The biker dropped his large revolver, having failed to pull the trigger, and clutched at his chest, his hands quickly covered in blood. Krov kept moving forward and popped two more shots into the biker’s head.
What game was Kasey playing? I thought she wanted Ilya dead, not the biker. I started to worry that maybe I’d be the next victim, especially as I’d hung up on Ilya earlier that day. Freddy though appeared to be undisturbed, as if he had expected this outcome. His lack of concern gave me hope.
Ilya closed the door behind him, walked further into the room and kept his gun aimed at me. There was some anger on his face, though not blind rage. Kasey followed him and they both soon saw the biker dead on the floor.
As Krov searched the biker’s body, Ilya said to Kasey, “Who’s the damn cripple?”
“A friend of Leo. He helped Leo find the biker,” she replied.
Kasey was lying to Ilya. What the hell was she doing? I couldn’t unravel what she hoped to accomplish so the less I said the better.
“Where’s the diamonds?” Ilya asked Kasey.
“Back at his clubhouse. There’s a safe in his office. His gang doesn’t know he has the diamonds.” Kasey gave him the address and briefly described the layout of the clubhouse.
Ilya looked at me, sneered and said, “I guess you get to live today. I strongly suggest you get the fuck out of town, the sooner the better.”
“I was thinking about taking a long trip anyway,” I replied.
Ilya then said, “Krov, let’s go. We have some bikers to kill and my diamonds to retrieve.”
He then turned to Kasey, “Honey, come here for a sec.”
She moved toward Ilya and his left arm encircled her waist and he pulled her close, kissing her hard. Kasey didn’t resist, returning the kiss, giving it her full passion. I felt ill.
Ilya then said to her, “Go back to my house and wait for me there.”
“Sure, babe,” she replied.
Krov started to walk to the door and Ilya waited, likely for Krov to get in front of him. I guess Ilya wanted Krov as a shield in case any of the biker’s gang showed up in the hallway.
I jumped as I heard three quick coughs and saw blood spurting out of holes in Krov’s back. He bent over but didn’t fall and started to turn, raising his own gun. Three more pops, in quick succession, did the trick and Krov fell hard to the carpet.
Shock stunned Ilya and by the time he spun around, starting to raise his own pistol, Kasey said, “Drop the gun, now!” There was scorn in her voice, as well as absolute seriousness.
Looking over to his girlfriend, Ilya saw that she was pointing a silenced pistol at him. And Freddy was also holding a similar gun, which he had just used to kill Krov.
“What’re ya doing, bitch?” said Ilya, not dropping his gun though not raising it any higher either. He knew he couldn’t shoot both Kasey and Freddy before one of them killed him.
“You were a lousy lay,” said Kasey as she suddenly emptied the magazine into him. His body did a spastic dance before collapsing to the floor. The maids were going to have a bitch of a time cleaning up all the blood on the carpet and walls.
Three bodies so far. Would I be the fourth? I felt more hopeful with the deaths of the biker, Ilya and Krov. I didn’t think Kasey would consider me a threat. Hell, she could keep the diamonds now just as long as she allowed me to live.
In addition, I’d already freed one of my wrists from the handcuffs, waiting for the opportunity to rise up. I didn’t want to be killed in the chair and I’d go down fighting at least. With the element of surprise, I might even be able to survive if Kasey decided I needed to die.
Freddy smiled and then enthusiastically said, “See? I told you it’d all work out.”
Looking at Kasey, I said, “What’s going to happen to me now?
“Sweetie, will you take off his handcuffs?” said Freddy.
“Sweetie?” Why the hell was Freddy calling her that?
Freddy’s head bowed a little as he replied, “Well, I’ve a little bad news for ya. Kasey and I are back together. I didn’t mean to steal her from ya. It just happened. We’ve history and those feelings returned, even stronger than before. I’m so sorry, my friend.”
It didn’t surprise me that Freddy fell for her again though I was curious why Kasey decided to go back to him. He’d been lonely for so long and Kasey was an incredible piece of ass. Did she really love him? It was possible though it didn’t sit right with me. She was playing a complicated game and determining all of her angles was as difficult as card counting against an eight deck game.
