by Debra Webb
“Sorry.” He shook his head. “My fault.” He set her on her feet, his hands lingering on her hips while she found her balance. “I crossed the line.”
“You weren’t alone.” She tried to smile, but her lips felt puffy and full—in the best possible way. She leaned around him to check the time. “We’d better get going if we hope to catch Vanya. If she’s on tonight’s guest list we don’t have a lot of time.”
Mike didn’t offer a dissenting opinion as he straightened his clothes and pulled on a leather jacket.
Using the mirror by the door, she smoothed her clothing and finished her disguise with a sassy red lip stain. The effect made her eyes stand out. Mesmerizing green eyes that bore no resemblance to the woman the cops and half of LA and Hollywood were searching for.
Mike said she tasted the same and he would know, but she didn’t feel like the same woman who’d allowed Desmond to dictate her life for years. No matter what happened with Vanya or Polzin, she’d never be that woman again. Her transformation had started just hours before Desmond’s murder, but after even this short acquaintance with Mike she was absorbing his influence as well. Tiny steps taking her closer to the woman she wanted to be.
A woman who knew her heart, spoke her mind, and made the right moves off camera—where it mattered most.
Chapter Nine
Mike considered it a small miracle when they returned to the seedy club with their clothing still intact. The sizzling chemistry was indisputable and as much as he wanted to capitalize on it this wasn’t the time.
She’d spent years in what he’d determined had been a relationship based on little more than mutual neglect. He gave her credit for holding up under the pressure, but this wasn’t the time for distractions. For either of them. He’d leaped right past attracted and protective when he looked at her in that red dress. He was feeling outright possessive. More so with every passing hour. The dress treated the public to an excellent view, but didn’t reveal enough for him. Of course, judging by his persistent hard-on for her, anything shy of nude wouldn’t be enough for him.
“I’ll be fine,” she’d said when he dropped her off at the curb like some lackey.
He’d wanted to say something profound but words had evaded him. Instead, he’d played the part of driver, which went along with tonight’s role. No matter how strong and determined she appeared to be, Mike was increasingly uncomfortable with her going in there alone. Even with Claudia monitoring the situation, if Lauren were caught, if her talk with Vanya made Kozlov or one of the others suspicious, Mike would have his hands full rescuing her. He wasn’t worried about Kozlov killing her in public. The bastard wasn’t a fool. Still, the situation was way too dicey for Mike’s comfort. He knew it was his issue and he owned it. Her disguise was effective, but to him, no matter the wig or contacts or heavy layers of makeup, she was always Lauren.
It was the strangest thing. Inexplicable. He couldn’t make the realization fit into the context of the last time a group of women needed to be rescued. Standing guard alone gave him too much time to analyze it. He called Claudia. “Can you trace the ownership of the Royal?”
“It’s a dive Polzin uses to launder money,” she replied.
Mike struggled for the detached calm he normally relied on during a case. “I want to know if or how Trinity was connected. Gut instinct.” Trinity was dead, but something was wrong if the police weren’t finding ties to the Krushka syndicate right here in East Hollywood.
“Public records say it belongs to Tri-Star Enterprises.”
“Bingo.” Mike knew it. Tri-Star was one of Trinity’s companies.
“Looks like he owns a couple of other clubs in the area.”
Claudia went on but Mike’s gut was twisting a little more with each passing second. Having Lauren wear any sort of wire had been too big a risk. The only eyes they had on her were Claudia’s. She’d hacked into the club’s security system and was watching via the establishment’s own cameras. He shook his head. He never should’ve let Lauren out of sight. Any one of Kozlov’s men could be in there watching for her. Vanya could have ratted her out by now. They’d left Polzin at the mansion, but that didn’t mean he’d stayed there. What had Mike done as a protector? He’d let Lauren walk into the lion’s den alone.
“This was a mistake. I’m going in,” he said.
“Stay put,” Claudia ordered. “Everyone inside looks happy enough.”
