Dangerous Victor: (Soldiering On #3)

by Aislinn Kearns

  “Stay,” said Diego.

  “I’m not a dog,” she retorted.

  Something flickered in his eyes, but then they grew hard once again. “No, but I don’t have time for niceties.”

  With that, he shut the door and clicked the lock, leaving Radha alone. It took a few moments for the silence to hit, but when it did her legs crumpled and she fell to the floor. Tears burned her eyes, and she took a few deep, shuddering breaths, trying to keep a hold of herself. She couldn’t allow herself weakness when she was in such a precarious situation. Weakness would be deadly.

  A few more breaths, a few more seconds, and then Radha staggered to her feet.

  She pushed aside the anxiety squeezing her chest and the burns on her legs from the cheap carpet, and climbed on the desk. She couldn’t see much out the window, just sky blocked by heavy bars. Even if the bars hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t be able to fit out of it anyway.

  She hopped down and tried the door next, but it was definitely locked and made of solid wood. Running out of options, she hunted for a weapon. Perhaps if Diego came back alone, she could knock him out and make a run for it.

  There was nothing other than a few pencils in the top drawer of the desk. Radha didn’t know if she had the stomach to stab anyone, but she palmed them anyway.

  Diego came back a few minutes later. He opened the door, threw a pair of sweatpants in her direction, and then locked her in again. She hadn’t had time to try anything, but she was pathetically grateful for the pants.

  The next time Diego showed up, he was flanked by the three guys from the apartment earlier. Instead of making her move, she pocketed the pencils before they could see. Though Zack might have tried it, Radha knew she wasn’t capable of taking on four guys at once.

  Her palms were clammy as she gripped the thin stakes of wood in her pockets.

  They led her wordlessly down corridors and up a flight of wide marble stairs. They surrounded her, blocking off her possible exits if she tried to run. The corridors were high-ceilinged, and decorated with cheap knock-off paintings and the occasional sideboard. All of the doors were shut, so she couldn’t get an impression of any of the rooms, but if the bare office downstairs was any indication, they wouldn’t be much to look at. Once again, she couldn’t tell where in the building they were, just followed Diego’s broad back.

  Diego stopped in front of carved double doors.

  He leaned down, whispering in her ear. “Remember, I’m not going to help you in there. You’re on your own.”

  Radha gave a quick nod to show she understood, her heart fluttering in her throat.

  Diego gestured at one of the guys to open the doors, then hauled Radha through the opening. She gaped as she took in the opulent surroundings. If the outside of the mansion had been designed to intimidate, this room had been designed to impress. At least, impress a certain type of person.

  The room was probably forty feet across, and twenty deep. Rich reds and golds assaulted her from every direction. The thick carpet, the wallpaper, the fabric of the furniture were all red; the huge mirror, the rest of the furniture, and all the trimmings were a sickly gold colour.

  Radha blinked, trying to process the riot of stimulation. The space was like a parody of a throne room, complete with the king in the centre of the room.

  Victor lounged on a huge armchair, big enough to fit two. He was shorter than she’d remembered—closer to her own height, as far as she could tell. In her memories he was a seven-foot monster.

  His head was shaved, and tattoos decorated his arms and neck. He might once have been in good shape, but now he sported a slight gut and dark circles under his eyes that spoke of heavy indulgence.

  “What have you brought me?” he asked, as Diego half-dragged Radha into the room. “A pretty girl to ease my lonely nights?”

  He grinned, and Radha shivered at the unpleasant look in his eyes. It wasn’t sexual interest, not exactly, but it was clear this was a man that liked holding his position of power over people. Beside her, Diego tensed, though his expression gave nothing away.

  “This is Radha Iyer,” he said, then stepped back and released her.

  True interest entered Victor’s expression. “Ah. I remember you now.”

  Radha swallowed. Her skin crawled as his gaze travelled over her. The need to step back pulled at her, but she forced herself to hold her ground. For courage, she clutched at the pencils in her pocket. Though she was under no illusion she could use them here and get away with it, the knowledge that she had some kind of weapon wrapped her in a sense of calm.

  “It’s nice to see you again,” she managed. They’d never spoken before, as she’d only ever seen him at a distance back when she’d been with Diego, and later at the trial.

  “Why aren’t you dead?” he asked, voice hard.

  Radha froze, a deer in the headlights, then forced herself to breathe. “Because I’m more valuable to you alive.”

  Victor rolled his eyes. “Is that so?” Then, “Kill her.”

  Her chest constricted at the words. Black fear crawled across her skin, tightening her lungs and obscuring her vision.

  “Wait!” she gasped. “I can get you millions of dollars scot free.”

  Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as she awaited his answer.

  “Hmmm,” said Victor. Victor gave a tiny gesture to one of the men hovering behind her, apparently standing him down. She breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Explain yourself,” he snapped.

  Radha slowly straightened slowly, cautiously; not wanting to startle him. “You know who I am,” she said, and he nodded. “You know I work at a casino. I can help you clean the whole place out. We have millions of dollars in cash there, every day. It could all be yours.”

  He was silent for a long moment. “For what price?”

