“It took them a while to find you after I asked for you. You would have been here much sooner if you had been here,” he answered. “You have to be able to piece things like that together when you can’t understand what the people around you are saying.” He tried to laugh but choked, probably on blood.
“Gage said it sounded like you wanted to talk.” I kept my voice gentle and comforting. After all, Dimitri had never wronged me. I had just been hired to get information out of him. Unfortunately, he hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with any real info just yet. I couldn’t have prevented what happened to him in my absence. In all honesty, I doubted it would have been prevented had he been talkative.
“I’ll only talk if you can promise me you’ll keep them from coming back in here,” Dimitri told me.
“I can do that,” I answered, knowing I didn’t really have any control over what Gage and his men did to him. They saw this man as their prisoner, and they were determined to treat him as such. I knew I couldn’t promise him anything, but I would promise him anything if it meant getting something out of him so I could get out of here.
“And I know that as soon as I tell you, you’re going to run up there and tell Gage,” he continued. “Can you promise me he’ll let me go once he knows?”
“I’m sure he’ll want to verify any information you give me before he does, but that’s the plan.” That was not the plan. It was never the plan. I could see that now. At least the beatings would end, though. Maybe Dimitri knew that it wasn’t the plan, but he seemed to want a little comfort before opening his mouth.
“Okay, I can tell you one person who is going to be part of Ivan’s big drug deal,” he started. He spoke slowly through his labored breathing.
I was on the edge of my seat. I wasn’t planning on hanging around after he gave me this information. I was going to deliver it to Gage and get the fuck out of Dodge. Dimitri was about to deliver my ticket to freedom.
“It’s the mayor,” he said.
“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Was I the last person alive to get involved in this massive, international underworld?
“Try not to be so naïve, Dr. Danvers,” Dimitri said. “You already know crooked politicians exist. Don’t pretend to be shocked.”
“I’m not pretending,” I told him. I didn’t know whether to be more shocked that our mayor was crooked or that Ivan was that connected.
“Ivan stays under the radar because he pays off the radar not to see him.” Dimitri tried to force a smile but it only came across as a bloody grimace. “Besides,” he continued, “no one will be heartbroken if Gage were to rough up the mayor for more information.”
“He wouldn’t.”
“Oh, you don’t know him as well as you think. Gage is power hungry, Dr. Danvers. If you haven’t seen it yet, you will. You’ll probably see it soon,” Dimitri predicted.
“Can you give me any more information?” I had to ask.
He shook his head. “Just remember, you promised to keep them off of me.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” I stood up and looked down at the beaten man before me. I could feel my face harden. I could hear my voice grow cold.
“You promised,” he pleaded.
“Don’t beg, Dimitri. There’s nothing more pathetic than a man your size being broken down like this. You’re better than that, or that’s what I thought.” I turned and walked out of the room.
Gage and his two favorite henchmen waited for me in the pit. Gage’s eyes lit up in anticipation when he saw me, and I realized I had leverage. If I played my cards right, I knew I could use the information Dimitri had given me as a way to get out of here and get back to my life.
“Anything?” he asked.
“In private.” I jerked my head to the side to indicate that we needed to talk away from everyone else.
Gage shot a confused look at the two men standing by the door and shrugged as he walked off with me. I needed time to figure out how I was going to approach him to secure my freedom for the information he needed. I led him up to the third floor, back to his room at the end of the hall.
“What’s so important that you couldn’t tell me in front of everyone?” he asked as we closed the door.
I pushed him back against the door and pressed myself against him. I ran my hand down between his legs and stroked the front of his jeans. Two could play at his game and use sex as a tool to earn compliance. I put a hand gently around the back of his neck and leaned up to whisper in his ear.