“Okay, Vasili, what did the message say?”
“Can’t tell you that.”
I clenched my jaw, willing myself to stay calm. “What can you tell me?”
“Just one thing.”
“Enough dramatics. What?”
“We were involved, in the truck getting taken.”
I let out a breath. I knew the Russians were involved, but I didn’t know how or why. Vasili’s confirmation helped a lot, though.
“I thought our organizations were friendly.”
He shrugged, picking at his nails. “Friendly, not friendly, doesn’t matter. We’re all greedy fucks, right?”
I nodded. “Why have the police pinch the truck, though?”
He grinned at me. “Good question.”
“Tell me, Vasili.”
“Sorry, Lucas. Can’t do it.” He stood up.
“Wait. I’ll pay more.”
He looked at me for a second. “Check the truck,” he said.
“It’s impounded, with the cops.”
“Check it.” He held out his hand. “Pay me.”
I made a disgusted face. “Vince is at the entrance. He’ll pay you.”
Vasili shrugged. “Okay. Good luck.”
“Make sure you take care of that pinky.”
He waved his bandaged hand and then walked quickly back toward the entrance. I saw Vince bump into him and place a package of money into his pocket. Vasili cursed but quickly realized what had happened.
He disappeared back into the city.
I leaned back on my bench and sighed, sipping my coffee. Still hot, but not hot enough.
“Well?” Vince asked.
I stood up and we began to walk back toward the car. I gave Rodney’s guys the sign to disperse.
“He says they were involved.”
“That it?”
“And to check the truck.”
Vince frowned. “Not much new there, then.”
“We know the Russians were involved. And I’m still pretty confident that we have a rat.”
“Could just be on their end.”
I nodded. I’d had the same thought. If the Russians were involved, then none of our people needed to betray us at all.
But something still felt off about the whole thing. That deal had been worked out over months, and it stood to benefit both of our organizations. Why would the Russians risk war? It just made no sense to me.
“We’ll keep digging,” I said to Vince. We rounded the corner and climbed into the car.
“Back home?” he asked.
I shook my head, “Quick stop downtown.”
“What for?”
I grinned at him. “Just need to do some panty shopping.”
He gave me a weird look but just shrugged. “Okay, boss.”
We pulled back out into traffic, and I leaned back in my seat, smiling to myself.
Remembering Natalie, that dress, my cock in her mouth.
The taste of her pussy was still on my lips.
Chapter Fifteen: Natalie
When I woke up the next morning, I still couldn’t get what had happened the night before out of my head.
Lucas’s body, the way he touched me. His hungry look. The way I lost control and couldn’t stop myself from touching his muscular chest, from kissing his grinning lips, from feeling his thick cock.
I ordered my usual breakfast, or at least the breakfast I’d been eating the last few days, and sat at the small table set in front of a window. The view was actually very lovely; I watched the grounds stretch out from my window and the cars that crawled along the road.
But my head was still stuck on the night before, which it really, really shouldn’t have been. I needed to get myself together and move past him.
Frustrated, I stood up and quickly got dressed. I finish off my coffee and then stepped out into the hall.
Instantly I had no clue where I was going. I felt nervous wandering around the property without any destination, but I wanted to explore and I had nothing else to do.
So I began to walk. I started with my wing, purposefully avoiding Lucas’s hall, and basically began trying doors at random. I quickly found out that a majority of them were locked.
But some of them weren’t. I found a storage room with linens and bedding, another large bathroom with multiple toilets and showers, an indoor basketball court, a small gym, a bowling alley, and what looked like an old classroom.
All the while everything was covered in gilt and expensive fabrics. It was the most ostentatious place I had ever seen in my life, and the more I moved through it, the more I was convinced that it was huge.
I followed the stairway down to the bottom and pushed open the door. I found myself in the kitchen. The place was packed with workers, servants and cooks alike, some standing around and chatting, some hard at work on food prep.
“Lost?”