He stood there dripping in the cold, eager to get inside and have a hot shower. “Sure, yeah, of course. I’m glad it happened as well, but there’s no pressure.”
“Good, I’m glad that’s settled. I’ll make us some eggs.”
He went in hurriedly after her, eager to step under a hot shower and bring the blood back to his fingers and toes. He was glad she’d made it uncomplicated but that she’d left it open as well. She’d tidied it all up so neither of them needed to feel uncomfortable.
As he stood in the shower and let the hot steam envelop him and the almost scalding water run across his skin, he saw her face again. He remembered how it had been the night before, how hungry she’d been and how right it had felt. He almost had to give himself a shake to stop thoughts of Chloe from fully filling his mind.
He finished up hurriedly and once he was dressed decided it was time to call Mirko. He needed advice and he was sure Mirko would come through for him and help them make a solid plan. Chloe was busy in the kitchen as he went through the living room and out to the terrace to make the call.
“Yes?”
“It’s Vlad. They sent someone to Ithaca to recover the jewels. He went for Chloe, the girl taken hostage, and I had to step in, sent that fucker flying but we had to run.”
“You took the girl with you, you’re both safe now?”
“Yeah we got away but he saw my car, and you know how my car looks.”
“Pretty distinctive, they probably know who you are now, have probably been to your place.”
“We’re safe, we’re far enough away. You remember the cottage just outside Keuka Park?”
“Sure, good choice. How is it with the girl?”
“Surprisingly good, she understands we had to do it this way. She just wants it over, we both do. I’m gonna just give them everything back. Despite the heat from the cops it’s got too dangerous to hold off on the handover. What do you think?”
“I agree, but you realize that might not stop them from killing you anyway. If Alexei is behind this he’ll want anyone with any knowledge to disappear. You gotta be careful. First of all, don’t do the exchange in Ithaca. You wanna move the action as far away from there as possible. There’s still a chance they don’t know about me, and also if the girl has family in town they might be at risk. Bring it somewhere else, closer to New York or even in the city. I might be able to help you then, give you some cover. But move it away from Ithaca, there’s too much heat there.”
“Ok, sure, I can see that. I’ll have a think about it and talk with Chloe. She’s gonna stick with me until I’ve tidied this up. She’s my responsibility now, just like you said. I gotta keep her safe, it’s the least I can do after what she’s been through.”
“Ok Vlad. Be clever and think everything through. You know what you’re like sometimes, keep it cool and call me again when you have a plan. I’m gonna stay at the cabin with Karin until I’m absolutely sure we’re out of danger. Maybe that means dealing with Alexei once and for all this time. In any case, let me know what you decide.”
“Thanks Mirko, I know I’ve brought a lot of heat down with this shit, I appreciate your help.”
“Don’t worry about it, we had a good run in Ithaca. This is just another problem and problems can be fixed.”
After the call he went back inside. Chloe was already finished cooking the eggs and was spooning them on two plates at the table. She’d made fresh toast and had poured them both a large glass of juice.
“Thanks Chloe, this looks great.”
“No problem, before we discuss how we’re gonna sort out this mess and if I’m ever going to have a normal life again the first thing we need is a pair of full stomachs. I can’t even think straight if I’m hungry.”
“That is definitely something I can agree with and this looks delicious. You have a chef’s touch.”
“Well, that’s a nice compliment thanks. I kinda had to learn how to cook younger than most, with my mum been gone and all. It makes me wonder how Jackson is actually, he’ll be wondering why I wasn’t there to give him his breakfast this morning.”
“I’m sure he’ll survive a couple of days, didn’t you tell me he was a killer?”
“Yeah, I hope he’s ok, I left him a big bowl of food but you know what cats are like. He probably ate it all in one go and then got sick all over the mittens for the girl in Ireland.”
“You lost me.”
“I crochet things and sell them online, you know, hats, socks, dolls, all sorts of stuff.”
“That’s the stuff made from wool I saw at your place?” asked Vladek, crunching down on a big piece of toast he’d heaped with the scrambled eggs.
“Yeah, I started doing it to keep my fingers busy, because of this,” she held up her hands with the plastered finger tips. “But then I really got into it. I love it now and I sell my stuff online. I’d love to have my own craft shop someday where I can sell my own stuff and stock other things I like as well. Maybe I’ll fool around with doing some pottery as well and see how that goes. It helps when my hands are busy.”
“That sounds great. I fool around with welding a bit sometimes when I’m working on the car and get bored. I made a little man of nuts and bolts a few weeks ago. He looks pretty shit but funny as well, it made me laugh. He looks like a little drunk man.”
That perfect smile bloomed on Chloe’s face and Vladek felt awesome. They were just two normal people, enjoying their breakfast together without any thought of the mess they were in. Her smile lingered as she dropped her eyes to her food again. Suddenly he was eager to say something else to keep her smile there and he racked his brains furiously for something else funny to say.