“And the diamonds?” I asked.
“We’ll split them with you. Then Kasey and I are going to take off for Tahiti or Bora Bora. A little hut on the beach. Pure bliss.”
Freddy had never seemed happier. I didn’t feel he’d betrayed me. I understood how he could fall again for Kasey. I felt sure it wouldn’t last but I wished him the best.
I was curious though that Kasey didn’t walk over to uncuff me. Instead, she walked over and stood next to Freddy as she placed a new, fully loaded magazine into her pistol and stared at me.
It was clear I wasn’t going to survive the night. I could leap up from my chair but I had to cover too much distance to get to her. She could easily shoot me, at least a couple times, before I reached her.
“Kasey, you don’t have to do this. I don’t want any of the diamonds. Just take them and please leave.”
“I’m sorry my love.” Her voice seemed contrite.
Raising the barrel of the silencer, she then pressed it against Freddy’s left temple, her face evidencing not the slightest emotion.
Freddy’s eyes bulged and he exclaimed, “What’re ya doing my love?”
She answered by pulling the trigger.
Chapter Eleven
Thursday
“You’re one cold bitch,” I snapped.
Kasey chuckled and replied, dropping any guise, “I’m just practical. I didn’t need a fucking cripple in my life. I much prefer a healthy man, someone who can keep up with me, both in and out of bed.”
Four corpses in the room. Would I become the fifth? It wasn’t looking good.
“You sure fooled everyone,” I said.
“Including you?”
Denying it wouldn’t be believable. “Yep.”
“Of all the men, I liked you the best. That’s why I might not kill you.”
I might have a chance if she got closer to me, so I could jump out of my chair and grab her. With my strength, I should be able to overpower her, provided she didn’t have her gun pointed directly at me. She might let me live, but I couldn’t count on that possibility. I had to do something, take some kind of action to save myself.
“You played a twisty game but can you explain it to me? I have my guesses but I’m probably wrong.”
She moved a little closer to me, still holding the pistol though it was pointed to the floor. I needed her still closer.
I spoke a little softer, hoping she might move toward me to hear me better. “I think the biker, under your orders, threatened Father Chamberlain, forcing him to hand over the diamonds. Later, the biker killed the priest. You tried to blame me for the theft so Ilya wouldn’t suspect you and the biker. You actually have the diamonds now and wanted to eliminate anyone else who might want them too, from the biker to Ilya.”
Kasey crept a little closer, smiling. She looked down at me and raised the pistol a bit, pointing it toward my knees.
I tried to squash my fear, to breathe evenly and be ready to leap up if an opportunity arrived. Kasey was a sociopath, willing to kill anyone who got in her way, including me. She didn’t have to kill Freddy. She could have just taken the diamonds and left.
She didn’t have to fucking kill my best friend.
Grinning, Kasey said, “Most of your guess is wrong though I have the diamonds and wasn’t up for sharing them.”
“Then tell me what happened.”
It seemed she wanted to boast,
to share her brilliance with someone. Having the diamonds alone wasn’t enough. She also needed someone to understand her accomplishment, the intricate plot she pulled off so successfully. I suspected she’d kill me after telling me her story so I had to find an opportunity before that happened.
Kasey moved back and sat on the edge of the bed, the pistol still pointed at my legs, and started to tell her tale. “I love men, of all types, though especially dangerous and powerful men. I also like a challenge. Ilya was a dangerous gangster though I soon learned he was insecure and had daddy issues. He was far too easy to manipulate and I knew it wouldn’t last.
“At the same time, I was fucking Damon, the leader of the Crimson Spartans. He was an outlaw but a little dim and too easy to manipulate as well. These men think they are such bad asses but they’re really pussies.”
She placed the gun atop the bed spread as she continued, “Out of boredom, I seduced the virginal Father Chamberlain. He was my first priest and I was his first woman. In some respects, he had more balls than either Ilya or Damon but still had his weaknesses.”
