Stas actually glanced at his watch as if to reinforce that the rules were different now. He took the bag of clothing from my hand and gestured to the kitchen. “You should eat something. Toast, juice, an orange—you need to put some food in your stomach. After that, we’re going to talk about your alibi. Then you’re going to sit quietly on the couch and wait for Alexei. Understand?”
“Yes.” I understood perfectly. The bright promise of a future with Alexei and the glimmer of friendship I had hoped to share with Stas had been shot to hell with one stupendously bad decision.
*
Parked in the rear section of a junkyard owned by one of Besian’s people, he waited for Nikolai. He wanted to be anywhere except the Pasadena area, but he had been given his orders so he here sat. Glancing at the clock, he made a face. How much longer was this going to take?
Alexei drummed his fingertips on the dashboard and scanned his dark surroundings. The heavy rainfall obscured most of his vision. Already on edge, he stared hard at the shadowy shapes of stacked and crushed cars and tried to decide if he was really seeing movement or not. It would be so fucking easy to ambush him.
He wasn’t a man prone to nervousness but tonight? Shit, his stomach was in knots! This was two nights in a row Nikolai had been dragged away from Vivian to deal with problems caused by Shay or her sister. If the boss wasn’t in a very charitable mood, it could be disastrous for her.
The longer he sat here, the more Alexei worried. What if he had been sent here by the boss so Stas could take Shay to some remote location? What if the boss double-crossed him and handed her over to Hector Salas as a peace offering?
He wouldn’t do that to you. Stop fucking panicking.
But if Alexei was wrong, if his trust in Nikolai had been misplaced, he would never forgive himself for the cold, callous was he had sent her away.
Just when he started to despair, a pair of headlights bounced off the dented grille of a car. He leaned forward and spotted first one SUV then another and another and another. When it was all done, there were two SUVs parked on either side of his and four surrounding them. He recognized the guard vehicles driven by Danila and Ilya as well as the Escalade that had brought Besian and the silver Land Rover that Nikolai preferred but the ice white G-Class was unknown to him.
Street soldiers poured out of their vehicles, some of them taking up positions facing out toward the junkyard to keep watch and others hustling to open doors for their bosses. Boychenko hopped out of driver’s seat of the Land Rover and quickly popped open an umbrella. He hurried to Alexei’s door and rapped his knuckles on the glass.
Answering his summons, Alexei stepped out into the rain and grimaced as cold, dirty water rushed around his ankles. Boychenko shot him a you are so fucked look before gesturing with a jerk of his head. Shielded by the umbrella, Alexei crossed the short distance to Nikolai’s vehicle and slipped into the passenger seat open next to the boss.
A moment later, the driver’s door opened and Besian slipped behind the wheel. As Besian combed his fingers through his wet hair, the front passenger door opened and none other than Hector Salas slid onto the empty seat there. Surrounded by some of the most dangerous men in the city, Alexei wondered if he was going to end up shot and tossed into the trunk of a car.
“You really know how to celebrate a man’s birthday, Nikolai,” Hector Salas remarked with a dry laugh. Not yet thirty, the former cartel enforcer had carried out a coup against Lorenzo Guzman with ruthless efficiency. Reputed for his Machiavellian intelligence, he had the good looks of a model and the well-honed body of a fighter. It was no surprise men had been willing to betray their leader for him. He was the sort of man other men emulated and followed. “I didn’t even have to blow out my birthday candles to get my wish.”
Thrown by Hector’s comments, Alexei glanced at Nikolai. The harsh expression on the boss’ face warned him to keep quiet.
“This wasn’t the way I wanted this go down,” Nikolai finally said. “We needed more time to groom your man and get the pieces in place before Lalo was neutralized.”
As if sharing Alexei’s confusion, Besian twisted in the driver’s seat for a better look at Nikolai. “When did we greenlight a hit on Lalo?”
“We didn’t,” Nikolai replied. “Not yet.”
“Is there something I’m missing?” Besian asked, clearly exasperated.