  “For my life, my friend’s life, and a cut of the winnings,” she said, improvising the last. She’d rather seem greedy than desperate. Radha couldn’t believe it had come to this. For so long she’d been afraid to set a foot out of line, to defy authority and risk ruining her life again. Now, she was going toe-to-toe with one of the most dangerous criminals in the city.

  She’d changed, becoming braver and more willing to take risky gambles for her rewards. And it was all because of Zack.

  Victor’s eyes narrowed, lasering Radha’s focus on him. “I’ve found that people begging for their life are rarely trustworthy.”

  Radha hesitated, choosing her words carefully. “Just because I don’t want to die, doesn’t mean it isn’t a good deal for you. What harm is there in trying? If you suspect I’m not for real, you can…deal with me then.”

  Though her stomach plummeted at the thought. She didn’t really want to help this horrible man—this murderer—steal from Jeri. But she had to delay long enough to either find a way out, or for Zack to rescue her.

  If he was coming.

  But she couldn’t think like that. She had to focus on the moment.

  “You might be setting a trap for me,” Victor said. “You might not even have the knowledge to do what you say you can.”

  Radha wasn’t surprised that Victor didn’t trust easily. She had to assume that the fact she was still alive meant he was at least tempted by her proposition. Perhaps she held some cards in this situation. Perhaps this plan would work after all.

  “I’m not stupid enough to try to trap you. This is a simple exchange.” She paused. “If you don’t think I can do it, call your inside man. He’ll be able to tell you that I have the keys, codes, and knowledge of schedules that will get you access to anywhere in the casino. I know all the weak spots.”

  “How do you know I have an inside man?” Victor asked with deceptive calm.

  Radha sensed movement at her back and knew Diego and his men were shifting, ready, picking up on Victor’s deadly energy.

  Sweat beaded on the back of her neck and she tried to shrug nonchalantly. “Someone must have tipped you off that we were getting c
lose to you.”

  His gaze didn’t stray from her as he pulled his phone out of the pocket and dialled.

  He made no attempt to greet whoever was on the other end of the phone, just went straight to the point. “If I were to plan a heist in the casino, who would I need to convince to help me so I could get the codes and such?”

  Radha strained her ears in the silent room, trying to distinguish who was on the other end of the line, but couldn’t quite catch it. It was definitely a man’s voice, and probably not Anton’s. Which meant there was another person in the casino working for Victor, as Zack had suspected. At least it wasn’t Jeri. Zack had been wrong about her, and Radha couldn’t help a small sigh of relief that her loyalty hadn’t been misplaced.

  Victor narrowed his eyes, then hung up on the man on the other end of the line.

  “So. You do have the knowledge to pull this off.” Radha breathed a sigh of relief. “But,” he continued, making her heart thump painfully in her chest, “You are also extremely loyal to the casino’s owner.”

  “Just because I’m loyal, doesn’t mean I’d die for that place,” she told him. “Besides, the casino is insured. Jeri won’t lose out on anything other than the time it’ll take her to fill out the insurance paperwork.”

  Victor shifted in his chair. “If we do this, I’ll have to stop my other activities in the casino. There’d be too much scrutiny. I’m not sure I want to do that, since it’s been working out well so far.”

  Despite his words, Radha could tell he was tempted. He had the same expression a chronic gambler had at the chance for a big win—eyes lit with an unholy lust for a prize, a smile tilting the corner of his mouth.

  “The police are close anyway. They’ve been suspicious since Louis’s death. You may as well leave with a healthy payout and then disappear to start over—no one gets hurt, and you walk away with millions.”

  He licked his lips.

  “Tell me the codes and the combination for the safe, so I know you’re not playing me,” he demanded.

  Radha shook her head slowly, trying to keep her eyes peeled for any sudden movements. “You’ll kill me as soon as you have that information. I’m going to hang onto it, give you an excuse to keep me around.”

  Radha waited, wondering if she’d be punished for defying him. He stared at her for a long, fraught moment, letting her stew.

  “Diego?”

  “Yes, sir?” He stepped forward so he was in line with Radha. She studied him out of the corner of her eye, trying to get a read on him, but he was a blank slate.

  “You know this woman the best of all of us. Will she betray us?”

  Radha sucked in a breath. Diego had said he wouldn’t help her—that he didn’t trust her. But she was so close now, nearly at the finish line. All he had to do was utter one word of support and she’d get through this.

  If, however, he spoke against her, everything would crumble. She wouldn’t leave this room alive.

  He hesitated, and Radha prayed to whatever Gods were listening that Diego still had enough fondness for her left to save her in this one moment.

  He turned to her. Their gazes met. Something warm melted in his, just for a second.

  “She’s good for it,” Diego said eventually, turning back to Victor.

  Victor nodded, as if that had been the answer he’d expected.

  “Good. Lock her up!” he called to the guys hovering at the back of the room.

  “What?!” asked Radha. “I’m on your side.”

  “Doesn’t mean you won’t try to escape. You’ll stay there until I get my team together.”

  Radha bit back the retort she so desperately wanted to give and allowed herself to be herded from the room. Diego didn’t even glance her way before the double doors were slammed shut between them.