- 18 -
Chloe
She’d woken up on her own, his deep masculine smell surrounding her on the pillow and sheets. It was hard to understand what had happened. They liked each other, that much was clear but it hadn’t been so clever. The closer she got him the more guilty she made herself in the eyes of the law.
Maybe she would be in danger at her apartment in Norwood or being close to Ithaca but she could have chosen to go somewhere else. She could have found a hotel on her own, she didn’t need to be with Vladek. So then why had she agreed to go along?
He said she was his responsibility, that he would look after her and fix things. It had felt good to hear it, that someone was determined to do that for her. Usually she was the one who worried about others. It was strange to feel like someone else’s priority for a change. It felt good.
She spread her limbs out wide under the duvet that tucked right up to her chin. The sun had been up a while and shone warm and bright into the cozy little room. The cottage was so neat and bright, it was a lovely place to escape to for a few days. She could almost forget the reasons that brought her there.
She thought back to the previous evening and felt her cheeks color a little. It had been kind of wild and frantic which was probably down to the whole week. She didn’t regret it, but it was still a little embarrassing.
She forced herself to stop thinking about it and sprang up out of bed. She peeked out the bedroom door before scuttling across to the bathroom for a shower. Under the hot water she organized her thoughts and by the time she was finished and had wandered out to the deck almost all her embarrassment was gone.
But her illusion of control didn’t last long. She watched him swim back in and haul himself up out of the water. Her heart beat loudly as she watched his gorgeous dripping body walking towards her and it had taken all her self-control to say the words she’d rehearsed in the shower.
She’d busied herself making breakfast then, glad to have something to keep her hands occupied while he strolled around semi-naked. Breakfast together was nice, just normal and for a short while she could forget all about the reason they were there. He was making a real effort to entertain and she appreciated it but it wasn’t long before reality intruded.
“I heard you talking to your friend earlier, your boss?” She
asked him.
“Yeah, Mirko. I was getting some advice.”
“What makes you so sure you can trust him? I haven’t told anybody anything, well apart from Abbie. I told her about you, but no one knows I’m here.”
“I trust him, he took a chance on me when no one else would. He has his own past with those guys, he knows how it works. He knows how hard it is to get out of that life. I’d be nothing without him, I owe him a lot and I trust him. Even after bringing all this shit right to his doorstep, he’s still been there for me.”
“Right, so what does he think we should do?”
“He agrees with me, just give them everything. He thinks we should bring it far away from Ithaca though. Away from the cops there, the connection with him and far away from anyone we know, just to be safe.”
“What do you mean far away from people we know, like my friends? You mean like Abbie or my dad? You think that Russian guy would approach them looking for me? I had nothing to do with taking the diamonds.”
“Look, I just want to give them back the stuff as fast as possible. That’s the safest thing to do for everyone. The thing is, I attacked the guy who threatened you, he watched us drive off together in my car and it won’t take them too long to track me down as the owner. I’m sure they know who I am by now and they know I’m helping you. They don’t know when we first met but they might think we’ve been in this together from the very beginning.”
Chloe drew back quickly in her seat as if someone had given her a shove. It suddenly dawned on her what Vladek was saying, they probably thought they were partners. Her fingers tapped fast in agitation on the table.
“This is so bad Vladek, they know me, they know you and they want those jewels. You gotta contact them right away and we gotta hand them over. If they went anywhere near Abbie or my dad or anyone else I couldn’t live with myself.”
He reached across and stilled her wringing hands, urging her gently to stop. She tried to get her breathing back under control but the thought of the violence that had so suddenly entered her life touching anyone close to her was almost too much.
“Listen to me,” he said with calm firmness. “I’m gonna contact them today and tell them I want to hand it all over. We’ll pick the time and the place far away from Ithaca. I’ll tell them we’re in over our heads and we just want it to end. We’ll give them exactly what they want and they’ll have no reason to hurt anyone. So, let’s think about it, where should we do the trade?”
“Far away from Ithaca is good, maybe we should pick their own back yard, somewhere in Manhattan?”
“I was thinking the same thing, somewhere public with lots of witnesses if something goes wrong.”
“One of the parks maybe?”
“Yeah, good. For the moment I’ll just say Manhattan, in two days because I need to recover the jewels from their hiding place. I’ll call them again when we have the jewels. We’ll keep them informed every step of the way, totally cooperate and give them no reason to hurt anyone else.”
“If anything happened to my dad or Abbie or anyone else I don’t think I’d ever get over it. Everything was going so well and then I had to get mixed up in this. I wish I’d never been on the street that day and I wish you’d never called my name and made me turn around.”
Despite her anxiety she saw how Vladek’s face crumpled in a little at her words. His jaw set and a determined look shone in his eyes as he stood up from the table. “I’m gonna call them right now, let them know I’m ready to give them what they want. We won’t even give them time to think about harming anyone else.”
He snatched his phone off the table and strode quickly to the front door and went outside. She heard his fast crunching footsteps rapidly recede on the gravel as he went to make the call.
