The elevator chimed, and my head bobbed up and down as she wheeled me inside. I heard the doors slide shut and tried to lift my heavy lids open to no avail.
I didn’t know if I was in a wheelchair or an office chair.
“It’s only a matter of time before Volkov comes to,” she told the man.
My pulse quickened.
“You’re sure you didn’t give him too much?” the man questioned.
His voice sounded familiar.
Really familiar.
“I’m sure.”
The elevator chimed, but no one moved me.
“I’ll be there when she wakes up,” the man said, his voice traveling off the elevator.
“Of course.”
A cold sweat began trickling down my back as the doors shut and we proceeded on our way.
“I hope they care enough about you to make this worth it.”
The elevator stopped, and she pushed me off the carriage. Warm air coated my skin, making it harder to breathe. Wherever we were, the air was humid, too moist for air conditioning.
I heard the sound of a metal door unclicking before she began wheeling me again. The sound of it clicking behind me didn’t make me feel any better.
I listened intently for some kind of clue but heard nothing. Not even Ashley’s breathing. I desperately tried to open my eyes or move my wrists that had been fastened behind me with restraints. It felt like the same plastic, double-looped restraints my father showed me how to get out of.
If I could only move.
What felt like hours passed by while I kept trying to move my arms and open my eyes. It wasn’t until I got my finger to move and a lid to twitch that I realized just how close I was to freeing myself. In only minutes, I’d be able to slide my wrists right out of these.
I just prayed I was by myself. They didn’t think to check me for a pistol underneath my maxi dress, and I still felt the strap firmly in place.
A loud hum whirred above, and I managed to open my eyes to near darkness. I was in some kind of mechanical room, probably in the basement. I scanned the room, not seeing anyone, but I did spot a desk and no obvious way in.
I closed my eyes and began twisting my left wrist over and over, feeling my palm skim my other hand over and over until I heard a snap. I wiggled my hand out and quickly pulled out my other hand. My left hand was throbbing, but it didn’t matter. It could have been left on the chair for all I cared. I just needed to get out of here.
I slid my pistol out of the holster and slowly crept along the wall leading in the opposite direction that I’d been pointed. I heard voices and adrenaline pumped through me. It was two women.
“I’ve got confirmation that Devin isn’t at the hotel any longer, so it shouldn’t be long,” Ashley said.
“You’re assuming he cares about her.”
“Oh, he cares about her.” She laughed. “I couldn’t even get him to—”
I slid carefully along the wall to get a glimpse of who she was talking to. It didn’t sound like Davis.
“Hey,” a man barked, and I froze. “Have you checked on her yet?”
“No. We would have heard something by now.”
“Don’t underestimate Avery.” His voice was clearer than upstairs, and every single cell in my body stalled with instant recognition. “I never should have let her get involved.”
I spotted a narrow space between the HVAC system and quickly and quietly made my way over, slipping in between the fragile metal. Footsteps traveled right by, and I kept my breathing slow and controlled.
“She’s not there,” Ashley yelled.
“What?” The anger in the man’s voice sent a shockwave through my entire body.
“She must have slipped out when I went to use the restroom.”
“She couldn’t have gotten far. You and I will search the parking garage, and you . . .” I heard him snap his fingers. “Stay here in case she spooks herself back to this room.”
“Yes, sir.” All the cockiness Ashley had demonstrated earlier had diminished to nothing more than a polite, if not scared, response.
I heard the door close and drew my pistol as I snaked out from my hiding spot.
She cursed under her breath and kicked something. I stilled to ensure she wasn’t coming this way. When the room went silent again, I crept slowly along some metal file cabinets until she was in view. I spotted her pistol on the desk more than a foot away. I counted slowly to ten to steady my breathing. The adrenaline was charging through me at an unstoppable pace.
The moment I fired my weapon, the others would come for me. I stepped out from the shadows. She’d moved even further away from her weapon as she paced by the door.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked, weapon raised.
She spun around, terror blazing through her gaze.
“Don’t bother,” I told her as she glanced at her pistol.
“You can’t shoot me.” Her eyes focused on mine.
“Actually, I look forward to it.”
“You’ll go to prison. If not worse.”
I laughed. “How do you figure?”
“He’s been planning this for years. Everything’s in place. Has been long before you got involved. You were just the last piece of the puzzle.”
“What are you talking about?”
I took a step forward.
“I can tell the department all about his scheme. I’m the only one who can get you out of this.”
“Out of what?”
She lunged for her pistol, and I fired my weapon, the bullet going in between her shoulder blades. She fell to the floor, and I drew in a deep breath, keeping my pistol pointed at the door, readying myself for the next two.
A keen awareness fell over me. Every creak of metal and every sound of a car door rippled through me.
I was ready for them.
What was she talking about? What’s been going on?
