by Dee Garcia
Just as I was sliding in behind the wheel, my phone vibrated in my pocket, to which I assumed was more than likely my girl. I’d told her this morning I’d be home around seven, and it was now almost 8:15.
But as I pulled it out and glanced at the screen, I realized it wasn’t Hazel.
Brie: Pun is pissed. Pixie is too. So, I just want to apologize. I was out of line the other night. I guess seeing how you’d really moved on hurt more than I thought it would and I thought maybe I could remind you about the good times we had.
This girl just wouldn’t take the hint, and it was really starting to wear on my last nerve. Whether Pun and Pix had made her feel like shit for what she’d done or not, there was absolutely no need for her to text me; especially when I’d basically told her to leave me the fuck alone. But as I’d told Hazel that night, Brie was stubborn and she wasn’t one to give up easily. Good thing I wasn’t either.
Me: Out of line doesn’t cover it. Just stay away from me, stop texting me, and we’ll be good.
Brie: Why can’t we be friends?
I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
Me: Simple. Because I don’t wanna be.
Brie: Did you even love me?
Me: Yes, I did...past tense. Goodbye, Brie.
Brie: So you mean to tell me you still don’t feel anything for me?
Me: Not a damn bit. Once again, goodbye, Brie.
Hopefully she’d read the message loud and clear this time; though, I knew the likelihood of that was one in a million. I guess we’d just have to wait and see how things played out...
Between preparing for my next fight and driving Maya to and from Karley’s office to finalize the details for her divorce papers, August faded into September in the blink of an eye. Everything was going by in a blur and half the time, I couldn’t even remember what day it was. One night, after training with Knox for over four hours – and refusing to quit when he’d thought we were finished – he demanded I take a few days off to rest, and called for a mandatory chill night with our friends before everything went down. I hadn’t been happy about it in the moment because I needed to be in prime condition for this fight, but after a day or two without strenuous activity, my body truly thanked me for it. The fog that’d been clouding my brain lifted away and I was able to see that no matter how many hours or days I spent going ham in that gym, I was as prepared as I’d ever be. All I could do now was walk into that cage and focus on my opponent, just like Bernie had taught me and Knox constantly reminded me.
A week before the fight, Luis, Rey, and Liv came over as per Knox’s request. It just so happened to be Liv’s birthday too, so we’d bought some party decorations and a cake to surprise her. We had food, drinks, music, good conversation, and a few highly entertaining rounds of Heads Up. By the fifth round, I was ready to call it quits and head to bed, but apparently, I was the only old lady in the group. Knox had the phone to his forehead with the movie title Matilda displayed on the screen. Luis, in his inebriated state, was screaming different clues at the top of his lungs, completely overshadowing Rey and Liv’s attempts to play along too. Meanwhile, Maya and I were slouched on the couch, watching this all play out like an episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos. I kept waiting for Luis to get so hyped he’d fall on his face, but so far, the guy was holding seven beers pretty well. Aside from all the slurring, that is. He sounded like Mike Tyson and his famous lisp with the added Tourettes, from all the random shit he was belting out.
“I’m gonna grab something to drink. You want anything?” Maya asked beside me.
“Sleep. I want sleep,” I countered and she giggled softly.
“We’ll kick ‘em out soon enough. Don't bail on me now.”
“Trying here, I swear.”
“I can make some coffee if you want,” she offered.
Coffee actually sounded delicious, despite the four Amaretto Sours I’d knocked back a few hours ago, so I nodded and she winked, fully understanding my silent plea for a much-needed pick-me-up.
As she disappeared into the kitchen, Knox and Luis switched spots. Perhaps now, Liv and Reyna would have a shot at getting a word in. The topic was TV shows and the first card up was Dexter. Good ass show, by the way. If you haven't watched it, you totally should.
