by Nikki Rose
I’d been able to go back to my apartment because Drew told the guy that was following me, I was just staying there for a housesitting job I’d taken. They wouldn't know it was where I lived unless my cover was blown.
In my defense, I’d tried to sleep. I really tried, but I couldn’t turn off the reel of last night's events replaying through my mind. A late-night text from Drew making sure I was okay didn’t help. We’d decided since he had to tell Jason what was going on that I would tell Rebecca too. She was my best friend and I knew I was going to need her during this.
We would be meeting them for breakfast at their house in a little over an hour. I snubbed out my cigarette on the railing and tossed the butt into the trash as I walked back inside. I had to pull myself together. Rebecca would be able to see through my cracks and she’d try to convince Jason not to let me do this. I couldn’t not do this. It was partly my fault. I picked the wrong guy to pick up at the club. I put Drew in a bad spot and me not doing this could risk his whole operation — not to mention those poor girls trapped for real with no way out.
Coffee. I needed coffee. I set up the pot to brew and went to take a shower hoping it would thaw out my numb limbs from being out in the cold for so long.
The warm water sluiced over my body making my hands and feet sting as the heat pierced through the cold. I closed my eyes and thought of the reasons why I was doing this and the risks involved.
It’s funny, I was less worried about being around those horrible men who liked to play those games of manipulation and more afraid of being near Drew. He had the power to break me once before. And he had. I couldn’t let my walls down around him. He might be one of the good guys in the big picture, but in my own little narrative, he was the villain that had once destroyed me.
I imagined those girls, trapped and held captive by invisible ropes they couldn’t break. I couldn’t imagine being in a situation where there was no hope of rescue. I needed to be that for those girls. Hope.
I finished my shower, threw on my white fluffy robe, and welcomed the aroma of the coffee wafting through the air as I made my way to the kitchen. I’d just finished my first cup of coffee and was pouring my second when there was a knock at my door.
“Who is it?” I said through the door since I didn’t have a peephole.
“It’s Drew.” What the...?
I unlocked the door and opened it with more irritation than I should have. We’d talked about him picking me up for breakfast. And by talking about it, I mean we argued when he insisted and I told him no.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to pick you up for breakfast.”
“I told you I could drive myself.”
“And I told you I had to pass right by anyways.”
“But I told you I was driving myself.”
“Is that what we agreed on?” His gray eyes sparkled and the corner of his lip lifted into a slight smirk.
“Yes, that’s what we agreed on.” I still stood blocking the doorway.
“My mistake, but since I’m already here...” He pushed past me and walked into my apartment like it was his right.
“Oh good, coffee. I could use a cup.” He went into the kitchen and began making himself a cup of coffee. “You look like shit. You might want another cup, yourself.” He handed me my coffee.
“You sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself.” I took the cup irritably and took a sip. Damn him for remembering just the way I liked it.
“Did you sleep at all last night?” He leaned against the counter and studied me.
I shook my head. “Had a lot on my mind.”
“It will all be okay; I’ll be with you the whole time to make sure of it.” I didn’t tell him that was the part I was most worried about. “You’re doing a good thing here, Hailey.”
I took another sip of coffee before setting it down on the counter. I couldn’t just stand here talking to him like this. It felt too...normal. “I should go put on a little makeup. Try to cover up some of these bags.”
“Take your time.”
I cast one more glance at him still leaning so casually against the counter like it was where he belonged before I walked into my bedroom.
I’d barely started working on my make up when Drew startled me by entering unannounced.
“You’re jumpy.” He stated flatly as he came in and sat on the edge of my bed watching me through my vanity mirror.
“Why are you in my bedroom?”
“I thought we could talk about some of the basics before we get to Jason’s.”
“Okay...” I raised a brow at him expectantly through the mirror.
“You’re going to need a cover apartment.”
I stopped doing my makeup and looked up at him. “I’m not moving.”
“Not moving. A cover apartment. You need a whole cover story or they are going to go digging into your real-life and neither of us wants that.”
“Oh. I guess I hadn’t thought about how deep this would go.”
“They already know your name’s Hailey; I’ve got a guy at the agency working on your cover using that first name but new last name. We have to work fast because Mikhail sure as hell won’t waste any time. You’ll need to take some time away from work too. We can’t have them following you there.”
“I can’t just take off from work indefinitely.” I snapped, realizing my makeup was a lost cause, I turned around in my seat to face him.
“You can work from your laptop. I’ll have the guys set up a secure line for it.”
“And what am I supposed to tell my boss?”
“Tell him you have a family emergency.” He shrugged like it was no big deal to turn my whole life upside down. “We’ll get you a small, older apartment for a week. You can stay most nights with me, then we’ll have you move in with me. That way you’ll be more secure.”
“I don’t like this.” I sighed and put my head in my hands.
