Just Business (Aegis Group Dangerous Ladies Book 1)

by Sidney Bristol

  “Close your eyes,” Haley said.

  Zasha took her hand again.

  Haley tiptoed to the utility room and opened it.

  The same guy who’d driven Natasha’s car now sat on the floor, bound at wrists and ankles.

  “Stay with me,” Haley said.

  She opened the exterior door and peered out.

  The unmistakable odor of cigarettes hit her.

  Someone was out here.

  Konstantin and Ivana crowded out after them, closing the door in their wake.

  Haley caught Konstantin’s eye the same moment he sniffed, then grimaced.

  “I go first,” she whispered and handed Zasha’s hand to him.

  He opened his mouth to protest, but Haley turned.

  This was her job. He might be just as capable, but this was what she was trained to do. If she failed, he’d have to act. But until then, she went first.

  If they survived, she had no doubt she’d hear about it later, but this was her call for now.

  She drew in the smell, testing the air left then right.

  The smokers had to be over by the garage.

  So they’d go left.

  “This way,” she whispered.

  Haley drew her weapon and struck off, keeping as low to the ground as she dared.

  They circled around the house, crawling on hands and knees under windows.

  The street was just a few yards away.

  Somehow, some crazy way, they’d made it.

  “Come on.” She turned and waved the others to move. “Konstantin, our car?”

  “Yeah, the keys.” He let go of Ivana and patted his pocket.

  Haley saw the glimmer of something out of the corner of her eye. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she knew their luck had just run out.

  “Hey! Hey, there! Stop them!” A man shouted.

  Haley turned toward the street.

  A man stood just outside his SUV, phone in hand, looking straight at her.

  “Put that down.” Haley raised her gun.

  Feet rustled in the grass from the other direction.

  In that moment she had to decide, did she remain focused on this threat with no gun? Or did she face the new threat and give that man the chance to arm himself?

  She turned.

  Oleg.

  She knew that name because of Natasha.

  And he was armed.

  Haley fired without giving it a second thought. They had to get out of here.

  Oleg went down hard.

  Haley whirled to find Konstantin on the ground with the driver on top of him. Ivana clutched Zasha in the shadows.

  “Get off him,” Haley shouted and took aim. “Ivana, Zasha, get in the SUV.”

  This was their getaway vehicle now.

  Konstantin clocked the guy, sending him rolling. Konstantin jumped to his feet and threw himself behind the wheel.

  Haley grabbed Zasha’s free arm and hustled the two into the SUV as people began spilling out of houses up and down the street to see what was going on.

  “Go,” Haley shouted.

  The tires squealed, melding with Zasha’s whimpers.

  “Everyone okay?” Haley emptied the chamber and switched the safety on.

  “Yes,” Konstantin said. “Zasha?”

  “She’s okay,” Ivana said.

  “I need to make a call. Konstantin, drive. Keep going. Make as many turns as you can.” They had to get somewhere safe.

  Haley pulled her stolen phone out of her pocket and tapped the screen.

  No security pin needed.

  Luck was on their side.

  She dialed the number to the Aegis Group Seattle office from memory.

  The line rang once.

  “Good even—”

  “This is Haley Griffin, I have an emergency.”

  “Haley Griffin?” The voice sounded amazed. “We’ve been trying to reach you.”

  Haley froze. “Why?”

  The moment of silence drew on for a few beats too long. “The police have been trying to find Mr. Titov. They said he killed a federal agent.”

  “Shit.”

  Their luck really had run out.

  SUNDAY. ROSE HOUSE. Arlington, VA.

  Konstantin glanced at Haley’s grim face. She hadn’t said much since they’d ditched their borrowed car at a grocery store parking lot. He wanted to know what was bothering her, but it was all he could do to keep Ivana and Zasha moving forward.

  A single car horn blast nearly startled him out of his skin.

  Haley whirled, her gaze searching the busy street.

  “This is our ride,” she announced.

