by Roxie Rivera
“Do you have your phone on you?”
Her brow furrowed at his question. “Yes.”
“Give it to me. Now.”
She slipped her hand into the front pocket of her smock and retrieved her iPhone. The device was encased in a buttery yellow leather case. He could see the fine stitching and embossed initials and knew that it was one of her creations. Why she hadn’t made the jump to expand her business he would never understand. Her products screamed luxury and would fly off the shelves but something was holding her back. When this mess with her sister was tidied up, he intended to figure out what that was.
Her thumb danced over the screen, unlocking it with her chosen code, and then she handed it to him. Their fingers touched, and he let them linger there. It didn’t escape his notice that she didn’t pull her hand back either.
Taking the phone from her, he punched in his phone number and saved it as a new contact. “If you see those men again, you call me.” He stared down at her and made sure she was looking right into his eyes when he said, “If you have any trouble with anyone, you call me. If someone tries to hassle you, I want you to use my name.”
“Alexei,” she hurriedly interjected, “I don’t want to drag you into this. It’s not your problem.”
“I’m making it my problem.”
“But—”
“This isn’t up for discussion.” Why is she fighting me on this? “Shay, you’re a very smart girl. You know what sort of men your sister hangs out with and you know what people in that world are capable of doing. I’m your best chance at staying safe.”
She wrapped her slim fingers around his thick wrist and a jolt of something powerful traveled up his arm and into his chest. Her anxious expression surprised him. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Not for me,” she added quietly.
He couldn’t remember the last time someone had been worried about him. Maybe Ivan when his friend had cornered that final bare knuckle fight? The realization that Shay was more concerned about his welfare than her own made him want to take care of her even more. She was the sort of person who would put everyone else first without stopping to think about her own needs.
“I’m not afraid to get hurt.” Not for you, he silently amended.
“I don’t want you to feel as if I’m taking advantage of our friendship.”
He damn near laughed upon hearing her voice that fear. If anyone was trying to take advantage of their friendship…
“It’s not a concern. We’re fine.” He pressed the phone into her hand and curled her fingers around it. “If I find out that you didn’t call me when you needed me, I’m going to be very upset, Shay.”
It was said with a teasing smile but she seemed to understand that he was serious. If she let her pride get in the way of her safety, he would introduce her to a side of himself she might not like. The side of himself that would think nothing of heating up that perfect little ass of hers to teach her a lesson…
“Shay?” Manny ducked his head into the office and startled Shay. She tried to pull back but he held tight to her hand and the phone, keeping her right there. They were doing nothing wrong, and he didn’t want her to feel as if she had anything to hide.
“Yes?” She avoided his intense gaze and focused solely on her coworker. He could feel her fragile fingers flexing beneath his as she tried to free her hand from his but he was stronger and she soon abandoned her attempt to escape.
“We need some help down on the floor when you’re done in here.”
“I’m finished. I’ll be right down.”
Manny glanced at their entwined hand but didn’t say anything. Whatever he was thinking he kept to himself and retreated from the office.
Alexei held fast to Shay’s hand even after Manny disappeared. She stared at their clenched hands and slowly rotated hers until she was able to touch one of the tattoos decorating the first joint of his finger. Her touch burned his skin as she traced the solid black rectangle. Without lifting her eyes, she asked, “What does this one mean?”
He considered making something up but then she glanced up at him with that curious, sincere expression. “It means I served my full sentence. I did my time without early release.”
“And what about this beetle?” She outlined the scarab there.
“It’s a talisman. For thieves,” he explained, all the while wondering what she was thinking.
“And these?” She touched the five dots marking the web of space between his thumb and pointer finger.
“It means I served time in prison.” Before she could ask, he said, “The white cross on the field of black? It means I served time in solitary.”
“That must have been hard.” She slid her finger to the small black birds flying along the curved space below his thumb. “These are pretty.”
He let loose a sharp breath. “Don’t let Vanya hear you say that. We both had these done when we met in a juvenile labor camp. They say the birds are supposed to remind you of freedom.” He considered the small black shapes. “After a few months, they mock you.”
Her finger returned to the solid back rectangle. “How many years?”
His throat tightened as memories he had set fire to and buried and encapsulated in the far corners of his mind tried to burst free. “Six.”
She slackened with shock. Her dark eyes searched his face. “How old were you—”
“When I went inside?” he finished her question. “Fourteen when I was sent to the juvenile camp and seventeen when they shipped me to a men’s prison to finish out my sentence.”
“You were just a kid!”
He laughed harshly. “I stopped being a kid around seven or eight. I was a grown man when I made the choices I did—and I paid for them.”
“Still…”
“It was a long time ago.” He shut her down carefully but forcefully. Her kindness and horror on his behalf threatened to turn him inside out. He didn’t deserve her concern. He had been a miserable, mean little bastard as a kid. He had deserved all six years of that sentence and probably more.