Anyway, a few minutes later, the scent of freshly brewing coffee filled the air and I perked right up, all but salivating at the thought of taking that first heavenly sip. Idly, I heard the house phone ringing, but I didn't bother answering it. Regardless of the time, it was probably a telemarketer from another country, trying to sell us some life-changing pots and pans.
"H-Hazel..." Maya's rattling voice suddenly grappled my attention.
I glanced through the small pass-through window to where she stood in the kitchen, a horrified expression painted on her face, and immediately rose to my feet, prompting Reyna to shut her cackling trap. Liv followed suit, as did the light banter between Knox and Luis, shooting four sets of eyes first to me and then to Maya, upon noting I was watching her intently.
"What happened?" I asked, amidst the abrupt silence.
Maya shook her head ever so slightly and backed herself into the counter, her chest heaving a little faster as the seconds ticked by.
What the hell?
A great sense of unease sunk its teeth into my soul like a vice, from the inside out, injecting fear and dread through my veins in the most irrational fashion; but nonetheless, I shuffled hurriedly out of the living room.
"Maya, what happened?" Knox questioned, his voice booming not so far behind me.
"I-it's...it's h-him," she stammered.
"Who," I pressed.
"Him."
Panicked brown eyes darted to mine as I careened under the archway and bound up to her shivering form. Her face paled in entirety, hands shaking nervously as she wrapped her arms around herself, leaving me speechless.
She couldn't...
No.
She couldn't possibly mean who I thought she meant, right? There's no way, not after all this time...
"Listen to the message," she whispered, as though she were somehow reading my mind.
Without another word, I spun around to replay the message that had just come in, but Knox beat me to it, leaning over the granite counter of the pass-through to click the button on our machine.
Silence.
It was silent...until about twenty-five seconds in, when a harsh, winded breath began pouring in through the line.
What. In the actual. Hell?
I could feel Knox's eyes on me long before my bewildered gaze swooped up to meet his. Through every breath we heard, those baby blues widened all the more, sledgehammering my heart in my chest right along with them.
What happened next, though, was the most disturbing part of it all.
"I know she's there," said a deadly, almost growling, whisper.
And then the line went dead.
No one uttered a word. Not Knox, not Luis, not Maya. No one. I was rooted the floor beneath my feet, completely shell-shocked by what I’d just heard. After two months of her being here without issue, Dimitri finally pulled the trigger. What did this mean? He knew she was here? Obviously, he would've known she was in L.A., given the fact Karley had mailed the divorce papers just last week, but how did he know she was here, in my home? Were the divorce papers what this was about? Was he going to come after her? There were so many questions flying around in my head, I couldn't even think straight.
“He's pissed and he knows I'm here. This isn't good, Hazel,” Maya finally mumbled with tears in her eyes.
My blood ran cold at the fear in her voice, at the absolute terror painted across her face. I turned to Knox, who looked far more concerned than he had in weeks, his breaths more erratic than normal. He'd been right about Dimitri all along, and all I’d done was brush off his concerns without giving them serious thought. Fuck. This was bad. There was no other way to word it or look at it. Plain and simple, this. Was. Bad.
“You think he�
�ll make a trip over here?” Knox asked, the baritone of his voice deeper and more lethal than I'd ever heard before.
“I-I don't know,” she admitted.
It was then Luis, Reyna, and Liv scrambled into the kitchen, reminding me we had guests who’d heard how serious the situation had gotten in seconds. They were all well aware of who Dimitri was, but now he wasn’t just some scary bedtime story. He was real, and it was clear he was very much a threat. Not only was Maya in possible danger, but so were Knox and I, just as he’d feared.
The six of us stood around, glancing at one another. Liv was latched on to Rey who was latched on to her brother. Knox was slumped over the pass-through, pinching the bridge of his nose every so often. And Maya...the poor girl was whiter than a ghost, her eyes glossed over, as if she were lost in some alternate universe. I could only imagine the images flashing through her mind. The mere thought of them rolled a shudder down my spine.
