Alek lost sight of her when Maks lowered his head and caught his eye. “Time to get this train backed up.” He forced Alek back by bumping their chests together. When they were out of earshot, he added, “He’s untouchable. We have to regroup and figure some shit out. Then we’ll take care of this in a more private location.” He bumped again. “Don’t worry, brother. I got you covered.”
The storm tearing through him calmed at hearing that but the dark clouds of possession hovered, going nowhere. “Take my gun.”
Maks’s hand immediately snaked inside Alek’s jacket and came out with his nine millimeter. It was gone from sight before anyone had a chance to lock eyes on it. At the same time, Vasily was sending Sheppard back around the car and opening the door to help Sacha into the passenger seat with a quiet farewell that Alek didn’t hear her return.
“Justin Sheppard.”
The guy paused with one foot in the car, appearing remarkably unfazed by the undercurrent surrounding them.
“Take care of her.” Alek’s voice was as even as he could make it. “She’s precious in a way you couldn’t possibly understand.”
Finally, a reaction came when the muscle in Sheppard’s jaw jumped. “I easily understand that, Tarasov. She’ll be fine. Goodnight, gentlemen.” He disappeared into the car, and the tinted windows shut out prying eyes as they drove away.
Alek let out a slow breath that burned. “This all could have been so civilized had she not done that. I could have pretended they were friends and we could have moved on from there.” He watched the car until it was no longer distinguishable from the others on the street. “Now, I want to see him hanging on your wall.”
“Innocent men don’t belong on Maksim’s wall,” Vasily pointed out as they moved deeper into the shadows and away from a passing group of teenagers.
Disregarding his uncle’s sane view on who belonged in the basement of Maks’s gentlemen’s club where the organization’s enemies sometimes ended up, Alek asked Maks, “What did you find?”
“A lot of info. Right down to the parking space the guy frequently uses at the goddamn courthouse on Centre Street. He’s a criminal defense attorney.”
Ah, fuck.
TWO
I will not allow her to get away from me again.
Oh, God. She was going to be sick.
Why would you provoke me in such a way, Sacha?
Bile filled her throat, but she swallowed it down. There was no time to panic. She had to calm down and remember her plan.
A tap on her wrist made her jump. Her elbow hit the door, and her heart nearly burst when a cab laid on the horn as it drove past them going in the opposite direction.
“Hey.” Justin’s voice was gentle with concern when he saw her reacting as if ghosts were surrounding her. “What’s going on? Come on, Sarah. Take a slow breath before you pass out on me.” He stopped at a red light a few blocks from the restaurant they should never have gone to.
She tried but it the air got stuck in her throat as she pulled her phone out of her purse.
“It helps if you distract yourself. Think about, I don’t know, Lekzi’s new fangs. That should help.”
It didn’t. Thinking of the two little white teeth now protruding from her daughter’s gums made her want to cry.
“They are not fangs,” she defended, just as she had when she’d proudly showed Justin Lekzi’s new smile.
“I know. So, before I layer a thousand questions on you, why don’t you tell me what the hell that was about.”
After trying twice to get her best friend and landlord’s number right, Sacha winced when the ringing pierced her ear as loud as a police siren. “Let me talk to Angela first then I will explain.”
“Hello?” Angela sounded drowsy, as if she’d been dozing. She was babysitting for Sacha tonight when it was normally the other way around since Angela’s son was one of Sacha’s charges in the small daycare she ran out of her apartment.
“He is coming,” Sacha squeezed through her tight throat, never having believed she would utter those words. “Please, do as we discussed and take Lekzi upstairs. Do not come down until I come to your door. Hurry!” In her head, she was ticking off the items in the bag she kept in Angela’s apartment; passports, money belts, train schedule, clothes…
Oh, God. How was she going to do this? She didn’t want to do this.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Justin was looking at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Who’s coming?”
“Oh, shit,” Angela breathed, not sounding so relaxed anymore. “Lekzi’s daddy? Are you freaking kidding me? How the hell? What happened, Sarah? Where are you? Where did you see him?”