Dangerous Victor: (Soldiering On #3)

by Aislinn Kearns

  “Goodness,” she said.

  He grinned at her over his shoulder. “You thought I’d been slacking?”

  She laughed. “So, tell me what you’ve found. What’s happening with the money?”

  He shook his head. “Later, when we have food. For now…” He pulled his laptop over from the edge of the table and flipped the lid. The USB slid easily into the slot.

  He braced himself against the table with his good hand and then brought up the staff schedule and scrolled through it, nodding lightly as he went. He made a few notes on a calendar he dug out from a pile, the page already full of messy handwriting. Radha watched him work, his laser focus, and couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to have all that intense concentration directed at her.

  “Interesting,” Zack muttered.

  “What?” Radha asked, leaning closer to see what he was looking at. Her breasts brushed lightly against his arm. He turned to her, clearly intending to reply, but then realised how close she was.

  He stilled, focusing his full attention on her. Their gazes locked, and Radha was sure he was infinitesimally leaning towards her. Her breath and heartbeat both sped up, her lips tingling in anticipation.

  The doorbell rang, startling them apart. Radha cursed the delivery man’s timing as Zack got up, the tips of his ears red. Had they really been about to kiss?

  Radha didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved that they hadn’t.

  The pizzas were half-eaten by the time Zack got around to explaining what he’d found. Radha felt so relaxed—warm and comfortable—that she’d almost forgotten why she was really there.

  “Okay, so here’s the deal,” he told her. “It’s money laundering.” The words were simple, but ice settled in her gut.

  She frowned. “I…what do you mean?”

  “The reason the same amount of money is coming in and going out is because someone is ‘cleaning’ their ill-gotten gains through your casino.”

  She stared at him for a long moment. “Oh my goodness. But how is that even possible?”

  He was silent for a moment, considering how to explain it to her. “The bad guy sends people into the casino, where they change the money from their criminal activities into chips. They’ll then go to a designated table and play for a while, and the dealer will make sure they never lose or gain any money. They’ll then take their chips, turn them back into cash—but different notes this time, so no one will be able to trace it back to their criminal activities.”

  He stopped, thoughtful. “There’s probably also a tax component, too. Winnings from a casino are taxed, so that would help whatever business this crew is running to look legitimate.”

  “So…does that mean someone from the casino is helping them? One of my staff?”

  “Yes,” Zack told her without ceremony. “Or, more likely, a crew of them. I know Anton is one, but I’m not sure who he’s been working with. That’s why I wanted the staff roster, to see who’d been working the tables where the money was going in and out.”

  “Anton? But he’s been with us for years.” Betrayal sunk like lead in her gut. These people were her friends, they worked side-by-side every day. How could they do this?

  Zack shrugged. “Money is a powerful lure.”

  Radha sighed as she acknowledged the truth of his words. How could she have been so blind? Trusted these people that were working against her and Jeri.

  “There’s more,” Zack said.

  Radha swallowed. “Oh dear.”

  He hesitated, moving bits of paper around aimlessly. “You have to consider the possibility that Jeri is involved in this. That she knows what’s happening and is getting a kickback from it.”

  Her stomach lurched at his words, queasiness congealing in her stomach. “No,” she said, shaking her head in denial.

  “It makes sense,” he urged. He took her hand in his. “It would explain why she didn’t want you to look into the finances, and why she doesn’t seem to care what’s been happening in her casino.”

  Radha ripped her hand from his grip. “She does care. She just thinks it’s a good thing.”

  “Surely no one is that stupid, Radha.”

  “She’s not stupid,” she defended hotly.

  Zack looked down, his jaw clenched. “Okay, I’m sorry I used that word. But please try to think about this rationally. It’s a little suspicious.”

  Radha glared at him. “You don’t know her like I do. For her, this is normal behaviour—not suspicious at all.”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “Okay, I’ll leave it be for now.”

  They were silent for a long moment, awkwardness settling between them. He shuffled pages to avoid looking in her direction. Radha took a bite of pizza and chewed listlessly.

  Could he be right? Could Jeri—the person that gave her a chance when no one else would—be helping criminals? It didn’t make any sense.

  “What now?” Radha asked, her voice small.

  “Now, I should call Destiny and asked how many gangs or other criminal enterprises would need this amount of cash cleaned. I…I might need to tell her why I need the information.”

  Radha swallowed. “You mean, tell her about the finances?”

  “Yeah. Though now they’ve arrested someone for Louis’s murder, she doesn’t have any reason to tell her bosses about it.”

  Radha considered for a moment. Zack’s words about Jeri were worrying at her, eroding her faith. She had to find out the truth, for her own peace of mind. “Okay,” she whispered.

  Zack eyed her thoughtfully. “You can head home if you like.”

  He raised an eyebrow in question. Radha shook her head.

  “This is my investigation, too.”

  With a nod, Zack picked up his phone and called Destiny.

  “Hey, Zack,” she answered. Zack’s phone was on speaker so Radha could hear.

