Undercover in the Dark

by Ann Jensen

  “You should care. He has upped the price on your head again and called in some family favors.”

  “Because he’s afraid I’ll expose him?”

  “No.” Her tone was so condescending, Avery gritted her teeth. “You can’t prove anything. If you try you would end up back in jail where it is much easier to kill you. Your continued existence embarrasses him. He ordered your death and yet you live. It makes him look weak.”

  This woman knew way too much not to be involved. Avery moved her finger from the gun’s guard to hover over the trigger. “So you’re here to collect on the money?”

  “If I was here to kill you. You would have never seen me coming.”

  “I think you should go. I’ll protect myself until my backup comes.”

  The woman shook her head and swung her leg over the motorcycle. She stood and managed to look intimidating, even with a rifle pointed at her.

  “No one is coming. The message sent to clear out your man was a fake. A Bratva hit team is on the way here right now. Five highly trained men to make sure you do not survive.”

  Who was this Akula? She talked about a bunch of trained killers coming like it was a normal day occurrence. Why was she even listening to this woman rather than shooting her?

  “Why the hell should I believe you?”

  “I want Viktor embarrassed, then dead. His boss Andrey has plans I don’t want to see succeed. I’m not yet in a place to go up against him myself, but I can help you and Hawk at the same time.” She shrugged. “Decide. They could be here in less than fifteen minutes and we should prepare.”

  Avery was sick of everything always spinning out of her control. She was trying to stay calm, but anger boiled inside her. What was the right decision?

  “You’re willing to help a complete stranger face off against a hit squad because, why? A complicated scheme to fuck with some guy named Andrey?”

  “Yes. And Hawk would not be happy if you died, and he fucks much better when happy.” Akula’s lips twitched in an almost smile.

  “You are nuts. Why tell me this?” Avery took her finger off the trigger, deciding that if this woman was telling the truth any help would be welcome.

  “There is no one you could tell that would matter to me. Andrey knows I hate him but believes me to be loyal.” She shrugged and stepped forward. “Enough about me. You are being tracked. The men coming after you are skilled, but not the best. If I was them, I would block off the road and come in by foot so you don’t hear. So we have fifteen maybe thirty minutes before they attack.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a black box about the size of a cell phone, but thicker. “We need to remove the tracking device and set up in a defensible position.”

  Everything was moving too fast, and Avery wasn’t sure what to think. This woman sounded so sure of herself, but every word out of her mouth was harder to believe. How the hell could someone have slipped a tracking device on her without her noticing? “What do you want to do with that?” Avery gestured to the box with her rifle.

  “It is a detector. One of Viktor’s men placed a tracker on you at the motorcycle show. I find, we remove.”

  This was crazy, but Avery followed her gut and lowered the rifle, letting it hang from the strap. The woman closed the distance and moved the box in sweeping motions around Avery’s body. When it passed around her back, loud beeps emitted from the device. In less than five seconds, Akula had picked something off the back hem of her shirt and held it up.

  A small disk less than a half inch around was in her fingers and she tossed it onto the ground. “We shouldn’t break it yet or they will know something is up. How good of a shot are you with that?” The Russian woman nodded to the rifle in her hand as she slipped the detector into a bag tied down to the side of her bike.

  “I’m not a sniper but I know how to use it.” Her marksmanship during training had always been above average, but nothing special.

  “Good. We should–” The rumble of a car coming up the road was unmistakable. Akula cursed in what Avery assumed was Russian.

  Avery pulled her rifle back into her hands. “Guess we’re going to need a new plan.”

  Chapter 20

  Pride is the cliff from which many fools fall.

  * * *

  Max’s mind was a jumble of worries as he and Hannibal rode down the highway. Front most was his annoyance that neither of them was wearing a Bluetooth unit, so communication of anything complicated was impossible. The ride gave him time to think, and very little was adding up. Why hadn’t he asked more questions before they left?

  Max took a deep breath and tried to unclench his jaw. He knew why. The need to show Cat confidence in his Brother’s plan had been a stupid first priority. That focus meant he hadn’t bothered to ask Hannibal several key questions. Who were the Prospects coming to guard Cat? Why had Hawk picked Hannibal and him for this mission? Not knowing drove Max to distraction.

  The more they rode the more things didn’t feel right. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust any of the Club’s Prospects. But they had all been at the compound for the barbeque, so how were any of them going to break free past the police to come guard? What were they hoping to find at Viktor’s house that was so important they had to go now?

  Max checked his mirrors, making note of each of the cars behind them. Most were new, but two of the ones in the slow lane had been with them ever since they had pulled onto the highway. An SUV and a minivan. An obviously frustrated mother drove the minivan with several kids in the back. Behind her was a SUV, the driver, a male in his twenties was alone. It had been almost fifteen minutes, and even though she had barely been doing the speed limit the SUV hadn’t tried to pass. Completely out of character for the majority of drivers.

  There was a rest stop ahead. Max pulled alongside Hannibal and signaled he wanted to pull in. It would accomplish two things. He could get the information he wanted out of his Brother and find out if the SUV was following them. They pulled off onto the exit lane and his nerves fired as the SUV followed a little way behind. Max pulled up to the gas pump, tracking the car in his mirrors as it pulled into a parking spot at the edge of the lot.

