by KB Winters
I walked over to where she sat, tilted her chin up so she’d be looking me in the eye. “Listen to me, sweetheart. I made a promise,” I said. “And I keep my promises. I’m coming back and I’m going to keep you safe, got it?”
“Got it,” she said.
I couldn’t help but smile at the spattering of freckles that dotted her nose. I knew my Ava wasn’t a child—she was pretty badass, all things considered. But sometimes, when looking at her pale complexion, freckled cheeks, and bright green eyes, it was hard to imagine she was anything but an innocent girl. She was someone I had to protect.
But she wasn’t a child. She was a woman. A damn fine woman at that. And with her build, you could tell she worked out and could probably handle herself pretty well. Bet she could kick my ass if I’d had a bit too much Guinness. Maybe she could have even done it sober, I didn’t know.
I gave her a small smile, and when I turned to walk out of the room again, she grabbed my hand, forcing me to turn back around. She leaned against me, standing on the tips of her toes and kissed me. Her soft lips against mine. As she pulled away, she looked me in the eye and I could see her worry hadn’t abated at all.
“Please be careful, Flynn,” she said softly. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I love you, my sweet Ava,” I said.
“I love you, too, Flynn.”
Hearing her say my name—my real name, not the alias I used before—was nice. It was a shock, sure, especially since she’d picked up on it so quickly. But I would never grow tired of hearing my name coming from her sweet lips. Never in a million years. In a way, I was glad that the cat was out of the bag and she knew who I was. Knew my real name.
“An hour,” she said, standing at the door as I opened it, ready to leave.
“An hour,” I said, nodding.
I was leaving the car there and had given her the keys. I didn’t want to leave her with no way to escape, just in case something did go horribly wrong. Maybe the Russians had followed Colin or something. I gave her one last smile, I stepped out into the hall and let the door close behind me. A moment later, the deadbolt on the hotel door clicked into place and I smiled, thinking to myself, “Good girl.”
No matter what, I had to make sure Ava got out alive and unharmed. That was my first priority. And I would literally die to make sure it happened.
Twenty-Five
Ava
As soon as Flynn was out of sight and I locked the door, I moved quickly over to the desk and hopped back on his laptop. Pulling my knees up to my chest and wearing a shirt that smelled just like him, I smiled. I was comfortable. Cozy even. Something about his scent reassured me. Made me feel safe. But even more important, it made me happy.
As the computer came back to life, I knew what I had to do. I had to get that name and get it quickly. I’d have to make sure the real informant was safe, but I also had to clear Flynn’s name so he wouldn’t be killed. It was hard enough to turn him in—and some small part of my brain wondered if I’d actually be able to go through with it—but thinking he would be a target on top of it inspired an icy stab in my heart. At least this way, finding the snitch and clearing his name, there was a chance of him coming out of all this alive and unharmed.
It wasn’t much, but it was the least I could do.
I still felt a little guilty and shady as I poked through the files—specifically looking at some of the CI—confidential informant files—that belonged to some of the other detectives. But as I scrolled down through the file, I saw a name. A name that stuck out to me instantly and sent a jolt of electricity through my body. I was suddenly simultaneously relieved and terrified all over again.
Colin O’Brien.
My heart raced as it all clicked into place and came together. Colin. Flynn’s best friend and cousin. The man Flynn said was like a brother to him. That friend, that cousin—he’d been the informant all along. And yet, he was hiding the fact that he was a rat from everyone he knew. Even more reprehensible, though, was the fact that he was letting Flynn take the blame for everything. And if I had to guess, I’d bet he had a hand in casting all the blame on Flynn, as well.
My blood boiled as I read through the file for the twentieth time in the span of a few minutes, just to be sure I was right, and every time I looked at the information— it was confirmed.
He’d been working with several officers within the last few weeks—including the two cops who’d gone missing. The two who were presumed dead and gone forever.
