A shudder rocked me right to the core. “I don’t want Alexei to get hurt.” Thinking of her safety, I added, “I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
“We’ll be fine.”
I couldn’t tell who she was trying to convince more—me or her.
“He’ll forgive you,” she insisted. “He’ll forgive you for this.”
Feeling sick, I sadly murmured, “No, he won’t.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s the truth. That wall he built around himself? The one I was telling you about earlier? The same things that made him build that wall are the same things that will make it impossible for him to forgive me for this.”
Alexei was such a complicated man with a dark and complex history. The rules he had given me this morning weren’t so much about control as they were about testing my commitment to him. Like me, he had spent a lifetime being disappointed and hurt by people. Unlike me, he had chosen to protect his heart by closing it off and only allowing himself to indulge in these romantic arrangements with mistresses, these easily controlled emotional transactions.
I was officially the worst mistress in the history of the world. I hadn’t even lasted one full day. He would see my decision to go after Shannon as a betrayal of everything he had done for me. I was flinging it all back in his face, and he would punish me by turning his back on me and sending me away.
“Don’t get all weepy on me.” Kylee playfully punched my arm. “I’m all out of tissues, and I don’t want you getting snot on my new dress.”
“I’m not going to cry.” I blinked rapidly to clear away the wetness threatening to spill onto my cheeks. An hour ago, we were excitedly discussing my blossoming relationship with Alexei but now? I was sitting here bereft and silently planning its funeral.
Angry with Shannon, I clenched my hands together on my lap. I would get her out of the state and give her a clean start, but then she was on her own. I couldn’t keep doing this. I couldn’t allow her to drag me down again. This had to be the final time.
Glancing down at the navigation screen on my phone, I motioned to the next exit. “Get off at Center Street.”
Kylee followed my directions until we found the rundown motel. “Holy shit,” she exclaimed as we turned onto the property. “I’ve seen motels in horror films that looked nicer than this.”
I couldn’t argue with that observation. Only one light worked in the parking lot. From what I could see, the moldy green paint was peeling and half of the windows didn’t have drapes. My jaw dropped when I saw a hooker walk out of a room still fastening her shirt. Her skirt was hiked up around her thighs so high I could see that she wasn’t wearing underwear. She combed her fingers through her stringy hair before sliding into the front seat of a car driven by a man I could only assume was her pimp.
“Jesus,” Kylee breathed in horror. “This place is a cesspool!”
“Let’s just grab Shannon and get out of here.”
“Which room is she in?”
I looked at her message and then at the numbers on each door. “Fourteen. Over there.”
“Hang on.” Kylee swung the truck wide and backed into the closest spot. “We aren’t sticking around here any longer than necessary.”
“Stay here.” I flicked off my belt and tossed my phone onto the dashboard. “I’ll grab her, and we’ll get the hell out of here.”
Kylee looked around nervously. “Hurry. This place gives me the creeps!”
I practically jumped out of her truck and ran to the motel door. I knocked twice. “Shannon! Shannon, it’s me. Come on! Let’s go.”
The rattle of a door chain met my ears. A moment later, the door opened—and a pair of hands grabbed the front of my hoodie and hauled me inside the motel room. Before I could scream, a hand cruelly slapped over my mouth, muffling the sound as I kicked and flailed wildly. With a rough shove, I was thrown face down on a bed. The scent of mildew and much, much worse filled my nose. I pushed off the dirty, smelly blanket and lost my balance, rolling off the bed and onto the floor.
As I tried to make out the shapes in the darkened room, I heard a tussle near the door. Kylee was thrown through the door and fell onto the stained carpet. She scrambled toward me on hands and knees. Eyes wide, she latched onto my side and gripped my hand.
And then the very last face I ever wanted to see appeared in the open doorway.
With his broken nose and black eyes, Lalo looked like he had been in one hell of a fight. The hatred etched into his face warned me not to make a sound or any sudden moves. My heart stuttered when I noticed he held the same paperweight I had used to beat him unconscious. The door slammed closed behind him, and he smiled evilly at us.