“That raid on his house for that dog fighting ring put him on my shortlist, but finding out he tried to rape some girl backstage at a concert?” Hector picked at something on the lapel of his jacket. “That was the last straw for me. Brutalizing women isn’t part of my rulebook. I won’t allow it.”
Alexei’s estimation of the young drug lord rose a few notches.
“Look, my business is moving product to the right salesmen and keeping my customers happy and satisfied. That’s it,” Hector said. “Lalo was always a greedy little fucker, skimming and taking and running his side deals. I turned a blind eye to it when I needed him to take on Lorenzo, but when that was done, I warned him to cut that shit out and walk the line. He thought he was smart enough to run his games behind my back, but I see everything. This bullshit with Ruben and the identity theft? It’s too much heat. This is the kind of shit that will send the FBI and INTERPOL right up my ass. Fuck. That.” Hector slashed his fingers in front of his throat. “That puto? He needed to go.”
“We didn’t bring this to the council because the hit was never supposed to happen here.” Nikolai’s irritated glare made the fine hairs on the back of Alexei’s neck stand right on edge. He had seen men on the receiving end of that look before and it never ended well. “We were going to wait until Lalo was in Hector’s territory, down south of the border. Romero was going to take care of it.”
“It’s easier to spin my version of the tale down there.” Hector turned in his seat and smirked back at them. “But I guess your girlfriend wanted to become part of the underworld legend.”
“Shay didn’t kill him,” Alexei insisted. “Neither did her friend. They were trying to defend themselves. Lalo shot himself while he was fighting Shay for control of the gun.”
When Nikolai glanced at Besian for confirmation, the Albanian boss nodded. “It looked that way to me and Devil. The gun was still in Lalo’s hand when he fell. His finger was wrapped around the trigger. So, technically, Lalo iced himself.”
“Technically isn’t going to sell very well on the streets,” Nikolai warned. “Those five men you picked up at the hotel? The ones you have tied up in your warehouse? They have big mouths and loud voices. All we need is one street thug with a soft spot for Lalo. He can make this very messy, very fast.”
“They’ll see things my way—or they won’t see at all.” Hector jabbed two fingers toward his eyes. “When they find out how much money Lalo was hoarding while they were starving on the streets? Their loyalty will vanish.” He snapped his fingers. “So you let me deal with them.”
“What do we do about the power vacuum?” Besian unwrapped a jawbreaker and tossed it in his mouth. “The last thing we need is violence on the streets.”
“There won’t be a vacuum,” Nikolai promised. “Hector is going to talk to Diego as soon as we’re done here. He’s the obvious choice and the best man for the job. He’s worked his way up from the streets to the top of the Hermanos hierarchy. He understands the men who work for him, and he’s earned their loyalty and their trust.”
“He’s quiet,” Hector said. “He’s not flashy. He believes in discipline. He’ll keep things quiet and calm.”
Seemingly reassured, Besian visibly relaxed. “What do you need from me?”
“Show your support to Diego,” Nikolai ordered. “Keep your men in your territory. The last thing we need is an incident while things are unsettled.”
“I’ll look up Nickel when I leave and get him on board,” Besian offered. “Do you want me to hit up Mueller?”
Nikolai shook his head. “I’ll handle him.”
“What about the mot
el?” Hector turned his attention to Besian. “Do you need my help with the cover up?”
“It’s done—and it cost me nothing,” Besian remarked with a bit of amusement. “Alexei’s girlfriend took care of that.”
“What?” Nikolai shifted in his seat. “What does that mean?”
“It seems that Shay was headed to the motel to help her sister escape the city.” Alexei hadn’t asked her for the details but he had assumed that to be the most likely scenario. “She was able to get her hands on ten grand at Abby Kirkwood’s pawn shop. By the time she arrived at the motel, her sister was gone and Lalo was waiting for her. She offered her cash as hush money.”
“Where is the sister?” Nikolai asked the question on everyone’s minds.
“We don’t know,” Alexei admitted. “There was blood in the bathroom. She left her phone. We think she ran.”
“Or Lalo kidnapped her and his men dragged her away somewhere before Shay and her friend got there,” Besian proposed an alternative theory. “We just don’t know.”
