“This is ridiculous. I’ve devoted everything to this city, and the people whom I pay to protect and serve won’t even let me—”
“Don’t say something you’ll regret,” I interrupted. “There are eyes and ears everywhere, and I guarantee you, the press would love to hear what the city owes you in light of all the trouble the city council has gotten into. Now, if I were you, I would quietly do as Jenkins says, and if anything comes up, I’ll call you.”
Harner’s shoulders sank, and his eyes fell to a skittish cat darting amidst the growing crowd.
“Call me if you find out anything.” His jaw clenched, and without another word, he took off down the sidewalk where his driver waited for him.
“When was the body discovered?” I turned my attention back to Jenkins, who seemed relieved he no longer had to deal with Harner. I didn’t blame him. Harner was one of the slimier politicians.
“Three hours ago,” he answered quietly.
My mind flashed to the other women who’d been murdered. They’d all been found in small out-of-the-way spaces. One had been in a storage room two blocks away, and another in a mailroom in a basement. Missy was in the janitorial closet right off the hallway, another small space.
“Restraints?” I asked. “Not the same as the others?”
He gave a quick nod.
“Who found her?” Elena asked.
Jenkins’s eyes flashed to mine, as if I were responsible for her asking the question. I wasn’t certain he’d respond.
“The night janitor had just come on. We’ve got detectives going door-to-door in the apartments above.”
A church bell pealed into the air and Elena shivered.
“Why don’t you take Ms. Egorov out to dinner? It’s the least you could do.” The captain’s brows pulled together, his eyes narrowing. “What is it you do for a living, Ms. Egorov?”
“I’m a writer.” She squared her shoulders and glanced at me.
“I’d like to think nothing we discussed will wind up in the papers tomorrow.”
“I’m not that kind of writer,” she assured him.
“Good.” And with that, he turned and walked away.
“So, about dinner?” I watched Elena tense as my question landed on her.
“No need. I should go home and—”
I wasn’t accustomed to not getting what I wanted.
“You heard the captain. It’s the least I can do.” I took a step closer. “Had you not insisted on coming here, I would have shown up at your door later and requested the same.”
She crossed her arms. “Is that so?”
“I think it’s only fair. After all, you and your sister were trespassing on my property. I had to be pulled away from my family dinner to see what was going on.” I narrowed the gap even more and felt the heat rolling off her body. Maybe getting Elena into bed wouldn’t be impossible. “And I’m hungry.”
She stayed silent, and I touched her chin. A breath caught in the back of her throat, and I held in a triumphant smile.
“Aren’t you?” I asked.
Her eyes widened. “Aren’t I what?”
“Hungry? Aren’t you hungry from traipsing around abandoned buildings all day?”
“When you put it that way, I might be a little hungry, but I have plenty to eat at home.”
“But you wouldn’t have my company.” I smiled and so did she.
“Is that supposed to be enticing?” Her brow arched, but she was smiling.
“You tell me.” I glanced behind her and saw the captain discussing something with a reporter. They’d finally shown up. “I don’t think you were put off too much earlier…when we kissed.”
She laughed and her smile turned into a sappy grin. “You’re used to getting what you want and I don’t like it.”
“So you want to penalize me because I’m good at negotiating?”
She shrugged, not answering my question. “Dinner, and that’s it.”
“What else would there be?”
She rolled her eyes, but the playfulness behind them brightened my day. I’d never met a woman who was so insistent on flipping me shit at any moment she could, and I swore she got endless pleasure from it, which delighted me.
No wonder my relationships never worked.
“I feel like a burger. Nothing fancy.”
“Perfect.” I slid my arm around her waist and felt her melt into me.
Yes. This might be a lot easier than I thought.
I smiled to myself as we walked down the sidewalk to my car. Viktor hopped out and opened the door for us.
“We’d like to grab a late-night burger at Bud’s.”
“Bud’s it is.” He nodded as I helped Elena into the car.
Before Viktor made it to the driver’s seat, Elena turned to me and narrowed her eyes at me.
“Why do you want dinner?”
“I like your company.”
“And that’s it? There’s no strings attached?”
“What kind of strings?” My brow curved as my gaze mistakenly wandered to her breasts. I was always so controlled. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself slip up like that.
“That kind.” She twisted her lips into a speculative pout, which only made the growing desire I had for her worse.
Much worse.
“Listen.” I drew her hands into mine, and I felt her body shudder. “You’re a beautiful woman in a city full of beautiful women.”
“Well, thanks. That makes things much clearer.” Her pout turned to a scowl.
“And I don’t get caught up in beauty, but you’re offering me something I’m not used to.”
“I didn’t think I was offering you anything.” She laughed and sat back in the seat.
“Precisely.” I shook my head. “You’re offering me nothing but a smart mouth, and it’s refreshing.”