  “What?” Konstantin turned as a shiny black SUV eased up to the curb.

  The passenger window rolled down and a man wearing a black uniform coat with white gloves and a hat perched on the back of his head leaned toward them. “Ms. Griffin?

  “Yes.” Haley grabbed the back door. “Everyone in.”

  Konstantin helped Ivana into the SUV. She was on her last leg. She’d begun wheezing when she breathed. There was no more pushing her.

  Zasha, on the other hand, was wrapped around him like a monkey. He didn’t even try to untangle her. He went to the other side and climbed in, settling his daughter on his lap. She was almost too big for this sort of thing.

  “Where are we going? What’s going on, Haley?” He stared at Haley fastening her seatbelt in the front seat.

  “Safe house,” she said in short, clipped words.

  Konstantin grit his teeth.

  She wasn’t telling him something.

  Zasha’s grip tightened on his hand.

  He glanced down, and wondered, was Haley not telling him some bad news because Zasha and Ivana were there?

  It was perfectly logical.

  What the hell couldn’t she say after everything that had just happened?

  Konstantin decided to trust Haley. This was what she was trained for. His need to control everything wouldn’t make things better. Besides, they’d gotten away and were in a new vehicle headed somewhere he didn’t know. Which meant his mother couldn’t trace them.

  Not even with the phones they’d taken.

  After Haley had made a few calls she’d disposed of all the devices. They still had the guns. He had to believe she had a plan for those, too.

  Half an hour later, Zasha had mostly dozed off when they pulled into the garage of a condo building. Their driver accessed a VIP part of the parking structure via a keycard.

  Haley twisted to look at him. “This is us. You got her?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll help Ivana out.”

  Konstantin grit his teeth. He trusted Haley, and now he’d let her take the lead.

  They all exited the SUV and Haley led them to a door. She used a keycard to grant them entry, then directed them up a few floors. The building was quiet and well-maintained. He saw regular security cameras. Those didn’t give him quite as much peace as he’d hoped.

  Haley let them into a condo located close to the fire exit, he noted. Every security briefing he ever had included rundowns of exits. He doubted this was by mistake.

  The condo was furnished with newer items. A sofa and loveseat. Dining table. TV.

  Ivana sank onto the sofa immediately.

  “Why don’t you put Zasha in here?” Haley gestured down the hall at the bedrooms.

  He followed her, noting that there were two bedrooms and a single bath. All for three people.

  Haley waved him into the larger of the two rooms.

  Two bags and a hard plastic case lay on the large, king size bed in the room.

  He frowned. “Someone staying here?”

  “Oh, no. That’s gear for us. Clothes. Toiletries. Other things. Come over here.” She grabbed the bags and plastic case lying on the bed.

  “Sweetheart, I need to talk to Haley.” Konstantin sat on the edge of the bed.

  Zasha groaned a sleepy sound, but her arms didn’t tighten around
him.

  “I’ll stay with her,” Ivana announced as she shuffled into the room.

  “Thank you,” Haley said.

  Konstantin gently placed Zasha on the bed while Ivana circled to the other side and sat with her back to the headboard. She reached over and put a hand on Zasha’s shoulder.

  Konstantin eyed the older woman as she gently stroked Zasha’s hair.

  Ivana was the closest thing he’d ever had to a real mother, but there’d always been a wall there. He’d always known her bond was with his mother. Tonight she’d lost something precious. He didn’t entirely trust her anymore, and that was such a sad thing.

  “Konstantin?”

  He turned toward Haley.

  She nodded at the doorway.

  The unease he’d felt slipped away.

  He’d been right to trust her to inform him in due time.

  Konstantin shut the bedroom door behind them and followed her back into the living room.

  “Is something wrong? Did something happen?” he asked, trying to keep his voice down.

  Haley smoothed a hand back over her hair and down her ponytail, then sat on the sofa. “Uh, yes, a lot is wrong.”

