Calculated Risk (A Cross Security Investigation Book 2)

by G. K. Parks

  I eyed a few pill bottles on the kitchen table and went over to examine them. “Did the doc prescribe these?”

  “I believe in self-medicating.”

  At the moment, so did I. I picked up a bottle of Vicodin. “You mind?”

  “Help yourself.”

  I swallowed one down and tucked the bottle into my pocket. “Can I pay you next time?”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I appreciate it.” I took a seat at the counter while Freddy went to the fridge and came out with an ice pack.

  “Tilt your head back.” He cringed, examining my nose. “That looks bad. You’re gonna need someone to reset it for you.” He went into the bathroom and came back with a first aid kit and some tissues. “You might want to pop another pill.”

  “Can’t. I gotta drive.”

  “Still.” Without warning, he gave my nose a sharp tug. My eyes watered again, but the pain eased. Freddy went to the sink to wash his hands.

  After I shoved some rolled up tissues in each of my nostrils to stop the bleeding, I wrapped my knuckles in the bandages and held the ice pack to my chin. “I didn’t come here to get patched up.”

  “I didn’t think you did, but you might as well. I’m nothing if not full service.” He poured himself a glass of orange juice and added a hefty splash of vodka to it. He held it out to me, but I waved it away. Pills and liquor didn’t mix, especially when I had to remain alert and coherent. “Were you the unknown call and text I got earlier?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” I adjusted the ice pack, suddenly exhausted. I’d been up all night, facing one trauma after another. “I have some questions. What can you tell me about Vasili Petrov?”

  “You don’t want to cross him. He’s one evil son of a bitch. He’ll kill his own people for looking at him wrong, and those are his friends. You don’t want to know what he does to his enemies.”

  “You ever work for him?”

  “Hello, I like to breathe.”

  “Do you know if Alexei works for him?”

  “Possibly. I wouldn’t doubt it. The Russians tend to cluster together. Between trafficking and bookmaking, they all run in the same circles.”

  “Not that we’re profiling.”

  He laughed. “Not at all.” He swallowed half of the screwdriver in one gulp. “So the two guys who broke in here and knocked me around, Vasili sent them?”

  “It looks that way.”

  Freddy finished his drink and made another one. “Well, shit, I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t come here for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If Vasili Petrov sent guys here because of something I did, I’d be dead.” He stared out the window. “I make it a point to avoid anyone with a rep for being a backstabber or just a nasty, ruthless bastard. I don’t do business with the Russians, and I don’t do business with anyone who does, which means this is all because of that damn ring you wanted me to find.”

  “I didn’t know Vasili had it.”

  Freddy nodded. “Are you gonna be okay? I’m guessing the reason you look like that is because Vasili sent one of his boys to have a chat with you.”

  “Something like that.” I put the ice pack down and got off the stool. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

  “You didn’t know.” He continued to stare out the window. “The thing is, when assholes like that come into my house and take my stuff, I have a real problem with it. I’m no pushover. I got this desire to push back, which is stupid, but it’s there. And it isn’t going away.”

  “Neither are they.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I figured. This won’t stop unless someone makes it stop. Whatever you did kicked the hornet’s nest, and now these fuckers are swarming around. It’s been almost two weeks since they paid me a visit. Now you.” He sucked in his bottom lip and stared out the window.

  “I’ll take care of it. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” I just wasn’t sure how to get off Vasili’s radar now that I was on it.

  “I’m fine. I can take care of myself, but it won’t be that easy for you. He doesn’t let people screw him over. Whenever Vasili’s done playing with you, he’s going to kill you.”

  “Yeah, I know. That’s why I have to take care of it.”

  Freddy gave me another look. “I’ll help in any way I can.”

  “Freddy—”

  “No, he pissed me off. Now he’s gonna get the horns. Tell me what you need me to do.”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit.”

