Two young women alone in an apartment were just as vulnerable. He didn’t like that option at all. “Let me drive you.”
“What? No.” She waved the duster side to side. “That’s way over the top, Alexei. I’ll be fine. I’m going to get in my car, drive home and go inside. It will be fine.”
“Shay—”
“I appreciate the offer, Alexei, but I don’t need a babysitter. I’m a grown woman. I can handle this.”
He didn’t want to fight with her so he simply nodded. “All right. Be safe, Shay.”
“I will.” She smiled at him. “Thank you, Alexei. For everything.”
He understood she meant his offer of help and his phone number. He waited until she was out of sight to turn back toward his desk. He picked up his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts until he found Boychenko’s number. It was time to collect on a favor.
While he waited for the young enforcer to answer, he moved to the wall of glass that allowed him to overlook the showroom and sales desks. He watched Shay trading out the mats along the entrance doors. Down on her hands and knees, she used tight circular motions to wipe away the smudges left behind. The sight of her working like that bothered him. It was honest work, and he respected her for that, but she deserved a fucking break from hard labor.
I could take care of her. I could take her to the apartment and give her everything she wants and needs.
But not everything, he silently admitted. He couldn’t give her a commitment. He couldn’t give her love and marriage and all the things a woman like Shay wanted and needed. He wasn’t that kind of man. He liked to keep his relationships neatly compartmentalized. He enjoyed the mistress arrangements that had served him well over the last few years.
She’s better than that, he conceded. She’s too good for that.
“Hello?”
“Roman? It’s Alexei. You remember that favor you owe me?”
Boychenko laughed. “A guy gets one discount on a new car…”
“Discount?” Now it was Alexei’s turn to laugh. “I practically let you walk off the lot with that new A7.”
“Fair enough. What do you need?”
He watched Shay trailing her crew out of the dealership. When she reached the doorway, she paused and looked over her shoulder and up at his office. Their gazes met across the distance. She lifted her hand and waved at him. He wasn’t the waving type but for her? He made an exception tonight. Her lips curved with amusement and then she was gliding out the door and into the cold, dark night.
“I need you to get over to the CleanRite headquarters. I’ll text you the address. You’re going to follow someone for me. I want you to sit on her house until I can get there.”
“I know where that is. We do business down there.” Boychenko paused. “Anything I should know?”
“She’s in trouble but it’s not her fault. It’s a family matter.”
“Uh-huh.” Boychenko didn’t seem very enthusiastic about this favor but he would do as asked. “Our family?”
“No.”
Boychenko sighed. “I’m not going to ask questions, okay? But you need to get this cleared from the top. The boss won’t be happy if I step in dog shit and drag it back to his front door.
“I’ll take care of it. As soon as I get the answers I need, I’ll find you.” He ended the call, shut down his desktop, locked the files on his desk in his safe and left his office with his gym bag strap draped over his shoulder. He stopped just long enough to give the last manager on shift his orders for the night.
Once in his SUV, he quickly triaged his priorities. Shay had him all twisted up inside. The discovery that she was in serious trouble had him more on edge than the discovery that someone had tried to hack into his financial department and steal client information. He could deal with the people who had tried to steal from him. No one could hide from him, not in this city and not with his connections, but Shay could be badly hurt by the men who were after her sister. The old rules that used to govern the underworld were no longer respected. He didn’t trust Mueller and his racist crew as far as he could throw them.
There were two places he could go for information. Kostya had been out of pocket for a few weeks, and Alexei was smart enough not to ask too many questions about that. So that left only one man in Houston who had the answers he needed.
Alexei lifted up in his seat and retrieved his wallet from his back pocket. He checked to see how many twenties and fifties he had for tips. Besian Beciraj, the Albanian mob boss, was a friend, but the bastard was stingy as hell with his information unless his dancing girls were getting their cut. Tonight, he would have to make it rain to pry the answers he wanted from Besian.
Backing out of his reserved spot, Alexei caught sight of the dark tattoos covering his forearms and hands. For the first time in a long time, the calling card of his criminal history was going to be useful.
Chapter Three
I knew something was wrong even before the van rolled to a stop behind CleanRite. Manny inhaled sharply and Jake cursed softly. I had a bad feeling so I leaned toward the rear passenger window to get a better look at what the two guys in the front seats had seen.
Shit.
My stomach lurched as I took in the slashed tires and smashed windshield on my car. It looked as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. Juan, my boss, stood next to the car. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head as he stared at the destruction in front of him.
Manny slowed to a stop and I bailed quickly. My two coworkers started to follow me but I put my hand up to halt them. “You guys need to get to those other jobs. I’ll be fine here.”
Showing his paternal instincts, Manny hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Juan is here. I’ll call the police and then grab a taxi or hang around until Kylee is back.”
“All right.” He eased out of the parking lot and turned onto the street.
Juan strode toward me, his face showing complete shock. “Shay, I am so sorry.”
“What happened?” I stood next to my car and tried to take in all the damage. It was even worse up close. There wasn’t a piece of solid glass left on the vehicle. The dents in the doors and the hood were so deep I could sit in them. I spotted the note on the driver’s seat and carefully reached into the car to grab it.