The door burst open and I dodged behind the HVAC when Jackie fired off her first shot in my direction, missing by mere inches. I saw her shadow dance off the concrete wall and prayed I was about to guess right as I pivoted to my left, firing a shot and hitting Jackie in the shoulder. She fell backward and I clipped off my last shot.
This one was more meaningful.
Her pistol fell from her fingers as she crashed to the floor.
“I never should have let you go. You belonged on my team.” His voice came from behind, but it was too late. I swung my useless weapon around, but he’d already fired one shot off, grazing my arm.
Lieutenant Jones grinned, his mustache staying in place.
“But you’re the perfect piece to the puzzle. It’s going to make this look even better—a rogue cop trying to protect her mafia boyfriend from being found out.”
“Found out for what?” I asked, feeling the sting turn into a burning sensation along my entire arm.
“Didn’t you hear? The Volkovs have been on a rampage. They’ve been killing agents left and right.” He laughed. “A regular killing spree. What does it take to officially become a serial killer? Is it three or four murders?”
“You’ve been framing the Volkovs,” I repeated.
“Any minute, I’ll be getting exactly what I asked for delivered to my bank account.” He grinned. “Once I had you, I realized I had the perfect victim. If Devin wanted to see you alive again, he needed to give me exactly what I asked for.”
“You guessed wrong. He doesn’t care about me.”
“We’ll see.”
“I wouldn’t want him to give in to your pathetic demands,” I told him, the pain from the bullet worsening.
“Even if he doesn’t care about you, I’m pretty sure he’ll care about his reputation. Or at the very least, not wanting to spend the rest of his life in prison for the murders of Ellis, Jenn, and Archer.” He glanced at Jackie and Ashley lying on the floor. “I’m not sure if I want to pin these two murders on you or Devin. It’s sad, really, but I’ll make sure they get a beautiful city-wide
memorial.” He shook his head. “You, on the other hand. . .”
I saw a shadow fall behind the Lieutenant.
“What makes you think he’ll give you what you ask for?”
“He knows I’m the only one with the power to make this all go away. He gives me what I want and his family won’t be blamed for the killings.”
“Sounds like you have it all worked out.”
“Tickets to Belize already purchased.” He kept his pistol pointed at me. “I’m sorry about that wound. I would have aimed better, but I didn’t want to lose one of my bargaining chips in case I was wrong.”
“No problem at all.” I slid down the blood-slicked wall, seeing the tip of a pistol sliding out of the darkness.
“After you’ve been in the business of protecting people for so long, lines get blurred.”
“Seems to be life, but I think that’s bullshit.”
“You wouldn’t know.”
“My father would never do what you did.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe I thought you were a mentor.”
He huffed and centered his aim on my other shoulder. “Now, now.”
I braced myself as a crack reverberated through the air, and I watched Lieutenant Jones fall to the floor. There was no mistaking the aim or who was behind it.
“Avery!” Devin ran over to me, stopping when he saw my arm. “Oh, my God.”
“It’s just a paper cut. More like a rug burn, really.” I saw the concern in his eyes, and my entire body responded the way it always had. The way it always would.
“How did you know?” I whispered as he tore a strip from my dress and wrapped it around my arm.
“The handy device in your clothing tag. I guess it can be used for good as well as evil.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I could have handled this had I been left more than three bullets.”
He grinned, his eyes flicking to mine. “I wasn’t sure who you were going to use them on. I like to hedge my bets.”
I looked around the room.
“What do we do about all of this?” I asked.
George stepped out from the shadows, and I couldn’t hide my smile. Maybe they had justice all figured out.
No. No. No. They did not have justice all figured out, but since I felt they did, I’d say it was time to turn in my badge.
“Not this time, George,” Lieutenant Davis told him. My head snapped up, and I saw her step over Jones’ body, her eyes falling to my arm. “You need to get that looked at.”
“What are you doing in Miami?”
“The moment I hung up, I was on the next plane.”
“I don’t get it.”
“We knew we had a dirty cop,” Davis began. “We just didn’t realize quite how dirty.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Devin seemed as intrigued as I was, which strangely made me feel better.
“Jones figured he could retire in style if he pinned several murders on the Volkovs.” She turned to Devin. “Sorry for not telling you.”
“I’m sure you have your reasons.”
“Always do.”
“Did he actually think he could get away with that?” I asked. I looked around me. “I guess he almost did.”
“He just didn’t account for a cop who cared.” Lieutenant Davis smiled. “I’ll fill you in more, but let’s get your arm looked at.”
I shook my head. “So, you’re saying you never cared about shipments, names, or anything you asked me for?”
“Not this time, no.”
Devin helped me up.
“I don’t think Jones started out thinking he was going to kill so many, but the closer some agents got to his plan, the more nervous he got. He figured if he could get money out of the Volkovs before he pinned the murders of several agents on them, he had it made.”
“Was he the one pulling the trigger?” I asked, not that it mattered.
“At times.”
I thought back to the photos Ellis showed me and the large deposits he told me about going into Davis’s account.