  I knew from Freddy’s tone, he was serious. “I have to find out who Vasili’s in business with and why he’s made such a bold threat with such a short deadline. He must owe someone, or a deal’s about to go down. One way or the other, I have to know about it.” I didn’t necessarily have those kinds of contacts, but I knew some people who knew people. That had been one perk of growing up around cops.

  “I don’t run in those circles, but I know some people who do.”

  “He can’t know I’m asking. It’ll jeopardize everything.” I met Freddy’s eyes. “Don’t go out on a limb. Only people you trust or no one at all, okay?”

  “Whatever you want, Luci baby. You know me. I’m all about satisfying my clients.” He jerked his chin at my face. “By the way, you probably want to get a professional to look at that schnoz. I’d suggest a plastic surgeon. You don’t want to end up like one of those ugly boxers with all that scar tissue and a deviated septum. Then the ladies will only be attracted to you for your money, and you don’t want that.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind.” I went to the door. “Thanks for the ice and the pills.”

  Thirty

  Thankfully, Knox remained quiet until we arrived at my office. That gave me time to think, but I still hadn’t come up with a solution. Men like Vasili Petrov didn’t just let bygones be bygones. Even if I gave him precisely what he wanted, he’d shoot me and spit on my grave. I had to find a way to neutralize the threat. Perhaps blackmail would work. But I’d already turned over the storage unit. Either the police had enough to make a case, or they didn’t. Considering it had been over a week and no charges had been filed, I didn’t have much faith in their evidence.

  As I waited for the elevator to open on my floor, I looked at my watch. With a little over sixteen hours to go, I doubted I could come up with solid, irrefutable proof of Vasili’s illegal enterprises in time to leverage that for my life. Pauley’s Pawn and the self-storage facility could be fronts. Maybe I’d have to hedge my bets and bluff my ass off. It could work; I had a great poker face.

  “Come on,” I said when the doors opened.

  Knox followed me down the hall. I noticed the stenciling on the door as I opened it. Cross Security and Investigations. The writing wasn’t very large, just like the office, but it was something I didn’t want to lose.

  Gloria came around the desk, gently taking my face in her hands. “What happened?”

  “I got in an accident.”

  “You poor thing. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I gave her a reassuring smile, which made me wince, “just a little banged up.”

  “Boss?” Justin eyed me from his spot on the opposite side of the room.

  “When you get a chance, get a few recommendations for plastic surgeons and schedule a consultation for me.”

  “Are you going to change your face and disappear?” Knox whispered.

  “No.” But come to think of it, that might not be a bad idea. I made a mental note to consider that as a last resort. “I’d like to come out of this no worse than when I went in.”

  “I’ll get on that,” Justin said.

  “Thanks.” I turned to the receptionist. “Gloria, could you clear the schedule for today?”

  “No problem.”

  I led Knox into the break room, closed the door, folded my arms over my chest, and stared at him. “Take a seat.”

  Obediently, he sat. “I’m really sorry about this.”

&nb
sp; “That makes two of us.” I opened a cabinet, moving the liquor bottles out of the way while I searched for medical supplies. Once I found the first aid kit, I disinfected the cut on my nose and smoothed a bandage over it. That’d have to suffice for now. “Start at the beginning.”

  “You already know everything. I placed some bets that didn’t pan out. They broke into my house and took everything to cover my debts, I guess. I wasn’t sure that’s what had happened. I didn’t think that could happen.”

  “And you didn’t bother mentioning this could be a possibility even after I asked you point blank if you had debts. Instead, you turned it around on me. You’re an asshole.” Reaching into my pocket, I took out the pill bottle, shook a few into my palm, and swallowed them dry. At least my eyes had finally stopped watering. Though, that was the least of my problems.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  “There’s nothing you can do. It’s up to me now.” I wondered if I handed Knox over to Vasili on a silver platter if that would make us even, but I didn’t think so. “Do you think your collection even comes close to covering your debts and whatever additional interest you accrued?”

