“Why are you resistant?” He cocked his head at me. “Don’t you believe in love?”
I didn’t answer.
“You don’t, do you? You think everyone is just as manipulative and underhanded as you are.”
“I’m not manipulative and underhanded!” I folded my arms over my chest. “I’m the cousin that left the family, remember?”
He just raised his eyebrows at me.
I turned away from him, running a hand through my hair. “Look, you haven’t seen the things that I’ve seen. People are ugly, Matteo.”
“Not everyone,” he said.
“Not everyone,” I agreed. “There are always innocents for the wolves to prey on.”
“That’s what you think I am, isn’t it? A sheep. And you think Natasha’s a wolf?”
“I think…” I looked over my shoulder. “I don’t know, okay. I don’t know anymore.” Maybe she really did love him. Maybe, as improbable as it seemed, this bombshell of a woman was truly in love with my dumpy, balding cousin. Even though she could barely speak his language.
“Do you want to find love?” said Matteo.
I snorted. “Me? There’s no woman on earth that would love me.”
“That’s what I thought too,” said Matteo. “And then I met Natasha. And besides, you have nothing to worry about. You’re a big man, but it’s all muscle, and you have all your hair, and—”
“And I kill people for a living,” I said. “Women sense it when they get near me. They know that I’m dangerous.”
They were the sheep. I was the wolf.
* * *
Kiera
“Swanky, huh?” said Cass from the door to my hotel room. “I can’t believe we’re getting put up in this hotel in addition to the big payout we’re getting for pulling this job. This is the life, all right.” She came inside and sat down on my couch. The hotel rooms were all suites with little kitchenettes and whirlpool tubs. “I can see why Ambrose used to do this for a living.”
“This isn’t exactly what Ambrose did,” I said.
She shrugged. “He made a lot of money. Neither of us have to work. But he’s afraid of having anything too flashy. Doesn’t want to draw attention and get in trouble.”
I was hanging up clothes in my closet. We were going to be here for a while, so I was getting settled in. “Matteo’s bankrolling the hotel,” I said. “He’s Demetrius’s cousin. His girlfriend is the one we’re springing. But he’s not paying for the job. That’s a government hit.”
“Government?”
“Well, sort of, anyway. The guy who ordered it is high up in the government, but I don’t think he’s paying us with taxpayer’s money exactly, if you know what I mean.”
She made a face, absorbing this. “How long do you think we’ll be here?”
“Until we finish the job,” I said. “Maybe a week. Maybe two? I don’t really know how long it’s going to take.”
“Well, it’s nice for Ambrose and me,” she said. “Having to drive in from where we live would have been a pain. But you live close by, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “Well, with traffic and stuff, nothing is really close by in D.C.”
She considered. “Good point.” She sat back on the couch, putting her legs up on the coffee table.
There was a big TV hanging on the wall, another in the bedroom. I had something on—some reality show about makeovers—but when Cass had come in, I’d muted it.
She stared at the silently moving figures. “So, I just came by because I wanted to thank you.”
“Thank me?” I hung a pair of jeans over the lower bar of a hanger and stuck them in the closet. “What did I do?”
“You recommended us for this job.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said. “But is that really that big of a deal? I mean, you just said that you guys don’t need the money.”
“No, we don’t. But ever since Ambrose has known that he had a job, he’s been a completely different man. No more drinking at ten in the morning, no more stupid arguments. And our sex life… oh my God. You would not believe—”
“That’s okay,” I said. “You don’t have to get into that.”
She laughed. “Oh, fine, fine. I thought you might be up for a little girl talk, but I’ll keep it to myself if it makes you uncomfortable.”
I hung up a shirt. “I’m not uncomfortable. Well… okay, a little. I have a hard time thinking of Ambrose that way.”
“I keep forgetting that you knew him before I did. Anyway, it’s kind of a relief to hear you say that. I guess I’d always wondered if there was more to the past between you two.”
“What?” I nearly dropped the next hanger. “There was never anything between Ambrose and me.”
“Okay.” She grinned. “It’s just that I know he didn’t save himself for me or anything. And it’s not as if you’re unattractive.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Whatever.”
She laughed. “You don’t have to look so disgusted. He is my husband.”
“It’s not that,” I said. “I just… I don’t get involved in that kind of thing. I don’t need to have that kind of distraction. I’m single, and I’m unattached, and I’m happy that way.”
“Okay,” she said. “I get that. But someday, you’re going to settle down, right?”
“Sure, someday,” I said. “In the distant future.”
“Right now you’re playing the field.”
“No, right now, I’m focusing on my work,” I said. “I don’t have time for men at all.”
“Oh.” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“What?” I said.
“It’s nothing. It’s none of my business.”
“No, go ahead.” My suitcase was empty. There was nothing more to hang up in the closet, so I came over to the couch and sat down next to her. “You can tell me.”
She removed her feet from the coffee table, sat up straight, and studied her palms. “It’s only that I wonder if you might be missing out a bit.”
“Missing out?”
“We only get one chance to be young and thin and pretty, you know? It can be a lot of fun. And if you wait around, putting it all off, how is that living?”