  “I see we picked ourselves up a tail. You think it’s the cops?” Hannibal’s voice was almost muffled by the loud engines of their bikes.

  “I’m not sure. They picked us up less than five minutes from your place. It is too big of a coincidence.”

  “You sure about that? I didn’t clock him till a few minutes ago when that soccer mom swerved while yelling at her kids.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  “This whole situation has the back of my neck itching. What did Hawk say for us to do exactly?”

  “His email said they were on lockdown and to take the opportunity to scout the FBI agent’s house. He would send prospects over to cover Avery but not to wait for them so we didn’t miss our window.”

  Something was off. Actually, a whole-lot of somethings. “Did he say who he was going to send? I thought all the Prospects were at the Clubhouse earlier.”

  Hannibal’s lips tightened, and he shook his head. “Damn, didn’t think about that.”

  Max pulled his cell out of his pocket, dialing Hawk. It was a risk, but they needed to know if they had been set up.

  “Hey Maddog, little busy here.” Hawk’s use of the wrong name signaled he was either not alone or they were being listened in on.

  “Understood. Need a confirmation on your earlier email. You still want us going on a field trip?”

  There was the sound of people talking in the background. “No.” Hawk’s voice sounded angry. “You and Elephant are supposed to be settled in watching a chick flick.”

  Fuck. “We got an email that you were sending some puppies over and to leave the chick flick at home.” Damn it. If he hadn’t been so concerned with Cat’s reactions, he would have questioned the orders earlier. It was a fucking amateur move.

  “I don’t have any pu
ppies to spare. Where are you? Scratch that, don’t tell me.” Max could hear the frustration pouring through the phone, matching his own. “I’m guessing you’re not where you should be. Get back there and let me know what kind of mess we have.”

  “Got it. May have a clue tagging along behind us. We’ll see what I can find out.” Max ended the call.

  “I’m sorry, Brother. I should have gotten confirmation that the email was legit.”

  He didn’t have time for his Brother’s apology. Rage boiled in his stomach as he throttled his bike and put it into gear. Seconds later he was racing around the pumps, heading right for the parked SUV. Hannibal only seconds behind him. It wasn’t the smartest of moves, challenging a guy in a car when he was on a bike, but options and time were limited.

  Max wanted to race back to the house and make sure his Wildcat was okay, but he needed to know the situation they would be riding back into. Cops or hitmen. It was even odds either way. As the face of the man behind the wheel became visible, Max had to bite back a curse. The blond muscle behind the wheel smirked at him as he approached. Pavel was one of the top enforcers for Andrey Petrov, the head of the Bratva in Colorado and the surrounding states.

  Max had never interacted directly with the man before, because Hawk understood the risks and kept him in the background. That option was no longer available to him. This man would either recognize him or not. It didn’t matter. Max was going to pull every bit of information out of this asshole that he could. The public location or the risk to himself meant nothing if Cat might be in trouble.

  He and Hannibal parked their bikes next to the car. Max was half expecting him to take off, but the smug son of a bitch just smiled and rolled down his window. “Afternoon Brothers.”

  Max saw Hannibal grip his handles so hard the engine revved. “I’m not your Brother.”

  Out of time and patience, Max cut off whatever smart ass remark the man would have said. “Why are you following us, Pavel?”

  The man shrugged and looked over at his dashboard before looking back. The smug look in his eyes bothered Max. “It is a nice day, and I was bored. Andrey heard you had gotten mixed up with the wrong sort of woman. I was curious.”

  The urge to pull his gun and threaten the man was like an itch that ran across his skin. When dealing with any of the criminal world it was a fine line they all had to walk to keep the peace. The knowledge that his woman might be in danger right now meant following those rules took a massive amount of control.

  “Why do you care who I fuck, Pavel?” Max raised an eyebrow. “Oh man, you’re jealous. Seriously, I’m flattered but I don’t swing that way.” Russian men were especially touchy about their sexuality. Pissing him off would be the fastest way without torture to get him to slip and tell them something.

  Pavel opened his door and strode over. “Fuck you.”

  Max kicked down his Jiffy stand and swung off his bike. He closed the short distance so they were inches apart. Looking the over-muscled man up and down, he smirked.

  “Like I said, not my thing, but I know some guys who would be happy to scratch that itch for you.”

  As expected, Pavel swung, and Max ducked. He punched the Russian right in the nerve cluster under the arm. The thug screamed and swung an elbow back. The guy wasn’t a skilled fighter, probably used to his bulk being enough to win.

  Max ducked and exchanged a few more blows, taunting the man with a face slap on the next pass. Pavel charged, and it was easy to trip him and wrap him up face down on the pavement in a submission hold.

  “Tsk tsk, Pavel. Breaking the truce, attacking one of the Dark Sons.” Neither Hawk nor Andrey would really consider this little scuffle a breaking of the truce, but taunting the man might get him more information. He moved so he had his knee in the Russian’s back with the man’s arm twisted behind him.