Flynn had to know this. I couldn’t let him walk into that meeting without knowing. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain to him how I came to know Colin was a rat, but I was going to have to figure it out on the fly. The risk was too great to ignore the potential threat to Flynn’s safety. I meant it when I said I didn’t want to see him hurt. I genuinely cared for him and didn’t want him in harm’s way at all.
I reached for my phone and dialed his number, chewing a piece of my nail as I waited for him to answer. Please answer, I begged. Please, please answer.
It went straight to voicemail.
Damn. My fingers flew over the keys like lightning as I shot him a text message.
Please call me before your meeting. It’s important.
I had to find a way to tell him what I found without giving away my true identity. It was a fine line to walk, and I wasn’t quite sure how to go about walking it. Easier said than done. Either way, the idea of letting him meet with Colin when he was completely ignorant of the situation—with a man who very well might be setting him up—terrified me beyond words. Letting Flynn meet with his cousin—without him knowing what I knew—scared the hell out of me. And the fact that I couldn’t get him on the phone was only increasing my anxiety to incredible proportions.
I punched in his number again and waited. No response. That was unlike him. Very unlike him.
My heart raced while I paced the room, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do and how to get word to him when I stopped dead in my tracks. Flynn’s gun was sitting on top of the safe. He’d left it there with me. But why would he have done such a stupid, stupid thing?
I hoped like hell that he’d armed himself with other weapons, but I couldn’t be sure. I didn’t recall seeing anything but that gun when he got undressed. That wasn’t to say he didn’t have one, I just hadn’t seen any. The longer I stared at the gun, the more worried I became.
Had he really walked into that meeting with Colin unarmed? Did he really trust his cousin that much? With his very life?
I needed to act. I needed to do something. Moving quickly, I put myself into motion before I could stop and think. Before I could change my mind. I swiftly picked my clothes from the night before up off the floor and put them on. Then, I grabbed Flynn’s gun and put it in my back pocket, letting my shirt fall over it, hiding it from view. I knew what I had to do.
Find Flynn and warn him. Just in case Colin was up to something sneaky and was putting Flynn’s life in danger.
Twenty-Six
Flynn
I walked down to the riverfront, pulling my jacket tighter around me. The cool, Missouri breeze could chill you right to the fuckin’ bone if you didn’t dress appropriately, but I was used to it. I knew what I was doing. After all, the Midwest was home. At least for now. Hopefully, we wouldn’t have to pack up and leave anytime soon—even though warmer climates did sound appealing in times like this.
It probably wasn’t the smartest choice in venues, but we met at an old abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere. When I walked up to the dilapidated building that looked like it was on the verge of falling down, I didn’t see anyone or anything. It appeared as if I was the first one to arrive. A knot formed in my gut as I walked around to the entrance of the building and saw the door had been propped open with a rock. Moving as quietly as I could, I stepped to the door and could hear people talking inside.
Voices. Two of them. I stopped and listened, ready to walk away if it happened
to be a cop or a couple of kids causing trouble. I figured I could text Colin a new location, if needed. That wasn’t a problem. But one of the voices sounded familiar, and I relaxed a little.
It was the thick, Irish accent that had given my cousin away. I smiled, ready to walk inside when I recognized the second voice. I stopped dead in my tracks and strained to listen, trying to figure out who the second voice belonged to.
I stalled at the doorway of the building just long enough for Colin to look out and spot me.
“There you are, mate,” he said, motioning for me to come inside. “I was wondering when you’d finally get here.”
I hesitated and tried to peer through the shadow and gloom of the interior of the building. “Who’s with you?”
Colin glanced behind him, scratching his head before turning back to me. “Come inside, Flynn. It’d be easier if we talked inside, don’t ya think?”
He’d ignored my question and didn’t seem inclined to tell me who was in there with him. Why keep it a secret? Colin had broken the rules, he’d broken my trust, and that made me nervous. I reached to the small of my back and then cursed myself. I’d left my gun back at the hotel in case Ava needed to defend herself. I didn’t have any of my other weapons on me, and I was feeling more than a little exposed.