I thought the fear I had experienced last night had been the worst of my life, but I was wrong. I experienced a whole new level of terror as I realized that Lalo and his two henchmen were going to kill us. There was no chance of escape tonight.
We were going to die in this dirty, filthy motel—and Alexei would never know how much I cared about him or how sorry I was for disappointing him.
Chapter Eleven
“Give him an extra grand on the trade,” Alexei said as he glanced at his watch, “and get this deal closed. He’s had Jake tied up on this sale for six fucking hours.” He hated these doctor pricks who swaggered onto the sales floor with big dreams and even bigger demands but maxed-out shit credit.
“Do you want to keep this one on our lot?” Peter asked as he handed off the signed deal sheet to the salesman working with the surgeon.
“No. Get it detailed and serviced. Send it over to James. We move a lot of BMWs at that dealership. It’ll be a fast turnaround.”
“Done.”
Alexei’s gaze moved to the windows. The sun was setting, and the clouds seemed heavy and ominous. With the threat of bad weather and the ongoing issues with Lalo’s crew, he didn’t think taking Shay out to a restaurant was a good idea. Still wanting to do something special for her, he decided he would pick up a nice dinner for them. He patted his pocket in a search for his cell phone so he could ask her what she would like, but his phone was missing.
I must have left it upstairs. On the way to his office, he was sidetracked twice to give approval for two more deals. His instincts had been right. The afternoon and early evening had been busy and productive.
When he walked into his private space, he could hear his phone vibrating and rattling on his desk. He hurried across the room and snatched it up. “Hello?”
“Where have you been?” Stas demanded. “I’ve been trying to reach you for almost an hour!”
Not liking Stas’ tone, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“She’s gone.”
Alexei thought he must have misheard. “What? Who is gone?”
“Shay,” the street soldier said with exasperation. “I came back from the store, and she was gone.”
Alexei’s stomach dropped, the swooping sensation threatening to drop him. Had she been kidnapped? Had she opened the door for a delivery and been grabbed? “Did someone break into the apartment? Did someone get by the concierge and the security?”
“No. I went down and asked to see the security tapes. I found Shay and that fucking troublemaking friend of hers running down eleven flights of stairs. They raced out of the parking garage.” He exhaled with disgust. “I knew that blonde was bad news. I could smell it on her.”
“Where are you now?” Alexei didn’t want to panic. Stay calm. Think this through. “Did you go by her house?”
“I went there first. The neighbors haven’t seen her since she left yesterday. The nosy lady who lives a few doors told me where Kylee lives. One of her kids is doing a fundraiser and Kylee’s address was on the form.”
“And?”
“The girls aren’t here.”
“Fuck.” Fury surged within him, blackening his heart with smoldering soot. “I told her to stay put. What the hell is she doing?”
“I don’t know, but I haven’t got t
he first fucking clue where I should go now. I’ve called her six times. She isn’t answering.”
Was she dodging Stas’ calls or was she unable to answer because something terrible had happened to her? Alexei’s anger was quickly replaced by fear. If she had been caught by Lalo’s men…
He scoured his memories of their conversations for a hint of any place she might go. She didn’t have many places to hide. “I don’t care who you have to call or what it costs. Get men out on the street looking for her.”
As soon as the phone call ended, he immediately dialed Shay. When she didn’t answer, he dialed again and gathered up his things. He flew down the stairs, pausing just long enough to tell Peter that he was in charge for the night, and raced out to his SUV. He let the Bluetooth connection pick up his third try as he left the lot and stayed on the line to leave a voice message.
“Shay, I don’t know where the hell you are, but you need to call me right now. This isn’t a fucking game. You’re in danger. Call me.”
Without any idea where to go, he hopped onto I-45 South. Dread pooled in his belly as he watched the setting sun. The thought of Shay wandering around the city at night with that fluorescent target painted on her back was enough to make him ill. Where is she?
His phone began to ring, and he punched the button on his steering wheel to answer it. “Yes?”
“Alexei, it’s Besian.”
