Tears of Blue (Shades of Death Book 2)

by Hoffman McManus, Stephanie

  He arched one brow. “Will you?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “I know you wouldn’t. I’m pretty good at reading people.” He leaned forward in his seat, those stupid, deep, penetrating eyes on me so intimately. It was too much.

  “Just stop. Stop trying to read me, stop pretending like you know me. You don’t. You never will, so just stop.” I was so sick of feeling like he was inside my head every time I was around him.

  He looked slightly taken back. “Emily, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “Well you did. We’re not– doing this, whatever this is.” I pointed between the two of us. “So stop trying to figure me out.”

  “This?” he snorted. “This is me just trying to get to know you. I wasn’t aware it was an offense.”

  I swallowed. “I don’t want you to know me.”

  “You don’t want anyone to know you.” He shot back. “How long you planning on keeping that up? Keeping everyone out, not letting anyone get close?”

  “I don’t need anyone.” Least of all his superior, all-knowing, ass.

  “Tell me you don’t really believe that?” he said almost sadly.

  My lips pulled in a tight line.

  “Jesus Emily, that’s a crock of shit. It’s one thing to be afraid of letting people in, God knows you have every reason to feel that way, but if you can’t even admit that you’re afraid, you’re never going to be able to face it.”

  Un-fucking-believable.

  I let out an incredulous laugh. “You think I can’t admit that I’m afraid? You know shit, Camden Shaw. I’m afraid every waking moment of every single day, and I face those fears every time I close my eyes. It never stops. You know nothing about that. You can’t fix me. No one can, and I don’t need you to try. I don’t want your help. I don’t want anything from you or anyone else. This is my life.”

  “Is it? Because it looks to me like you let someone else take it from you.”

  “Let?” I choked. “You think I let this happen?”

  “Fuck,” he sighed. “That’s not what I meant. Damn it, I’m saying all the wrong things. You’re right. I don’t know anything about what you go through. No one has the right to tell you how to deal with it, least of all me. But nobody can go through life alone. We all need somebody.”

  “I’m not alone. I have Nora and my family. And I have other friends.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Fine then, what about you? If you’re so much the romantic, then tell me the last time you had a serious relationship.”

  “We’re not talking about me.”

  “No, we’re just psychoanalyzing me, and I’m tired of it.”

  “Fine,” he shrugged. “My last serious relationship was never, but not because I want to go through the rest of my life without forming attachments or letting people get close, but because I’d never met a girl who made me want more.”

  I didn’t miss that he used the past tense. But if he somehow thought I was the girl to change all that, ha! He was crazier than I was.

  “And what about now? What it is you want?” I challenged.

  “It’s not me who has to decide that.” He plucked his empty bowl and spoon from the table and stood as Nora returned.

  “You ready to go?” He asked her.

  She nodded and they both discarded their trash. I was still sitting when Camden looked back. “You coming?”

  Nine

  Camden

  The club was packed tonight. Clusters of girls everywhere in their short dresses and shorts, leaning over the bar to get my attention. Couldn’t say I minded the view, but my thoughts were on one girl.

  One girl.

  One pretty blonde girl with bright blue eyes, a beautiful smile she liked to hide, and so many layers I was itching to peel back to get to what was underneath.

  She was really messing with my head.

  One minute she was soft eyes and unguarded smiles, looking at me like she wanted to lick me off of her spoon the way she licked her chocolate ice cream, and the next she was scowling at me like I left a bad taste in her mouth and telling me off. I couldn’t decide what to make of it. Or her.

  And then my eyes flashed to someone else at the bar. Alexei Kuznetsov was sitting on a stool, leaned back against the bar just eyeing the crowd like a predator on the hunt.

  Chelsea, the other bartender, and I had been slammed with orders, and in my distraction, I somehow hadn’t noticed when he showed up. That was not fucking good. I always, always needed to see him coming. I could definitely not afford to be distracted.

  “What are you doing behind the bar tonight?” He spun around, dragging his dark gaze away from a group of college girls at a table just a few feet from him.

  “Someone has to keep this place running when one of my bartenders calls in.” It was inconvenient as shit though, and my backup bartender needed to get his ass here asap. I wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on Alexei and his boys as packed as we were tonight. It was not a good night to be stuck back here.

  “You weren’t around over the weekend.” It was a simple observation, and yet I could hear the question. I didn’t answer to him or any of the dirtbags, but that didn’t stop him from thinking he owned the place and that everyone answered to him. For my part, I went along with it to an extent. Showed him respect and made him believe he had me under control. But he also knew he couldn’t put me on a damn leash.

  “Had plans.” I poured a glass of his usual and slid it in front of him with a hard look that told him there would be no more discussion of my personal life. The bastard didn’t take the hint.

  “Got a nice piece of ass stashed somewhere?” He eyed me over the rim of his glass as he tipped it back to his lips.

  “What’s it to you?” Sounded a lot like he was fishing and I did not like it. Not one fucking bit.

  “Never seen a guy with so much pussy falling at his feet, turn it all down. Every night you’re here, the women are all over you, my friend, but you never take one home.”

  Asshole had clearly been paying attention, but I already knew that.