Chloe got up to pace nervously around the cottage. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Vladek like that, she knew he already felt responsible for everything and was trying his best to fix things. And she couldn’t blame everything on him, it had still been her choice not to tell the police. She could have told them everything and had their protection from the very start.
But she hadn’t said anything and it was because she liked Vladek. That’s what it boiled down to, she liked him and she didn’t think he’d ever meant to get involved in a heist where people ended up getting killed. It was just his stupid loyalty to an old friend and recklessness for his own safety.
Why the hell couldn’t they have just met again normally and gone for a walk, to the cinema or for a coffee or something? Even hanging out at the mall for an afternoon, her own personal idea of hell, would have been better than getting caught up in a heist.
He came back around twenty minutes later, his face stern and focused. “Those fucking assholes, you’d think they were doing us a favor when we’re the ones handing over millions of dollars’ worth of jewels. All the fucking trouble we’re in, all the risk we’re taking and they act like we stole their fucking property!”
“Vladek, I know it’s shit but we’ve got no choice. Did you get it sorted out?”
“Yeah I told them I’d bring it to them, right to their fucking doorstep and then that would be the end of it. Told them we’d give them the lot if they just left us both the fuck alone.”
“What did they say?”
“They said they would. But whether we should believe that is another story. We need some kind of insurance Chloe, something to stop them coming after us after they have what they want.”
“Ok, that’s something we can start thinking about between now and the handover, but first you need to get the diamonds from wherever you hid them.”
“I’ll get them tomorrow at dawn, just as it’s getting bright, and we’ll have them and be on our way to New York before anyone in Ithaca is even awake.
Chloe let out an explosive breath. They had the beginnings of a plan at least and now Vladek had told the Russians he was going to give them the lot maybe they’d back off. She raised her hands and ran them through her hair before using her nails to give her scalp a thorough scratch. Her whole head was throbbing and she left Vladek standing in the middle of the living room and went to sit outside in the fresh air.
She closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind of all thoughts and think of nothing but the breeze in the trees and the sounds of nature. Despite the sunshine the weather was cool and she wasn’t dressed appropriately, but it was just what she needed. The chill distracted her and helped keep her in the present.
So they’d spend the day in the cottage and leave early in the morning. Tomorrow would be a long day but at least then they’d be dealing with the situation and not just running from it. Today was a day to recharge her batteries and steel herself for the next steps.
- 19 -
Chloe
She spent a long while on the terrace and Vladek left her in peace. She needed to spend a lot of time on her own. As much as she liked people she was at heart an introvert and being with others for too long left her drained, especially if things were tense.
Some people got energized by the presence of others but she needed to be alone to replenish her reserves of energy. As much as she liked Vladek she needed time to process everything and prepare for the challenges ahead.
Eventually the cold stopped being refreshing and started to seep into her bones. Back inside she found Vladek sprawled in an armchair and reading a book titled ‘Fish of the Finger Lakes.’ He looked up and gave an encouraging smile before lowering his eyes again to the book.
She brought a duvet from the bedroom and picked a book for herself off the well-stocked shelf before curling up on the sofa. It was some trashy sports romance that must have been left behind by another guest and before she knew it she’d been sucked in and was almost a quarter of the way through.
It was nice to spend time with him in silence and she flicked her eyes over to observe him occasionally when she could tear her eyes from Trent and Emily’s rocky romance. He was fully absorbed in the book he’d found and was so quie
t. It was much better being inside in the warmth and with Vladek in the room.
Early afternoon turned into late afternoon and the sky became dull. The next time she looked over she found him looking straight at her, or rather he seemed to have his eyes focused on some imaginary spot halfway between them. She put her own book down and looked back until his eyes came back into focus and he was looking at her directly.
“I could record myself somehow, make a confession or something with everything I know.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked, struggling to pick up his train of thought.
“Like I was saying earlier, they might see us as loose ends to be tidied up, or maybe they’d just see me that way, I dunno. But like, if we had something like that, you know, like a confession or something, information, that would go to the police if anything happened to us. Maybe that would make them back off and leave us alone.”
“I dunno, I guess that might work. I can’t really think of anything else.”
“Once we pick up the diamonds tomorrow and we’re somewhere safe I can make a video. I can show all the jewels and then just say exactly what happened and what I did and who was involved. You don’t even have to be in it at all. But we say that if anything happens to either of us the video will be sent to the cops. I can ask Mirko to take care of that. Surely they’d leave us alone then and maybe we could get back to having normal lives.”
“Normal life? That seems like such a far way away. After everything that’s happened to me in the last week I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to that.”
“Don’t say that Chloe. You will have a normal life again and you’ll get everything good in it. You deserve it with the way you are and after everything you’ve been through. You’ll make it.”
She felt her heart rate quicken at his words and it made her think again of how they’d ended up in bed the night before and how that really hadn’t been such a bad mistake and that maybe it was the kind of mistake she’d like to repeat again. She had to clear her throat a little before she could reply.
Rough Diamond (A Mafia Romance) Page 9