“Hailey, look at me.” He was right in front of me. His hand gently lifted my face to look at him. He was kneeling on the floor, sincerity in his eyes as he spoke. “Everything is going to be okay; you’ll see. And, I’ll protect you no matter what, you have to know that.”
I nodded. Deep down I knew Drew would protect me from any outside danger that came near. But I refused to tell him the danger I feared most was the one in front of me. The one who had already stirred an ache in my heart I’d worked to keep numb for so long.
I thought the ride to Rebecca and Jason’s would be filled with awkward silence or the temptation to rehash old wounds, but, to my relief, Drew filled the time with more useful conversation.
“So, a little more about the men we’ll be dealing with...” He glanced at me before looking back to the road. “As you’ve probably deduced, they are Russian mafia. They entered the country legally because their records were somehow erased back in Russia. The club and vodka trade are used to cover up more extreme means of revenue.”
“What kind of extreme means of revenue?”
“Drugs, hits, suspected human trafficking but that hasn’t been proven.”
“God, what have I gotten myself into?”
“Now do you see why I was adamant about making sure those men knew you were claimed?”
“Do you have to use that word?”
“What word?”
“Claimed. It sounds so... barbaric. Like you tossed me over your shoulder to haul me off to your cave somewhere.”
“If claimed bothers you, you’re going to have a tough time with these guys. Think of the worst misogynist you’ve ever been around...then times that by at least a hundred.”
“Great, so loads to look forward to.” I sighed and dropped my head back against the headrest.
“Just pretend for a little while that you are an actress in one of those crime shows you love so much. And, it’s okay to act offended by what they say. Remember, you aren’t supposed to be there of your own will. You are there because I’ve manipulated you
into feeling there’s no other way.”
“Well in a way...”
“Don’t even think of comparing this to what those men do. You know damn well this is different — I’m different. I’m not one of them.” He spat the last word as though it left a horrible taste in his mouth.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...”
“It’s okay.” He squeezed my knee which sent a warm tingle through my body. No Hailey, just no.
The last ten minutes of the drive, I spent staring quietly out the window, reminding myself of the man Drew really was. The man who had ripped my heart from my chest and shattered it into a million little pieces.
We pulled up to Rebecca’s house ten minutes later. Drew rounded the car as though he was going to try to open the door. I had to remember who he really was and I wanted to keep this as cold as possible. I opened my door before he had a chance and climbed out.
“We’re late. Let’s go.”
I made it to the door and knocked before Drew was even up the steps.
I heard Rebecca call out in the distance, “they’re here.”
“I got it.” Jason’s voice came through the door moments before he opened it. He smiled but studied us carefully. “Hey, you two. Come on in. Becs’s in the kitchen finishing up.”
“Hey.” I smiled and made a beeline for the kitchen.
As soon as I walked into the kitchen, Rebecca grabbed my arm pulling me further into the room.
“Are you crazy, getting involved with Drew again?” She whispered conspiratorially.
“I’m not getting involved with him again.”
“Well, how do you explain helping him with his mission then?”
“I take it Drew already told Jason instead of waiting for us to talk to you both about it like we’d discussed.”
“Jason told me about it this morning. So, start explaining.”
“After everything with Jaxon then with Drew, I just felt like I needed to go blow off some steam, you know?”
“By which you mean picking up some random stranger at the bar. Go on.”
I smirked at her; she knew me so well. “Yeah, well, I was tired of the same old crowd and I found a club that was having a grand opening. It seemed perfect. So, this hot Russian guy started chatting me up, and invited me to the VIP balcony. Turned out he was the owner...”
“Oh god, that’s the guy Drew is working against?”
“Yeah, Drew found me with him, had to think quick. Said I was his to keep the other guy away. Apparently for all the horrible things they do, taking another man’s girl is off-limits.” I shrugged.
“Hailey, of all the messes...”
“I know, but if I don’t go through with this...”
“I get it. Jason tells me enough about his work for me to get it. But what about you and Drew? I mean, how are you going to handle being around him with that kind of history?”
“He hasn’t brought it up and I’m going to do my best not to dwell on it too much. I just have to remember why I’m doing this. But I can’t let myself forget who he really is.”
“From what Jason’s told me, it doesn’t sound like Drew’s that type of guy to do what he did. Maybe he’s changed? Maybe this can be the closure you need?”
I scoffed.
“Breakfast about ready? Us guys are starving.” Jason called out and Rebecca smiled.
“You guys are always starving. Be right there.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“We’ve got it. You just sit and look pretty.” I called back to him as I grabbed a plate of bacon and a big bowl of grits.
Rebecca grabbed a large platter with pancakes and smaller bowls of toppings arranged neatly around it. She really had gone all out.
“Wow this looks great” Drew said as we entered.
“It sure does.” Jason agreed as he reached for a pancake before Rebecca could even finish putting the tray down. Rebecca smacked his hand and he pulled it away.
“Ouch.”
“Guests first.” She chuckled and poured us all coffee and orange juice while Drew and I started filling our plates.