  “I don’t need the drama and shit that comes with fucking college girls.”

  “Ah, but young pussy is the best pussy, is it not?” He raised his glass, smirking as he drank. I wanted to reach across the bar and slam his face down on it hard, instead I had to force myself not to react to the disgusting fuck.

  “If you say so,” I brushed him off and poured a rum and coke for the guy down the bar that was signaling for another.

  “So then tell me,” Alexei mused, “if the club girls don’t do it for you, then what does? What’s a woman got to do to catch your eye?”

  “Why, you looking to fix me up with your sister?” I smirked.

  “Otva`li, mu`dak!” He swore in Russian. I’d picked up enough to know it was something like fuck off, asshole.

  I chuckled, because it was either keep up this charade that we were two buddies screwing with each other, or I was going to pull my piece and put a bullet between his eyes right there and save myself a lot of time and paperwork later on. I needed this shit to be over soon.

  “Stay away from my sister,” he grumbled and tipped his vodka to his lips, glaring at me over the rim. He had nothing to worry about. His sister was a real piece of work too. I wouldn’t touch that for anything, but his men didn’t share my opinion. Half of them were nailing her behind his back. He saw a lot, but he didn’t see everything that went on here. “I’d hate to have to cut your balls off.”

  No he wouldn’t. He’d sit back, pour himself a drink and watch as he ordered his sadistic goon, Oleg Lenkov, to do his dirty work.

  I left Alexei at his spot to tend to another group that was crowding the bar. By the time I’d served them, Alexei had slipped away to some other part of the club.

  When Damon finally showed up, I left him and Chels to cover the bar. As I ducked out from behind it, Letty, one of my cocktail waitresses, sidled up with her tray. Slas
hing me a wicked grin, she leaned over, flashing her tits as she grabbed Damon’s attention to put in a drink order for upstairs. When I heard the drink order, going looking for Alexei and his boys became unnecessary.

  I did a quick scan of the dance floor and the dark corners of the room before heading up to the VIP lounge. Alexei and three of his men were enjoying the company of several scantily clad ladies who looked more than a little blitzed out of their minds. Whether it was drugs or alcohol, or some combo of the two, I couldn’t be certain. Either way I wanted to yank those girls out of their laps and warn them the hell away. But I couldn’t do that unless I wanted to blow everything and make all the work I’d done thus far for nothing.

  So instead of putting a stop to whatever sick shit was happening, I gave Alexei a nod and passed through to my office down the hall. Once inside, I fired up the security monitors that were connected to the eyes around the club. I didn’t have the VIP area mic’d as it was too risky, but there were cameras strategically placed all over the club so I could watch over things from here.

  I had a bad feeling about those girls. They were too young and naïve to be getting involved with guys like Alexei. But they were dripping money and power and sometimes that’s all it took for a girl to ignore instinct and common sense.

  I was relieved when I watched Alexei take what must have been an important call and shoo the girls away. After what appeared to be some pouting and whining, they were all ushered back down the stairs onto the main floor. I couldn’t read lips, but I had a good enough look at Alexei’s face to know he was pissed off. I wanted to know who was on the other side of the conversation.

  I pushed my rolling chair back and quickly exited my office, hoping to get back out there and catch something that would give me an idea of who he was talking to. Unfortunately, when Alexei looked up and saw me, he muttered something angrily in Russian and then ended the call.

  I whistled under my breath. “Who pissed in your vodka?”

  He grumbled in Russian and shoved his phone is his pocket, sharing a look with his guys, before bothering with me. “Fucking brown cunts,” he spit and I knew right away they must be having issues with the Mexicans again.

  The west side of the state was becoming a hot bed for cartel activity and I’d learned through my new Russian buddies that they were working to extend their reach east to this side of the mountains. The Russians weren’t happy about this and it was the one thing we could agree on. Nobody wanted the cartel moving into our city.

  We’d put a stop to it once before when we shut down the Hell’s Angels in these parts. The Angels were known to do business south of the border, whereas the Russians and the cartels were not on friendly terms.

  Lately, I’d been hearing rumors though. Word was that deals were being made between the Mexicans and the Russians. I’d seen nothing yet to suggest it was more than rumor. As far as I knew, the Russians would go to war with the cartel before they’d work with them.

  War between the two was the last thing this city needed. All I could think was how great it would be to bust the Russians and sick the DEA on the cartel when this was all over with. Of course, even if we pulled it off, there’d always be someone else stepping up to fill the drug trade.

  It was like one of those mythical dogs with all the heads. When you cut one off, three more grew back. Most days it felt like a losing battle, but one that we wouldn’t quit fighting regardless. Someone had to keep fighting.

  “Getting push back from them?” I was fishing, and that was damn risky, but I needed to know what was happening with the cartel.

  Alexei shrugged noncommittally and started stabbing out a message on his phone.

  “They trying to make war? Do I have to worry about it spilling into the club?” I pressed.

  “You don’t need to worry about shit. It’s just business,” he growled.

  Shit. Maybe there was something to the rumors. Were they opening the doors to those evil bastards?

  “Since when are you doing business with the Mexicans?”

