Sergei pulled me back and took the lead. He opened doors to rooms as he walked down the hallway. Some had women sleeping, but there were no chains. No un-plunged needles in arms. The last room had a couple caught in the act. The man looked over his shoulder as he thrust into the young brunette.
She groaned but didn’t seem to mind the intrusion. “Mimi’s across the hall, she can take care of you,” she said and went back to her task at hand.
While I never wanted to be sold to the sex trade, at least the girls seemed safe.
Sergei rapped on the door across the hall and waited for Mimi. An older woman answered. “Fifty bucks for a blowie, a hundred for full-on sex. You want a creampuff, that’s double.” She adjusted her shirt so her breasts nearly toppled out.
“Just introducing myself. I’m Sergei, your new boss.”
“Right. No cash—no coochie, mister.”
She tried to close the door, but I stepped from behind Sergei. When the woman saw me, her face turned ashen.
“Mimi, is it? Let me introduce you to my fiancé.” It pained me to say the words. “He’ll be taking over for my father, Yuri. I suggest you treat him well.” My greatest hope was that Mimi was Sergei’s type. If he could find his pleasure from a woman like her, I’d be off the hook.
“So sorry.” She knocked on the wall in a pattern, and half a dozen women opened their doors. “Girls, we have special guests.”
While Timur and Sergei passed on the offerings, the other two men disappeared with waiting women. As we exited, the hallway was no longer silent, but filled with the sounds of sex.
“Shall we have a drink while we wait?” I asked as we walked by the tables and entered the bar.
“I don’t wait,” Sergei said. “We’ll continue. My men will catch up. I’d like to see the warehouse.”
Talk about a punch to the gut. I’d promised myself never to set foot in that building again. I still had nightmares of the moment I buried Dima’s knife inside his stomach.
Contrary to popular belief, my reputation for being able to kill without thought was propagated by me. If people were afraid, they wouldn’t mess with me. My bravado was nothing more than a good concealer to hide my weakness and imperfections.
“There’s nothing but crates of liquor at the warehouse.” I kept moving toward the front door, hoping he’d change his mind.
“It’s where my cousin Dima died, and I would like to go there.”
I stumbled at his words and fell to my knees. Quickly, I tugged at my shoelace and pretended it was the reason for my fall. I took in two silent cleansing breaths before I stood. “Dima was your cousin?” A jump from the second-story balcony was looking better each day. I pulled out my best performance. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I had no idea. Dima never talked about family.”
Timur yanked the car door open, and we slid inside.
“Do you know anything about his death? I’m told it was the Wildes who killed him.”
Could he see my heart pound against my chest? “No, I know nothing about that day, only that he was taken by surprise.”
For the first time since I met him, Sergei showed his anger. “That’s a lie,” he yelled. “My cousin was perfect at his job. He’d never be taken by surprise. Did you know they cut off his balls before they slit his throat?”
I moved to the corner without thought, trying to gain distance. I couldn’t feel too bad that he lost his penis. He was a sick bastard. The real question was, did that injury kill him, or had I delivered the fatal wound when I had stabbed him?
“Why do you cower?” He narrowed his eyes until only slivers of onyx showed. “It’s not like you killed him, but I will find out who did. My cousin isn’t the only one with skills. Tell me about the Wildes.”
My mind was still on skills. Did it turn him on to torture his victims? Was I not his type because I wasn’t bleeding or begging for my life?
“Oh, I don’t know much about them.”
“You were engaged to the oldest. How can you not know them?”
I couldn’t stop the eye roll before it happened. “I’m engaged to you, and I don’t know anything about you.”
He nodded his head and looked out the window. “I’d like to pay a visit to the brothers. I hear they own a club called Capone’s.”
“I don’t know if an unsolicited visit is wise.”
Sergei reached over and gripped my jaw. The strength of his touch was guaranteed to leave a bruise. “I didn’t ask for your advice. I merely need answers.”