“Let me see. Send it through.”
“You don’t trust me?”
The question was a trap and he knew it. “It’s my job to keep her safe.”
“Then why’d you let her go in?”
Because she’d insisted. He could hardly admit that to Claudia, though she’d likely reached that conclusion on her own. Nothing resembling a valid excuse came to mind, so he blurted out Lauren’s logic. “She wanted a woman-to-woman approach. She thinks Trinity might’ve been trying to save Vanya.”
“She’s smart. If you go in, you’ll wreck everything. A man sniffing around his mistress would bring Polzin’s army down on you.”
“Maybe that’s the better play,” Mike said, thinking aloud.
“Hardly. You’re good, but one against all of them? No way. Besides, if I didn’t know what Lauren was wearing, I couldn’t even spot her.”
“That’s good to hear.” He hoped Claudia wasn’t just yanking his chain about the effectiveness of Lauren’s disguise. Either way, it was done now. If Lauren was working, he needed to do the same. “Have you found a money trail? Trinity was too greedy to be part of this or take these risks for free.”
It bothered Mike that so many of the missing women were last seen with Trinity or in association with his finishing school, and yet the police hadn’t seemed to notice. Those women had families who deserved answers. Polzin had the means and will to apply unbearable pressure whenever and wherever it was required. Did he own the right contacts in the police department other than Treadwell? Higher up the chain of command maybe? Mike felt confident that question had already been answered when Kozlov showed up at that faked meeting with an attorney.
The thought made him twitchy. Picking up his cell, he sent Lauren a text, requesting verification of her progress. “Did you spot her yet?” he asked Claudia.
“Yeah, I have her now but I had to look really close at every female face in the joint. She’s doing great. That red dress is killer,” Claudia said, a hint of laughter in her voice. “If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you have a little crush on our red-carpet client.”
“Come on, now,” he countered, trying to match her light tone. “You’re the only girl for me no matter that you’re inaccessible.”
“Inaccessible?” She snorted. “That sounds about right for you, Mr. Distant.”
He laughed, just starting to relax when a big black car pulled up. Kozlov and his muscle Maksimov got out and Mike’s blood ran cold. He gave the information to Claudia, but he braced for action. “Where is Lauren?”
“She’s chatting with Vanya. Ah... they just went through a door behind the bar.”
Mike shifted in the seat. “Do you have a visual on her?”
“Wait... wait... I do now. They’re in a dressing room, still talking. I’m a master at multi-tasking, but searching financials, keeping an eye on the cameras, and distracting you appears to max me out.”
Mike breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone that your super powers have limits.” Not that he had anyone to tell. The Guardian Agency was more compartmentalized than the Pentagon. Following the press conference when the sheriff accepted all the praise for capturing the Angeles Forest killer, there’d been an attorney with an offer and a contract waiting on his doorstep. Once Mike had signed his name, he’d received a phone programmed with Claudia’s number. Since that first day the system worked perfectly for him. The agency paid him on time, he got to surf most mornings when he wasn’t on a case, and he could take pride in his work again.
“I need to follow a
few leads,” Claudia said. “Can I trust you to stay put?”
“As long as you’ve got eyes on Lauren.”
“She’s safe. Trust me. Charging in will change that,” Claudia warned.
Mike watched the street. This part of town would never meet the criteria for safe. But was anywhere safe enough for Lauren? A Russian syndicate boss had established himself in a mansion in Beverly Hills and the man’s mistress was meeting with the only woman who could unravel the operation.
“I’ll behave,” he said reluctantly even as he checked off very damned bad on his mental checklist. Damn it.
“Too bad I’m not there to see that in person.”
“I won’t move until I get the signal,” he promised. Though it wouldn’t be easy.
“Good.” She disconnected, leaving Mike alone with his thoughts again.
The silence that pressed in on him wasn’t remotely comfortable.
