OtherSide Of Fear (Outside The Ropes #3)

by Ashley Claudy

  I wanted to ask Dexter more questions, but I followed Gage out, and we stepped to the side of the truck, letting the tall sides block the cool wind. He stood close, sharing his body heat.

  “Anatoli wants to run over some plans with me, he needs to hold some of his people back.” He looked over my head, around the open parking lot towards the other trucks. “Everything will be loaded soon. It should only take a minute.”

  “I’ll go with you.” I gripped his arm, nerves firing at the thought of him alone with Rusnak.

  “No,” his eyes swept down to me, and his voice softened, “No, stay out here with Dexter. I don’t want you near him, and I’ll only be fifteen minutes tops. He can’t change too much, not this late, not when it’s his reputation on the line.”

  “Fifteen minutes. And then I’ll come look for you if you’re not back.” I wasn’t even kidding—I wish I were.

  “Stay by Dexter. I’ll be back.” He squeezed my arm in farewell and then turned to board the boat, eyes swiping around the area.

  I tried to lock away the fear that settled like a heavy weight in my stomach. But I knew I’d have to carry it till we were gone, it had been there all night.

  The lights from the boat lit up Rusnak on the deck. He gestured for Gage to go inside first, and then he paused, facing my direction before slipping inside too. My heart skipped, but he couldn’t have seen me in the shadows of the truck. My mind was on overdrive, overreacting.

  I walked back to Dexter and the last of the furniture that needed to be loaded. He was already grabbing a desk with Sam, the other man he was driving with. I picked up a lamp wrapped in bubble wrap. All that was left were the small items that had to find a place in the packed truck.

  After a few more trips back and forth our pile was loaded. Dexter pulled down the door on the truck and turned back to us, checking his phone. “We got that done early.”

  Sam tossed his cigarette on the ground. “I’m gonna go take a piss before we go. I’ll drive first.”

  Dexter shoved his hands in his coat pockets and nodded, stepping close to me. “So about Gage—”

  “He’ll be all right. You said it before, he knows what he’s doing. But what about you Dexter? What about you and Leona? What about Felix?”

  “After this,” he nodded at the truck, “I’m going back to Baltimore to be with them. I know it’ll take time, but I will get them back one day. I’ll prove to her that I can change. That I can take care of them, the right way.”

  He pushed his phone in front of me, showing me a smiling Felix holding Rocky the cat around the waist.

  “He never stops talking now. And you should see him, he climbs like a monkey.” He swiped the screen, showing me Felix climbing up the pantry shelves.

  I took the phone from him and had to hold my breath to keep my heart from shredding. He was beautiful with curls to his shoulders, but already so big and losing that baby chubbiness. I swiped the screen, looking at the many photos of him with Dexter and Leona. He looked taller and was standing strong on his own, even running up a hill in one. “He’s perfect.” I handed him back the phone as I saw Cherry approaching.

  “Is it all loaded?” She tugged on the back door, but it wouldn’t lift. She turned looking towards Dexter.

  “Yeah,” He nodded.

  She smiled up at him, her body transforming as he approached, softening and a smile sliding over her face. Even her voice sounded different when she spoke, “I’m Katya.” She extended her hand, “but everyone just calls me Cherry.”

  She made me sick, and I stepped forward next to Dexter as he shook her hand, introducing himself.

  “…have you driven to Arizona before?” He finished casually pulling his hand out of her grip.

  She ran her hand through her long hair, pulling it over one shoulder. “No and I won’t be doing it now either. I’m not going anymore. I came out to check on things though and make sure you all were ready to go. Where’s Sam?”

  “He’ll be back soon,” Dexter responded. “But I’ve got to wait for Gage. Who’s taking your place?”

  She shrugged, and then her eyes met mine. “Maybe Regan can go.”

  I didn’t even bother answering her because Gage was walking towards us, anger rolling off him with every movement.

  Cherry followed my gaze and turned to face Gage, smile dropping slightly. “Oh, you finished so soon? I was just telling your brother that I wasn’t going with him.”