As we neared the warehouse, my throat tightened and my heart raced. “Of course not. Yes, Capone’s is a nightclub. I’d be happy to take you there tonight.”
He pulled back, dropping his hand. “Perfect. We can celebrate our engagement.”
Timur opened the door. Sergei hopped out. They stared at the warehouse entrance. “I assume you can get inside.”
I glanced at the door. Had it only been weeks since I was here? It felt like years ago and yesterday at the same time. I shimmied my way across the seat and stood on shaky legs. This was a do-or-die moment. One thing Sergei had already proven was, he didn’t miss a thing. Which meant he’d see my fear if I didn’t get a handle on things. It was time to put on my game face.
“Even if I didn’t have the code, I’d be able to hack into the system easily enough. It’s a simple program.” I wanted to slap my hand over my mouth. My hacking skills were something I’d kept on the down low. A back pocket skill I’d used to my advantage more than once.
Sergei laughed. “That’s good to know. I’m in need of a good hacker.”
The only reason to need a hacker was to spy or steal, and something told me he intended to do both.
“I didn’t say I was good.” At the door, I entered the code, and the lock sprung free. Even though the warehouse reeked like wet wood and whiskey, I still smelled the iron-tinged scent of death.
Timur and Sergei walked around the storeroom and stopped at the exact spot where I’d left his cousin to die. How did he know? I ventured a step forward and saw the dark stain inked into the concrete.
Timur’s hand came to rest on Sergei’s shoulder.
When Sergei turned to face me, I saw the vein in the center of his forehead pulse and the look of pure evil wash over his face. Blood would spill over Dima’s death. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be the Wildes or mine.
“It could have been anyone. Even the Colombians are jockeying for position.”
“Nyet,” Sergei snapped.
“This is your father’s fault. He will pay.”
I backed to the doorway. This was my fault, and I should pay, but before Sergei could wrap his hand around my neck and squeeze, I needed to tell Matt his family was in trouble. Until then, I’d play dumb.
“My father didn’t kill Dima. He loved your cousin.”
Sergei stalked toward me. “Your father didn’t pull the trigger, but he loaded the gun when he killed Vincent Wilde.”
How could I convince him that wasn’t true without giving myself away? “The Wildes would never kill Dima.”
“Not even to save Faye?”
Shit. I forgot my father’s part in kidnapping Faye. “What does Faye have to do with this?” I asked as if this was new information.
He cupped my cheek in the way a lover would. His soft touch was in direct opposition to his cold stare. “You don’t know much, do you, my love?”
I knew more than I let on, but that was my secret to keep.
Chapter 4
At five o’clock, my computer screen flashed big red letters that said WARNING over and over again. When I hit the return key to dismiss the obvious prank, an upside down Italian flag replaced the cautionary message.
The intercom button rang, the buzz replaced by Mrs. Price’s voice. “I’m leaving,” she said.
I pushed button number one and responded, “Have a great night.” My attention went back to the computer monitor. I’d left a door open to my computer in case Katya wanted to walk in and play games w
ith me, but this was more than a game. She knew better than to throw out a distress signal. In our world, no one cried wolf unless the beast was ready to take its first bite.
I stared at the flag for minutes, trying to decipher the message. Was she in trouble? I seriously doubted that. The woman was like a polished iron fist. She was pretty to look at but deadly if she hit you.
“What’s your game, sweetheart?” I pushed the button on the bookcase behind my chair and waited for the wall to shift to display a fully stocked bar. With the bottle of Beluga Vodka and a glass in my hand, I returned to my computer and stared at the flag on my screen.
The first shot of vodka went down rough, but the second was smooth. Turns out I liked more than Russian women.
As I thought about the sassy blonde with the perfect breasts, I considered her message. Katya was Russian. If she were in danger, surely she would have sent the Russian flag upside down. Instead, she sent the Italian flag. It was a warning to me.
I picked up the phone and called Alex. He answered on the second ring.