“Then you added me to your list. Anyone else?” I asked.
“No, that was it,” she replied. “When Ilya told me of his father’s diamond heist, I convinced him to steal the diamonds. Ilya had lots of anger at his father so it was easy to persuade him. I told him he deserved to be in charge, stroking his ego.
“I then told Chamberlain that Ilya was abusive and I wanted to get away from him. Chamberlain believed me and was willing to do anything to help me. It was then easy to convince him to help me steal the diamonds. We pretended that Chamberlain was a pedophile, photo shopping a bunch of incriminating pictures.”
“It’s amazing you got him to agree to that.”
“I can be quite persuasive,” she said, with a coquettish smile.
“I won’t deny that.”
How could I get her closer to me? I needed to get her off the bed and move toward me.
Continuing, Kasey said, “Ilya blackmailed Chamberlain, never realizing it was a set-up. After Ilya stored the diamonds in the church safe, Chamberlain removed them and gave them to me. I knew you worked at the church and figured you’d make a good fall guy. I approached you, asking you to help me steal the diamonds though I knew they were already gone from the safe. I figured you’d try to steal the diamonds on your own and you didn’t disappoint. When you were caught at the safe, it was easy to blame you for the theft.”
“Were you planning to run off with the priest?” I asked.
“God, no. He was but a tool. I’d made my conquest and it was time to move on. He had to die so I killed him.”
She spoke the last sentence with no emotion. Killing didn’t bother her in the least. How many other people had she killed during her life?
“I had Damon keep an eye on you, telling him that you were a drug dealer I knew. When you realized who I was, that I had been Freddy’s girlfriend, I panicked a bit and sent Damon to kill you. That was a mistake and fortunately you survived. I told you Damon was a bit dim.
“What I really needed was someone to kill Ilya, as well as Damon. I set up this showdown in the hotel room. It all worked out as planned.”
I interjected, “And Freddy?”
“As I said, he was a cripple and he’s not as smart as you. I didn’t want any loose ends. I have the diamonds so I want to disappear again, to become someone new. If Freddy were alive, he could identify me to the authorities.”
I knew I was one of those loose ends too. Especially as she was telling me her secrets, of her elaborate diamond theft. If I were going to die, I wanted all my questions satisfied.
“Did you betray us before? And kill Paul Canon?
Kasey grinned. “Yeah, I did. Freddy was much too easy to fool. You were collateral damage and it wasn’t my intent for you to go to prison.”
“What are you going to do with me?” I didn’t think I’d like her answer.
Pausing for nearly I minute, she then replied, “Do you want to fly away with me to the South Pacific?”
Was she being serious? She wasn’t someone I could ever fully trust and she’d killed my best friend. However, she was an amazing fuck and had five million in diamonds. Could I forgive what she’d done? How long would it take for her to grow bored of me and then kill me? How could I survive the night?
“Will you take off my cuffs?” I asked.
“Do you want to fly away with me to the South Pacific?”
I waited a short time before answering her, composing myself, trying to seem sincere. “Yeah, I can’t get you out of my mind. I’ll never get a better opportunity in my life. I’m no boy scout so I can accept your baggage.”
“I want to trust you,” she said, standing up and moving close to me, caressing my face with her left hand. Her gun was now pointed to the floor.
I wouldn’t have a better opportunity. Though she offered to take me with her, I just couldn’t trust her. She might suddenly decide I was a burden and kill me. If I didn’t act now, I wouldn’t get another chance.
Throwing myself forward, I tried to grab her gun arm but she was too quick, even in her high heels, leaping backward before I could even touch her. She’d been wary, concerned that I might attack her, and ready to evade me.
It had been a trap, a ruse to test me and I’d failed. I fell to the floor, knowing how helpless I was at that moment. A bullet would take me at any moment.
Kasey raised her weapon, pointing it at my head. I’d be joining Freddy in a few moments, unless I could do something immediately.
My right hand, mostly concealed behind the side of the bed, reached across the floor, inching towards Krov’s pistol where it lay near his corpse.