Leaving my gun behind had been a mistake. I knew that now, but I trusted Colin. With my life. So, why was he playing games with me now?
“Can’t ya tell me who’s with you? I heard voices,” I said.
Colin sighed, hanging his head low, as he stepped aside. That’s when I realized the second voice sounded familiar for a reason. It was Nicolei. One of Isaak’s most trusted allies.
“What’s going on here? I thought you and I were going to be alone, Colin?” I asked, narrowing my eyes and focusing my gaze on the taller, stoic man in front of me.
He looked so odd next to my goofy-looking cousin with his bright red hair and pale Irish skin. They were most definitely the odd couple, but they stood side-by-side like allies. Maybe even friends.
“Nicolei had a few questions for ya, Flynn, that’s all,” he said. “We wanted to talk about what went down with Isaak and the Russians. He told me some interesting things about ya that I didn’t know.”
“Oh did he? Like what?” I didn’t like where this was going. First of all, Colin should’ve come to me alone if he had any doubts about anything and secondly, I didn’t like the shit-eatin’ grin on Nicolei’s face.
“Like the fact you’re hooking up with a federal agent.”
I laughed. “A federal agent? Are you high, Colin? Or still just jealous I got with her and you didn’t.”
“So you admit it. You’ve been fuckin’ her,” Colin said, cracking his knuckles as he looked at me.
“We’re more than just fuckin’, lad, we’re together,” I said. “But she ain’t no fed. She’s a fucking secretary for Christ’s sake.”
“And you know this for a fact?” Colin asked. “You been to her office? Seen her filing and taking dictation and shit, lad?”
Nicolei didn’t say a word, he just stood there with his hands behind his back, watching us with that fucking smirk stretched across his face. Oh, I wanted to smack that look right off his face and then beat him bloody. But I had no weapon—nothing. Because I’d been stupid enough to trust Colin—the one man I thought I could trust with anything.
Apparently, I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
“What kind of stupid question is that? No, I haven’t been to her fuckin’ job. But she told me herself. And she ain’t a fuckin’ fed, she’s too—” I stopped myself from speaking further, biting down hard on my tongue.
The questions shot out of my head a million miles a second as I struggled to finish. She was what? Too pretty? Too fit? Too fuckin’ sexy? She was almost too fit for a job that required sitting all day, but I’d always assumed she worked out a lot. Took care of herself, ya know.
“See? Even you can’t be certain,” Colin said. “Which makes us think—maybe, there’s something to Isaak’s fears all along.”
Makes us think? He said, makes us think,—which told me there was a lot going on that I wasn’t privy to. And given that Colin seemed pretty well acquainted with Nicolei—I started to worry even more.
“You think I’m the snitch?” I snapped. “Really, Colin? Me?”
Colin shrugged. “I dunno what to think, lad. Not anymore. And I’m not alone. Once the brothers found out about you and the fed, they put it up to a vote.”
“Yeah? And what?” I called. “You’re gonna kill me, mate? Carry out the punishment? Do you even have the spine for that?”
Colin chuckled and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, a nervous tell I was familiar with. “The Russians wanted penance—all the unnecessary heat from the law, the massacre that consequently cost their leader, Isaak, his life. Nicolei has permission from his brothers to do whatever is necessary to get the revenge they seek. And I can’t risk our alliance with the Russians by telling them no, can’t do it, mate. Surely, you understand and can appreciate that. After all, you worked your ass off to secure our alliance with the Russians. We can’t just turn around and piss it away because you’re fucking a cop and telling her all of our dirty little secrets.”
“I’m not fucking a cop,” I said between gritted teeth. “And I’m not the fucking snitch.”
“So you say. But the facts aren’t looking good for ya, Flynn,” he said. “There are a lot of questions about you right now, brother. It looks bad for you, mate. Really, really bad.”
