Power Play

by Tiffany Snow

  Ryker mulled this over. “If she’s someone Viktor trusts, then we can definitely use her.”

  “The cops need to protect her, not use her. She’s been used enough.” I took another huge bite of pizza. It had mushrooms and normally I didn’t eat fungus, but I was too hungry to care.

  “We’ll make sure she’s protected,” he assured me. “Can you get in touch with her? Help us set up a meeting?”

  I thought about it, then nodded. “Viktor and Parker had to postpone the rest of their meeting tonight. They’ll get together again in the morning before the markets open. I should see her then.”

  “Okay. Tell her we can protect her, but she has to bring something of value to the meeting. Something we can use that proves she’s in a good position to help us.”

  “That seems rather mercenary,” I said.

  “It’s not me,” Ryker said. “It’s just how things work. If we’re going to develop an asset, they have to be in a position that’s going to be useful to us and the DA.”

  I finished the slice, still in thought. “Do you think I’m easily manipulated?” I asked, Parker’s words still echoing inside my head.

  “No,” Ryker replied. “You’re trusting, which isn’t the same thing.”

  I wanted to believe him, but maybe Parker was right. It hadn’t taken anything more than Ryker insinuating I could protect Parker for me to jump on the bandwagon with whatever he’d wanted me to do, including planting those bugs. It depressed me.

  Ryker set aside the ice pack, reached across the table, and took my hand. I glanced up at him.

  “Don’t listen to Parker,” he said. “He’s an expert at making people doubt themselves. He can crawl inside your head and make you do things you wouldn’t normally do.”

  I hesitated, then asked the question that had been flitting through my mind, just waiting for me to give voice to it. “Is that what he did to Natalie?”

  As I’d expected, the mention of her caused Ryker to stiffen and draw back, but I tightened my grip on his hand.

  “Tell me,” I implored. “I know it’s got to be hard, but I need to know.” I needed to know if the man I’d been so loyal to all these years, the man I’d grown to respect and admire, was a fraud. “What happened between you two and Natalie?”

  Ryker scrubbed a hand across his face and sighed. I waited. Finally, he spoke.

  “Parker and I were in the Marines together,” he said. “I don’t know if you know that, but when we got back, there weren’t a lot of jobs available. There are places that help returning soldiers find work, and I went to one. Parker…he was fine. Went back to school and finished his degree, then had a job ready and waiting for him.

  “There was a woman who volunteered at the center where I went. It was Natalie. She was sweet, kind. Her husband had been a pilot.”

  “Had been?” I asked.

  “He’d been shot down and was MIA, presumed dead. She was sad and tragic and beautiful. I think I fell in love with her immediately. But she wasn’t ready for a relationship, so we just hung out, got to know one another. Of course, I introduced her to my best friend, which was the worst mistake I ever made.”

  I was caught up in his story, watching him tell it with eyes gazing far away in the distance, as though reliving it. “What happened?”

  Ryker glanced at me. “They hit it off,” he said. “Parker moved in behind my back, though he lied to me about it. I told him I was in love with her, but he didn’t care.

  “They spent a lot of time together and one night I caught them. Parker and I got into a fight and Natalie started crying, saying she didn’t want to come between us.”

  He stopped there and I waited, hoping he’d finish the story.

  Taking a deep breath, he said, “She found another way out. She took her own life that night. Drove her car into the river and drowned.”

  It was an awful, horrible story, and my heart went out to him. “I’m sorry,” I said, at a loss as to anything else I could possibly say.

  Ryker’s lips twisted into a humorless smile. “It is what it is,” he said with a shrug. “It’s in the past.”

  Acting on impulse, I got up from my chair, rounding the table and settling myself sideways on Ryker’s lap. He seemed a little surprised, but his arms went around my waist while mine circled his neck to squeeze him.

  “I’m really, really sorry,” I whispered. I couldn’t imagine losing someone under those circumstances, them committing suicide. It was awful and tragic.

  Ryker’s grip tightened around me and we stayed like that for a long moment. I had the feeling he’d probably never really allowed himself to be vulnerable, not with his background and most certainly not with the job he did. But right now in the quiet of his kitchen with only the refrigerator humming and only me to see, I could feel his body curving in to mine.

  Finally, he drew back and I sat up, too. Reaching out, he tucked my hair behind my ear.

  “You’re pretty incredible, you know that?” he asked with a soft smile. “You’ve had a lot of bad shit happen to you lately, and yet here you are, consoling me about a girlfriend who’s been dead for years.”

  His compliment embarrassed me, and I didn’t know what to say. My cheeks must’ve turned red because he chuckled softly, his knuckles brushing the warm skin.

  “Love the blush,” he teased. “Please tell me you’re staying tonight and that I don’t have to take you home.”

  “You don’t mind an impromptu sleepover?” I asked.

  “Not if you’re naked.”

  * * *

  Morning came too soon, but it was greatly enhanced by a shared shower with Ryker. I wasn’t sure I’d gotten all the conditioner out of my hair, but I was positive my breasts were as clean as they’d ever been, courtesy of Ryker.