“I was doing inventory in the stock room,” Juan explained. “The music was loud so I didn’t realize what was happening out here until I heard the glass shattering. It sounded like a damn bomb had gone off. By the time I got out the back door, the truck was driving off.”
I brushed the bits of glass from the folded note and opened it with trembling fingers. Inside I found a meanly scrawled message.
We want it back.
Sunrise.
Or you’re all dead.
I swallowed hard as I folded up the note and tucked it into my pocket. I realized Juan was staring at me and waiting for me to say something, but I didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to say.
“Should I call the police?” he asked quietly but I could tell he already knew the answer.
“No.” My cell phone started to vibrate in my pocket and momentarily distracted me from the terrifying thoughts racing through my head. These guys were the sort of people who wouldn’t be afraid of the police. For that matter, I didn’t know what Shannon had done to anger them. The last thing I wanted was for her to be arrested. I didn’t know a lot about county lockup but I didn’t think it would be very hard for the skinheads to find someone to hurt her on the inside.
I grabbed my phone and glanced at the screen. Shannon’s face greeted me, and I expelled a relieved breath. “Shannon! Where the hell are you?”
“Shay? Can you hear me?” Loud music, heavy on the accordion and brass, covered her voice. “Shay?”
“Shannon?” I spoke louder. “You’re in trouble. I need to see you!”
“Shay? You there? Listen, if you can hear me, come to the Arena. Just use Lalo’s name. They’ll let
you inside. Text me and I’ll come find you.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? Shannon, this is serious! I am not coming to the Arena. You need to—”
The call dropped, and I swore with frustration. I looked up from my phone and stared at my surroundings. A ripple of fear rolled through my stomach. We were so exposed here. If those guys came back…
“Shay, tell me how to help you.” Juan seemed to share my fear about hanging around here too long.
“The Arena is a couple of blocks from here. Can you drop me off?”
He didn’t look very excited by that idea but nodded nonetheless. “Get your stuff. We’ll get out of here.”
I hurried inside the building, grabbed my purse and jacket from my locker and raced back outside to find Juan waiting to lock the door behind me. Once the building was secure, I followed him to his idling truck and slid into the front passenger seat. As we were pulling onto Fondren, I remembered I had forgotten to clock out. “I forgot to swipe my ID.”
Juan shot me a strange look. “We’ve got bigger problems than you staying on the clock.”
He had a point. I sensed he wanted to ask me what the hell was going on, but he probably understood that was dangerous. Sometimes it was better not to know all the facts, especially when dealing with a situation like this one. He didn’t need that kind of trouble, and I didn’t blame him for staying quiet.
I gripped my phone in both hands and questioned my decision to meet Shannon at the Arena. On one hand, I doubted those jerks who had trashed my car and threatened me at the house were stupid enough to get anywhere near that concert. Considering the bands that were playing, the place was going to be crawling with gangs and dealers and all of those enforcers loyal to Lalo Contreras. There would be a battle royale if those two groups of enemies met.
On the other hand, I really, really didn’t want to see Lalo. Shannon had tried to get us together so many times, but my list of wants from a man and a relationship didn’t match hers. She viewed a guy like Lalo as the ultimate catch. He was good-looking and had lots of money and power.
But he scared me.
He had a bad reputation for being ruthless and cruel. He was the reason Shannon had gone to that awful, horrible dog fight last month. Ruben had wanted to get in good with his boss and fighting dogs was something Lalo loved so she had gone to support him. It just sickened me to think about people standing around those cages while starved and beaten dogs chewed each other to pieces. It was so barbaric.
A man who enjoyed something so violent and brutal was a man who would think nothing of hurting a girl like me. So I definitely did not want to see Lalo tonight, but there was little chance of avoiding him if I wanted to speak to Shannon. I hated that my sister was putting me in this position. If I was being brutally honest, I sort of hated myself for always letting her have her way and not pushing back and enforcing boundaries.
You’ve got to grow up and put a stop to this crap. Never again, I swore silently. Never again will I find myself in a situation like this.
Running my finger along the edge of my phone, I remembered the way Alexei had taken it from me and entered his phone number in my contacts. The way he had shoved off that door frame and rushed toward me had filled my stomach with a swarm of butterflies. Even now, I experienced a fresh flutter in my lower belly.
That protective streak of his did crazy things to my heart. It made me want something I had never dared to chase. It gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to belong to someone who wanted to take care of me.
Call him. He’ll come for you.
I turned the phone over and ran my finger over the screen. If I called Alexei right now, he would insist that I come back to the dealership or he would want Juan to drive me somewhere other than the Arena. If I didn’t go find Shannon right now, she could get hurt. Those men might ambush her and Ruben after the concert. I needed to get to her quickly.
And then I would call Alexei. This was one time I wasn’t going to let my pride get in the way of my safety. He had offered his help, and I was going to grab hold with both hands and hang on tight while he dragged me out of this mess. He knew this world better than me, and I trusted him to get me out of this alive and whole.
