by Ava Kendrick
“Stop thinking about it,” Roman said. “You’ll drive yourself crazy.”
I smiled. I wasn’t sure what to think of him, but I knew one thing. He knew how to read my emotions. “How did I not spot it?”
He shook his head and navigated the rental SUV through traffic. “I don’t know the whole story. I tried to find out when I met him, but he wouldn’t tell me anything. To him, I was just the help.”
I sighed. “Sounds like Ben. Damn, I wish he wasn’t so arrogant. Maybe then we’d know more about his next move.”
“No. You should be glad. Don’t you see? I’m just some guy they call when they have a mess that needs to be cleaned up. He never thought to question my motives, or wonder why I was so curious about the target.”
“Who is he? What does he do? He’s not a broker.”
Roman shook his head. “He’s not. He runs his operation out of a legitimate brokerage firm. That’s how he’s managed to evade capture for so long. He’s also got a bar, but that’s mainly a meeting place for his associates rather than a proper business.”
I shook my head. “Why lie to me? That’s what I don’t get. It wasn’t like we had the most passionate relationship.” I stopped, wondering why I’d felt the need to describe my relationship with Ben to Roman. It was true that things hadn’t been right with Ben, but it wasn’t like Roman and I had a future together, even if we managed to get out of this alive.
The thought made me question myself even more. Why had I stayed with Ben for so long? Knowing what I did now about sex and passion, I could see my relationship with Ben for what it was. A lie. A lie that had almost gotten me killed, and still might.
“Hey, stop beating yourself up about it, okay? Even the cops are stumped by him.”
“That’s what I don’t get. If he’s so clean, why is he on their radar?”
“His dad is Jimmy Rosen.”
I gasped for breath. “What?”
Jimmy Rosen was one of the most feared gangsters in the city. Maybe even in the country. Even when he was a kid on the streets in the seventies, he’d known that smart operators kept the law on their side. He had judges. Politicians. No cop would ever touch him—why would they, when they had no idea whether their captain got his second income from one of Jimmy’s rackets?
And I’d been dating his son all that time?
“Impossible. Someone would have told me. How..?”
He glanced at me before quickly turning his attention back to the traffic. “I guess he didn’t want you to know.”
“But how could he have kept that a secret? I’ve watched documentaries about Jimmy Rosen. They’ve never mentioned a son called Ben.”
“His mom was a hooker in one of Jimmy’s brothels. Jimmy supported them financially, but never acknowledged them publicly. You won’t see Ben in any of the documentaries about his father. But most people in the industry…”
“What did he do?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Aside from brokerage? Mainly heroin. Logistics. But I don’t know. I’m just the—”
“Killer,” I finished.
I’d always known there was an edge to Roman, but even then I couldn’t have imagined that he took peoples’ lives for a living.
“Yeah.” He eyed me warily. “Look, I never wanted you to find out. I’ve even thought about getting out since I met you.”
“Yeah? Sounds like my attempts to give up carbs.”
His face went dark. “Don’t joke about it. I don’t like it or enjoy it. I’m not a monster.”
“Why do it then? Seriously?”
He shrugged. “I guess I fell into it in a low point of my life.”
I felt a pang of sympathy. “When your fiancée was killed?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I was still in the military when it happened. I’d work security when I was back on leave. Club doors. That kind of thing. Legit. Mostly. Then I clashed with the wrong guy. I won—or so I thought. He took her when he couldn’t find another way to get at me.”
“What kind of overreaction is that?” I asked, aggrieved.
He shrugged. “That’s what these people are like. Life is cheap. Worthless.”
“That’s a depressing way to think.”
I saw him glance at me from the corner of his eye. “Yeah. Well. I thought that way for a long time.”
“You don’t anymore?”
He shook his head. I looked over and saw a sad smile trace across his lips. “No. Not so much.”
I stared out at the traffic in front of us. We lapsed into silence. I had the feeling that it was the calm before the storm. And here I was, helpless to do anything about it; relying on a killer to keep me safe from a monster. When had my simple, sensible life turned into a soap opera?
I shook my head and watched a sea of pedestrians cross the street. My life had been a lie. I’d clung to Ben like I was drowning. Had I known the truth? No. But I’d known enough about our relationship to know I should have gotten out. The truth was, I’d been afraid to be alone; to be single in the city.
“Weren’t you lonely?” I blurted.
He glanced at me.
“You know. All that time since your fiancée was…”
He shook his head. “No.”
“But we need people in our lives. You said you had no one. I stayed with Ben, even though he never showed me any affection. I knew it was wrong, but…”
“I was alone so long, I didn’t know any different. I didn’t want anyone else. I didn’t want the pain of loving someone. Until…”
I waited, holding my breath. My heart beat rapidly. I sensed what he might be about to say. But was it too late now?
“We’re here,” he said at last.
Disappointment swelled up in me like a balloon. I hadn’t noticed us pull into an underground parking garage. I’d been too busy hanging on his every word.
“Where are we?”
“Safe. They’ll never find you here.”