  He barely glanced at her. “Where’s Sam? It’s going to be just you two so make sure you split who drives. No stopping to sleep.”

  “Only the two? Didn’t Anatoli say they needed a third?” Cherry questioned.

  Gage narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m handling this. You can go.”

  She paused for a moment, staring at him, and then she looked around. “I’ll go let Anatoli know they’re ready to go. What about the other two?”

  “Go check on them,” he ordered, voice sharp.

  She nodded and walked away, looking over her shoulder towards Dexter. “Drive safe Lawson.”

  Sam passed Cherry as he approached. “We ready to go?”

  Overcome with something, I hugged Dexter, taking him by surprise.

  His arms wrapped around me. “I’ll see you soon. You’ll have to come to Maryland and see us.”

  I wanted to keep a hold of him, not say goodbye, not when he didn’t know the type of goodbye this was. But I had to let go. “Be careful, all right?”

  He nodded, pulling away from me and tugging the edge of my hood around my face. For a second I thought maybe he could see the finality in this. The look in his eyes was a deep sadness I hadn’t seen before. “You too.” He looked away, towards Gage. “And you, too.”

  They both seemed to move at the same time and hugged each other for a second before Gage pulled back, keeping his hand on his shoulder. “Keep your phone charged. I’ll call to check on you two along the way. And keep to the route I told you.” He looked between both Sam and him. “Call me if anything seems off.”

  They nodded and moved to the truck doors. Dexter walked around to the passenger side, and Gage followed, speaking low to him. I stood back, waiting for them to leave, unable to handle saying another goodbye.

  When the truck pulled away, Gage was standing there. We weren’t alone, there were groups of people around the parking lot, packing two other trucks, but we were far enough away not to be heard.

  “What happened?” I questioned.

  He shook his head, stepping towards me. “He wanted one of his men to go with them instead of Cherry. But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I trust Sam, I wouldn’t send Dexter off with anyone else.”

  “And he just let that happen?”

  “He doesn’t have a choice. Not if he wants this to run smooth.”

  “But now we’re stuck with Cherry.” I looked past him to where she was helping load another truck.

  Gage smiled at me, putting me at ease. “Not for long. Let’s finish this up.” He nodded to the other trucks. “But I won’t get much sleep until this is all done.”

  “What about the drop off with Dexter? Do you think he’ll be okay?”

  “Other’s will be there. They’re flying out in two days. Dexter’s job is just to drive, he doesn’t have to do anything else.”

  We were getting closer to the truck, and Cherry’s voice carried through the air.

  “You need to repack this, what the fuck, you can’t stick it into the drawers and call it hidden. It goes into the paneling. For fuck’s sake, let me do it.” She looked up at Gage. “I hope you checked that truck before it left, made sure it was packed right.” She pulled white bricks out of the drawers, gathering it into one arm, and then turned to the large man next her. “Well turn the thing over,” she demanded.

  “Where’s Yuri? He was supposed to be loading this one,” Gage asked.

  “He’s there.” The big man nodded to the boat and grunted as he flipped t
he desk over and pulled on the plywood covering the bottom, revealing open, empty space. “I get hammer and nail.” He walked away.

  “I’ll go see what happened.” Gage nodded to me. “Come with me.”

  “The other shit has to be checked. You’re going to make me do this by myself?” Cherry swiped her hand to the full truck.

  “I’ll help check the stuff. You go. Fifteen minutes,” I reminded him.

  He nodded. “Fifteen minutes.”

  But it took less than five for Rusnak to show up.

  42: Does It Hurt

  I UNTANGLED MYSELF FROM THE FURNITURE I was stuck between when I heard him speaking outside, telling the man hammering the desk to leave. The sound of his voice sent an electric fear through me. There was no way I’d let Rusnak corner me in the back of this truck, I had to get out. Now.

  It was a slow process, climbing over the couch, squeezing between a mattress and a desk, but I made it and hopped off the ledge of the vehicle.