  “I don’t know. My bookie basically doubled the amount I owed him. Who knows what he’s decided my debt is or was? Did Vasili ask you for more money? Is that why they tried to kill me? They figure you’ll pay up on my behalf.”

  “You pissed Vasili off. That’s why he wants you dead. It’s simple.”

  “But how? What did I do?”

  “You hired me to steal your shit back. That was dumb.” And I was the moron who took the case.

  “Is that why he came to you?”

  It was time I fess up. “Vasili wants me to get his shipment out of police custody. Do you have any idea the kind of hell that will rain down if I do or the pain Vasili’s prepared to inflict if I don’t?”

  “Shit.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  “Lucien, you gotta believe me. I didn’t know this would happen. I needed the money. I didn’t know he’d come to collect. I didn’t realize he was behind the break-in. If I did, I never would have asked you to track down my stolen sports memorabilia. That championship ring alone is worth well into five figures.”

  “I know what it’s worth. So does Vasili. That’s why he stole it. You should have told me the truth from the beginning.”

  “Would you have taken my case if I had?”

  Probably not. “At least I would have known what was at stake. You didn’t keep up with your payments. You didn’t even try to make good on your debt. That’s why he took the ring.”

  Knox jittered his leg up and down, causing the floor to vibrate, something he’d been doing all morning. “All of this isn’t because you just stole back the ring. I’m sure the rest of my collection would have covered most of my debt. Shit, you told me the ring was in a box. He wouldn’t have even noticed it was missing if you hadn’t called the cops. You did that. That’s all on you. I said the only thing that mattered was the ring. I could have lived without getting the rest back, but you pushed. It’s not my fault the police confiscated everything in the storage unit. It’s not my fault Vasili’s pissed at you. It’s yours.”

  “Dammit, did you take a class on gaslighting? Because I’m not falling for your shit again.” Perhaps Knox had a point, but I didn’t see it that way. “You lied to me.” I held up a hand before he could protest. “A lie of omission is still a lie. Is there anything else I should know? Anything at all? Now’s the time.” I had sixteen hours until deadline. And I still didn’t know what I should do. Saving Knox’s life and fighting off Vasili’s enforcers hadn’t earned me any favors with the gangster.

  “No,” Knox shook his head for emphasis, “that’s it. I swear. Cross my heart and hope to die.” He drew an x on his chest with his pointer finger.

  “Do you owe anyone else money?”

  “No.” He reached for the bottle of Irish whiskey and poured it into a coffee cup with shaking hands. “I thought the matter was taken care of when I said I wouldn’t pay. I was sure I’d be safe. Isn’t it bad business to kill a debtor? That makes logical sense to me.”

  “Vasili’s no longer worried about your outstanding debt. He wants revenge.”

  Knox took a swig directly from the bottle, capped it, and put it down beside the coffee cup. “Please don’t hand me over to him.”

  “I should,” I picked up the liquor bottle and moved it out of his reach, “but I won’t.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  “Can I ask you a question? Why did you call the cops about the storage unit? According to everything I know about you, you despise the police. It’s part of the reason I trusted you to get my stuff back. I figured you wouldn’t ask questions and you wouldn’t have any problem finding the thieves and stealing from them. Why didn’t you leave the rest of it alone?”

  That question had been on my mind since the moment Svetlana’s blood splashed against my face. At first, I blamed myself for her death, but that wasn’t my fault. Vasili would have killed her anyway. She had to pay for her betrayal, and her murder gave the gangster the leverage he needed over me. It would only take one anonymous tip for the police to find her body, just like it took one call for them to raid the storage unit. Obviously, Vasili Petrov believed strongly in an eye for an eye.

  Even if I was cleared of murdering the prostitute, the look of impropriety might be enough to deter future clients from hiring Cross Security and drive a larger wedge between my firm and local law enforcement. If my private investigator license was revoked, I’d be out of business. Vasili didn’t have to kill me. He had plenty of other ways to make my life miserable, but he’d kill me. Freddy told me as much, and after what I’d witnessed in the last eight hours, I didn’t doubt it.