In hindsight, his words should have been a warning. He told me they’d never find me. He never mentioned himself. Almost as soon as he showed me into the nondescript apartment, he told me to lock the door after him.
“Why? Where are you going?”
His eyes narrowed. “I’ve got something to take care of.”
I shook my head. “What? Tell me? Please. I thought you didn’t have a plan.”
“I didn’t.”
“And you do now?” I asked, confused.
“I’ll tell you later,” he said, like he’d been about to tell me a funny story but we’d been interrupted.
I took a step closer to him and stared up into his blue eyes. “Later? What if we don’t have later? You told me you’d keep me safe. How can I be safe if you leave me alone?”
A strange look crossed his face. “If you don’t hear from me by tonight, then get out of here. Here.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a roll of notes. There must have been several thousand dollars in there. “Buy a ticket; get as far from here as possible.”
“Then what?”
He shrugged. “I’m hoping I’ll be back in a couple hours. If not, disappear. You’ll know when it’s safe.”
“But Roman,” I whispered. “How—”
He put his finger on my lips and silenced me immediately. Waves of longing shot through my body. And then I knew what he was going to do.
I kissed his fingertips. “You’re going after him. You can’t, Roman. He’s dangerous. You said it yourself.”
He smiled enigmatically. “So am I.”
He was out the door before I knew what had happened. I locked it like he’d told me to and stayed there, leaned against it for a long time; willing him to come back and tell me he’d changed his mind. That we were running away to Panama.
But he didn’t.
Thirty-Six
Roman
“You brought proof, I assume?”
I glanced to my right. The Soldier’s voice floated toward me from the ajar door I’d just passed. I’d made the mis
take of being comfortable; of assuming that because I’d been there once that I’d find him in the bar. I shook my head. That was a rookie mistake. But this wasn’t exactly a normal job. This was personal. And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t clear my head.
I stepped forward and pushed the door open, mentally preparing myself. It all depended on this moment, I knew. For once, I allowed myself to think about the possibility that I might never see Cleo again. Sure, it made me want to run out of there as fast as I could and take her in my arms. But it also gave me a shot of adrenaline the likes of which I’d never felt before. Anger fueled me. I fought to keep it off my face.
Everything hinged on this moment. Everything. If he was alone, my job was easy. But I didn’t bother hoping for that. Guys like him, they didn’t leave themselves open. When I’d visited him before, it had seemed like we were alone. But it would have been a different story the moment I pulled a gun. I had no doubt that his somber, suited bartender was every bit as skilled with a gun as any cop on the street.
I held my breath as the door swung open. Adrenaline and anger surged inside me. I glanced around, taking in the grand room that seemed out of place in the run-down old tenement. It was bigger than the bar itself.
“I had some walls knocked,” he said coldly, following my gaze.
“Very nice,” I muttered. I didn’t give a fuck about his fucking architecture. I cared more about the goons who flanked him on either side, and the bonus jerk sitting in the padded chair in front of his desk.
The desk—I didn’t know shit about antiques, but even an idiot could tell that that was what this was. Fucking Soldier and his pretensions—why did he have to strive so hard to make himself look legit? His antiques. Cleo. My hands balled into fists.
“Well?” he asked, spreading his arms.
“It’s done.”
I hadn’t exactly planned for this moment, but it was better than I expected. There were four of them. I glanced around at them, quickly assessing them.
He wasn’t expecting treachery from me, that much was clear. No, these were everyday Joes, guys from the ranks who protected him. I didn’t know about the guy on the chair. He could have been one of the lieutenants from the Soldier’s enterprise. Or he could have been a high-ranking cop—the suit made it a distinct possibility. It was expensive fabric. It looked bespoke. That one wasn’t like the others. He was a climber. A grasper like the Soldier. I put a mental question mark beside him.
The Soldier shook his head and turned to one of his heavies. “This guy’s the best in the city. You believe that? Tryna get information outta him is like squeezing wine from a stone.”
I shrugged and plastered a smile on my face, pretending to be amused by the exchange.
“I’m discreet,” I said calmly, talking slowly and deliberately. “That’s why you hired me.”
He nodded, appraising me. “I hired you because I was told you could do the job.”
I stepped forward, staring at the guy in the chair. He held my gaze for a couple moments before glancing at the Soldier. He jerked his head; the other guy stood immediately and shuffled to the wall.
Not a problem, then, I thought. I’d expected more balls from a guy in a suit that cost more than most people’s monthly rent. Maybe he’d been born into money, but I didn’t think so from the lines and scars on his face.
I eased myself down into the chair, taking my time. I felt like an actor playing a part. The role? Me. Me in a normal situation, reporting back after a job. It was surprisingly difficult, I realized. Especially when there was so much at stake.
“It’s done,” I repeated, leaning my head back and staring at the ceiling.
He snorted. “Any joker could walk in here and tell me it’s done. You got proof?”
I scowled. “You think I’m gonna pull out my iPhone? Snap a selfie?”
He stared at me like that was exactly what he expected.
“I told you. I’m discreet. No photos. Not… after.”
