her close and kissed her temple. "It's okay, Lena. I'll fix this."
Hope filled her gaze but she shook her head. "You can't fix this. These people? The cartel? They are not going to simply trade my father for a painting."
"No," Yuri agreed. "I'm sure they'll want more."
"Yuri," she said softly, "you can't—"
He silenced her with a kiss. "I can, and I will."
"But—"
He kissed her again, putting an end to the protests. "Go upstairs and wait for me. I'll handle this."
She glanced at Tommy. Even though she was angry with him, her concern for her cousin won. "You won't hurt him?"
"No. I think Sasha taught him a lesson." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Go."
With a nod, she pulled out of his embrace and left the kitchen. Without needing to be asked, Feodor followed her. He didn't worry about the older man repeating anything he'd heard. He trusted Feodor with his life.
When they were alone with Tommy, Nikolai asked, "What do you want me to do with him?"
Lena's cousin looked like he was about to piss his pants. Although he rather enjoyed making him squirm, he showed mercy on the would-be thief. "Get him patched up and stow him in a safe place. I want him under lock and key until this is over and no phone or internet access. I don't trust him. He might throw my Lena to the wolves to save his own ass."
"I wouldn't! I promise. I won't hurt her."
"You've already hurt her."
Nikolai gestured for him to come closer. Turning his back on Tommy, Nikolai slipped into their mother tongue. "Look, Guzman is going to want that painting back. For a high-end item like that, I'd typically go to Joe Cruz for information. Unfortunately…"