  Both his and Cherry’s head whipped towards me at the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. Rusnak dropped her hands or pushed her away or something, the movement was too quick to follow, but she looked back towards him with burning eyes.

  “Regan.” He acknowledged me with a smile.

  She composed herself, standing up tall and taking a step back from him as she looked towards me. “How’d it look in there? Did you at least check the other desk?”

  I nodded and took a few steps away from the truck, into open space. “The drawers were empty. Everything else seemed secure.”

  Cherry scoffed. “You couldn’t possibly have checked all that yet. Jesus fucking Christ, do I have to do everything?”

  Rusnak snatched her back by the sleeve of her jacket, making her face him. “Watch that tone.” His voice was controlled and level, even as his action was quick and aggressive. He dropped her sleeve but gave her a hard look. “Now what’s the problem?”

  “Whoever packed this,” she pointed to the flipped desk, “fucked it up. It was a mess with product shoved in drawers. It’s shit like that, that’ll get us in trouble.” Her arm swept up, gesturing over me. “And now she thinks it’s all good after a thirty second check.”

  My muscles tightened, wound up from her insult. “There’s only one desk in there. I checked—”

  “Why don’t you go check?” He nodded to Cherry.

  She snapped her attention to him but kept quiet as she walked past me, climbing into the back of the truck.

  “You continue to surprise me. Now you’re out here working?” He cocked his head as he watched me, voice low. “Where’s Gage?”

  “There.” I nodded to where I could see Gage’s outline on the deck talking to another man.

  Rusnak followed the direction of my nod, and then turned back to me, taking a step closer.

  I forced myself not to step back, to stand my ground.

  “What are you doing here?” He took another step closer, looking at me through lowered lashes. “This was never you. Not before. You even turned Alessandra away. But now you’re back and all in. I want to know why?”

  I shrugged like this was no big deal, gaining confidence as Gage walked off the boat. “Why doesn’t matter. I’m here. That’s all you need to know.”

  His fingers moved across his lips as he shook his head side-to-side, unbearably slow. “I don’t think so. Not if you want me to answer your questions, the one you asked last night. I need to know what it is you’re after.”

  A bang from the truck pulled his attention. His hand dropped from his face along with his small smile.

  “I need help in here to get through all this shit,” Cherry called from in the truck.

  “I’ll get someone.” He turned back to me. “We should talk somewhere else. Come with me.”

  I stepped away then, not letting him get close enough to grab me. “No. I’ll help her.”

  He followed my gaze, seeing Gage approaching. “Later then.”

  “What do you need?” Gage cut around him, coming to my side. I grabbed his sleeve to keep him from stepping in front of me. I didn’t want a shield.

  Rusnak looked towards him with a casual indifference. “The shipment is supposed to be going out now. How much longer till they’re ready?”

  Gage looked to me for a moment, concern giving those blue eyes depth, and then he focused on Rusnak. “Well, all your last minute changes slowed us down some. But we’re running one last check to make sure everything’s secure, and then they’re out.”

  “And why wasn’t it done right from the start?” Rusnak asked, nodding to the desk off to the side.

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Yuri’s not sure either. He said it was started before he got here though, so it must have slipped through then. Everything else should be right. He’s checking the other truck now. I’ll check this one. You can go back to whatever you had to do.”

  “And what about the first truck? The one your brother’s driving?”

  “I checked that before they loaded. And Dexter, Regan, and Sam were the only ones to touch it. I know it’s good.”

  A weight lifted from me as I realized it was true. That truck was packed right.

  “All right then. Help Cherry with this cargo. Check it over and get it out of here,” Rusnak stood still as he gave the direction, waiting for Gage to move.

  Gage broke the stare off and turned, sweeping his arm around me at the same time. “Come on. Let’s get this done so we can go.”

  I went willingly, not wanting to stay with Rusnak even if a part of me wanted to hear what he would say, what he was willing to tell me. But I knew information came at a price. Gage was right, I had to let it go.