  He dropped me off at my apartment—bed replaced and crime scene remnants all gone, thank goodness. I couldn’t have handled seeing Hanna’s blood again. But I’d given the number of the credit card my dad had given me to a special company Ryker had told me about, and they’d taken care of everything. The card had a two-hundred-thousand-dollar limit and the bill went straight to Dad.

  Soon after, the sun came up and I was dressed and waiting for the bus well before my usual time. I thought the driver looked shocked to see me on time for a change.

  I settled in to my seat, smoothing the lines of my favorite dress. Cornflower blue, it reminded me of summer. Though there was a slight chill in the air, I’d worn the short-sleeved dress anyway. It was formfitting and ended right above the knee. A thin, silver belt wrapped around my waist and I’d worn silver earrings and a necklace, too. I’d even pulled out my silver heels, despite them not being quite appropriate for work.

  It’s amazing how much better you feel about life thrown into utter disarray if you add to it a great pair of sparkly platform sandals.

  There was a spring in my step as I went into Starbucks for my usual order. I had to look on the positive side of things. I was dating a gorgeous man, a cop no less, who didn’t appear averse to having a serious relationship and who was without a doubt the best sex I’d ever had.

  Of course, the negatives from this week were pretty hard to ignore. My boss—the man I’d been unswervingly loyal to for years, who I thought was incredibly smart and successful—had kissed me senseless, then turned me down, then implied I was a pushover.

  It wasn’t so much that he thought I was a pushover that made me so angry. It was the fact that I’d been loyal to him because of who he was, not because he’d manipulated me into doing so. It was as though he wanted to steal my sense of honor and satisfaction from doing my job well, boiling it down to just a sexual thing between us, and it pissed me off.

  I resolved to keep doing my job as well as I’d ever done it, even after and especially since Parker thought I was slavishly following his demands. He could be as much of an asshole as he wanted to be. I’d still do my job, because screw him.

  That thought kept my chin up and my spine straight as I
walked into work. I set Parker’s breakfast and coffee on his desk as usual, then went to mine. No sooner had I sat down and logged into my computer than I looked up to see Viktor standing in front of my counter.

  I abruptly sat back in surprise, more than a little trepidation filling me.

  He leaned on his arms, bending over the counter toward me.

  “How are you this morning, Sage?”

  The way he said it sent a shiver of fear down my spine. I knew who he was and exactly what he was capable of, and all of it scared me.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” I said, trying to sound normal.

  “You know,” he said, “I have…had…a friend who lived here in Chicago. Her name was Hanna. She’s recently been the victim of a nasty break-in. I heard they slit her throat from ear to ear. Can you imagine?”

  Bile rose in my throat and if I’d had any doubt as to Viktor’s involvement in Hanna’s murder, I didn’t any longer.

  I shook my head. “That’s awful. But I’m sure the cops will catch who did it.”

  “Doubtful,” he said.

  I didn’t respond to that. Looking behind him, I didn’t see Tania. I wanted to talk with her, tell her what Ryker said. “Is Tania with you this morning?”

  He shrugged. “She’s no longer with me, I’m afraid. I found out she’d taken something from me—something quite important. I don’t take kindly to those who betray me.”

  I stared at him, hoping he didn’t mean what I thought he meant about Tania.

  “It’d be a shame if I found out you or anyone else here had also betrayed me,” he continued, and gone was even a pretense at friendliness. This was a threat, and I was ashamed to realize it scared me. A lot.

  “People who talk to the police about things they think they know have a tendency to end up dead,” he continued. “So be careful who you trust, Sage. It just might kill you. And that includes your boss.”

  Our gazes were locked on each other and my mouth was utterly dry. There was no mistaking his meaning. Somehow he’d found out that I’d been to see the cops and not only was he threatening me, but he was also threatening Parker.

  “Viktor, good morning.”

  Parker had approached from behind him and now Viktor turned, the menace on his face melting away into a warm smile.

  “Thought we’d get a head start today,” Viktor said. “You don’t mind, I’m sure.”

  Parker’s smile was forced. “Of course not. Let’s head into my office.”

  Viktor preceded him and Parker briefly glanced at me as he walked by. Something on my face must’ve clued him in because he stopped.

  “Are you all right?”

  I forced myself to smile, though my face thought it might crack. “Yeah,” I said, my voice too quiet. “I’m fine.”

  His gaze was steady. “Tell me.”

  My smile faltered a bit and I forced it back, tipping my lips upward, just in case Viktor was watching. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

  Parker’s lips thinned, but I kept smiling. I didn’t know what was going on, who the good guys were, and who the bad guys were. Should I tell Parker what Viktor had said? Would Viktor make good on his threat to Parker if I went to the cops? And most importantly of all, what had Tania taken from Viktor?

  The wisest course of action at the moment seemed to be to remain silent, so that’s what I did. Several long moments passed. Parker was just watching me and waiting. Both of us knew he could break me; he just had to wait it out.

  I was saved by the ringing of my cell phone. Tearing my gaze from Parker’s, I dug the phone from the depths of my purse.

  Ryker was calling.

  “Um, I’d better take this,” I said to Parker.

  His lips thinned, but he walked away into his office. The glass door swung shut behind him and I saw Viktor had already seated himself in front of the desk.