  “Lucien?” Knox waved a hand in front of my face. “You still with me? Why’d you involve the police?”

  “Besides finding your ring, I also discovered several other interesting items.”

  “You thought the thieves had stolen from other people too?”

  “I thought it was possible.” The bricks of cocaine and crates of assault weapons had driven me over the edge. I had to call in the tip. I couldn’t turn a blind eye to that kind of contraband.

  My gut said the drugs and guns were what Vasili wanted back. He must have been in the midst of a deal, and with the merchandise gone, he could no longer deliver. His buyers would not be pleased. Maybe they threatened him. That would explain why he was anxious to get his shipment back and why he’d put me on such a tight deadline. I could work with that.

  Grabbing the same burner phone I used earlier, I sent a message to Freddy and told him to let me know as soon as he found someone who could verify my theory. Hopefully, it’d pan out. I needed as many details as I could get if I wanted to stand a fighting chance.

  “I guess it doesn’t pay to do the right thing,” Knox mused.

  “How would you know? None of your actions have been even remotely close to the right thing.” I opened the freezer and took out an ice pack before glancing at my reflection in the mirror. I looked like a boxer who’d lost a fight. Maybe that would earn me some sympathy. “I’ll take care of this. In the meantime, you need to stay here. Don’t call anyone. Don’t go out. Vasili wants you dead. He’ll send more of his men to finish the job unless I can convince him otherwise.”

  “Yeah, okay. No problem.”

  I held out my hand. “Give me your phone. Vasili could be tracking it. Tracking you. It’s for your safety. When this is over, you’ll get it back.”

  “Sure.” He fished it out of his pocket. “I owe you.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll send you a bill. I suggest you pay it this time.”

  Stepping out of the tiny break room, I pulled the door closed behind me and scrolled through the call logs, text messages, and contacts on Knox’s phone, but nothing stood out. I went into my office and plugged the device into my computer. W
hile I ran reverse lookups on the numbers and read each and every message, Justin barged into my office.

  “You have a consultation with the plastic surgeon on Wednesday,” he said.

  “Let’s see if I’m still breathing by then. If not, I’ll need you to cancel.”

  “Will do.”

  When the numbers didn’t connect to any gangsters, con men, or bookies, I unhooked the phone from the computer and tossed it to Justin. “Hold on to this. I don’t want Knox making any calls or contacting anyone. He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. He could compromise his safety and yours by doing something asinine.”

  “Okay. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

  “Thanks.” I climbed out of the chair, my shoulders and back stiff and sore. Crinkling my nose, I winced, which made my eyes water again. “Dammit.” I grabbed a tissue from the box.

  “Lucien,” Justin dropped into one of my client chairs, “what’s going on? How can I help?”

  “It’s best if you don’t.”

  “You’re probably right, but you need my help.”

  “No.”

  “C’mon, boss, we’ve been in scrapes together before.”

  “Not like this.”

  “Is this another Scott Renwin situation?”

  “Worse.”

  He stared at me, slowing deflating in the chair. “You need to call your dad.”

  “I can’t. This is basically a hostage situation.”

  “Who’s being held?” My assistant seemed even more freaked out now than he had when he spotted my bloody clothing in the bag last night.

  “My freedom. My livelihood. My life.” I unlocked my bottom drawer and took out the emergency funds I kept there and a backup to my backup. “I appreciate everything you do around here, but I have to do this on my own.”

  “That didn’t work out so well last time.”

  “This isn’t like last time. Knox will be here with you. He’ll be safe.”

  “That’s why you have our security teams guarding Gloria and me, so we’ll be safe?”

  “They could use the practice.” I swallowed. “If I don’t come back, take Knox to the precinct, turn over our records, and call Almeada. That should be enough for Sara to piece everything together.”