  She needed Zack now more than ever. She had to hope he was coming for her, because her life very clearly depended on it.

  Chapter 18

  Three guns, a flak jacket, a handful of flash bombs and grenades, a knife, some C4 explosives, and a blowtorch. A few other bits and pieces, like binoculars. Not exactly the biggest—or most useful—arsenal Zack could have at his disposal.

  Since the Soldiering On offices were on lockdown, he couldn’t raid their weapons room for more options; his own house had been compromised, meaning his personal stashes were equally out of reach. Zack couldn’t be sure whether Victor still had his men actively searching for him, but it was a strong possibility. So avoiding any place they might look for him, including his house, was his safest bet.

  Which gave him very little to work with.

  He decided he would check the locations Destiny had given him in order of convenience from his current location. The first was a huge warehouse by the river, with hundreds of workers milling around and going about their day. Not exactly the most convenient place to hold a hostage, nor the most comfortable for Victor to build his stronghold.

  The second house was what looked like an abandoned safe house. It was in a suburban neighbourhood, with neat lawns and houses with only enough differences to avoid the label ‘cookie-cutter’. Victor’s house, however, had an overgrown garden and broken windows. As he got closer, it became clear it wasn’t a front—the house had been cleaned out and metaphorically burned.

  The next two locations were equally useless. Which left the compound Zack found himself pulling up to an hour later.

  It was clearly designed as a fortress, not a home. The walls were high, and topped with barbed wire. The gate was equally high, but made of ornate scrollwork, so Zack could see through to the yard. He only drove past once so as not to arouse suspicion, and then parked five blocks away in a supermarket parking lot. He loaded himself up with anything that might be useful from his collection. He wore the flack vest over his t-shirt, cautious of his sensitive skin, but slipped his hoodie over it to hide it from public view. The rest of the equipment he kept in the duffel bag. He already caught enough attention due to his scars, and he didn’t want to make it worse by openly wearing multiple weapons, looking like he was going into battle.

  Even if he was.

  Thankfully, the compound was located in a high-end neighbourhood—plenty of trees for him to climb for a good vantage point. He found one around the back that was high enough for him to see over the compound wall, and had a comfortable seat for him to settle in. He slung the duffel onto his back and hauled himself up, ignoring the twinge of pain in his right hand.

  He dug the binoculars out of his bag and trained them on the compound.

  The guards he’d seen around the front of the building were almost non-existent at the back. It proved Zack’s suspicion that all the security was for show. Rather than have invisible, effective security, Victor used his men and their weapons as a show of strength—a deterrent.

  He scanned the building, looking for any security he might have missed, but other than one camera that would be easy enough to avoid, he was pretty sure the back of the compound was unguarded.

  Until a guard stepped around the corner of the building, clearly a patrol. And, then, another guard came from the other side. The two reached each other and instead of continuing around, they stopped to chat. One pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and then offered the packet to his friend.

  They stood like that for a while, but they were alert, scanning the area even as they talked.

  Eventually, they moved off, but Zack stayed where he was, watching. It took the two men ten minutes to come around again. Then, the next time only eight. So, they weren’t on a precise schedule, which made it much more difficult for Zack to plan. He’d have to work around it.

  The rough bark was already digging into his skin, and the heavy flak jacket weighed on him. Zack ignored the discomfort, and focused on scanning the mansion with his binoculars.

  He wanted to see Radha, make sure she was still alive. He couldn’t even entertain the thought that she was already dead.

  He’d have to go into the compound blind—no bluep
rints or floor plan, no idea where Radha was being held—which was not an ideal situation. Worse, he had to assume Victor had packed the mansion full of his guards, leaving Zack with very few options if he wanted to get himself and Radha out of this alive.

  He thought of and then discarded numerous ideas, eventually realising his best bet would be to draw as many of the guards out of the house as possible before he tried to sneak in.

  If these guys were even remotely professional, pulling the fire alarm wouldn’t work—he’d have to create a real threat. He had to play it right, though, since Radha was somewhere in that building and he couldn’t risk hurting her.

  Plus, if he was going to pull a stunt like this, it would be much better under the cover of darkness.

  But first he had to know whether Radha was safe. Or it would all be for nothing.

  Chapter 19

  “Victor wants to see you now,” said Diego, sticking his head around the door. “He wants to hear your plan.”

  Radha huffed, not sure how long she’d been waiting, but knowing it felt like hours. Still, she’d been able to use the time to formulate some kind of plan for this heist, so it hadn’t been a total waste.

  Diego tilted his head to direct her out of the room and Radha reluctantly slipped out into the corridor. She knew any time she was in Victor’s presence, she was in a far greater danger of saying the wrong thing and ending up dead. She would rather be out of sight, out of mind.

  However, when they reached their destination, Radha realised it wasn’t the throne room again, it was a dining hall.

  This room was also sparsely decorated like the corridors, but it was dominated by a massive thirty-seater table that ran the centre of the room. Every seat was occupied by a tattooed gang member, guns tucked into their waistbands or lying casually on the tables next to them.

  Her fingers itched with the desire to grab one but she thought better of it. No way could she take on all these guys at once.