“I need to go.” She carefully extricated her hand. “Manny and the rest of the team have more stops to make tonight after they drop me off.”
“Where are you going after work?” He was riding right up against the wall he had built between them now and searching for any weakness or opening that might let him through.
She eyed him with uncertainty. “I’m headed home. I have a couple of handbags that need to be finished.”
“Drive straight home,” he instructed. “Don’t make any stops, Shay. Just go home and get inside as quickly as possible.” The million ways her drive home could go wrong flashed before his eyes. “Is there someone you can stay with tonight?”
“Well… I mean, I guess I could see if Kylee wouldn’t mind if I crash at her apartment.”
Two young women alone in an apartment were just as vulnerable. He didn’t like that option at all. “Let me drive you.”
“What? No.” She waved the duster side to side. “That’s way over the top, Alexei. I’ll be fine. I’m going to get in my car, drive home and go inside. It will be fine.”
“Shay—”
“I appreciate the offer, Alexei, but I don’t need a babysitter. I’m a grown woman. I can handle this.”
He didn’t want to fight with her so he simply nodded. “All right. Be safe, Shay.”
“I will.” She smiled at him. “Thank you, Alexei. For everything.”
He understood she meant his offer of help and his phone number. He waited until she was out of sight to turn back toward his desk. He picked up his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found Boychenko’s number. It was time to collect on a favor.
While he waited for the young enforcer to answer, he moved to the wall of glass that allowed him to overlook the showroom and sales desks. He watched Shay trading out the mats along the entrance doors. Down on her hands and knees, she used tight circular motions to wipe away the smudges left behind. The sight
of her working like that bothered him. It was honest work, and he respected her for that, but she deserved a fucking break from hard labor.
I could take care of her. I could take her to the apartment and give her everything she wants and needs.
But not everything, he silently admitted. He couldn’t give her a commitment. He couldn’t give her love and marriage and all the things a woman like Shay wanted and needed. He wasn’t that kind of man. He liked to keep his relationships neatly compartmentalized. He enjoyed the mistress arrangements that had served him well over the last few years.
She’s better than that, he conceded. She’s too good for that.
“Hello?”
“Roman? It’s Alexei. You remember that favor you owe me?”
Boychenko laughed. “A guy gets one discount on a new car…”
“Discount?” Now it was Alexei’s turn to laugh. “I practically let you walk off the lot with that new A7.”
“Fair enough. What do you need?”
He watched Shay trailing her crew out of the dealership. When she reached the doorway, she paused and looked over her shoulder and up at his office. Their gazes met across the distance. She lifted her hand and waved at him. He wasn’t the waving type but for her? He made an exception tonight. Her lips curved with amusement and then she was gliding out the door and into the cold, dark night.
“I need you to get over to the CleanRite headquarters. I’ll text you the address. You’re going to follow someone for me. I want you to sit on her house until I can get there.”
“I know where that is. We do business down there.” Boychenko paused. “Anything I should know?”
“She’s in trouble but it’s not her fault. It’s a family matter.”
“Uh-huh.” Boychenko didn’t seem very enthusiastic about this favor but he would do as asked. “Our family?”
“No.”
Boychenko sighed. “I’m not going to ask questions, okay? But you need to get this cleared from the top. The boss won’t be happy if I step in dog shit and drag it back to his front door.
“I’ll take care of it. As soon as I get the answers I need, I’ll find you.” He ended the call, shut down his desktop, locked the files on his desk in his safe and left his office with his gym bag strap draped over his shoulder. He stopped just long enough to give the last manager on shift his orders for the night.
Once in his SUV, he quickly triaged his priorities. Shay had him all twisted up inside. The discovery that she was in serious trouble had him more on edge than the discovery that someone had tried to hack into his financial department and steal client information. He could deal with the people who had tried to steal from him. No one could hide from him, not in this city and not with his connections, but Shay could be badly hurt by the men who were after her sister. The old rules that used to govern the underworld were no longer respected. He didn’t trust Mueller and his racist crew as far as he could throw them.
There were two places he could go for information. Kostya had been out of pocket for a few weeks, and Alexei was smart enough not to ask too many questions about that. So that left only one man in Houston who had the answers he needed.
Alexei lifted up in his seat and retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. He checked to see how many twenties and fifties he had for tips. Besian Beciraj, the Albanian mob boss, was a friend, but the bastard was stingy as hell with his information unless his dancing girls were getting their cut. Tonight, he would have to make it rain to pry the answers he wanted from Besian.
Backing out of his reserved spot, Alexei caught sight of the dark tattoos covering his forearms and hands. For the first time in a long time, the calling card of his criminal history was going to be useful.
Chapter Three
I knew something was wrong even before the van rolled to a stop behind CleanRite. Manny inhaled sharply and Jake cursed softly. I had a bad feeling so I leaned toward the rear passenger window to get a better look at what the two guys in the front seats had seen.