I stood up. “You’re right. It really is none of your business.”
“I’m sorry.” She stood up too. “I should go.”
“No, I…” I fidgeted with the end of my shirt. “I didn’t mean to be like that. There are just things… When you say that about living, you don’t understand that people’s actual lives could be on the line, and—”
“Like who? I know that you work for contract killers, but I thought—”
“I don’t mean those people.” I massaged the bridge of my nose. “You know what? Just let’s forget this whole conversation, okay?” I looked up at her, pleading. “Still friends?”
She nodded. “Sure.”
But she left after that anyway.
CHAPTER SIX
Demetrius
“When we go in,” I said, “we know that we’ve got several problems. One of them is that there’s an elevator which most likely takes people down to wherever the girls are being kept, and it’s only operable with a retinal scan. Another problem is dividing and conquering. Some of us are going to need to be busy doing the job we’re getting paid for, which is taking out Nikolai Mikailhov, and others of us will be focused on getting Natasha out. I am not entirely sure where that line is.”
We were all gathered in my hotel room, the other four perched on the couches. I was standing in front of the TV. Kiera had made me a little presentation that I could put on the screen, so that I c1oould show them things on the building schematics she’d gotten for me, and other helpful things of that nature.
I pointed at the TV. “So, right now, we are not exactly sure that this area is where the girls are being kept, but we think it’s most likely.”
“We’re just going in there with the ‘most likely’ thing?” said Blaze. “You kidding me?”
“Don’t
interrupt him,” said Kiera. “He’s explaining stuff.”
“Oh, I guess he already told you, then,” said Blaze. “You two work this out as pillow talk?”
“Shut up, Blaze,” I said darkly.
“Pillow talk?” said Kiera.
Cass leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Ooh, is there something going on between Kiera and Demetrius? I thought that Kiera had sworn off men.”
I cringed. “Can we not call me by my given name, please? It’s Danger, all right?”
“Danger?” said Ambrose. “You’re right, it does sound like he’s trying to be a superhero,” he said to Kiera.
I looked at Kiera. “You’ve sworn off men?”
Kiera was looking at Cass. “There is nothing going on.” She turned to look at Blaze. “Why would you even say that?”
“All men?” I said.
Kiera turned to me.
“Because,” I said, “that’s probably a good idea. I mean, you’d be much safer if—”
“Can we get back to the plan?” said Blaze. “Or did you even make one? We’ll just go in through the ‘most likely’ entrance, and then wander around until we ‘most likely’ find him, and we’ll ‘most likely’ have bullets in our—”
“That’s enough.” I shot him an annoyed glance.
He closed his mouth, but he gave me a defiant expression.
“We’re not going to go in until we know where the girls are being kept,” I said. “We have to find that out for certain.”
“So, how do we do that?” said Ambrose. “Go in and look for them?”
“We can’t,” said Kiera. “The retinal scan.”
“We find someone that can open it,” said Blaze. “And we put a gun to his head, and then we have him open it—”
“Oh, sure,” I said. “And then he runs off and tells everyone that we’re casing the joint. No way.”
“We kill him after we’re done with him,” said Blaze.
“And drag his dead body with us everywhere?” I said. “Dead guy is more conspicuous than having him tell tales.”
“Besides,” said Kiera, “that’s against the code.”
Blaze and I exchanged a glance.
“I only help out on jobs that follow Ripper’s code,” said Kiera. “You guys know that. If a guy wants to kill innocent people, then I’m not on board.”
I cleared my throat. “Anyway, I have a plan to get this moving, if I could just get a word in edgewise.”
“I’m glad you do,” said Blaze. “After all, that is what you’re supposed to be doing. You’re the brains of this operation.”
“You shut up,” I said to him. “Do you have some issue with me?”
“I just…” He sighed heavily. “Sorry. I’m used to working alone. I’m not great with taking orders, all right?”
I nodded. “I get that. I do. And I actually want your opinion on some things. I think if you could get into Nikolai’s office, get a look around at that building, then you can tell me whether it’s doable to take the whole thing down.” I turned back to everyone. “There are two buildings here, everyone.”
I hit a button on the gadget that Kiera had given me, and the image on the TV changed to a picture of the tall skyscraper that housed the business fronts for the Mikailhov family. Behind the tall building was a much smaller one, only two stories.
I continued to speak. “This smaller building is Nikolai’s private space. He has an office here. He also entertains here. He spends a large amount of time here.”
“You want me to get into that office?” said Blaze.
“Not exactly,” I said. “But I do want you in there.”
“I don’t understand,” he said.
“I don’t want you to be the person who gets us in,” I said. “And we only need to be in there in order to place some bugs. Kiera, I assume the surveillance equipment won’t be a problem.”
“Oh, I’ve got stuff that’ll allow us to listen in on anyone,” she said.
“Good,” I said. “We need to hear everything that goes on in that office, especially conversations with a man named Erik Popov. He’s the overseer for the sex-slave operation. If anyone knows where the girls are in that building, it’s him. So, we’re going to listen in. He’s going to give us that information. Then Blaze, we’ll know for sure. So, no, we’re not going with the most likely scenario.”
