Julia wanted to protest that she didn’t hide from all of them. Just the really scary ones. The ones that were too demanding, or too loud, or too masculine. Okay, that was pretty much everyone who worked for Benson Security. She wondered again if she should just quit this job while she was still partly sane and go to work for a nursing home. Or better yet a petting zoo. She could deal with animals. Animals didn’t intimidate her to the point of making her hide.
Joe let out a heavy sigh. The desk creaked again as he stood. “Okay, we’ll let it go this time, but there’s gonna come a day, Jules, where I’m not going to let you run and hide. You hear me?”
“I’m neither running, nor hiding. I’m fixing cables.” She told herself it wasn’t really a lie because now she really did have to fix cables.
“I’m leaving the files on your desk.” He walked to the door. “And Julia, I think I’m a little bit in love with the skirt you have on.”
With that the man sauntered away. Julia sat on the carpet with a thud. She placed her hands to her burning cheeks and closed her eyes. Normal. All she wanted to be was normal. Because a normal girl wouldn’t have hidden from a man like Joe Barone. No, a normal girl would have smiled and flirted. A normal girl would have known how to tease a kiss from a man with lips like heaven.
Unfortunately, Julia would never be a normal girl.
Chapter Five
They were meeting Johnny Rotten in a dark alley. Of course they were meeting a guy called Johnny Rotten in a dark alley. Megan rolled her eyes. Obviously Johnny went to the TV movie school of how to be a bad guy.
“You stay here.” Dimitri pointed at a dumpster. Yeah. A dumpster. She half expected some guy with a camera to shout cut and make them start again.
“You don’t mean in the dumpster, right?” Because—eew!
“No. Beside it. In the dark.” He didn’t even try to disguise that he was losing patience. “Don’t move, don’t make a sound, don’t interrupt.”
Blah, blah, blah, let the big boys play. She was so tired of hearing the same old tune. It was time to change the radio station.
“Right,” Dimitri said. “I’m going to drive round and come in from the other end.”
“Why can’t I just wait in the car? It’s cold and it stinks here.”
“Because…” He stretched the word out. “You’re supposed to be my hostage. I can’t just let you hang out in the car.”
“I can pretend to be drugged.”
“No. Too dangerous. He might spot you, know who you are and that Rudi wants you. Then what would stop him deciding to eliminate me and take you to Rudi himself?”
She stamped her feet to get her blood circulating before the chill removed her toes. “Why didn’t you just take me back to the office?”
“You’re my backup.” There was a silent ‘idiot’ attached to that sentence, she just knew it.
“The backup that hides in dumpsters?”
“The backup that phones for help if it looks like things are going south.”
Megan blushed, grateful he couldn’t see it in the dark. “So, I need my phone?”
He put his hands on his hips and looked skyward for a moment. “Where is it?”
“Car.” She gave him what she hoped was an apologetic smile.
He stomped off, cursing under his breath and came back a few minutes later with the phone. “Sorted now?”
Megan nodded. It probably wasn’t the best time to tell him she really needed to use the bathroom. She could hold it. How long did it take to have a covert meeting in an alley anyway?
She gave him a thumbs up and watched him march back to the car. Leaving her alone in a stinky, dark alley. Alone and not thinking about how good Dimitri’s lips felt against hers. Nope. She wasn’t thinking about that at all. She was a professional—nearly. She had a job to do. She backed into the shadows and tried to become invisible. Ninja Megan. She could do it. It was all about the power of the mind. She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths.
That’s when her stomach rumbled. Her hand smacked flat on it as she bit her lip. Maybe all that fried food wasn’t such a great idea after all. Not that she would ever admit that to Dimitri. She was still mad at the man. Sure she’d been the first to say they weren’t in a relationship, but he didn’t have to agree so enthusiastically. He’d sounded affronted. As though she was the last person on earth he’d consider dating. It was insulting. Her stomach made a strange bubbling sound as she saw Dimitri’s SUV pull up at the other end of the alley. He got out and stood under the yellow glow of the street lamp. Waiting. Alert. Moody.