Nikolai blew out a frustrated breath. “That’s a loose end that needs to be clipped—and fast.”
Before Alexei could even try to plead for Shannon’s life, Besian said, “I’ll take care of her. Leave it to me.”
Something about the way Besian so quickly leapt at the chance to have that job bothered Alexei. Was there something else going on with Shannon that he didn’t know?
“What’s the punishment for Shay and her friend?” Nikolai put the issue that concerned Alexei the most right on the table. He held his breath as he waited to see what the boss would suggest. “My vote is that they get a pass. These were extraordinary circumstances.”
“I want this to end here,” Hector interjected firmly. “These two girls? I want them to walk. Untouched,” he clarified. “They have my guarantee of safety and protection. This shit ends tonight. There’s been enough bloodshed in this city. Let’s end the year on a better note than we started. Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Besian rolled the jawbreaker around his mouth, knocking it into his teeth. “Let’s put this to bed.”
“Then it’s settled,” Nikolai declared.
Sagging with relief, Alexei leaned back against his seat while the three bosses talked out a few minor details. Hector exited the vehicle first. Besian left a short time later. Alone with Nikolai, Alexei blew out a pent-up breath. “I know that sorry doesn’t even come close to apologizing for all of this.”
“It’s done, Alyosha. Leave it.” He rapped his knuckles on the window, signaling Boychenko. “Put on your seatbelt. We’re going for a ride.”
Not liking the sound of that one bit, Alexei did as told. He glanced back at his still running SUV and wondered if the damn thing would even be there when they got back. Waiting for Nikolai to say something, he stared out the window and tried to figure out where they were going. Very quickly, he realized they were headed back to the motel.
As if reading his mind, Nikolai said, “Since Kostya is still out on vacation, we had to call in some professional help for this one.”
The Professionals. Four anonymous brothers who proffered their services to Houston’s underworld and the city’s elite. The Collector. The Fence. The Cleaner. The Liquidator. They were men who were whispered about but never seen. Even the evidence of their crimes was nearly impossible to spot.
Up ahead, the blink of red, white and blue lights from emergency vehicles caught his attention. A police cruiser blew by them, the siren squawking so loud he winced. Wondering where it was headed, Alexei leaned forward for a better look. A violent wave of orange streaked the dark night sky and took his breath away.
The Spanish Trail motel was totally engulfed in flames.
Jerking back, he glanced at Nikolai in shock. “Why?”
“What else could we do? There were too many unknowns and too much risk. Was Shay’s blood on the carpet? Was the friend’s? What about the sister? What the hell were we going to do with Lalo’s body? That isn’t a death we can sweep under the rug, Alyosha. This isn’t a man that can just disappear.”
Nikolai had his lucky lighter in hand now. He flicked it opened and closed as he gazed out the window at the destruction he had wrought. “This was the best choice. Tomorrow, when the sun is up and the flames are out, they’ll find Lalo’s body and the right gun and that’s it.”
“The right gun?”
“We have a weapon in our possession that was used during Hector’s coup earlier this year. The bullet that killed Lalo tonight was removed and his gun was destroyed. The other gun was used to fire some bullets into the body and the wall. The cops will trace these rounds and the gun left at the scene to the deaths earlier this year.” He brushed his pant leg as if to sweep away lint. “It will keep them busy chasing their tails while we deal with the transition.”
It was all discussed so calmly. Alexei had been out of the life long enough that he had forgotten how blithely Nikolai decided these things. Who lived. Who died. Who to frame. It was a simple act of arithmetic for him.
“But the fire, Kolya,” Alexei protested. “It’s dangerous. The motel guests—”
“No one died in this fire. The brothers took care of it. It was all very clean.”
“God, I hope you’re right.” Alexei cringed as Boychenko slowly glided through an intersection and away from the frantic scene. Another fire truck raced toward the blaze. He prayed no firemen were hurt tonight. That was a guilt he didn’t want on his conscience or Shay’s. “Fire is nasty business, Kolya.”