“Can you give us a second?” I asked Devin, who nodded but reluctantly stepped outside.
“Ellis showed me several large deposits going into your account. He also showed me photos of you and Jaxson Volkov intimately involved.”
“Department authorized deposits. We knew once Ellis was onto Jones, we had no other choice but to make me look like the bad cop so he didn’t screw up our investigation and go after him.”
“So, Ellis thought you were the dirty cop?”
She nodded.
“And Jaxson?”
“Part of the job.” She smiled. “Not a bad perk.”
I shook my head, not believing her. “Does he know you’re a cop?”
She nodded, and I felt a surge of regret.
This wasn’t what I signed up for.
“Don’t panic. You’re not the first officer to fall for a mark, but seriously, we need to get that looked at. You’ll get used to seeing the good and the bad in people,” she assured me. “And it won’t all feel quite so seductive the more experience you get navigating the system.”
The system.
“I don’t find it seductive at all.” I took in a deep breath. “In fact, I’ve decided I no longer want to work for the department.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Devin
Avery never said goodbye, but she didn’t have to tell me the words. I already knew she was done with the city, me, the job, and everything else that reminded her of a life too dirty to be cleaned.
I let out a groan and glanced at the laptop. The device Joel and I came up with had been fully implemented throughout the city, and the Volkov nights had become much calmer. Being able to remotely monitor our business activities came with both good and bad.
It left a lot more time for women and drinking, but those were two things I’d given up since meeting Lara Avery.
So, I was left with a lot of time to think about her, which was how I wound up here.
I shut my laptop and took a sip of water as I sat in the Boise airport, debating if I really had the balls to go through with it. My showing up could go one of two ways.
But if all else failed, I’d tell her I was here to check on the glass manufacturing company we’d bought and just thought I’d check in. Sounded plausible to most. My brothers all nodded when I told them my plan.
By all accounts, she’d moved on.
Made a nice life here.
Found a nice job in social work.
Two months had already gone by since I last saw her. She kissed me, telling me that she loved me, and that I’d forever changed her life. I assumed I’d be seeing her the next day, but she was gone.
The first few days—which had quickly turned to weeks—I’d fooled myself into believing I was okay, but I wasn’t.
I was far from okay.
I missed her.
I’d turned into something I never thought possible. . . my older brother.
I finally understood why Jaxson was so bitter about happiness.
He was broken.
And I was determined not to be broken. I’d worked too hard to stay not broken.
I shoved my laptop in my bag and strapped it over my shoulder. She’d be getting off her job in twenty minutes.
I’d heard from very good sources that a kindergarten teacher was pursuing Lara and she’d even gone on several dates with him.
That was nice.
But I knew the Lara who asked me to tie a leather belt around her wrists and moaned my name while trying to lock me away.
My chest tightened and I walked toward my rental car.
Yeah. That was the Lara Avery I knew, and I was going to get her back.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Avery
A plume of dust hovered in the air behind the pickup truck that barreled down the long, gravel road in front of my house. I leaned over the sink and stared out the kitchen window. I didn’t recognize the truck
, and I was the only house on this road. I walked over to my entry, closed the storm door, and locked the main door. It never hurt to take precautions, especially being by myself on five acres.
It was always so quiet out here that it was easy to pick up on anything out of the ordinary, and that quietness was precisely what I needed in my life.
I walked back into the kitchen, hoping the truck would keep on driving to the empty field about two miles down, but it didn’t. It turned down my short driveway and parked next to my car. The door flung open and two legs clad in jeans and cowboy boots landed on the ground. I was afraid to move my eyes to see his face.
I didn’t want to know.
I’d tried really hard to put him behind me.
It wasn’t until I heard the determined banging on my front door that I got the courage to look Devin Volkov in the eyes.
After all, I’d left without ever saying goodbye.
My heart couldn’t handle a goodbye.
Maybe a see ya sometime, but not a goodbye. I slowly made my way to the door and smoothed my trembling hand over my hair. This made no sense. He was just a guy stopping by to say hi.
I stood in front of the door and took a few deep breaths.
I could do this. He was in my hometown now, with my rules and my—
“Are you planning on just standing in front of the door, or are you going to open it?” The teasing in his voice undid every little bit of self-control I had as I flung open the door.
He was standing a few feet back and looked even better than I remembered. It didn’t hurt that he’d attempted to dress the part in a pair of cowboy boots, hat, and jeans.
“Did you think you had to dress like a cowboy to come to Idaho?” I asked, my eyes sweeping the bulge in his jeans.
“Something catch your fancy, Miss?” He smiled and removed his hat.
“Are you serious?” I put my hand on my hip.
“About what?” He grinned. “Coming to Idaho or dressing like this?”
“Both.”
“As serious as a Volkov can be.”
I hung on the door, taking him in. “I’ve missed you.”
Devin: A Romantic Suspense (V Mafia Series Book 2) Page 23