Megan’s stomach rumbled again. Loudly. This wasn’t good. So much for not making a sound. Her own body was working against her. She crouched down in an attempt to dull the noise, and hoped it worked. She closed her eyes, tried to calm her stomach and think thoughts that made her invisible.
That’s when she farted.
It wasn’t silent.
Megan dropped her head to her knees. If the bad guys didn’t get her, she’d die of humiliation.
And then her stomach rumbled again.
Dimitri glanced at his watch. Johnny was three minutes late. Three minutes wasn’t much. It wasn’t time to worry, just yet. He scanned the area continually, looking for the slightest thing out of place. He worked to keep his mind on the job and not on Megan’s kiss. He could still taste her. A hot, sensual delight he wanted to taste again. But he wouldn’t. Apart from the fact it would be a seriously bad idea, apparently he was just fucking adequate. He wanted to storm over to her and show her exactly how far from adequate he was, which made him mad. Here he was, on the most important job of his life and he was thinking with his dick. He needed to shut this crap down and fast. Before he got them both killed.
It was quiet, for this neck of the woods. They were off the tourist track, near an industrial park that was closed for the evening. There were no pubs nearby, no restaurants, no homes. Just closed businesses and dark alleys.
He checked his watch again. Five minutes. He was starting to get antsy. He should have brought some proper backup. What the hell he was doing coming here with Megan, he didn’t know. It was a dumb move and proof he couldn’t think straight when she was around. But he couldn’t blame it all on her—he was used to handling situations like this by himself. Being part of a team again took some getting used to. He glanced up the alley, but all he could see was blackness. He was going to give the guy five more minutes, then he’d call it a bust.
A car drove past. It didn’t slow. It didn’t stop. Not Johnny. And then he heard a foot shuffle behind him.
Dimitri spun fast, reaching for the gun in the small of his back.
“Don’t bother.” A raspy male voice. “Keep your hands where I can see them.”
A man appeared out of the dark alley, dressed top to toe in black. He held a Beretta 9mm in his right hand. And Megan’s hair in his left.
Dimitri’s world stopped in a heartbeat and he had to fight to get it moving again.
“Sorry,” Megan mouthed at him.
The barrel of the gun brushed over her cheek. Dimitri fought back rage at the sight. He had to be rational. For Megan’s sake. He was stupid. So fucking stupid for walking her into this.
“I found something that belongs to you.” Johnny’s accent was pure East London. He had at least a foot of height on Megan and about a hundred pounds—not all of it muscle. He didn’t carry himself like he’d been trained, but his movements showed he was no stranger to violence. He was completely at ease holding Megan and the gun.
“What do you want?” Dimitri kept his eyes on the gun.
“Now, see, that’s the question I had for you.”
Dimitri could see why Rudi hired the guy. He was cold, calculating and suspicious. A blunt instrument that took pleasure in inflicting pain—something obvious from the way he pulled Megan’s hair tight enough to keep her on her toes.
“I told you on the phone. I worked in Scotland with Durand and I have something Abramovic
h wants. I want to set up a meet.”
“Rudi has never heard of you.”
Yeah, Dimitri could see where that would set off alarm bells. “Ask Durand. He hired me.”
“No can do. Durand is still sorting out business in Scotland. He’s out of touch.”
Dimitri saw Megan stiffen. He silently willed her not to panic. Grunt was with her sister. Claire would be fine, no matter what Durand planned.
“What you got that Rudi wants?”
Dimitri buried his relief that Johnny didn’t know the value of the woman he held in his hands. “That’s between me and Rudi.”
“I don’t think so. I think you’re going to tell me everything I want to know, or your girl here is going to suffer until you do.”
He heard Megan squeak as Johnny tugged her hair higher. Her hands shot out to hold his wrist, as she strained to get as far up on her toes as she could, to take the pressure off her head. A strange bubbling sound came from the pair. Dimitri dismissed it as he took a step closer to the threat.