  “What is it?” He joined her, though what he wanted to do was pace.

  Haley’s eyes sliced toward him. “I just... Natasha framed you for murder.”

  “Murder?” He gaped at her. “Who?”

  “Frank.”

  “Frank? My Frank?”

  She lifted a hand. “Yes. We’re handling this.”

  “We? Who is handling this? How did she do this? Are you sure?”

  She stared back at him. “Konstantin, there’s a warrant out for your arrest. That phone I took off that guy upstairs? It had pictures of the crime scene on it.”

  He couldn’t believe this. There was no way this could be happening.

  Him?

  Kill Frank?

  “That’s why I didn’t call the cops after I called my office,” she said.

  “You destroyed the phone. You destroyed the evidence I didn’t do it.”

  She shook her head. “No, I left the important pieces in the SUV. The driver is taking that and the guns to a drop location where some more of our people will pick it up and hold it.”

  “There has to be a mistake...” He stared at her grim face.

  This wasn’t a mistake.

  It had really happened.

  His mother had not only kidnapped him, his family, and the people closest to him, she’d killed his handler.

  He was going to go away for a very long time. This was the trap his mother had set for him. Be her bait or spend the rest of his life in jail.

  Konstantin leaned back on the sofa and shook his head.

  “How is she my mother?”

  Haley put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  “What else did you want to talk to me about? That can’t have been it.”

  “No.” She sighed. “We have to talk about process. Right now, Aegis Group is operating under emergency assistance. The cops have not gone to them to find you, but when they do Aegis Group will have to admit where you are. Chances are we’ve got some time until that happens. First thing in the morning company lawyers will begin working on this. Your attorney is listed on the file, so they will likely contact him to begin working on a defense. We know you didn’t do this.”

  “I have an alibi. Why not turn myself in?”

  Haley’s face was hard and unyielding. He’d never seen her look more like a statue. “I’m not willing to risk you. What if your mother can get to you in prison? What if one of your other enemies can?”

  Konstantin swallowed. For some reason that statement got to him.

  “What do we do?” he asked.

  “I think, tonight, we get some rest. Shower. Change our clothes. Focus on Zasha. In the morning we might have more options or better ideas.”

  Konstantin nodded. Tonight Zasha had heard, and maybe seen, Haley shoot a man. She’d definitely seen him punch another person. There would be questions and talks he wasn’t looking forward to. This was the world he’d wanted to protect her from.

  He’d failed as a parent.

  “Hey?” Haley reached over and took his hand. “Stop beating yourself up. Now. I mean it. This is not on you.”

  For a moment he just looked at her and concentrated on the feel of her hand in his. “How do you do that? Know what I’m thinking?”

  “Every now and then you make it easy on me.” She smiled. “How about you take a shower, clear your head then check in on Zasha?”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Check in on Zasha.” She squeezed his hand, then let go.

  He missed the contact immediately.

  Haley helped him figure out which bag contained clothes for him, then he did as she suggested and took a shower. He spent the entire time on autopilot. He’d always known something bad could happen. Knowing that and living through it were two different things.

  As he was dressing, someone knocked on the door.

  “Almost out,” he said, wondering how long he’d spent under the shower.

  “No rush,” Haley said. “Zasha was just wondering where you were.”

  His heart squeezed and he threw on his shirt, then opened the door. “She okay?”

  Haley stood there, hands braced on the doorframe. “She’s good. Just wondering about you.”

  Konstantin noted that the other bedroom door was shut. “Ivana go to sleep?”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah. Tonight took a lot out of her, emotionally and physically.”

  “And you?”

  “I’m okay.” She nodded at the open door. “Come on.”

  He scooped up his clothes then followed Haley into the bedroom. He put the things down in the closet to deal with later while Haley rejoined Zasha in the big bed. They’d burrowed under the blankets and the pillows were everywhere, but that was typical Zasha.

  “Someone’s tired,” Haley said as she settled on the far side of the bed, head propped up, looking at Zasha.

