by Anna Blakely
As he got closer, Volkov’s assessing glance became obvious. “You’ve changed.”
“So have you.”
The older man laughed. “Not for the better, I’m afraid. I cannot say the same for you, however.” He held out his hand as if they were two friends greeting one another. “I never liked that ponytail or shaggy beard of yours. Told you they made you look like a thug.”
“I remember.” Mike shook the man’s hand.
“And who is this?” Volkov turned his focus to Jake.
“This is Steve.” Mike offered. “Or, as he likes to call himself, 00331984.”
Volkov appeared perplexed. “You go by your prison number?”
“Spent so long goin’ by it, I hardly remember I have a name.”
Jake played the part perfectly, laying the southern accent on thick.
“He’s a...friend,” Mike informed the older man.
“Ah, a friend.” Volkov shook Jake’s hand, as well. “Never can have too many of those.”
“Another lesson you taught me,” Mike commented. Needing to take Volkov’s intrigued gaze from Jake’s, he added, “We need to talk, Alexandar.”
“Regarding?”
“Aaron Schreiber.”
Dropping Jake’s hand, Volkov swung his eyes back to Mike’s. “What about him?”
Let the games begin.
“He’s dead.”
“And you know this, how?” Volkov didn’t so much as blink.
“I’m the one who killed him.”
With a schooled expression, Volkov motioned toward the house. “We should take this conversation inside, yes?”
“Good idea.”
Mike and Jake followed the man into his home. With orders to remain in the marble-tiled foyer, the two guards did as they were told while Volkov led them to his private office.
“Would either of you like a drink?” the older man asked.
Mike responded with, “I’m good.”
At the same time Jake said, “No, thank you.”
Pouring himself two fingers of what Mike assumed to be Volkov’s favorite bourbon, he took a long sip before turning to face them.
“Now. What is this about you killing Schreiber?”
“He broke into Juliet’s home a few nights ago. But I’m guessing you already knew, didn’t you?”
“Word does travel fast in my circle.” One of Volkov’s graying brows rose. “You’d be amazed at what one learns, even from behind bars.”
“I have no doubt.”
“If you thought I already knew about my former employee, then why did you come here?”
“When I went to Juliet’s place, I found Schreiber on top of her. His gun was pointed at her head.”
For the first time since he and Jake’s arrival, Mike saw a hint of real emotion cross over Volkov’s face. “My Juliet...is she okay?”
Like you fucking care.
“She wouldn’t be if I hadn’t shown up when I did.”
Juliet’s father made a show of shuffling to his chair and sitting down. After drinking the remaining liquid from his glass in one gulp, he lifted his eyes to Mike’s.
“You never told me why you are really here. Why come to my home to tell me something you believe I have prior knowledge of?”
Holding the other man’s gaze, Mike had to work hard to not reach across the desk and break the son of a bitch’s neck.
“You gave me a chance, once, Alexandar. Gave Mikhail the green light to hire me when no one else would. I killed one of your men and figured I owed it to you to come here and tell you what I’d done in person.”
“I appreciate your loyalty and honesty. As much as I tried, those are two qualities Mikhail failed to possess.”
“Schreiber told Juliet you paid him to kill her. Is that true?”
Volkov blinked, the look of confusion on his face damn near convincing. “He told her that?”
“Your daughter also told me about Mikhail, Alexandar. She thinks he committed suicide to avoid being tortured to death by your men.”
“Mikhail.” The man looked away, saying his son’s name as if it were a curse word. “That boy was a fucking traitor. Soft and weak, just like his mother.”
“Did you order the hit on Juliet?”
Shaking his head Volkov looked back up at him. “You went away for a stretch, yes?”
He’s stalling.
Playing along, Mike nodded. “Did two in Federal. That’s where I met Jake.”
Before they arrived, Derek had worked up a full fake background for Jake. One that included him doing time in the same penitentiary as Jay Reynolds.
Volkov glanced at Jake and then back to Mike. “You got off lucky.”
Mike forced a laugh. “Landing my ass in prison was lucky?”
“If it kept you away from my worthless, ungrateful son, then yes. Of course, living off of luck alone isn’t enough, is it, Jay?” The other man stood and walked around the front of his desk, stopping less than a foot in front of him. “You need to be smart. And you, my friend, made a very smart move by not falling into the same trap Mikhail did.”
“Yeah?” Mike wondered what the hell the fucker was getting at. “And what trap was that?”
“I’m sure you’re aware that he turned state’s evidence against me. My own son. Then he killed himself because he was a fucking pussy. Weak in life and even weaker in death. Juliet is not weak. She remained true to her lineage. To me. Just as you did.”
Me? “I’m not sure I follow.”
“I had my attorney check the records, Jay. Your name was not listed on any of the court documents. Nor was Juliet’s. Mikhail may have chosen the wrong side but not you two.”
“That’s right,” Mike affirmed the man’s statement. “We didn’t turn on you back then, and we have no intention of doing so, now.”
Volkov rested a hand on Mike’s shoulder. “Which is why I did not order the hit on my daughter.”
Mike studied him closely for even the slightest sign of deception. He found none, but then again, the man had spent his entire adult life lying and cheating to get what he wanted.