  “Hey. I need to ask you a question.”

  Destiny hesitated, her suspicion thrumming. “Uh-huh.”

  “Know of any gangs or whatever that are big enough to have millions of dollars a month they need cleaned?”

  Silence reigned through the phone. “Zack…”

  “C’mon, you had to know it was something like this.”

  Destiny sighed. “Yeah, I suspected that’s what you were investigating. Was Louis involved?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Destiny made a sound of frustration. “Okay. I would say there would be three main suspects, who are the big players in town. Saul Medina, Richie Cool, and Victor Garrera.”

  They both stilled at the mention of that final name.

  “Victor Garrera,” Zack breathed. “The same Victor that sent those kids into the casino to count cards. He was testing me. Jesus, why didn’t I see it?”

  “Because Victor is a sneaky, manipulative bastard, that’s why,” Radha said vehemently.

  Zack turned to her, shock written on his face.

  “You know him?”

  “Know him? Yeah, but I haven’t seen him for a really long time.” She paused, gathering herself. “He ruined my life when I was eighteen.”

  Chapter 11

  They were both settled back on the couch with a glass of wine each, before Zack asked how she had encountered an infamous crime lord.

  “So, you knew Victor Garrera?”

  Radha nodded, then frowned. “Not exactly.”

  Zack’s eyebrows crept towards his hairline. “I don’t understand.”

  Radha cleared her throat and shuffled on the couch. “Yeah. I…um…used to date a guy-“

  “Victor?”

  She laughed, a little bitterly. “No. But he…fell in with Victor. His name was Diego. We were eighteen. He was a good kid, but from the wrong side of the tracks. Never had much money. I think part of the reason I fell in love with him was because it felt so rebellious. My parents didn’t think much of him, of course. Didn’t think he’d amount to anything. And most of society would agree with them. Until in the end, Di
ego agreed with them, too.”

  It was strange that so soon after her mother had mentioned Diego for the first time in years, he would come up yet again. The memories of that time sent a wash of sadness through her. With more support and opportunities, Diego could have got out of his horrible situation and done something more with his life.

  She’d loved him, with all the passion of an eighteen-year-old girl’s first love. And he’d loved her, she knew that he had. But in the end it hadn’t been enough. She wished she knew what had happened to him, but was almost afraid to find out.

  “Anyway, his mother got sick and he needed money. And Victor gave him a way to get it. Victor was pretty small-time back then, as far as I could tell. He certainly wasn’t running a multi-million dollar operation.”

  She paused, gathering her thoughts. Zack shuffled closer, a comforting presence. “At first, Diego kept it a secret from us—his mother and me—but eventually we had to find out. I begged him to stop. And when that didn’t work I tried to love him enough that he’d quit. I was too naïve.”

  “So, what happened?” Zack asked.

  “I was trying to protect Diego. Help him. I thought it would be okay.” Tears gathered in her eyes, and a lump formed in her throat.

  “Radha…”

  She ignored the ache in his voice. She had to get through this story now, or she never would. “Victor wanted him to collect protection money from these shopkeepers. It was a little old couple, who’d never given any trouble before. I was just meant to drive him. Wait in the car and keep the engine running.”

  She gulped down some wine, steeling herself for this next bit. “Anyway, it went badly. The old couple wouldn’t give up the cash. Diego threatened them with a gun he’d brought with him, trying to get them to give it up. He even fired a few warning shots. Then, this big guy came out of nowhere. He hit Diego with a bat to scare him off. Diego ran out, and I drove us away.”

  A heavy tear rolled down her cheek.

  “And then?” Zack asked softly.

  She settled her wine glass on the table. “The cops showed up the next morning. They arrest Diego for a number of charges, and me for aiding and abetting.”

  She glanced at Zack, expecting to see shock, or even disgust in his face. Instead, his expression was warm with empathy.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  The tears fell heavier, now. She took a shuddering breath to stop herself from breaking into sobs.

  “We were eighteen, so we were tried as adults. Both convicted. I got off lightly compared to Diego, though. Because not only had he got himself caught, he hadn’t got Victor’s money. He’d failed him.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” Zack said.

  “I know. I know that now.”

  She was silent for a long moment, letting the memories hang in her mind. The gossamer threads of what might have been travelled outwards, hinting at futures that never were and never could be. Maybe things could have been different. Maybe she could have saved him.

  “I’m sorry,” Zack’s low voice, rich with sympathy, pulled her out from under the weaving strands of fate. She blinked, her gaze settling on him, and tried to smile.

  “It’s okay.” She wiped the tears away, impatient with the past. “It isn’t like I love him anymore. I got over that when I realised how much better off I was without him. But I still mourn the man Diego could’ve become. And I wonder if there is anything I could have done.”

  She smiled sadly. The warm weight of Zack’s hand wrapped around her fists where they were clutched in her lap. At the comforting gesture, some of the melancholy tension that had built within her dissipated.