Vanya’s dressing room was small, but well appointed with an antique vanity, a plush sofa, and matching slipper chair. Lauren sank into the chair. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”
The rest of her plea for help simply dissolved. She hadn’t forgotten her lines in years, but now, when it mattered most, she felt tongue-tied. When Vanya had asked her name, Lauren had given her the name she and Mike had decided on, Renae Ford. So far, so good.
When Vanya said nothing, Lauren ventured, “After the way I behaved the last time we met, I was afraid you wouldn’t want to—”
Vanya wheeled around. “Don’t try to fool me. I know who you are. You are Desmond’s woman.”
“I—I...” Lauren couldn’t spit out a real response as her mind whirled frantically. Vanya only needed to say the word and Lauren would be caught. Mike had been right all along and Lauren’s insistence on this plan would get her killed. She hoped it wouldn’t get him killed as well. Her throat tightened.
“Do not worry.” Vanya perched on the padded stool in front of the vanity. “The others will be fooled.” She crossed her legs and stared at Lauren. “You found the school, yes? Speak freely, there is only a camera watching this room, no listening devices. Andreas likes me to be watched at all times.”
Lauren dared to breathe. “We found it. The women were moved this morning.”
“I know this.”
“What will happen to them?”
“Tonight?” Vanya met her gaze. “Nothing bad. They are... samples?” she said as if unsure of the proper word.
Mike’s gut call had been correct, tonight was about showing off the women as merchandise. Lauren’s stomach clenched, but she kept the reaction off her face.
“After tonight... I do not know,” Vanya added quietly.
Lauren leaned forward. “Get me into that party,” she murmured. “As Renae Ford, I can be a new buyer. I’ll get the women out.”
Vanya shook her head. “This is not a good idea. Andreas deals only with men. He will kill you. And me if I help you.”
Lauren sat back once more, changing her tactics. “You told the police I was in the office when Desmond was shot.”
“It was required of me.” Vanya got up and crossed to a small cabinet on the opposite side of the room. Pulling out a bottle of vodka, she splashed some into a glass. “Lie or die.” She held her hands like a balance scale raising one, then the other. “There are no good choices.”
Lauren considered what she’d thought she’d known about Desmond, comparing that to his final moments of life. Then she put it in the context of this horrible human trafficking organization. Maybe that night in his office really had been more than just another tryst with the wrong woman.
“You want drink?” Vanya held up her glass.
Lauren shook her head and ventured, “You want out.” She sensed it must be true. Polzin would tire of her eventually. It was likely old mistresses were killed without remorse to control information leaks and expenses. There was no other reason for Vanya to reveal the school. She had to know her days were limited. “Desmond gave you an exit strategy.”
“You are wrong. I was a test for Desmond.” Vanya raised her glass. “He failed.”
Lauren didn’t believe her. “That may have been how it started. Tell me when it changed.”
Vanya sipped at the vodka, her lipstick leaving a hot pink imprint on the crystal. “Your man was not so innocent in this.”
“I’m well aware of Desmond’s faults.” They didn’t have hard evidence of his association with Polzin, but she knew her man had been up to his eyeballs in this disaster. “He tried to help you, didn’t he?”
“Go away.” Vanya returned to the seat in front of the vanity. “Andreas is too strong, his organization is too perfect now.”
Not so perfect if Desmond stopped sending women to the school. “I don’t care,” Lauren blurted. “I will help those women. Tonight.” In trying to help Vanya, Desmond had done something decent, maybe, though it had killed him.
“What can you do?” Vanya set the glass on her dressing table. “We are only women. Our traps are different, yes, but we are caught just the same.”
The cynicism, the fatal outlook wasn’t surprising considering everything Vanya must have seen through the years. Lauren had to find a way to crack through that shell, to get to the woman inside. “You could make a difference,” Lauren said. “I’m not working alone. With your help we can save those women.”
Vanya dismissed the idea with a flick of her fingers. “Five women? What difference does that make?”