  “Let me know when it’s all done,” Rusnak gave one last command, smug in his authority. He inflated with it as Gage bristled under it.

  “Sure.” Gage flicked one hand up but didn’t turn back around.

  “Finally.” Cherry wiped her hand over her hair. “Help me take this mattress out so I can get behind it.”

  We mostly worked in silence, unloading the truck and reloading it when we were sure everything was hidden away like it was supposed to be. It was quick job since others came to help when their jobs were finished. Soon both trucks were ready to go.”

  Cherry hung back with me while Gage leaned into the driver’s side of the last truck, talking to the men inside.

  “God,” she swiped her hair over one shoulder. “I dodged a bullet tonight. So fucking glad I’m not in one of those trucks.”

  I raised an eyebrow at her, even as I tried not to say anything.

  “It helps to have friends looking out for you,” she continued.

  “Alessandra?” I questioned since Rusnak called her his wife’s pet. But was that really the reason she received so much favor from everyone around her?

  “She’s one of them.” She smiled, and it grew when she looked towards me. “Don’t worry, I’m not even talking about your husband.” She nodded beyond me, and I turned to see Rusnak walking towards us. “He’s the one that you want on your side, and I’ve got that.” She went to meet him. Her hands moving, gesturing to the truck as she spoke to him.

  He walked to where Gage was, said a few words, and then the truck pulled away. It was done.

  Gage came to my side and nodded in the direction we were parked. “Let’s go.”

  “Wait,” Rusnak interrupted. “You’re the contact for the trucks, you have a long night ahead of you. You’ll come with us, both of you.” He turned to Cherry. “Call Alessandra, tell her we’re leaving now.”

  Gage shook his head. “We’re going home, I’ll call you if anything’s off, but otherwise, I’ll talk to you when the first drop reaches Chicago.”

  “Fine,” he bit out the answer. Then he directed his attention to me and his voice and features softened. “We’ll talk more later then.”

  “Like hell you will.” Gage stepped in front of me. “If you
have anything to say, you talk to me, not her.”

  Rusnak’s breathy laugh was cold. “It’s too late to pull her out now, you’re the one that brought her in. So I’ll talk to her if I choose too. I may have let you get away with this before but don’t push it. You—”

  “You’re the one fucking pushing things, and you know it,” Gage gritted out, fists curled.

  I pulled on his arm, wanting to take him away from this confrontation that couldn’t end well, but he wouldn’t budge. And Rusnak was still smiling at him, enjoying the fight, enjoying getting him worked up.

  “Because I can. I. Make. The. Rules. I’m the reason you have anything. The reason you’ve gotten this far.” He stepped back, dropping the crazed look in his eyes, an even scarier calm taking over as he swiped his hand out. “Now go home. We both stand to make a lot of money, but we still have to work together. Don’t ruin that.”

  Gage spun, using his body to push me with him as he left. I had to grab his arm for balance until my feet caught up with his long steps. My heart was pounding and it had nothing to do with our fast pace.

  “What were you doing? Why piss him off like that now?” I waited till we were in the SUV and driving away before I questioned him.

  “Because I can say no to him, and you seem to have a problem doing that.”

  His anger hit me, knocking me off balance. It took a moment to recover. “I didn’t—”

  “Fuck,” he stretched the word, yelling it as his hand hit the steering wheel. “I’m sorry,” he spoke much lower now, voice strained, “I didn’t mean that. I— fuck— it’s not your fault.” His hand gripped my knee. “I’m sorry.”

  I slid my hand over his, wanting to calm him, but I was feeling just as unhinged.

  “What was he doing with you? What were you two talking about?” He questioned.

  “He said, he wanted to talk, that he’d answer my questions. I told him no.”

  He was staring out the front window, the lines in his jaw moving, deepening as he grinded his teeth.

  “I told him no,” I repeated, wanting to make sure he heard.

  “I can’t stand the way he looks at you. The way he speaks to you like he’s familiar with you.”