“Don’t move.” The gun swung to fix on Dimitri.
Better. Much better than having it pointed at Megan’s head. Megan writhed in Johnny’s grip, but she didn’t make a noise. She didn’t scream. She didn’t panic. Part of Dimitri was aware just how damn proud he was of her. He held out his hands. “How about we play nice? You set up a meeting with Rudi and I’ll tell him how helpful you were. I’ll even cut you in on my reward.”
The guy’s eyes gleamed with wicked intelligence. “So, it’s something he’s lost. Or something he wants bad enough to put a bounty on it.”
There was another louder rumbling. This time, Dimitri was pretty sure it came from Megan.
The gun turned back to Megan. Dimitri took another step forward without thinking.
“One more step and I shoot.” He pointed at Megan’s knee. “I’ll start here and work my way up. First, we’re going to play a little game. For every answer you give me, your girl here gets a minute more time without being hurt. We clear?”
“Don’t hurt her.” Dimitri clenched his fists as the man pulled Megan tight against his body. Her face was pale. She looked ill. She had to be terrified.
“Oh no,” Megan moaned quietly. “This isn’t good.” Her arms dropped to curl around her stomach.
Johnny smiled—it was nasty. “Listen to the woman. She knows what she’s talking about.”
Another rumble. It was Megan’s stomach, he realised. She gave him a wide eyed panicked look before mouthing sorry again. And then the woman farted. Loudly.
“What the fuck?” Johnny’s hold on her loosened as he angled away from her. “What the fuck did you eat? Holy shit, woman!”
“That’s it, I’ve had enough of this crap,” Megan snapped. “I need to get to a toilet.”
She elbowed Johnny, hard, in his side. He jerked backwards. Dimitri took a step forward but Megan was too fast. She stamped on Johnny’s instep. Aimed an elbow at his face, but it hit his throat, making the guy choke. She brought her arm down hard to punch Johnny’s groin. He wobbled, made a strangled noise and crumpled to the ground. Megan didn’t miss a beat—she stamped on his wrist to release the gun, then kicked him in the jaw. He was out cold by the time Dimitri was by her side.
And, whoa, the smell!
He stepped back again before forcing himself to retrieve the gun. He flicked the safety on, tucked it in the waistband of his jeans, pulled some flexi cuffs out of his jacket and secured Johnny.
Megan’s stomach rumbled and she curled in on herself. She looked grey. He moved to hold her, but she held up her hand to stop him.
“That proof enough that I don’t need self-defence training?” The words came out strained.
“Are you okay?” Dimitri was livid with his need to get near her. To touch her. To make sure she was fine. “Did he hurt you?”
“Only my scalp.” She groaned and bent over some more. Dimitri wrapped an arm around her. He couldn’t stop himself. She was in pain and he hated it.
“What the hell is wrong, Megan, you’re freaking me out here.”
He could have sworn she was blushing. “Dinner. That’s what’s wrong. I need a toilet. Fast.” She pointed to the end of the alley and the road. “I’m going to lean on the wall over there. You won’t want to come near me. Please call Julia so she can take me back to the flat.”
“I can take you.”
“No! Call Julia.”
She pushed away from him and she staggered off, muttering something about humiliation, leaving Dimitri to stare after her. He wasn’t sure what stunned him the most, the fact she’d disarmed her attacker in ten seconds flat, or the fact she’d said please. He pulled out his cell phone, keeping watch on Megan and the unconscious guy at his feet.
“I need a pick up,” he said when Joe answered. “I’ve got one guy down and a woman who needs a toilet, stat.” There was silence for a second before Joe asked for his location.
Chapter Six
“I don’t like this, but seeing as it’s the closest anyone’s managed to get to Rudi Abramovich, I’m prepared to let it run its course.” Tessa Sharp was another one of Lake Benson’s contacts. She was also a Commander with the Special Crime Investigation division in London’s Metropolitan police force.