  Pavel turned his face and spat. “You and your Club think you are such hot shit. Think you control Denver. Not for much longer. Your woman is dead and there isn’t shit you can do about it.”

  Max jerked Pavel’s arm and heard the satisfying pop as the man yelled. He wouldn’t believe she was dead. Cat was a fighter. She could take care of herself. “So, you really are breaking the truce. You know damn well our women are off limits.”

  “Not officially yours.” The Russian laughed, though he had to be in pain. “No patch, no protection. That house in the woods isn’t claimed property. You and your Brothers can whine all you want like the mongrel dogs you are. Won’t change that your bitch is dead.”

  His blood went cold. Max leaned down and whispered into Pavel’s ear. “You had better hope that’s not true because if she is, there is no treaty that will stop me from ending your life along with your boss and anyone else I think was responsible.”

  Max stood quickly and kicked the Russian in the head before he could respond. Pavel fell limp on the pavement. Not caring he was leaving an unconscious body in the parking lot, Max jumped on his bike.

  Things weren’t good if the Russians moved this openly against someone obviously connected to the Dark Sons. While the enforcer was right and they were within the letter of the agreement before, both sides held up the spirit as well.

  Without a word to his Brother, he started the race back to Cat. He knew without a doubt that if anything had happened to his Wildcat, all the dark deeds in his past would look like a bright spring afternoon in comparison to what he would do to those responsible.

  Chapter 21

  You can run but you’ll just die tired.

  * * *

  Avery scanned the unfamiliar property. How the hell was she going to face off against a five man hit team? Her life had devolved to the point that she believed she was in danger because this woman she just met said so.

  Next to her, Akula grabbed a long bag that was attached to the side of her bike. She slung it over her shoulder with a practiced ease. The pat she gave to Avery’s arm was probably supposed to be comforting. Unfortunately, the calculating glances left and right were a better indicator how much trouble they were in.

  Strangely, for a house set back into the woods, the yard was cleared for about fifty yards in each direction. If they ran, they might make it into cover. Avery didn’t like the odds if the car approaching saw them. They would be easy targets as the two of them ran across the equivalent of half a football field.

  The house was large, but she didn’t know the inside layout well enough to hide in or defend it. The building was only one story with a tower-like structure in the center of the roof. Cameras were at several positions along the edge of the roof. Avery chuckled. Well, at least Max would be able to find out what had happened to her if these men managed to kill her.

  Akula looked up at one of the camera’s and blew it a kiss. “I love snipers. Follow me.”

  The crazy Russian woman jogged along the edge of the house and jumped up. She appeared to snatch something out of the gutter. With a slight bang, a wood and rope ladder dropped to the ground. Akula climbed it like the thing was solid and securely bolted in place. Avery used the strap on the assault rifle to swing the weapon to her back, barely believing she was going to follow.

  With a lot less grace, she climbed the ladder. In less than a minute, the two of them were walking across the sloping roof in a crouch. From their new vantage point, it was easy to see the tower-like outcropping was anything but decorative. It was made of cement with an iron ladder that gave access to a higher outlook configured suspiciously like a sniper tower.

  Before Avery even understood what was going on, the woman had climbed up the ladder and was unpacking and assembling a rifle from her bag. By the time Avery reached the top, she could see a car as it pulled up to the house. Five men with assault rifles climbed out of the vehicle with determined looks on their faces. None of them noticed the two women. If there was any doubt these men meant harm, it was made obvious a few seconds later when they lined up and opened up on the house with automatic fire.

  Akula bumped her shoulder
with a laugh as she settled her gun on the edge of the bunker. “You just going to sit there?”

  Avery settled her own gun, wincing as she heard glass shattering. Hannibal and Ink were not going to be happy their house got trashed. This was unreal. If she had been inside, God only knew what would have happened. She set her sights on the man closest to her, took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger.

  The sound of her rifle firing next to her ear without noise protection was painful, but she didn’t let her aim falter as she moved to the next target.

  The men had started to move, but before they could figure out where the shots were coming from, she pulled the trigger again and heard Akula’s weapon bark next to her.

  The one man still standing must have spotted them because he aimed up towards them. Avery ducked down behind the small wall and heard bullets slamming in from the other side. Between one breath and the next, everything was silent. She slowly turned and rose to look. All the men were motionless on the ground.

  “Not bad, my friend, but I win.” Avery swallowed and looked at the woman in disbelief. Calm, cool, and collected. There wasn’t even a hint that Akula was bothered by the last few minutes. “I got three to your two. Also had to finish off your first one as he was still moving.”

  Avery’s heart was beating in her throat, and her ears echoed from the loud noises. It was over so fast it didn’t feel real. Akula smiled like they had finished a shooting game at a carnival. Here she was sitting in a sniper’s perch, getting ribbed for not killing enough people. Her life was a mess.

  “Are you going to tell me what the fuck is going on? How did you know what was going to happen?”

  Akula shrugged. “Depends.”

  “On what?” Avery clenched her fists and fought back the urge to punch the person who had just saved her life.