“Well, someone wants Juliet dead, and for some reason, they’re trying to make it look as though that someone is you.”
“You and my daughter...you are still close, yes?”
As close as two people can get. “We are.”
“Where is she, now?”
“In a safe place. I have a man I trust keeping an eye on her while I’m gone.”
“And you did not bring her here because you feared I wanted her dead.”
“You should know...if given the choice, I’ll protect Juliet over you or anyone else. Always.”
The bastard actually smiled. “This is why I’ve always liked you, Jay. With you, there was never any bullshit.”
“I mean it, Alexandar. Someone comes for Jules, they’ll have to go through me, first.” Mike zeroed in on the other man. “No matter who it is.”
“I’d expect nothing less from you, Jay. And for the record, I hope to find the person behind the attempt on Juliet’s life.
With a shared look of understanding, the two men shook hands before Volkov led them back out of the office. After a few more final, departing words, they left the estate and headed for the jet.
Jake purposely took the long way there, making sure they weren’t being followed along the way. While his brother-in-law drove, Mike sent both Derek and Jules a text letting them know he’d be home in about three hours.
“You think Volkov’s telling the truth about not ordering the hit on Juliet?” Jake asked from behind the wheel.
“I don’t know.” Mike looked over at him. “Schreiber told her as much, but my gut says he didn’t do it.”
Jake nodded. “Mine, too.”
“That’s both good and bad.”
“Good, because that means Alexandar isn’t trying to kill his own daughter,” his friend pointed out the obvious. “Bad because if it’s not him—”
Mike’
s gut churned with fear and dread. “We’re back to square fucking one.”
Chapter 10
“You need any help?” Derek hollered from the other room.
Nuzzling up against her, Lydia’s soft, furry hair tickled Juliet’s ankle as she stood at the sink washing the last of the dinner dishes. “I’m almost done, but thanks.”
“All right, if you’re sure.” There was a slight pause, and then she heard, “Hey, there’s a movie startin’ in a few. Looks like a chick flick, but if you want, we can watch it when you’re done in there. Figure your boy will be home by the time it’s over.”
She smiled, thinking Jay was right. Derek was a nice guy. Nice and hilarious.
Between the stories he’d shared about himself and Jay, and his endless supply of dad jokes, she’d been in stitches most of the day.
Somewhere between the first plate and the last, she’d realized that had been his goal. To distract her from the torturously slow speed at which time was passing since Jay had left.
Though Derek hadn’t given her any specifics, she’d read between the lines enough to discover a lot about the work Jay and his team did. And what kind of man he was.
Exactly the kind of man I thought he was.
Wiping away the water from the sink’s edge and nearby counter, her thoughts turned to the earlier emoji conversation between she and Jay. Glancing at the clock on his stove, she smiled even wider, knowing he’d be home in less than two hours.
It was probably ridiculous to feel happy when her own father wanted her dead. But maybe that was the point.
She’d stared death in the face and survived. Thanks to Jay, she’d been given a second chance at life, and Juliet refused to waste it by living in fear.
With more bounce in her step than she’d had in a very long time, Juliet went into the living room to watch a chick flick with her new friend.
“Okay.” She picked up Lydia and headed for the couch. “Dishes are all done. I think I saw some popcorn in there if you want me to—”
The rest of her words were cut off by a barrage of gunfire and the sound of shattering glass. Everything began moving in slow motion. What took mere seconds seemed to last an eternity.
Lydia flew from her arms and made a beeline for the back bedroom. Juliet turned toward the room’s blown-out windows, a result of her mind’s reflexive response to find the source of the deadly shots. Derek shouted out her name, yelling for her to get down as he leapt toward her like some sort of superhero.
He slammed into her, knocking them both to hardwood floor. Shards of glass and pieces of drywall and wood rained down on them. Juliet heard herself scream—or, at least she thought she did—as Derek covered her body with his own.
The gunfire ceased all at once, and just like that, it was over as quickly as it had begun. The house seemed eerily quiet then, the beating of her terror-stricken heart and Derek’s ragged breaths the only sounds she could hear.
“You okay?” A set of panicked blue eyes found hers. “Were you hit?”
Juliet shook her head. “I-I’m okay. You?”
“I’m good.” Derek lifted himself just enough to keep from crushing her completely and pulled a pistol from his back waistband.
“Is it over?”
With his eyes remaining laser-focused on the front of the house, he nodded. “I think so, but I’m not takin’ any chances.” His southern accent grew deeper, his swallow audible. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. I want you to make your way back to Mike’s...uh...Jay’s bedroom. But stay low and don’t go near any windows."
Mike? Poor guy must be more shaken than he was letting on.
“Trust me.” Juliet blew out a breath. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Good girl. Now, go.” He rose into a low crouch. “Lock yourself in the room and don’t answer the door for anyone who isn’t me.”
Derek started to turn, but she grabbed his arm. “Wait! Where are you going?”
“Outside. I need to make sure whoever was shooting at us is gone.”
“You can’t go out there.” She shook her head. “What if it’s a trap?”