“Look, Besian, I don’t have time—”
“You’ll make time for this,” the Albanian boss interrupted. “You will never guess who I just saw at Kirkwood Pawn.”
His gut clenched. “Who?”
“That luscious dark-eyed beauty of yours,” he said with what could only be described as glee. “My men told me she was pretty, but they were wrong. That woman is stunning. I can see why you wanted to keep her a secret.”
“Cut the bullshit, Besian. Is she still at the shop?”
“No. She was in a hurry to leave with that rude little friend of hers. She had a bag full of money. Probably ten or fifteen grand. Easy.”
“What?” Alexei’s mind raced. “Why the fuck would she need that much...?” His voice trailed off to nothing. Swearing, he slapped the wheel. “She’s gone after her sister.”
“I figured as much,” Besian agreed. “Luckily, I had Jet with me as a driver. I sent him after them. He thinks they’re headed to Pasadena. The last time he checked in, they were in Deer Park.”
“Blyad.” In his mind, he quickly recalled a map of the city. All those years on the streets had given him a sixth sense for navigating the Greater Houston area. Spencer Highway was up ahead. If he got off the freeway and onto that smaller highway, he could get out to the Pasadena area quickly. “I’m heading that way. As soon as Jet gives you a location, call me.”
“I will. I’m waiting for Devil to pick me up and then I’ll join the hunt.”
Clenching the wheel, Alexei tried to keep his temper in check. He was furious with Shay for leaving the safety of the apartment, for ditching Stas, and running out on her own. Why didn’t she call me when she heard from her sister?
“Because she doesn’t trust you,” he muttered angrily. Trying to ignore the pain in his chest, he didn’t want to admit to the feelings that had him all twisted up inside. Weak, he silently berated himself. She’s made you weak.
He tamped down his wildly vacillating emotions and walled them away in that cold pit he had mentally constructed years ago. He had no idea what to expect when he found her and needed to be able to think clearly. Later, when he had her safely back in the apartment and he was back at his own home, he would allow himself to sort through his feelings.
When his phone started to ring again, he answered it quickly. “Yes?”
“Jet says they just turned into a motel on Spencer. It’s a shit hole. He spotted a couple of Hermanos parked at the tire shop half a block down. There’s an SUV parked at the car wash that he recognizes. It’s one that Ben modified for Lalo.”
Jesus Christ. Whatever anger Alexei felt toward Shay evaporated in that moment. Did she have any idea that she was walking into a trap? Would she even know what to look for? After what had gone down with Lalo last night, that little bastard would be bloodthirsty for revenge. How much damage could he inflict in five minutes? In ten?
Desperation took hold. “Which motel?”
“Spanish Trail. Be careful, Alexei. We’re stuck behind a fucking accident. The rain is heavy this way. We’ll get there as fast as we can.”
Alexei smashed the accelerator and dialed Stas. He didn’t even utter a syllable before Stas talked over him.
“Yeah, I know. She’s at Spanish Trail. Jet called me. I’m almost there. Less than ten minutes.”
“I’m closer.”
“Don’t do anything stupid before I get there. Nikolai will kill me if anything happens to you.”
The line went dead, and Alexei zoomed around a truck. A light drizzle was falling now, slicking the road and forcing him to be more cautious. Wrecking a few blocks from the hotel wouldn’t help Shay.
When he raced onto the parking lot, he hastily sized up the situation. There seemed to be twenty rooms. Maybe half of them were rented and probably to drug addicts or whores. Whatever was seen or heard tonight would be easy enough to cover up with a liberal application of money—or so he hoped.
He spotted the SUV that probably belonged to Lalo. Those shiny rims practically blinked at him. The idling truck was a different story. Did it belong to Shay’s friend?
The sight of a heavy-set guy in a black T-shirt rolling into the middle of the lot caught his attention. A moment later, Jet appeared from behind a parked car. He wiped at his bleeding mouth before giving the downed man a good kick. Two more men ran at Jet, but the gangster just laughed and leaped back into the fray. Alexei threw his SUV into park and bailed out of the driver’s seat. He rushed toward Jet but the Albanian enforcer shook his head. “I’ve got this.”