Nicolei moved forward, gun in hand, with a smirk on his face. I didn’t flinch when he raised the weapon and held it to my head. He grinned wildly at me as if he were enjoying every second of it. And I was quite sure he was. Nicolei was a cold-blooded killer—and truth be told, we’d never really liked each other all that much.
With no weapon and a gun to my head, the only thing I could do was try to reason with them. Talk my way out of this mess—or at least stall them and keep them from killing me long enough that I could make a break for it and escape.
Colin was armed as well, and even if he was blood, I wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t try to kill me. After all, he’d set me up. He was the one to bring along the Russian to do his dirty work for him.
“I’m just trying to take care of the brotherhood, Flynn,” Colin said. “And make sure our relations with the Russians stay solid. Allowing a snitch to live because of loyalty is bad for business. And the last thing we’d want is to touch off another war with our new friends. Haven’t we had enough bloodshed and killin’, lad?”
“You’ve got the wrong man, Colin,” I shouted. “What good does killing me do if the snitch is still out there, huh? And he is. Believe me, he is. Yeah, I may be dead, but the snitch won’t be. And when he keeps rattin’ you out, what will your brothers think of you then? Think they’ll still want you in a leadership role? I assume that’s where this is going, after all—you take me down and then take my spot. Isn’t that the plan here, lad?” It had been a power play with Colin for some time now. I tried to remain patient, knowing he wasn’t as stable as he considered himself to be. And that was all this clusterfuck was—a power play.
But Colin didn’t get to answer. I flinched and ducked down when a shot rang out from somewhere behind me. The bullet barely missed the big Russian and hit the door behind his head. The shot made Nicolei turn and shoot back at the unseen assailant, giving me ample time to step up and drive my foot into his bollocks. I put everything I had into that kick and smiled in satisfaction when he grabbed his crotch and fell over in pain. He looked like he was going to throw up.
I took advantage of his condition by wrestling the gun from his hand. I had no idea who was shooting at us, but whoever it was had given me an out I intended to use.
He was still gasping and sputtering, so I drove my knee into his face, knocking him backward and to the ground. I pinned him to the ground by putting a heavy foot on his most sensitive—and probably
swollen and aching—body part.
Now, it was my turn to smirk as the tables had turned, and I had the gun.
“Not so powerful now, are ya?” I sneered. “Not without your gun to protect you. In fact, without this gun here, you’re kind of a pussy, aren’t ya?”
Nicolei winced when I spat in his face and pulled the hammer on the pistol back, preparing to shoot him in the face. But I froze in my tracks when I heard a voice call from behind me.
“Don’t do it.”
My eyes widened in absolute horror. It was Ava’s voice.
Looking over my shoulder, just to be sure, I felt my heart sink into my shoes when I saw my beautiful girl standing there. She was armed with a gun she had pointed straight at Colin’s head. My cousin looked like he was ready to shit himself as he stared down the barrel of her gun, but she looked at me as she spoke.
“He doesn’t have to die, Flynn,” she said. “We can call the cops, have them take care of it from here.”
“And then I go to jail, too,” I grit out, my heart pounding. “Is that what you want?”
The look on her face softened, but only for the briefest of moments. She shook her head, a confused look on her face. She looked torn. As if she were struggling with some decision in her own mind.
“No,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t want that at all.”
“Then let me do what needs to be done. These two punks were here to kill me, so I need to take care of business. Go back to the hotel, Ava. Stay out of it,” I ordered. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I can handle myself. I can handle this.”
“I can’t, Flynn,” she said. “I can’t let you do it. I can’t let you shoot that man in the face even though he very much deserves it.”
“I told you she’s a fucking fed, man. She’s goddamn FBI, brother,” Colin shouted, his voice a little shaken. “Even though she shoots like a goddamn girl.”
I stifled a chuckle when I looked over at him. He had his hands in the air and an enraged look on his face. His gun was on the ground, ten feet away from him.