  He glanced up at me with narrowed eyes. Double shit. I kept my features schooled and acted casually. He seemed to relax and must have been in a sharing mood. “The bastards are going to be moving cargo for us. That is if I don’t kill all the stupid fucks first.”

  Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This was about the girls. Had to be. The cartels were major players in the human trafficking world.

  “Cargo,” I repeated.

  Alexei grinned. “Yeah, precious cargo.” He stepped up to the rail that overlooked the rest of the club. “But nothing you need to trouble yourself with. All I need from you is your assurance that you’ll handle shit here when I need you to, same as you’ve been doing.” He turned his calculating gaze on me. “So, you still in or out comrade?”

  The unspoken threat was that if I was out, they would take me out and find someone else to do what they needed. I was already in a precarious position, one wrong move, one thing he didn’t like and it was a bullet between my eyes and the club would find itself with a new manager, no doubt a Russian one.

  This was my job. This is why I was here.

  “What do you need from me on this?”

  Alexei grinned and then signaled one of his boys who brought over a bottle and two glasses. Alexei poured and then we drank to new ventures. I also managed to get the details I needed on the gun shipment. Alexei wasn’t as careful with a few drinks in him and right in front of me he informed his man, Grigory Vasili, that he wouldn’t set up the meet with the Mexicans until after the special delivery on Monday. I knew damn well what was being delivered.

  As soon as we finished our conversation, I returned to my office and sent the email that would signal I needed a meet.

  Anyone checking my messages wouldn’t find anything out of the ordinary about it, just a message to a supplier indicating we needed another shipment asap. Cap would know I got the info.

  I got a response not ten minutes later informing me that a shipment could be rushed first thing in the morning and to expect delivery at seven.

  At seven the next morning, I walked into the diner and slid onto the stool two down from where Cap sat, sipping from a cup of coffee and enjoying a greasy breakfast. The waitress behind the counter laid down a menu and I asked for a cup of black coffee as well.

  “How’d it go at the club last night?” Captain Richards didn’t waste any time.

  “Timetable is speeding up. Gun drop is Monday, and I found out they’re talking to the cartel about transporting cargo.” He’d know exactly what I meant by cargo. “Alexei wants the cameras in the lounge and out back of the club to go down one night this week. Hasn’t specified when yet. Only said he has an important meeting. I’m thinking it’s going to be a lieutenant from the cartel.” I spoke quietly into my menu.

  “That’s good. We’ve got enough to bust them on the drugs and prostitution, and soon, the guns too. This is just one more thing we’ll be able to nail them with.”

  “Are you suggesting we actually let them make this deal with the cartel, instead of moving on them Monday?” My harsh whisper probably came out a little louder than it should have. That’s not how this was supposed to go. The guns, drugs and hookers were enough to take them down. maybe even get some of them to give up the info they had on the cartel.

  “If we can get them on trafficking charges on top of everything else, there’s no way they’ll beat it. Find out what you can at the meet this week, and we’ll come up with a game plan from there.”

  In my head I could already see so many ways for this to go wrong.

  “And what if this meet is actually a delivery? What if they’ve already got girls or plan to take them from the club?”

  “Have you heard anything to suggest they’ve already got the girls?”

  “No, but that doesn’t mean –”

  “Then we’re going with what we know, and all of our intel points to this being a first meeting to broker a deal.” I knew damn well what the intel said; I wa
s the one who’d been putting my ass on the line to get it. “You get ears on that meeting and then we can nail them.”

  I couldn’t argue with him. It wasn’t my decision, but I didn’t have to like it. I shoved off my stool and stood, prepared to leave.

  “Shaw, you’re the one who wanted to stay on the case, and you know this is the right play. It’s everything we’ll need to take them down for good. This goes beyond just Kuznetsov or even Egorov’s entire organization.” Yuri Egorov was the shot caller here and over the entire West Coast, the guy Alexei answered to. “Sex trafficking is becoming a global epidemic. We need Alexei and his boys to lead us to their connections.”

  “Then we take Alexei and whoever he meets with that night. Get them on conspiracy to traffic.”

  “You just get the details of that meeting and we’ll go from there.”

  Dammit. He wanted to let them set up the trade.

  “These are innocent girls you’re talking about using as pawns.” I growled.

  “We’ll be ready to take them all down when the time comes. Just get us the rest of the information we need, and when they go to make a move, we’ll be there, with every avenue covered.”

  “I don’t like it.” I didn’t like playing with the lives of innocent people.

  “You don’t have to.”

  Because I didn’t make the calls, I was just the guy who made shit happen. “This is a dangerous game we’re playing.” Frustration and anger seeped into my words.

  “You’ve known this all along, Shaw. And it’s one we have to win.”

  Ten

  Emily

  I stood at the bedside, trying to convince myself I was crazy, losing my mind, because that would have been preferable. But I knew I wasn’t.

  I walked to my suitcase next and opened it up, the tightness in my chest spreading to my stomach when it was confirmed.

  “Nora!” I called out.

  She poked her head in a moment later. “What’s up?”

  “Any chance you borrowed a lipstick or something?”

  She frowned and pushed inside the room. “No, why?”