We both reached out to get a pancake. Our hands bumped and as cliché as it sounds, a small jolt of electricity shot all the way through my body. I jerked my hand back and Drew froze. “Sorry, here.” He picked up a pancake with his fork and put it on my plate.
“No problem.” I tried to cover the action by going for a piece of bacon but both Jason and Rebecca looked at us with concern.
“I don’t know if you guys can pull this off,” Jason said bluntly. “I know you wanted to do this to help save the mission but this could blow up in both of your faces if you can’t handle pretending to be together.”
“I agree.” Rebecca glanced from me to Jason. If I was honest with myself, I had to agree with them, too.
“We can do this. We just haven’t been around each other much. Besides, we don’t have to act like a happy couple. I’m supposed to be holding something over her head to coerce her into this. So, if she pulls away at my touch, so what?”
“He’s got a point.” Jason shrugged and looked at Rebecca.
“What is it you’re supposed to be holding over her head?” They were carrying on the conversation without me and I really didn’t have much to add so I busied myself digging into my pancakes.
“I’ve been giving it some thought. The guys got her set up with a run-down apartment so we have an excuse to move her to my place sooner rather than later. I was thinking maybe a struggling actress or writer?”
“I’ll need to be on my laptop for work a lot so maybe a writer would make the most sense?”
“That works. Just make sure you keep your laptop where only you can see the screen when you work. Pay attention to reflective surfaces, windows, etcetera.”
“You mean they’ll be watching me?”
“Most definitely,” Drew confirmed and a shiver went down my spine at the eerie thought.
“That’s just creepy.”
“Those are the type of guys we’re dealing with.”
I sighed and caught Rebecca’s concerned glance. “Are you sure you want to do this?” She placed her hand on mine and I gave it a squeeze.
“I’m sure.”
“If there’s any problem and Drew isn’t around, I want you to call your brother, Jay.”
“I don’t have a — Jay?”
Jason nodded and gave me a look that said he was talking about himself.
“I don’t have Jay’s number.”
“It will be programmed into your new phone.”
“My new phone?”
“You can’t have your friends or work calling you while you're undercover and risk being exposed.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I have your new phone, I.D., passport, bank info, credit cards, and the lease for your apartment to give you before you leave.”
“Wow, you guys work fast.”
“We have to.” Drew piped in. “We’re meeting the guys at the club tonight.”
“Tonight?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice.
“You thought the guys would wait on us to get our cover set up before they’d expect to see us again?”
“I guess I hadn’t really thought about the when.”
“Well, the when is tonight. We’re going to your new apartment from here to get you settled in.”
“I need to go get a few things from my apartment first.”
“We can’t risk you going back there. It was hard enough to get here without being followed, your place is closer to their territory.”
“But, my laptop, my clothes...”
“You’ll have new clothes already set up at the apartment.”
“Rebecca went by your place to get your laptop and a few things she thought you’d need.”
I looked at Rebecca in shock. I couldn’t believe she’d been a part of all this without saying a word to me.
“I thought you knew.” She shot Dr
ew a look. “Besides, I figured you’d rather me go through your stuff than some stranger.”
“Thanks, Becs.” I smiled at her and she relaxed.
“You two have a busy day. Better eat up.” Jason said as he shoved a big bite into his mouth.
We ate, though my appetite was off considering how my whole life was about to be turned upside down. After breakfast, we said our goodbyes and Jason handed me a large manila envelope with all my new papers inside. I pulled out the shiny new I.D. and read the name aloud. “Hailey Reid?” I raised my eyebrow at Jason and he chuckled, looking over to Rebecca.
“I may have suggested the last name.”
“After my favorite character —.”
“This is a tough situation but I want you to remember who you are and even though you can’t use your last name, this one is still totally you.”
I laughed and hugged Rebecca in a full-on bear hug. It was silly that a fake last name of a fake character from one of Rebecca and my favorite shows would make me so happy, but it did. It was a little piece of who I really was that I could hold onto.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter 6
Drew and I drove through an old, run-down neighborhood before pulling off into the dark parking lot of an old apartment complex. The bars on the windows made the place look more like a prison than the apartments I was used to. I suppose in that neighborhood it was more to keep the criminals out rather than in.
“This is where I’m going to be staying?”
“No.”
“I thought you said I would be staying here for a week then —.”
“I did.”
“But...?”
“But now I’m looking at it and I’ll be damned if I let you stay here for one night.”
“So, then what are we going to do?” I didn’t want to stay in that apartment any more than he wanted me to.
“Now it's time I play a spoiled trust-fund kid. Don’t look, but we are being watched so it's time to get in character.” He led me into the apartment building and waited for me to fish out the new keys Jason had given me so I could unlock the door. I snuck a glance over my shoulder and spotted a homeless guy on the sidewalk. At first glance, he looked like any other man down on his luck. But, as I studied him closer, I noticed tan lines on his hands from a watch and rings. Odd for someone living on the street.