Shit.
My stomach lurched as I took in the slashed tires and smashed windshield on my car. It looked as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Juan, my boss, stood next to the car. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head as he stared at the destruction in front of him.
Manny slowed to a stop and I bailed quickly. My two coworkers started to follow me but I put my hand up to halt them. “You guys need to get to those other jobs. I’ll be fine here.”
Showing his paternal instincts, Manny hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Juan is here. I’ll call the police and then grab a taxi or hang around until Kylee is back.”
“All right.” He eased out of the parking lot and turned onto the street.
Juan strode toward me, his face showing complete shock. “Shay, I am so sorry.”
“What happened?” I stood next to my car and tried to take in all the damage. It was even worse up close. There wasn’t a piece of solid glass left on the vehicle. The dents in the doors and the hood were so deep I could sit in them. I spotted the note on the driver’s seat and carefully reached into the car to grab it.
“I was doing inventory in the stock room,” Juan explained. “The music was loud so I didn’t realize what was happening out here until I heard the glass shattering. It sounded like a damn bomb had gone off. By the time I got out the back door, the truck was driving off.”
I brushed the bits of glass from the folded note and opened it with trembling fingers. Inside I found a meanly scrawled message.
We want it back.
Sunrise.
Or you’re all dead.
I swallowed hard as I folded up the note and tucked it into my pocket. I realized Juan was staring at me and waiting for me to say something, but I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to say.
“Should I call the police?” he asked quietly but I could tell he already knew the answer.
“No.” My cell phone started to vibrate in my pocket and momentarily distracted me from the terrifying thoughts racing through my head. These guys were the sort of people who wouldn’t be afraid of the police. For that matter, I didn’t know what Shannon had done to anger them. The last thing I wanted was for her to be arrested. I didn’t know a lot about county lockup but I didn’t think it would be very hard for the skinheads to find someone to hurt her on the inside.
I grabbed my phone and glanced at the screen. Shannon’s face greeted me, and I expelled a relieved breath. “Shannon! Where the hell are you?”
“Shay? Can you hear me?” Loud music, heavy on the accordion and brass, covered her voice. “Shay?”
“Shannon?” I spoke louder. “You’re in trouble. I need to see you!”
“Shay? You there? Listen, if you can hear me, come to the Arena. Just use Lalo’s name. They’ll let you inside. Text me and I’ll come find you.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? Shannon, this is serious! I am not coming to the Arena. You need to—”
The call dropped, and I swore with frustration. I looked up from my phone and stared at my surroundings. A ripple of fear rolled through my stomach. We were so exposed here. If those guys came back…
“Shay, tell me how to help you.” Juan seemed to share my fear about hanging around here too long.
“The Arena is a couple of blocks from here. Can you drop me off?”
He didn’t look very excited by that idea but nodded nonetheless. “Get your stuff. We’ll get out of here.”
I hurried inside the building, grabbed my purse and jacket from my locker and raced back outside to find Juan waiting to lock the door behind me. Once the building was secure, I followed him to his idling truck and slid into the front passenger seat. As we were pulling onto Fondren, I remembered I had forgotten to clock out. “I forgot to swipe my ID.”
Juan shot me a strange look. “We’ve got bigger problems than you staying on the clock.”
He had a point. I sensed he wanted to ask me what the hell was going on,
but he probably understood that was dangerous. Sometimes it was better not to know all the facts, especially when dealing with a situation like this one. He didn’t need that kind of trouble, and I didn’t blame him for staying quiet.
I gripped my phone in both hands and questioned my decision to meet Shannon at the Arena. On one hand, I doubted those jerks who had trashed my car and threatened me at the house were stupid enough to get anywhere near that concert. Considering the bands that were playing, the place was going to be crawling with gangs and dealers and all of those enforcers loyal to Lalo Contreras. There would be a battle royale if those two groups of enemies met.
On the other hand, I really, really didn’t want to see Lalo. Shannon had tried to get us together so many times, but my list of wants from a man and a relationship didn’t match hers. She viewed a guy like Lalo as the ultimate catch. He was good-looking and had lots of money and power.
But he scared me.
He had a bad reputation for being ruthless and cruel. He was the reason Shannon had gone to that awful, horrible dog fight last month. Ruben had wanted to get in good with his boss and fighting dogs was something Lalo loved so she had gone to support him. It just sickened me to think about people standing around those cages while starved and beaten dogs chewed each other to pieces. It was so barbaric.
A man who enjoyed something so violent and brutal was a man who would think nothing of hurting a girl like me. So I definitely did not want to see Lalo tonight, but there was little chance of avoiding him if I wanted to speak to Shannon. I hated that my sister was putting me in this position. If I was being brutally honest, I sort of hated myself for always letting her have her way and not pushing back and enforcing boundaries.
You’ve got to grow up and put a stop to this crap. Never again, I swore silently. Never again will I find myself in a situation like this.