Quite a big difference for the women involved, Lauren thought, but that wasn’t the right answer. “Five women and you,” Lauren said pointedly. “You could be free. Your assistance would shut down Polzin. He and Kozlov and all the others would go to prison.”
“He will kill me.”
“Not if he’s behind bars.”
Vanya’s laughter sounded brittle. “You do not know Andreas Polzin.”
The party would start in just a few hours. Desperate, Lauren tried again. “Introduce me. That’s all. Get my buyer and me into the party and we’ll do the rest.”
“You do not know him,” Vanya repeated sadly.
“Well, you don’t know my new man,” Lauren countered. “If you can’t help, just don’t get in the way tonight.”
“That is big talk for an actress.” Vanya turned back to her mirror, studying her face. She caught Lauren’s gaze in the reflection. “This is not a movie. If you try this you are in real danger with real guns and bullets.”
“We have a plan. Better than Desmond’s,” Lauren said. “What do you have to lose?”
Vanya tapped her black-tipped fingernail to the marble vanity top, and then she shrugged. “I suppose we all must die eventually.”
A sharp knock sounded as the dressing room door swung open, revealing Andreas Polzin. Lauren’s heart nearly stopped.
Polzin’s expression turned from hard to stormy when he realized his mistress was not alone. “What is this?”
Chapter Ten
Lauren’s breath caught in her throat as she stood up. What would Vanya do? Polzin stalked closer, his eyes traveling over Lauren’s body from head to toe. She’d met powerful men, but this one didn’t bother to hide his rapacious nature. He wore authority like a crown, the ultimate ruler of his domain.
Mike’s warnings echoed in Lauren’s head. She was doomed and he was too far away to intervene. Surely the head of the Krushka syndicate would recognize her. If not her face, then he’d sense her fear or even hear her knees knocking.
Vanya rose gracefully, moving to him like a moth to flame. “How fortunate for me that you are early today.”
“Fortunate?”
“Yes.” Vanya slid her hand up and down his arm. “For both of us.” She kept Polzin in the middle of the small room. “This is Renae Ford. She requested an introduction.”
“Why?” Polzin’s gaze narrowed as he raked Lauren from head to toe once more.
Lauren gathered the role of buyer’s assistant close about her,
burrowing into the part as though it were the warmest of coats on a frigid night. “My employer is diversifying his investments with a new venture. This requires a certain stock. You have a reputation for supplying the best.”
“Buyers come to me. Not their whores.”
Lauren held his hard gaze. “Yet, here I am.”
“You are a woman.” His lip curled in derision. “I deal with men.”
Her heart raced, but she couldn’t be the first to blink. “A fact we understand. But would you deal with a man you met here?” She spread her hands to indicate the private quarters of his mistress.
“Swiftly, I assure you,” Polzin replied.
Lauren gave a light laugh, despite the image of Desmond’s lifeless body flashing through her mind. “Vanya said the same. She is incredibly lucky to be yours. I was very intrigued by her. She’s a beautiful dancer.”
“She is,” he agreed, accepting the drink Vanya served him.
“Our venture doesn’t infringe or compete with your establishments,” Lauren continued.
“How can you be so sure?” he asked.
“How could any wise businessman not?” According to Mike and Claudia no one had successfully chipped away at any Krushka territory. None had held on when Polzin wanted to expand either.
The mob boss settled on the sofa with his drink and pointed to the cushion, signaling for Vanya to join him. “What is it you want from me?”
“Simply an invitation to further discussion.”
He arched an eyebrow, gestured for her to continue.
“The terms and such are not mine to discuss. I manage the inventory once it’s acquired,” she explained. She wanted to push harder, but any misstep and this meeting would blow up in her face. Polzin needed to see her as an assistant. She could be confident, but she had to respect the ironclad boundaries.
“You are American. How do you know my Vanya?”
She gave him a secretive smile. “Women know women,” she demurred. She couldn’t mention Desmond. Giving him any context to recognize her would be too much risk.