“What’s up?”
I leaned in to the screen to make sure nothing was hidden between the red, white and green stripes.
“I think Katya sent me a message—a warning.” As I sat back, I smiled. I was a true Italian through and through because I knew the flag was upside down at first glance. The stripes were backward with the red stripe first, which was wrong.
“What do you mean?”
I told Alex what I’d received. “Stay away from the Petrenkos. She’s warning you for a reason. In fact, stay away from Katya.”
A growl escaped. “How can you not want to help her? She saved your wife?”
Alex sighed loudly. “It’s not that I don’t want to help her, but there’s no way to help her without declaring war with the Russians. We no longer have the manpower to survive. I’ll call Agent Holt and tell him something is going down.”
It was funny that my brother still called his father-in-law Agent Holt. After a family dinner Sunday night with him, Katya, and the others, I had to accept that Michael Holt wasn’t a bad man. He was just doing his job when he arrested me.
“Fine,” I said in resignation. Alex was right. He’d shut down the “family business” and turned us legit in a matter of months. I owed him to try to keep it that way.
“You promised, Matt. You said you’d walk the straight and narrow. There’s no way we all survive if you don’t.”
The truth was a razor-sharp blade to my heart. While turning my back on Katya felt wrong, disrespecting my brother’s wishes was worse. Katya wasn’t family. Alex and my baby brother Rafe were all I had left in the world.
I pressed escape, and the flag disappeared along with thoughts of the petite blonde with the big attitude.
Sam walked inside. “You want dinner, Boss?” While I sat drinking vodka, poor Sam was starving to death.
“Sure, I can order room service unless you want to take a break and head down to the cafeteria.”
“I could stretch my legs if you think you’ll be okay while I’m gone.”
I pulled my gun from the top drawer. Funny how I was supposed to toe the line, and the first thing my brother handed me when I got to his house was a weapon. He knew it was illegal for an ex-felon to carry a firearm, but I suppose he weighed the risk against the reward. In this case, being able to protect myself was a fine reward. We may be out of the mob business, but that didn’t stop others from wanting what we had.
“I’ll be okay. I’m going to finish up here and then head back to the apartment. Stella is making pasta if you want to join me there.”
Sam gave me a look that said it all. He was an employee, not a friend.
I closed the bar, picked up my computer and walked down the corridor to my new apartment. Hard to believe Dad was gone. Harder yet to believe I was in charge of Old Money Casino. With the flash of a keycard, I walked inside my new home. The air smelled like garlic and fresh bread.
Stella rushed from the kitchen wearing an apron that said, “Kiss the Cook”, so I did. A big, wet one on her cheek.
She rambled in Italian. I was rusty with the language after spending years in a cell with a guy who only spoke English—and not well. But I got the gist of what she was saying. It was something about making all my favorite foods.
She led me to the dining room table designed for twenty and set for one. There was no way I’d sit at the massive table and eat by myself, so I picked up the plate and headed for the tiny café table in the kitchen.
“You should eat in the dining room. It’s where you belong.” She stirred the pasta sauce on the stove.
“I don’t want to eat alone.” I glanced at the table she’d set for herself and placed my silverware and plate across from hers. “You’re family and we eat together.”
The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile. “Go change. I remember how you eat, and that shirt is too nice to ruin.”
“Thanks for your confidence. You know I’m nearly thirty, right?” I tugged at the tie Mrs. Price had to fix this morning.
“You know I helped raise you, right?” she countered. “Now get out while I finish dinner.” She brandished a spoon covered in red sauce and chased me out of the kitchen.
My first few nights of freedom were spent at Alex’s house. Tonight was the first night I’d spend alone. With a few minutes to spare, I walked through the apartment. It was silly to call it that since it took up an entire wing of the floor. With at least a dozen bedrooms, a library, office, gym and sauna, it was bigger than most houses in Vegas.