  She pulled one hand out from beneath his as she sent him a smile. Zack went to pull away, but she gripped his hand, making him stay. He winced, just a little, but it was enough for Radha to realise that she had clutched at his scarred hand. The sensitive one.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, loosening her grip.

  “It’s okay,” he said with a slight smile. “I forget sometimes, too.”

  Their hands released at the same time, and Zack shuffled a little further from her. Radha noticed the gesture with regret.

  “Do the scars affect you much?” she asked, then wondered if that was polite.

  “A little. The skin is too tight, so I have trouble gripping things. I’ve had to teach myself to fire my gun left-handed, because the right is sometimes too slow and painful, and doesn’t have the same sensitivity. It’s the same with writing. I’m still trying to learn to do that with my left hand.”

  He shrugged self-deprecatingly. “Of course, the main thing that’s changed is the way people look at me.”

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

  “It’s okay.” He paused. “You don’t seem to notice.” It was as much of a statement as a question. Radha could detect the confusion behind the question.

  “I’m used to scars like this, and worse.”

  Zack raised a brow at her. He turned more fully towards her, settling his arm along the back of the couch.

  “During my summer holidays my parents used to take me back to India. We’d stay close to where they grew up. Spend time with our extended family. It was lovely, getting in touch with their history, sinking myself into the world they came from. That I came from.”

  She paused.

  “But, as I grew older, I felt the conflicts between the American side of me, and the Indian side. I loved both. But there were certain values from each I wished would cross over. The treatment of some women in India was one of them. To reconcile this, I volunteered at an organisation that helped women that had survived acid attacks. Many of them had much worse scarring than you.”

  Zack’s eyes were shining with something that looked a lot like admiration.

  “I’m learning a lot about you tonight,” he said.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Tell me if I’m talking too much.”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s nice. You’re a good person. It gives me hope in humanity to see.”

  A spell weaved between them, the intimacy of her confessions and the intensity of his listening, creating threads that were bonding them in the low light of his living room.

  “My parents taught me it was better to give than receive. I’m just following their example.”

  Zack’s hand settled on her shoulder. “Well, I think you’re kind of wonderful.”

  Radha’s breath caught. His words and expression held a quiet hunger. The threads between them snapped tight, drawing her towards him. She leaned forward and his gaze flickered to her lips. He, too, moved in. Just a little. Testing her. Their gazes held. She was inches from him. Her lips tingled with anticipation.

  Their lips brushed, so lightly it could almost be written off as an accident. They pulled back, gazes searching, yearning, before leaning in again. They were barely a breath from each other when the ring of the doorbell echoed through the house, shattering the spell.

  Zack’s eyes closed for a brief moment of frustration, and Radha knew exactly how he felt.

  “Of all the times to get a visitor… Excuse me,” he murmured in a slightly strangled voice. He stood and walked around the corner to get the door.

  Radha breathed a sigh of relief as he disappeared from sight. She took the moment to compose herself. What had she been thinking? While she did think of Zack as more of a partner than an employee, that wasn’t the same distinction everyone would make.

  But, dammit, she really liked him. Maybe she would just ask him about it when he got back. She usually didn’t like to lay things out in the open, she wanted to avoid potential conflict where possible. But not knowing where she stood with him was killing her.

  She was startled out of her thoughts by a violent burst of gunfire.

  Chapter 12

  Zack twisted out of the way just in time as the bullets whizzed passed him. He’d seen the flash of the muzzle seconds before the gun fired and had reacted instinctively. Luckily his training had kicked
in before his mind had, because at that range the bullets would have surely killed him.

  He lunged forward, knocking the man’s gun arm away with his injured hand, and backhanding him with a closed fist with the other. His opponent staggered back into the two men behind him and Zack quickly slammed the front door shut on them. The deadbolt automatically clicked into place.

  He was glad he’d replaced the door with a solid one made of wood and steel. The attractive, original stained glass panels would have shattered with the force of the door shutting. Or, if that hadn’t broke it, it wouldn’t have lasted much beyond that.

  Zack turned, his only thought of Radha. She waited in the doorway to the lounge, a horrified expression on her face.

  “Run!” he said, louder than was necessary, considering their proximity. But she was frozen with shock, her hand covering her open mouth.

  Zack grabbed her by the upper arms and spun her around toward the kitchen. He pushed her forward, not taking the time to be gentle.

  He could hear the men outside, banging furiously on the door. They weren’t going to be deterred so easily.

  “Who are they?” Radha asked over her shoulder. Her expression had more life to it now that she had been spurred into action.

  “No idea,” he grunted. He whipped open a drawer and pulled out a Glock. He tucked it into the waistband of his pants as he urged her forward. As they made it into the kitchen he reached into a cabinet and pulled out a black duffel bag.

  He straightened. Radha had stalled. He placed a hand on her back to push her forward again, but she stumbled back into him. He caught her around the waist. A movement flashed passed the window.

  Zack threw Radha to the ground as the window shattered and a flashbang clattered onto the ground. The agonising bang from the device pierced his eardrums, and the flash of light rendered him temporarily blind.