  “Where are you?” were the first words out of Ryker’s mouth.

  “I’m at work,” I said. “Why?”

  “Because they just called to tell me they pulled Niki’s sister out of Lake Michigan this morning.”

  Tania. My eyes slipped closed.

  “Okay. Thanks for letting me know,” I said.

  “Don’t go anywhere,” Ryker said. “I’ll come by and get you, put you into protective custody.”

  “You can’t do that,” I said. “Parker needs me to finish this deal. The markets open in a few hours. I can’t just leave.” God knows what Viktor would do to Parker if the cops suddenly dragged me out of here.

  “Sage, listen to me—”

  “I gotta go,” I interrupted him, spying Parker heading my way again. “Call you later.”

  “Can you begin accessing these accounts?” Parker said, handing me a list of account numbers, each one not less than twenty-four digits long. “I’ll need them all consolidated and ready to access their shares for putting on the market when the bell hits.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I’ll get started right away.” I took the paper from him and our eyes met. This was it. He was going to do the deal and there was no going back once it was done. The bad guys would have their money, giving further legitimacy to their cartel that was nothing more than mafia criminals in suits.

  Parker looked at me, a question in his eyes, and neither of us moved. After a moment, I gave a minute nod of my head, a silent understanding passing between us. Yes, I would do this, regardless that I thought he was doing the wrong thing. I wasn’t going to desert him, not now, not ever.

  Parker got the message loud and clear, our communication with business as faultless as ever, and his body relaxed slightly.

  “Okay, then,” he said quietly. “Let’s do this.”

  I watched him go back in his office and flash a smile at Viktor. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it didn’t matter. I had work to do.

  Grabbing my purse, I tossed my cell phone inside, then saw something and stopped.

  It was the envelope Tania had given me to hand over to Niki.

  I’d never opened it, and with the attack on me and the murder of Hanna, I’d completely forgotten about it. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching—though who would care if I was opening an envelope at my desk? Hello, this was a business and I kinda did that all the time—I pulled it out and set it on my desk.

  The paper was crumpled slightly from being in my purse so I flattened it out, then slit it open with my letter opener. Only a single sheet of paper was inside. I unfolded it, then frowned at what was on it.

  Account numbers. A whole list of them. Just like the ones Parker had just given me. Taking the two sheets, I set them side by side, skimming through the accounts. I found matching ones, then another set, then another. After a couple of minutes, I realized that all the accounts on the sheet Parker had given me were also on the sheet from Tania.

  What did it mean?

  I didn’t know and didn’t have time to try and figure it out. These accounts were worth Tania dying over, but I didn’t understand why.

  Shoving Tania’s paper inside a drawer, I went to work, pulling up and consolidating all the accounts so all Parker would have to do was enter his passcode, then the trade amounts and buyers.

  It was a good hour later and I was only halfway through the list when Viktor and Parker emerged from his office.

  “…see you this evening to celebrate,” Viktor was saying to Parker. He glanced at me. “And be sure to bring Sage with you.”

  “I’ll do that,” Parker replied with a smile, walking Viktor to the elevator. I couldn’t hear any more of what they were saying and kept working until Parker appeared at my desk, minus Viktor.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “Fine,” I replied, not looking up. “This’ll be ready in time. I’ll send the screen to your laptop when I’m through.”

  He didn’t say anything, but remained standing there. I could feel his eyes on me, so I glanced up.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  The words were spoke
n so sincerely and with such emphasis, I could only nod in response; then he walked away.

  It took another forty-five minutes to get things ready for this large of a sell, but Parker and I worked perfectly together. I sent the screen and data to his laptop, then went into his office to confirm the transactions as they were made on my iPad. By noon, it was done.

  “Three hundred million dollars later,” Parker said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair.

  “That’s a lot of money,” I said. “What will you do with your share of the fee?”

  Parker just shrugged and glanced at his watch. “I’m going to grab lunch. I’ll be back this afternoon.”

  “Do we really have to go to dinner with him tonight?” I asked, but Parker shook his head.

  “No. Don’t worry about it. I’m sure he’ll be busy with other things by then.”

  It was an odd thing to say, but I was so relieved not to have to go to dinner, I didn’t question it.

  The rest of the day passed as usual, though I thought about Tania and those accounts, wondering what it all meant. Parker came back from lunch and we didn’t talk much. Usually, after a big day like that, we’d celebrate. But not today.

  I was in a bad mood when I went home and halfway there I realized I’d never called Ryker back. Pulling out my cell, I dialed as I stepped off the bus. It rang several times, then went to voice mail.

  “I’m sorry about this morning,” I said, “but I guess I’m safe now. Parker…did the deal. The shares were sold and the money transferred to ZNT in Moscow. Three hundred million. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you get these guys…”

  I was approaching my building now and someone stood near the entrance. I squinted, trying to see who it was, but couldn’t tell. Some man. Maybe it was a neighbor who’d forgotten their key.

  “Anyway, when you get this, give me a call—”

  The man turned toward me and I froze in my tracks.

  It was the guy from New York, the one Ryker had said was an assassin. And he was coming straight for me.