“We need Manny,” I said matter-of-factly, pulling my phone out from my back pocket.
Knox grunted his agreement as I opened my text messages and scrolled down to our thread.
Me: 911!!! Dimitri called the house!!!
“That’s all he said?” asked Manny, who was now sitting in our living room, a little more than just concerned with what took place not a half hour ago.
He’d rushed over here at lightning speed after receiving Hazel’s text and recommended our friends leave before he sat down with us to discuss the matter at hand. Not because he didn't want them present, but because he didn't want them worrying. The less people involved in this mess, the better.
“That was it,” I restated, hearing the disturbing voicemail play out in my head for the fiftieth time.
“This is a big problem. We already know he's a violent son of a bitch, and as Maya has mentioned, he’s into some dirty shit. I’m going to try my hardest to find out exactly what that dirty shit is, to gauge just how dangerous he is, but I can’t make any promises. In the meantime, we need to be prepared for the worst, in the event he decides to come here. Maya, I need you to listen to me very carefully…”
She nodded to ensure him she was hanging on his every word.
“I know you and I haven’t been the best of friends in the past, but now is when I really need you to knock down that wall and cooperate with me. You’re the main target in this equation, which means your safety is paramount. If Knox and Hazel will allow it, I’ll be crashing here every night, just in case shit hits the fan and your husband decides to try some sneaky shit in the middle of the night. Aside from myself, I’ll have four of my most trusted buddies with FBI background on the job too. Two of them will keep watch on the building for any suspicious activity and the other two will be for escort purposes. Think you can work with me this time?” he questioned, his expression one-hundred percent serious.
“Y-yes,” she stammered.
“Fantastic. I appreciate it.” He turned his attention to me. “Knox, are you gonna be good driving around town solo?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s the girls I’m worried about. Neither one of them are to leave this condo without me, you, or your men,” I stipulated, bringing an impatient finger down on the armrest of the couch. “I need someone with Karley too. She’s in as much probable danger, after sending those divorce papers.”
“We’re on the same page, and I’ll make sure someone tails her all times. In the meantime, no more get togethers. As a matter of fact, you should make sure your friends steer clear of here at all costs. If Dimitri does decide to make a trip out here, he may very well scope you out for a few days from the shadows and learn your schedules. The more people he sees in and out of here, the more people whose lives are at risk. I’d say three is plenty already.”
Hazel shivered beside me and nodded. “Agreed. I’ll text Rey and let her know.”
“Maya, is there anything about Dimitri you could tell us that could possibly put us one step ahead of the game?”
“He’s smart. Business smart, street smart, all of it. He has friends in different places and can get around even the hardest obstacle with a snap of his fingers. It doesn’t help he has money coming out of his ass to get the job done.”
“Do you have any photos of him?”
“No, but if you Google him, he’ll come right up. Why?”
“Because I’m going to give my guys a full file on him. I’m also going to give one to the Bureau so they can keep an eye on all flights in and out of the state, from every airport. If Dimitri steps foot in California, we’ll know.”
Maya nodded and swallowed down what I assumed was a huge lump in her throat. Her eyes shifted between the three of us, unshed tears sitting right at the surface. But she couldn’t hold them back for long. In seconds, she was bawling, her body slowly folding in on itself as despaired sobs echoed off the walls.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I never should have thought I could escape him. I never should have come here. I’m sorry,” she wailed.
Hazel was on the floor at her feet in an instant, her arms coming around Maya’s rattling body like a shield. “If you hadn’t left, he could’ve killed you.”
“Yeah, but now he’s angry; really fucking angry” – her breath hitched several times – “and the fact that he knows I’m here with you means you’re right in the crosshairs of a possible war. I never meant for anyone to get hurt!”
“No one is going to get hurt. If anyone was built for situations like these, it’s Manny. We’re all going to be okay.”
“I’m so sorry…” she mumbled over and over again, almost inconsolably, and after a beat, I couldn’t fucking take it anymore.