He didn’t even flinch, the bastard. They were all watching me now, skepticism written all over their faces. I saw the flaw in my plan then. I’d been so desperate for a way out for us that I hadn’t thought this through at all. It was hard to focus with four sets of narrowed eyes staring me down. Especially since her life was on the line. I didn’t care so much about my own.
I took a deep breath.
“There’s a… complication.”
The Soldier’s eyes widened and his nostrils flared. “I paid you to make my problem go away.”
I nodded. “You did. But you didn’t call me on time.”
He shook his head. “No. I called you. I called Dmitri the minute she showed signs of getting her memory back.”
I gritted my teeth so hard my jaws hurt as I remembered her confusion after talking to the cops. No wonder that detective had been dismissive of her.
I’ll deal with him later.
I glanced around at the two henchmen and the other guy, clinging on my every word. “Can I speak to you alone?”
His two guys snorted at the same time like I’d expected they would. I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this.
“Do you want me to tell you what she said or not?”
“Whatever you want to say to me, you can say in front of—”
I held up my hand. “No. Not this.”
He tilted his head to one side. “Kane, I don’t know what to think of you. Part of me says you’re a stone-cold killer.”
“And the other part?”
He paused, grazing his fat bottom lip with his teeth.
The atmosphere in the room changed in that moment. I didn’t have to look around to see it; in fact I didn’t dare look around. My eyes were glued to the Soldier’s face. My future, hers; both rested on what that twisted brain decided. I wanted to ask him why. Not why her—that much was crystal clear to me. But why leave her home alone all that time? How could he not spend as much time as he physically could in her arms?
My face felt hot. I realized there was no airflow in the room—strange given its size. It was like time had slowed down. With my eyes riveted on the Soldier, my other senses started to take over. I smelled the stale whisky; the faint odor of cigars. I heard the muffled sound of traffic outside. Children shouting. I tasted my own fear in the dryness of my mouth and the salt of sweat on my top lip. I wanted to reach up and loosen my collar, but I stayed still. I wasn’t going to make the first move. I couldn’t afford to.
I was the best there was. I could get the job done where others tried and failed and gave their lives for their overconfidence. But this? This was different.
If it had been just the four of them, it might have been different. But I knew that wasn’t so. The moment a pin dropped in this room, the Soldier would have reinforcements through that door in a matter of seconds. Why else would he keep glancing at it for reassurance?
It didn’t comfort me that he was wary. Far from it—I wanted him relaxed. Professional. Shooting the shit with one of the guys. I told myself to pull back.
“Fine.”
“Go on then.”
Could I risk innocent lives if it meant taking the heat off her? Could I get to them in time if I put them in danger? Sure, I took risks all the time. But this was different. I had no choice this time. And the stakes were higher.
“She knew what I was as soon as she saw me.”
He smiled like a viper. “I find that hard to believe. She’s not like us.”
I plastered a smile on my face. I hated him; hated him more than I’d ever hated anyone. “I don’t know who she is, but I know what she said just before I pulled the trigger. I’ve done my part, but I thought I owed it to you to tell you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Tell me of what?”
“She said she wasn’t the only one who knew the truth.”
“She knew not to go to the cops. I told her. And she didn’t. I know that for a fact.”
“She didn’t call the cops.”
“Who did she call?
”
“One of her doctors, I can’t remember the name. She pleaded with me to spare her life. Said there was no point in killing her when he knew everything.”
“Ah.”
Don’t push too fast, I told myself. Reel him in slowly.
“I’m sure it won’t be too difficult to find his name.”
He frowned. “No, I’m sure it won’t be. Are you certain she wasn’t, you know, making it up? People will say anything to save themselves.”
I bristled. I couldn’t believe how unfazed he was. He thought she was dead and he didn’t give a fuck.
Don’t dwell on it. Make him believe you and get the hell out of here.
I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”
He grazed his lip again and I had to resist the urge to destroy him. I was meant to be the calm one here, making good on my side of the deal and collecting my cash. As far as he was concerned, I had nothing to be angry about.
I took a deep breath and swallowed my uncertainty. Then before I could change my mind, I pushed against the desk and rose to my feet. “But that’s not my area of expertise. I’m sure you have someone who can visit the good doctor after I’ve collected my payment.”
He looked up at me, his expression completely unreadable. Had he believed it? Would I have? I was a planner—I would never have done a job on the fly. But that was what I was doing now. I’d had no time to come up with the perfect story, so the best I could do was hope my bullshit story would distract his attention away from us for long enough.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Excuse me?” I asked, my voice deadly calm. No one withheld payment from me; no one.
“It’s bullshit,” he said, eyes narrowed.
I held my ground, unfolding my arms and resting my hands close to my holster. “If you’re attempting to get out of our deal, then yes it is.”
He shook his head, laughing. “Oh no, no, no. I don’t think I’m the one trying to get out of our deal.”
“I’ve done my side,” I growled.
He stared at me for a long time, not saying a word. I’d thought the room was quiet before, but it had been ear-splitting in comparison. I didn’t even dare breathe.