“Oh, thank goodness you’re not completely incompetent,” he muttered sarcastically.
I glared at him for a minute. I really wished I knew someone else good with explosives. But I didn’t. I squared my shoulders and addressed everyone. “So, it’ll be a dual mission. First objective is for us to place the microphones. Second objective is for Blaze to look around inside. We’ll need everyone on board for this.” I turned to Ambrose. “You and I will run interference, make sure everything gets done.”
“I’m up for anything,” said Ambrose. He smirked. “Danger.”
I rolled my eyes. “And Kiera, you’re going to oversee what’s going on with Cass and Blaze.”
“What is going on with us?” said Cass.
I hit a button on the gadget again. Now, the image on the screen shifted again, and it showed the building right next to Nikolai’s office building. I pointed to a set of windows a story above. “These offices are for rent. I have rented them. Cass, you can use your acrobatic skills to get from that window into Nikolai’s office, right?”
* * *
Kiera
I looked down into the window of Nikolai’s office. “Okay, he’s gone,” I told Blaze. “That means you guys need to move fast.”
He made a face. “I don’t see why I have to be sliding down ropes.”
“We’ve been over this,” I said. “Danger told you that he needs you in that office to get a lay of the land. There’s crazy security in there. This is the best way to get you in.”
He shrugged.
“Besides,” said Cass from behind him, “you’re not sliding down the rope. You’re going to be attached to me. I’ll do all the work.”
He looked her up and down. “And I still say that there’s no way this will work. You’re what? A buck ten soaking wet?”
She laughed. “Oh, do I really look that small? How nice of you. Trust me, I weigh a bit more than that. And I’m strong.” Her hair was in a tight bun at the nape of her neck, and she was wearing form fitting black workout clothes.
Blaze was similarly dressed. “You better be, lady, because if you drop me—”
“I won’t,” said Cass.
“Remember,” I said, “you want to place this on his desk.” I held up a pen. It had ink, and it worked and everything, but it also had a hidden microphone. “If he’s got an pen holder, just stick it in there. And then the phone. Get the tap on the phone.”
“You’re going to be walking me through this, right?” said Cass, smiling at me. She tapped her ear.
I nodded. “Yeah, I will.” We were all wired up together with tiny earpieces. I had only used them in the field a few times. Once, I’d had to walk one of the guys from the organization through a pretty tricky route into a heavily secure building. It had involved use of air conditioning ducts and everything. Anyway, I wasn’t really comfortable with them yet, but I was sure I could make them work. “Do you have everything?”
“I’ve got everything.” She smiled at me again.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay.”
She yanked a harness over her head and worked on securing it to her torso. “Get yours on, Blaze.”
Blaze pulled his harness over his head too. “You sure about this? What if you drop me?”
“I’m not going to drop you.” She laughed again. “What’s your real name, anyway? I know you can’t really be called Blaze.”
“I’m not telling you that,” he said.
She shrugged. She stepped closer to him and began hooking their harnesses together. “All right, then. Let’s go.”
I watched as they climbed out the window.
/> The rope they were attached to was secured inside the room where we were set up here. It was a typical set of offices, bare of everything except light fixtures and carpets. The rope was secured to one of the studs in the wall. Strong as anything could be, or so Cass said.
“Ready?” said Cass to Blaze as they stood on the windowsill.
He looked down, gulping. “I don’t know about—”
But he never finished, because Cass leaped off the building.
Blaze shrieked. I heard it in my earpiece, and I switched it off.
They were in free fall for one minute, but then the rope caught, and they were swinging by their harnesses between the buildings.
Cass’s body arched as she swung them towards Nikolai’s office.
She reached out and caught the window there.
Blaze dangled beneath her. From the looks of it, he was still yelling.
I watched as she climbed inside and hauled him in after her.
Then I switched my earpiece back on. “Good job, Cass.”
“Thanks,” she said. “That was awesome.”
“I think I’m going to vomit,” said Blaze.
* * *
Demetrius
Nikolai Mikailhov was a tall, pudgy man with a big nose that he rubbed often. I wasn’t sure if that was why it was always red, or if it was just his natural skin tone. He wore several gold rings on each one of his fat fingers. He smelled like sweat and vodka. “What can I do for you, officers?” he said to us, a too-large smile on his face.
Ambrose and I were posing as crooked police. It was one of the few things that I could think of that would be important enough to get Nikolai out of his office and hold his attention for a long time.
Ambrose could have handled it alone, but I was there in case things went south. I had a hat on, the brim pulled down over my face. I didn’t think that Nikolai would recognize me, but I couldn’t be sure. I had worked with my family in the past, back when the Gallos and Mikailhovs were having skirmishes over territory. I hadn’t been close to him, but it was best to keep a low profile.
Ambrose smiled widely, offering his hand. “I just want to say that it’s good to meet you, sir. Your reputation precedes you, and I have to say that I have always wanted to see you in the flesh.” He had adopted a bit of a drawl, the kind of good-old-boy Virginian accent you sometimes still heard around these parts.
Rough: A Hitman Romance Page 5