Viktor started the car and pulled into the light traffic as I kept my gaze on Elena. She was looking out the window and seemed pleased with what I’d said, but it was the truth. She was different from all the other women I’d ever come across in the city.
“Do you think there is a serial killer?” she asked, bringing her gaze back to mine.
“I think there is someone who’s decided to make killing his pastime, targeting helpless women whom few will miss.”
“Why won’t the police let the city know?” She pressed her lips together tightly.
“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “My best guess is that they think they’re close to making an arrest and don’t want any interference.”
“Or that’s just wishful thinking.”
I nodded and ran my hands along my slacks. “Or it’s just wishful thinking,” I agreed.
“Missy’s murder doesn’t quite fit the mold then. Someone missed her. She’s from a high-profile family.”
“Maybe he didn’t know that when he took her.”
“True,” she said softly. “It’s so awful that there are people in this world who don’t think twice about taking someone’s life. Don’t you think?” Hardness edged her last question, and her gaze matched.
“It takes all kinds of people, but there are a few groups in this world who’d do better if they were just on an island somewhere.”
“Murderers, rapists, kidnappers,” she mused. “I can probably think of a few more who belong.”
I nodded and looked out the window.
Viktor had just pulled up to Bud’s Place and hopped out of the car to open the door.
Watching her glide out of the car with her curves bending and leaving little to the imagination wasn’t going to make just grabbing a burger easy, but I knew my place with Elena. She demanded more control than I could possibly fathom, and for the first time in a long time, I was okay with that. I’d rather have the chase than nothing at all.
We walked into the bustling sports bar. Football plastered just about every screen in the joint. There weren’t any particularly quiet places to sit, but my hunch was that Elena would appreciate that.
I spotted a booth and we made our way over.
“We weren’t expecting you,” Sally said, placing a menu in front of Elena and then me.
“I like to keep people on their toes.”
She winked at me. “Yes, you do.”
Sally had worked at Bud’s for the last five years, keeping the place in check and cleaning up any messes my brothers might toss her way.
Thankfully, Devin had cleaned up his act since meeting Avery. Getting late-night calls to pry my drunken brother out from another gambling fiasco had finally ended, and Sally no longer had to keep the back room open for his shenanigans. Avery had been good for him on so many levels.
“What can I get for you?” She looked over at Elena and her smile deepened.
“Just an iced tea, no sugar.”
“Sounds good to me. Gotta keep your wits about you around these boys.” She winked at Elena, who let out the most glorious giggle. I wasn’t sure she was really capable of this type of giggle.
“Thank you for that, Sally. I’ll take the same and an order of jalapeno poppers.” I brought my gaze back to Elena, who was watching me intently.
“How does she know so much about you and your brothers?”
“Believe it or not, we get to know our employees very well.”
“So you own this restaurant?”
“We do.”
“I always thought of Wolf Industries as owning entire blocks, not small sports bars.”
“We believe in diversification, but we do enjoy our development projects the most.”
“I bet.” She nodded. “You’ve been in charge of some monster ones.”
“True.”
“Tell me this.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready for it.” I grinned.
“What does it feel like to get everything you want? To be untouchable?”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, like today. You get a call with inside information, and the next thing I know, you’re waltzing behind the police line where a detective allows you to view the crime scene. The councilman couldn’t even see what you saw.”
“Trust me. He wouldn’t have wanted to see what I saw. The nightmares alone would kill him, let alone living with the images during the day.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Our life was complicated. To the outside world, it looked as if we ran one of the largest privately held corporations in the city, but come night, we held this city together.
Sally dropped off our drinks and jalapeno poppers, and we ordered our burgers.
“Well?” Elena asked again.
“My family has helped a lot of people over the years. In return, favors are sometimes offered.”
“What about in this instance?” Her eyes darkened.
I let out a sigh and shook my head. “My brother used to enjoy a bit of gambling in his day. The cop who informed us about Missy had gotten in trouble himself with some unpaid debts. We helped him out and he’s helped us out.”
“I see.” She squirmed in the booth. “Just like that. A dirty cop helps a businessman because you helped him out of a—”
“He’s not a dirty cop,” I interrupted.
An angry spark flashed through her gaze, and for the life of me, I didn’t know why that turned me on.
“What would you call him?” she questioned.
“A man who made a mistake and needed help.”
“Makes it sound better, I suppose.” She took a sip of her tea.
“I suppose it does, but isn’t life a little better with rose-colored glasses?”
“Depends. I prefer living in reality. I want to know what’s in front of me. If I have questions, I want answers. I don’t want to live in a happy bubble where people spoon-feed me what they think I want to hear, but like you said earlier, it takes all kinds.”
“Not everyone can be as strong as you, Elena. Not everyone would pick up the phone and try to help someone they don’t even know.”
“To each his own.” She took a bite of jalapeno and moaned. “Homemade?” She took another bite.
“We don’t skimp when it comes to food.”