Of the three of us, I probably spent the most time here. Dad wasn’t really social. If you were invited to his home, it was because he had something for you to do or you were in trouble. I’d spent plenty of time on both ends of that equation.
In the living room decorated in old-world charm, I moved to the window that looked over the strip. It was in this exact place I stood when Dad told me he’d agreed to a marriage between Katya and Alex. That was the day I hated him the most.
While I’d never dated Katya, I’d crushed on her since we were little. Despite our families being at war with one another, we often ended up in the same social settings, so we learned to get along. The first time she walked into a party wearing a red dress and heels, I was a goner. I was twenty-one, and she was sixteen—too young to approach, but sexy enough to admire from a distance. Over the years, each time I entered a place I knew she’d be, she was the first person I sought in the crowd. Just over three years ago, in this same spot, my father said that once Alex and Katya were married, the two families would work together. That’s the day he sent me over to Yuri’s to find out who was stealing from the Russian mobster. Also the day I realized it was Katya.
Yuri knew I could track the person down to a splice of DNA if I had to, so when I refused to tell him who had pilfered his cash, he set me up and turned me in. That was the beginning of the end or maybe it was the beginning of the beginning because everything changed.
Walking into the master bedroom felt surreal. It was the king’s lair. Decorated in dark, rich colors, it spoke of wealth and power. While it wasn’t the same as when Dad was here, I still felt his presence, only he was no longer the king. I was.
Ten minutes later, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt to hide the pasta sauce I would spill on myself, I joined Stella for spaghetti and meatballs.
“I miss Faye,” she said.
“You see her all the time.” I twirled spaghetti on my fork and shoved the big bite into my mouth.
Stella gave me a dirty look. “Don’t tell me you lost your manners in that horrid place.”
I nearly choked. I might be rounding thirty, but Stella made me feel like a kid. “Sorry.” I hung my head. “It’s so good though.”
“It looks like I won’t be missing Faye too much if I have to retrain you.”
“You love having someone to care for, and you know it.” Stella had been around longer than I had. She’d served the Wildes
her whole life. “Maybe you should get a boyfriend.”
She yanked at the hair curling by my collar. “Maybe I should get the soap for your mouth. I don’t need a man. I have my boys.” She smiled with the pride of a mother. “But I liked having a woman around. I liked having a daughter to spoil.” She smiled wide. “You’ll have to bring me one.”
I laughed around my partially chewed garlic bread, which not only got me a scowl but a yank to the ear.
“Don’t hold your breath. There are no women on my radar.” Except Katya. Only she was off limits.
“I won’t hold my breath, but I won’t give up hope that the right woman will land in your lap.”
I finished my dinner, and despite Stella’s complaints, I helped her clean the kitchen. She headed to her quarters while I walked to Dad’s office with my computer. Something was off with Katya, and although I wasn’t supposed to get involved, nothing said I couldn’t snoop.
On the wall in front of the desk hung fifteen monitors. It was the same system in the office. Dad liked to have his eyes on everything. Too bad Yuri wasn’t as smart. While Katya let me in the door, it was his lack of firewalls that let me into his accounts. The money he amassed was significant. Yuri was doing okay for himself these days. With the touch of a button, I could make it disappear, but what was the fun in that?
I scrolled through his expenses. He loved his tailor, his masseuse, and the escort service he spent thousands on weekly. It gave me a chuckle that he had to pay someone for sex. Most men with his kind of money got it free. Hell, the man ran his own brothels, and he still had to pay.
While I was in his accounts, it made sense to me to make sure Yuri gave back to the community he took from. I set up automatic payments to several charities. Money would go to Alcoholics Anonymous, the Human Trafficking Fund, and the Widows of Warriors Fund. It was the least I could do with Yuri’s money. I made sure the amounts were enough to make a difference, but not so much that it would alert anyone. It simply looked like Yuri was being philanthropic.
I heard my mother’s voice in my head say; Don’t expect anyone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.
Betting On Her (A Wilde Love Novel Book 2) Page 3