  Konstantin liked this picture. Haley and Zasha waiting for him. He liked the idea too much.

  He put a knee on the bed and smiled at his daughter. “I can’t believe you’re still awake. Can I lie here?”

  At a nod from Zasha, he stretched out on his side, head propped up like Haley while Zasha lay sprawled between them.

  “How you doing, kiddo? Tonight was pretty scary, wasn’t it?” He smoothed Zasha’s delicate hair off her face.

  “Haley told me not to be afraid. That you’d protect me.” Zasha lifted her chin. “And she’d protect you.”

  “Yeah? Haley’s good at that sort of thing, isn’t she?”

  Zasha nodded, closed her eyes and sighed.

  Konstantin smothered the urge to laugh as he looked down at his daughter.

  Just like that, she was asleep.

  “I knew it,” Haley muttered.

  They both watched Zasha drift into a deeper sleep.

  He stroked her hair. Asleep, she looked so much younger. He could almost imagine she were five again. Soon the child-like wonder would grow into something else. She’d become a little woman. With that would come the reality he’d tried to protect her from.

  Konstantin looked across at Haley, who was also smiling at Zasha.

  None of this would have been possible without her.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  Haley glanced at him. “Hm. For what?”

  “Everything. Being so good with Zasha. Hauling our asses out of there. Making a plan. I like to think I’d have functioned well enough in the same situation, but I’m not sure I would have.”

  “I think you’d do just fine.”

  He wasn’t as sure. There was a vast difference between growing up around this stuff and knowing how to deal with it. That was a hard pill to swallow, but he wasn’t too proud to admit that in this, she had skills he didn’t. Skills that had saved their lives.


  “I’m still sorry. About everything we talked about earlier. I know it doesn’t change things, but...”

  “I should probably still be mad at you. I am. But, not in a way that matters.” Her gaze dropped to Zasha. “I’m too invested to leave.”

  Konstantin didn’t want to hope, and yet it was there. If they came out of this, he wanted her to stay on with them. In any role she wanted. So long as she was there.

  Haley took a deep breath and looked at him. “I forgive you. I’m still a little mad, I guess, but... It’s not worth holding on to.”

  “So I’m still in the dog house?”

  She arched a brow at him. “Yes. Yes, you are.”

  “I deserve that.”

  A man really should be more discouraged by that agreement, and yet all he could hear was that she’d forgiven him and she was invested in their little family. Those weren’t the words of someone poised to leave.

  Could they have a chance?

  Zasha rolled toward Haley in her sleep, burrowing closer to her. Haley chuckled and wrapped an arm around the little girl.

  Seeing them together made his heart swell. This was the family he wanted. The one he chose. He just needed for Haley to choose them. It was a tall order after everything they’d been through, but hope was still there.

  He reached out and took her hand, because he wanted to and it felt good. Her thumb stroked over his knuckles and she just looked at him.

  “I never know what you’re thinking,” he said.

  “That’s a relief,” she muttered.

  “Do I want to know?”

  One side of her mouth hitched up. “Maybe? Maybe not? It really depends on what mood I’m in.”

  He laughed, recalling plenty of times she’d probably have liked to deck him.

  And then there were others. Heated gazes, furtive glances. All the moments they’d both ignored.

  “I’ll go to the sofa,” he said.

  “Stay.” Haley glanced down at Zasha. “I think we all want to keep close tonight.”

  He shoved the pillow under his head and lay there in the dimly lit room. His world was crumbling around him, and yet the only things he cared about were right here in this bed.

  15.

  Monday. Safe House. Arlington, VA.

  Haley was holding tight to her professional mask. For some reason the moment it was just Konstantin, Zasha and her she’d felt...sideways? Different. Her insides were wobbling like Jell-O that hadn’t set. All because she’d been silly enough to fall for the man she shouldn’t. It concerned, and yet she didn’t want to change anything.