“Don’t worry, darlin’.” He winked. “This is what I do.”
Wearing a grin, the crazy man reminded her of a stagehand trying not to be seen as he made his way to the front door. Giving her one final glance over his shoulder, Derek motioned toward the back of the house.
“Go on, Jules. I’ll be fine.”
Praying he was right, Juliet stared back at the kind man. “Please be careful.” Then, doing as she was told, she began crawling on her hands and knees. She didn’t stop until she was inside Jay’s bedroom with the door shut behind her.
Reaching up, her fingers trembled as she fumbled with the lock until it was engaged. Leaning her back against the cool wood, Juliet closed her eyes and gave herself a few seconds to regroup.
“Lydia?” She made some kissing noises. “It’s okay, baby. You can come out, now.”
In an Army-crawl move, Juliet slid on her belly to check under Jay’s bed. Sure enough, a set of tiny, terrified eyes stared back into hers.
“Come here, girl.” She reached in and pulled the shaking ball of fur toward her. “Let’s put you in your kennel so you don’t run off someplace I can’t find you.”
Keeping low, Juliet carried her pet over to the corner where she’d placed Lydia’s carrier the first night they’d stayed here. It took a bit of coaxing, but she finally managed to secure the cat inside.
With that taken care of, Juliet listened closely for any signs that Derek could be in trouble. She heard none. It was all so crazy...one minute, the place was being destroyed by flying bullets, and the next, it was too quiet.
Juliet’s phone dinged with an incoming text, the sound damn near making her jump out of her skin. She lifted her hips and dug it out, her heart thumping hard when she saw it was Jay.
He was letting her know Jake had been able to fly a bit faster than planned, and he’d be home in just a little over an hour. Rather than text him back, Juliet called him.
“Hey, baby,” he answered almost immediately. “How’s everything going?”
God, just hearing his voice was enough to ease her fear.
Juliet had always considered herself a strong person. Hell, just a few nights before, she’d gone toe-to-toe with a man trying to kill her.
But nearly being killed twice in less than a week’s time was enough to make even the strongest of women a little shaky.
“Someone just shot up your house.” Damn it. She hadn’t meant to just blurt it out like that.
“What? Are you okay? Were you hurt? Where’s D?”
“I’m fine,” she began answering his rapid-fire questions. “Derek’s okay, too. He’s outside trying to find the shooter.”
“He left you alone?”
“It’s okay. I’m locked in your bedroom.”
Jay exhaled loudly and softened his panicked voice. “Good girl.”
She waited while he relayed what she’d told him, so far, to Jake. When he was finished, he asked, “And you’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. Shaken up, but I’m good.”
“What the hell happened?”
“Derek and I were in the living room getting ready to watch a movie when someone opened fire on the front of your house.”
A low curse hit her ear. “Did either of you get a look at the shooter?”
“No. It all happened so fast.” Not to mention she was on the floor for most of it.
“That’s okay. The important thing is that you’re okay.” There was a shuffling sound before she heard Jay growl out a muffled curse.
Way to go, genius. Now he’s going to be stuck on that plane worrying like crazy until he can get here.
“I’m sorry.” Juliet closed her eyes. “I shouldn’t have just blurted it all out like that. I should’ve waited until you got home to—”
“No, baby. I’m glad you told me. I can make a few calls and get some people wor
king on this.” There was a slight pause before he vowed, “We’re going to find who did this.”
“We already know who did this, Jay. It was my father.” She spoke woodenly. “It has to be him.”
“We don’t know that for sure, sweetheart.”
“Who else would it be?”
“I don’t know, Jules. All I’m saying is we can’t just assume it was—”
She screamed and shielded her face as a brick crashed through the bedroom window, hitting the wall to her left before falling to the floor in front of her.
“Jules?” Jay shouted her name.
“I-I’m okay. It was just a brick.” Juliet stared at the red block lying a few feet away.
“A brick?”
Though he couldn’t see her, she bobbed her head up and down. “It shattered the window by your bed.”
“Get out.”
“What?”
“Get out of the house.”
“No.” She shook her head wildly. “Derek said to stay in here until he came back.”
“Baby, listen to me. Someone threw that brick for a reason, and whatever it is, it isn’t good. You need to get out of the house and go find Derek.”
Something else flew through the window’s jagged opening. Knocking a large shard of glass on its way in, it landed in the middle of the bed.
Unable to see what it was, Juliet slowly rose to her feet to get a clear look. What she saw turned her blood cold.
“Jules? Did you hear what I said?”
She stood on frozen legs, fear making it impossible to breathe, let alone speak. There, lying less than five feet away from her in the center of the mattress, was something she’d only seen in the movies.
Comprised of a handful of silver tubes and wires, the bomb almost looked like a Halloween prop, but Juliet knew better. This wasn’t some sort of sick joke, and the digital timer with less than a minute to go told her she needed to get her ass out of the house. Now.
“Juliet, talk to me. What’s happening?”
“I love you.” The words fell from her mouth as she grabbed Lydia’s kennel and unlocked the door.
With Jay still yelling at her through the phone, she ran down the hallway as fast as she could. She reached the end just as Derek walked back through the front door.