A woman’s scream erupted from behind a closed door. A heartbeat later, he heard Shay shouting, “Don’t touch her!”
Tunnel vision overwhelmed him. Not fearing what he might find on the other side of that door, he ran toward it and planted his foot right above the handle. With a crack, the door slammed open and right into the back of one of Lalo’s thugs. Using the momentum of the kick, Alexei rushed forward, grabbed two handfuls of leather jacket and swung the thug right out into the now pouring rain. He rammed the bastard head first into the tailgate of the idling pickup and dropped him to the pavement.
Spinning around, he stormed into the hotel room and faced off with another one of Lalo’s henchmen. He blocked the punch that flew at his head and buried his fist in the other man’s paunchy belly. The guy he fought was younger but stupid and unskilled. He was no match for Alexei who had years of fighting experience on his side. A couple of punches to the ribs and a knee to the face finished off his opponent. He threw him right out the open door.
Amid the squeal of tires that signaled Stas’ arrival and backup for Jet who was still fighting those three men, Alexei whirled back to face his next opponent—and found himself staring right into the barrel of Lalo’s gleaming Five-seveN. The irony of the moment was laughable. Years ago, he had helped move shipments of the Belgian-made handguns from Russian to Mexico. South of the border, they called the armor piercing ammunition used in the guns matas policias—cop killers.
“No!” From the space between the dingy beds, Shay jumped in front of him, putting her small, fragile body between his and Lalo’s.
“Shay!” He tried to grab her and throw her out of the way, but Lalo pointed the gun right at her head. Alexei froze, suddenly fearful that any move would provoke the wild-eyed kingpin. What the hell is she thinking? He’ll kill her.
“You are not going to hurt anyone else that I care about,” she stubbornly stated. “I’m the one you hate. You punish me.”
Hush, ptichka. He desperately wanted her to be quiet. Lalo was clearly a man on edge. He had a crazy gleam in
his eye, and Alexei feared there was more going on here than just a man hell-bent on revenge against the young woman who had humiliated him.
“Oh, I’m going to punish you,” Lalo promised. “Maybe I’ll start right here.” He swung the gun toward Kylee who was crouched on the floor next to him, her nose bloodied and her eyes wet with tears. She flinched, as if expecting to be shot, and then he swung the gun back toward Alexei’s head. “Or maybe I’ll spray your boyfriend’s brains all over the wall.”
“No!” Shay stepped forward, right toward Lalo, and drew his aim. “You are not going to hurt them.”
“I’m going to hurt you,” Lalo promised, his evil gaze raking Shay from head to toe. “All night long,” he added nastily. “Fuck it. Maybe I’ll record it so Alexei can see how a real man makes a woman scream.”
Infuriated that Lalo would even think to threaten such a thing about Shay, he growled, “The only motherfu—”
“If you let Alexei and Kylee walk out of here right now,” Shay talked over him, “I’ll go with you. I’ll walk out of here without a fight, and I’ll do whatever you want.”
“No!” He couldn’t allow her to prostitute herself, to bargain with her body and her life, for him. “You aren’t going anywhere unless it’s with me.”
“Be quiet, Alexei!” Shay glanced back at him, her dark eyes pleading with him. “It’s my turn to save you.”
“This pinche Russian was dead the moment he decided to take you from me,” Lalo snarled. “You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.”
“I was never yours,” she retorted with disgust.
“You. Are. Mine.” Lalo annunciated each word. “You were bought and paid for when Shannon took my money to fund this little scam of hers.”
Alexei watched as Shay’s shoulders slumped with shock. He couldn’t quite believe it either. Suddenly this whole fucking mess was more twisted and tangled than he had ever imagined.
“Fine,” Shay said with resignation. “You’re right.” She seemed desperate to please Lalo now. “I’m yours. I’m all yours.” She said the words the wannabe kingpin had wanted to hear for months and months. “Just let Alexei and Kylee leave, and I’ll be yours as long as you want.”