The bar quieted, and we both turned our attention to one of the televisions where Rick Harner was speaking with the press.
“Oh, no. He’s just made the police’s job a hell of a lot more difficult.”
Elena’s mouth dropped open as the councilman continued to speak.
“Our family is offering a half-million dollars to the person who can bring forward information leading to an arrest for my niece’s murder. Missy was an innocent victim caught up in something she couldn’t help, and we won’t stand by while other women across the city are being picked off one by one because of an addiction they can’t control.”
“This isn’t good,” Elena whispered, her eyes connecting with mine.
“No, it’s not. The system’s going to get bogged down with people trying to get the money.”
Sally brought over our burgers as Elena excused herself to go to the restroom. I watched her wander off to the hall, but the Women’s door never opened. I glanced at my burger and back at the hall. She wouldn’t have taken off, right? Maybe she was just texting her sister. A few more seconds passed.
To hell with it.
I scooted out of the booth and made my way to the hallway.
What I didn’t expect to find was Elena, standing by an emergency exit, wiping away tears.
“Elena, is everything okay?” My voice startled her, and she jumped slightly as her eyes connected with mine.
“Sorry. Yes. It’s just…” She stopped as I came over.
“I can take you home. We’ll take the burgers to go.”
She shook her head and sniffled. “No, I’m totally fine. It was just a lot. I don’t think I’m as tough as I think I am.”
I stroked her hair from her face as her eyes nearly melted me in place. Even when her eyes were rimmed with tears, she was beautiful, and the fire behind her gaze was so intense it was hard to stay focused.
“Are you sure?”
“I’d just go home and mope. This way, I can at least mope in front of you.” She wiped her eyes again and laughed quietly. “Aren’t you glad you asked me to dinner?”
“I wouldn’t want to spend my night any other way.”
“You are smooth.”
“Not smooth. Just honest.” I smiled, but before I realized what she was doing, her lips were on mine, coaxing me for a kiss.
Elena pressed her body against mine and let out a trembling breath as I kissed her back, and I realized this was a woman I’d never be able to predict, and maybe that was what I needed.
I’d finally met my match.
Chapter Eleven
Elena
“I can’t believe you kissed him.” My sister groaned as she smeared peanut butter on her toast. “Twice.”
“Had to.”
She rolled her eyes. “You were forced? Forced to stand on your toes and kiss him when he was offering to take you home with your burger?”
“I panicked. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t cut out for him or…I don’t know. I just didn’t want the crying to freak him out and I’d never hear from him again.”
“God forbid you don’t hear from one of the most notorious mobsters in the city.”
“Very few people know that about his family. The general public has no clue. It’s just those who—”
“Those who owe him something or are owed something. Sounds so much better. Let’s see. There are police, politicians, and criminals at the top of that list. Great company to get yourself involved with.”
“I’m a crime writer. Of course, I’m going to have to get out there and—”
“You’ve made a living from your blog, articles, and everything else for years without ever putting yourself in the sightline of criminals. Don’t forget that.”
“Not with these guys.” I shook my head. “They’re too good at what they do. It’s not like I can pull up
Google and find what I need to know about them. They cover their tracks. The Volkovs are some of the most giving people in the city. Wolf Industries provides the perfect cover for them. I need to get inside their network to see what they’re really capable of.”
“Right, they’re so giving when they’re not busy slicing people’s throats and shooting men in the back.”
My mind flashed to Jaxson and a shiver went through me, but not for the right reason. I wasn’t scared of this man, and I knew I should be. Instead, I was becoming intrigued.
I clicked my mouse and brought up some photos. “There’s something about this string of murders that doesn’t sit well with me.”
“Well, that’s comforting.” My sister shook her head in total disbelief.
“No, I mean it. All of the women before Missy had certain marks gouged into them, a different kind of wrist and ankle restraint, and the entry wounds weren’t the same. The only two things that are similar are where her body was found and how it was posed.”
“How’d you get all of this stuff?”
“I have my ways.”
“Did it involve kissing Jaxson?”
“I never reveal my sources.”
“He’s got to think you’re a strange soul.”
“He’d be right.” I flashed a wicked grin at my sister, who took a bite of toast in return.
“Anyway, I think there is something more going on. I still find it strange that Harner’s people found me so quickly. The only reason they left me alone was because I’m connected with Jaxson.”
“Which should tell you everything you need to know. Stop pursuing this.”
“It’s not that easy and you know it.” I turned my attention back to the screen. The truth of it was that Jaxson had nothing to do with giving me the police reports. I had connections of my own in the department.
“I think it’s time for me to go back home. I don’t want to wear out my welcome.”
I flipped around to see my sister leaning against the counter. I could tell she was unhappy, but I also knew I wouldn’t be able to do or say anything to make her happy. I wasn’t going to give up my goal. Joey deserved it and so did I. Maybe, when I could finally put everything behind me, I could really start living again.
Jaxson: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 3) Page 9