“It’s never my preference,” the boss admitted, “but these were extenuating circumstances. Once Besian took a step back and truly considered the situation, he knew there were too many risks if he tried to haul that body out of there. We’re just lucky this all happened in the dark, in a shitty part of town, and in a rainstorm where it’s easier to manage the spread of the fire.”
“What happens to the people who were living in that motel? Where do they go now?”
“John Mueller is about to get some new tenants in his apartment complexes.” He snapped his lighter closed and dropped it into his pocket. “You can expect that bill soon.”
Alexei swore under his breath but accepted the out of pocket costs for housing those people were a small price to pay. Considering how badly this might have gone for Shay, he didn’t dare complain. It seemed uncouth to call tonight’s events a stroke of luck, especially when one man was dead and someone’s business had just been burned to the ground, but he silently called it that.
“I swear our lives were never this complicated before we started welcoming all these women into our inner circle,” Nikolai grumbled. “Who would have thought falling in love would be so fucking complicated?”
Out of habit, he started to correct Nikolai, to laugh at the very notion that he was head over heels in love with Shay, but the reality of what had happened in the last forty-eight hours slapped sense into him. There was no point in lying to himself or trying to convince anyone else that what he felt for Shay was anything less than love. It had crept up on him so slowly over the last year that he hadn’t even recognized the subtle shift from infatuation to friendship to love.
“Vanya, Dima, Yuri, Sergei, Kostya, you, me… Who’s next? Danny?” Nikolai laughed as if he had just heard the funniest joke ever. “Hell, maybe it will be Ten!”
Up front, Boychenko snorted with amusement. Alexei shook his head at the outlandish idea. “I don’t think there’s a woman alive who can tame Ten.”
“Stranger things have happened,” Nikolai replied. “So—is it true? Did she really step in front of a gun for you?”
Alexei’s heart stuttered as the memory of Shay jumping in front of him flashed before his eyes. “Yes, she did.”
“She must love you very much.”
“I don’t know about that.” Alexei didn’t dare hope that Shay’s action was proof of her love for him. “She’s a good person. She would protect anyone from a bully like Lalo.”
“Yes, but
she protected you. She saw you fight for her last night. She knows what you’re capable of doing, but she still stepped in front of a possible bullet for you. That was an action spurred by the heart,” Nikolai touched his chest, “not the head.”
“She should listen to her head more,” he said, suddenly uncomfortable talking about all of this with Nikolai. “I’m not the type of man who knows what to do with a woman’s heart.”
“You’ll learn.” Nikolai stretched out his legs. “I know what you’re thinking. You think no one could possibly love you because of the terrible things you’ve done, but you’re wrong. We’re all worthy of love. Even the worst of us,” he murmured. Their gazes clashed in the shadows of the rear seats. “A woman like Shay is an extraordinary find, Alyosha. It takes a big heart to love men like us, and those big hearts are easily damaged. She fucked up tonight. That’s not up for debate—but we’ve all made big mistakes in our lives. We’ve all done things we wish we could take back.”
They drove in silence, all three occupants of the Land Rover thinking of their misdeeds and blunders. When they pulled into the junkyard, Nikolai inhaled a deep breath. “Go home to her. Scold her if you must but show her love tonight. She needs to feels safe again. Her entire life has fallen apart in the last two days. She needs you to be her rock. Give her something to cling to,” he urged. “A woman who will throw herself between you and a gun? That’s a woman you should deny nothing and give everything. Even if you lose everything tomorrow, Shay will walk beside you.”
The boss’s powerful counsel made Alexei’s head spin. As he drove away from the junkyard he couldn’t stop thinking about everything Nikolai had said. Though he was still angry with Shay for taking such a risk and for defying him, he understood why she had made the decision to go after her sister. Hadn’t he done far, far worse and stupider things to save Ivan or Nikolai in the past?
When he entered the apartment a short time later, he discovered Shay seated at the island in the kitchen and staring at a bowl of melted ice cream. Stas sat on the opposite end of the polished slab, his expression hard and his arms crossed. Frosty was the first adjective that came to mind. The cheerful, easy friendship that he had witnessed between the pair last night had vanished.