“Maya, listen to me…” I ordered, harsher than I’d intended, darting wet, brown eyes up to where I sat. “This right here is what had me on edge when you first arrived. But since then, you’ve become part of our family. As unhappy and downright terrified as I am for everyone’s safety right now, no one is blaming you. You didn’t do this. If anything, witnessing it firsthand has helped me further understand why you left.”
“Knox is right,” my girl jumped in, wiping the tears from underneath her eyes. “You didn't do this, not at all. Why don’t you go take a nice hot shower and get some sleep. There's nothing more we can do tonight. If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, you wake me up, do you hear me?”
Maya bowed her head in understanding and then turned to Manny, surprising us all when she asked, “Will you be here too?”
“I will,” he assured her, “as soon as I get back from my place. I just need to leave Kilo some fresh food and water for the morning.”
“Bring him back here with you,” I suggested.
“You sure, bro?”
“Positive. This place is pet-friendly, and he’s trained to attack on command, right?”
“Yep.”
“All the more reason not to leave him behind. His presence will add an element of surprise if, like you said, this bastard tries some shit in the middle of the night.”
“I didn't even think about that, but you're right. He's a good weapon and a real good boy. I can promise you he’ll be extremely well-behaved,” he explained, and Hazel was quick to wave him off.
“It's fine, seriously. Go get him and come back. I'm gonna clean up while you're gone. Way too wired to sleep now.”
“I'll be half hour, at most. Lock all the doors and do not answer unless it's me.”
As soon as he walked out, I did exactly as he instructed and locked the door, deadbolt included. This Russian fucker wasn’t getting into my home, not on my watch. And if, for some reason, he was able to bypass everyone and everything implemented to keep us safe, I’d drive a bullet straight through his damn head. After the whole Jason debacle last year, I'd went out and bought a 17mm. I didn’t ever carry it on me, but until this mess was sorted, it was sleeping on my nightstand.
Hazel was already picking up plates and cups to toss in the trash when I stalked back into the living room. Noting all the beer bottles
strewn about, I went around collecting them just as Maya made her way to the hallway.
“Will you wake me up if something happens?” she asked, her voice soft, afraid.
“Of course,” my girl said from the kitchen.
“Okay… Goodnight, you two. Oh, and Knox.” She paused, waiting for me to give her my attention. “Thank you for your kind words. I can rest a little easier knowing you don't hate me.”
“I never hated you, Maya. I was just concerned,” I explained.
“Rightfully so.” Her lips thinned as obvious guilt marred her face. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Hazel and I said in tandem, though, I wasn't sure any of us were really going to have a good night. Not until this man was no longer a threat anyway.
Viktor, better known as Dimitri’s driver, pulls up at the curb outside our building and hustles around the back end of the Mercedes to open the door. Dimitri thanks him gruffly, then yanks me out onto the pavement by the arm, without reservation for those who might be watching. The doorman greets us and steps aside to let us in, not an eyelash batted in our direction as Dimitri storms us toward the elevators. Either he's paying them to keep quiet, as he does with the rest of the world, or they truly don't realize what's about to happen once we make it up to the penthouse. I don't understand how the latter would be possible though. Dimitri is clearly enraged and nothing about our arrival would appear normal to a bystander. He's practically dragging me down the hallway, for crying out loud.
Regardless, no one says a word. Ever.
Perhaps they’re afraid of him too.
His thick thumb smashes against the up arrow on the illuminated panel and we wait in a tense silence for the cart to arrive. It feels like centuries pass before the doors slide open and in a split-second, Dimitri tosses me inside and promptly stabs his thumb into the P. He's growling now, his grip on my arm tightening all the more as we approach our home. Ha! That’s not my home. That’s his home, a home where I’ve, for all intents and purposes, become the prisoner. I'm fighting back tears because I've grown to learn that crying only serves to make him angrier. He couldn’t care less that I'm afraid. In fact, he relishes my fear.