“I wanted to trust you but you’re just like all men. Lying cheats,” Kasey said.
“Let me go and you’ll never hear from me again. Take your diamonds and flee.”
“Fuck you. Time to die asshole. And to think I almost let you come with me.” There actually seemed to be a twinge of regret in her voice.
My hand closed around Krov’s gun and I whipped it above the edge of the bed, trying to shoot her before she got me.
Multiple pops, bullets speeding through the air.
I felt a truck plow into my chest though I saw Kasey pushed back, bending over and cursing loudly.
One bullet had struck my shoulder but a second hit my upper chest. I felt dizzy and I needed to stop the bleeding. I might survive if I received some medical attention soon.
As I looked over at Kasey, she was now on her knees, her hands pressed to her stomach as blood gushed past her fingers. Gut shot.
“Fucking asshole,” she mumbled.
“Fucking bitch,” I forced out.
Though weak, I was able to raise my arm and point my pistol at Kasey’s face. Her own weapon had fallen to the floor and her blood-stained hands tried to pick it up, unsuccessfully. As she let loose a high-pitched scream, I pulled the trigger twice more. She collapsed like a burst water balloon and I knew she was dead.
I felt a bit of guilt over killing her but she had gone too far. Even though Freddy had been prepared to run off with her, he was still my best friend.
I needed medical attention so I stumbled into the bathroom, grabbing a towel to place against the wounds, trying to staunch the flow of blood. Then, I quickly washed my hands, trying to get most of the blood off them.
Before I left the room, and despite my bleeding wounds, I had to find the diamonds. I didn’t think Kasey would have let them far out of her sight, especially as she seemed ready to flee. A quick search though didn’t turn anything up, until I realized how much Kasey used men.
Within a minute, I found a bag of diamonds hidden in a compartment beneath Freddy’s wheelchair.
Fuck, yeah!
I was now a rich man, provided I survived the night. I stashed the bag in my pants, and grabbed one of Freddy’s jackets to hide the blood on my shirt. I knew a doctor who would help me and who also wouldn’t report it to
the authorities. If I went to a hospital, there would be too many questions. It was bad enough my fingerprints and blood were all over the hotel room.
I called the doctor and he said he’d send a car to the hotel. It would be there in about ten minutes. I just needed to get outside to the parking lot.
The authorities would soon enough be looking for me so I needed to get out of the country as quick as possible. It might be the easiest to slip over the Canadian border and then fly to my destination. I had a small lead in time as it would take the police some time to run all the fingerprints they would find at the scene.
I staggered over to the door and opened it, ready to leave but I stopped, my stomach churning with fear. Standing before me were three men, Russians. I recognized the stout man in the middle, from his thick, wavy black hair, swept back like a mane, to the mahogany, silver-tipped cane he held in his right hand.
Levushka. Ilya’s father. The head of the Russian Mafia in Massachusetts. Based in Worcester, his reach extended across the state and he had connections from New York to Moscow. He was ruthless and cruel, powerful and fierce, and I knew he was there for his diamonds.
He had originally stolen the diamonds from a Hasidic merchant and needed them to buy a cache of military weapons. Without those diamonds, the arms dealer might get pissed and seek retribution against Levushka. It would be bloody and deadly, and Levushka might not survive. Ilya had been counting on that.
The two, broad-shouldered and muscular men were his muscle and they didn’t look like they possessed a single sympathetic bone in their body. As they pushed into the room, they each grabbed one of my arms and threw me back down into a chair. So much fucking pain and I continued to bleed.
The two men drew their pistols, pointing them at me. There were no silencers. They didn’t care if they made noise as they didn’t fear the consequences. They’d probably kill anyone who tried to interfere or stop them.
Levushka walked into the room, like a king striding down from his throne, and looked at his dead son and Krov. He scanned the rest of the room, seeing the other corpses, including Freddy, Kasey and the biker. His face never changed, no emotion passing across his grim visage.
The Lion's Diamonds Page 8