Before I was ready, we neared the Arena. Juan turned down Bellaire and looped around the freeway. He glanced at me as we sat in traffic. “Do you want me to take you up to the parking garage? There’s that covered walkway between the garage and the entrance. It’ll be warmer.”
“I’ve got my jacket. Just let me out here,” I decided, already shrugging into it.
“Be careful, Shay.” Concern filled his voice. “Just find your sister and then lay low. If you need help getting out of town, call me. My brother drives out to San Antonio to see his kids on the weekend. He could take you with him in the morning. You could hide out in a hotel there.”
“I’ll think about it.” Dread swirled in my stomach as I slid out of the truck and scurried along the sidewalk toward the Arena. I fell into a crowd that included concert latecomers and couples leaving early. There was a heavy police presence outside that made me feel marginally better about my decision.
I squeezed between two small groups and entered the lobby. I drew some strange looks in my work clothes and jacket. Oh well. I wasn’t here to find a date or have a good time. I was here to find my sister. That’s it.
As I glanced down to type in a quick text to Shannon to ask her to come meet me, I heard my name being called by a male voice I really, really didn’t want to hear. Shit.
“Shay! Baby! You made it!” Lalo Contreras called out to me, and I tried not to flinch. The last thing I wanted to do was make him mad. From the stories I had heard straight from Shannon’s mouth, I knew he had a mean streak in him.
Schooling my features, I tightly gripped my phone and turned to find Lalo walking toward me. Flanked by his inner circle of enforcers, Lalo commanded the attention of every person standing in the lobby. With that snow white blazer layered over a black shirt, he looked slick and like a flush entrepreneur out for a night on the town. Over the summer, he had toned down his usual jewelry choices to diamond studs, an outrageously expensive watch and a single gold chain with a simple crucifix. He could almost pass for an upstanding citizen. Almost.
Lalo swooped in and curved his arm around my shoulder. I had to muscle down the urge to shrug him off. His cologne was too heavy, and I couldn’t stand the scent of it. He dipped down until his mouth was close to my ear. I shivered but he misread it as encouragement. “Come with me, mami. Your sister sent me to get you. We’re in the back.”
The arm curved around my shoulders tightened and pressed me forward. Every instinct in my body screamed to push him away and run out the main entrance and back into the cold, dark night, but I had to find Shannon. She would believe anything Ruben told her, but I prayed she would listen to me and maybe even agree to come with me.
Lalo dropped his arm from my shoulders, grasped my hand and dragged me along behind him. Immediately, I compared his possessive grip to the way Alexei had held my hand in his office. His fingers had been strong and warm, his grip firm but gentle and reassuring. I still couldn’t believe I had been so bold and traced that black rectangle tattoo on his skin. I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn his breath hitched in his throat when I touched him.
But my breath wasn’t hitching in my throat as Lalo led me through the thick crowd. The blaring live music momentarily disoriented me. A driving beat of brassy bass and drums pushed a lively accordion tune as a pair of singers wailed lyrics that had the entire arena up on their feet. The band on stage was somewhat infamous for their narcocorridos so I wasn’t surprised by the violent imagery on the posters lining the walls or on the merchandise displayed at the first table we passed.
As the singer crooned, he caught my attention with one of his lyrics about a Russian. I looked toward the stage and listened more intently as he sang about an ice cold Russian king who had had his heart melted by the blue-eyed
machete princess. He sang of the way the Russian was made immortal and untouchable because of the love of his wife and of a night when new blood washed away the old and new kings were crowned by the Russian.
I wasn’t the only one listening to the music now. Lalo had stopped and glared at the stage, the darkness inside the building hiding eyes that I was sure were shining with fury. I didn’t know everything that had happened over the summer and early fall, but between Shannon and the news reports, I had been able to piece together the power shift in the cartel and in Houston’s underworld. The fact that the band had the balls to stand up there and sing about the bloody coup Lalo had perpetrated both impressed and horrified me.
Lalo said something to one of his enforcers before jerking on my hand and dragging me along more forcefully. That band was probably going to have a rough end to their night as the enforcer left the group with a couple of other men.
That’s not my problem. Worry about yourself. Find Shannon and get her out of here.
I tried to keep my head down and my eyes averted as I reluctantly followed Lalo around the outer rim of the seating area. Even so, I didn’t miss the way people deferred to him or the way his enforcers cut a wide swath through the crowd. Seeing the street respect he had earned helped me understand why Shannon had gotten swept up in Ruben’s lifestyle. To be treated like someone important? She must have found it utterly addicting.
As we neared the backstage entrance, I quickly glanced around to get my bearings. Back behind me, there was an emergency exit near the bar. Up ahead, I could see a flash of light as a pair of doors opened to the loading dock. If I needed to get out of here quickly, I had two good options.
Clutching my phone in my hand and hiking my purse strap higher on my shoulder, I let Lalo lead me into the backstage area and down a dimly lit hall. His enforcers peeled away in groups of two until we were alone outside a closed door. Instantly, my heart leapt into my throat. This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right at all.
Pulling back on his hand, I managed to free myself from his grasp. “Where is Shannon?”