She watched two of her officers remove Johnny Rotten from one of the holding cells in the basement of Benson Security’s office building. Dimitri and Joe had already questioned the guy and confiscated his phone. The one with a number for Rudi Abramovich.
“It was pure luck,” Callum told the woman. “We knew he had access to Rudi, not that he had a number for him.”
The woman wasn’t in uniform, but her tailored black suit was designed to be intimidating. The team had already filled her in on the details of their operation, making it very clear that their priority was to secure the safety of Claire Donaldson and Katrina Raast.
“Pure luck that took a year of following leads and pushing doors.” Dimitri felt the need to remind his boss.
Callum inclined his head in agreement.
Tessa eyed Dimitri thoughtfully for a minute. He had no doubt she was running scenarios in her head. “I’ll let you meet with Rudi.”
She didn’t seem to care when he bristled at her affording him permission he in no way needed and never requested.
“We’ve been after his business records for years,” Tessa said. “The bastard spreads his operation over too many countries, which means multiple split jurisdictions. It’s been hell trying to cut through the bureaucracy to set up a joint operation. Even after this long, we’re nowhere near the agreements we need to investigate Abramovich fully. This,” she signalled to the men in the room, “cuts through that.”
“We need to go through the information first before we hand it over.” Callum was immovable on that point. They all were.
It was clear from the set of her mouth that Commander Sharp was about to argue the point.
“No.” Dimitri stood and stared at the woman. “No discussion. No negotiation. We’ll hand over everything we get, but not until we know where my sister is being held.”
Tessa’s eyes darkened. “She isn’t the only woman who’s suffering out there.”
“She’s the only one I’m related to.”
“You don’t call the shots here.” Her tone was calm, in charge. “I can shut this operation down like that.” She snapped her fingers.
“Then you won’t get the information you need, because right now myself and Megan are the only two people with any chance of getting close enough to Rudi to get those records.”
She inclined her head, conceding the point. Her eyes narrowed. “Okay, you can pinpoint your sister’s whereabouts. But the operation to retrieve her has to be done under the radar. I don’t want anyone tipping Rudi off that we’re onto him. Not before plans are in place to bring down everyone involved in his organisation in one fell swoop.”
“How long will that take?” Joe said, from where he was leaning against the doorframe.
“A couple of months, maybe more.”
Dimitri shook his head as Joe cursed.
“Too long,” Dimitri said. “We can’t leave Rudi operating for that long. Claire Donaldson is at risk every minute the guy is walking around free. We’re giving you his records so you can lock him up and keep him away from Claire. That’s non-negotiable.”
“If we lock him up, someone else within the organisation will step in to take his place. We need to take the whole thing down at once or it won’t work. That sort of operation, on that scale, takes time to arrange.”
“Unacceptable.” Dimitri put his hands on his hips to stop from hitting something. “Megan is putting her life at risk to get this information and save her sister and you want to tell her that she’ll have to wait? That Claire will still be at risk for months yet? That’s assuming Rudi doesn’t get wind of your investigation and run. He could hide for years on the money he has stashed. And each minute he’s free is a minute Claire is at risk.”
“You think I don’t understand that?” Tessa took a step towards him. “Twenty years. That’s how long I’ve been working the sex crimes division. I know exactly what kind of risk Abramovich poses to women. I know exactly what he’s done to the women he’s sold. You think I want to leave any of those women in his hold for one minute longer? No, I don’t, but I need to ensure their long-term safety once they’re out of his grasp. To do that, the Abramovich organisation needs to be completely wiped out.” She glared up at him. “You’re thinking about Katrina and Claire. I understand they’re your priority. My priority is the hundreds of nameless women whom no one is hunting for.” She turned to Callum, a blaze of fury. “You can keep the information long enough to find Katrina’s location. Everything else will have to wait. Rudi will be arrested at the same time as the rest of the organisation is hit. I won’t risk those other women to protect Claire Donaldson. Right now she’s safe in the Highlands. Those other women don’t have that luxury.”
There was silence. Callum caught Joe’s eye, then Dimitri’s.
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