AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“With all due respect, Mr. Gaheris, that was almost a decade ago. Structures change.”
I hate being challenged, but he’s right, and I hate that even more. Gritting my teeth, I take the damn folder. “Got it.”
“Speaking of Chernov’s business,” he says, drawing the words out with a wince. “Mr. Calthorpe thought you should know that Ava is employed there.”
Sounds of cardboard and paper crumpling cuts through the silence, and I glance down to see the folder mangled in my fist. Quickly releasing it, I tuck what’s left of it under my arm. “She’s managing Seven?”
“Not exactly.”
“You’re kidding me.” I throw back my head and laugh, although I’m not sure if it’s from amusement or some sick twist of fate. “The Pakhan Princess is a stripper in her father’s club?”
He doesn’t answer me, and to be honest, even if he did, I wouldn’t hear him over the white noise buzzing in my head.
Ava.
The troubled little girl I vowed to protect.
The beautiful young woman I tried to resist.
The Bratva princess I grew to hate.
How the mighty have fallen. It must have been a long way down from that pedestal.
A stripper.
Of course, Ava never did have the stomach for bloodshed. That’s why Daddy did all the dirty work, and she watched everyone’s hands stain with blood while hers stayed pristine. Innocent until the moment they took everything away from me.
X clears his throat again, a habit that’s getting annoying. “Never was a stable one, that girl. Something loose up there.” He taps his forefinger against his temple.
I manage a smirk. “How touching.”
“Two weeks ago, the Feds got an anonymous tip a shipment of weapons smuggled in from Kazakhstan had been delivered to Seven. Turned out to be bogus, but everyone knows Seven offers more than a dance if the price is right. They caught a lot of the girls performing paid illegal acts.” His face reddens in the moonlight, and he jerks on his collar. “Ava Chernova was one of them.”
“Is there a point to this story?”
“They were arrested, and all but Ava were let go within a few hours. It took two days for her to return. Makes you wonder what she told them that had Chernov running so scared he’d risk taking out his own kid.”
Those words catch my attention more than anything he’s said all night. Who knows? Maybe she told the truth eight years too late.
The extended stretch of silence draws a hitch in his breath. “If you need anything else, you have Arthur’s number. Good luck, Mr. Gaheris.”
I fight a smile as he speed walks into the darkness.
“Xavier,” I call out, and he pauses before rounding the shed, his hand slipping under his jacket. Bold move, considering I’d have a bullet between his eyes before he could aim. “When you get to Gator Downs, bet on Backstage Drama. Odds are twelve to one, but I’ve got a hunch.”
Understanding floods his face, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear I could see his heart slamming against his ribcage right through his cheap suit.
I don’t have a hunch, and he knows it.
Like I said, I make it a priority to know everything about everyone around me.
* * *
There’san old Russian proverb that says, Trust, but verify.
Personally, I think if you add the words never and always to that phrase, you live longer.
That’s why I’m weaving in and out of traffic with barely a breath separating risk and suicide. After dealing with Lancaster and Calthorpe, I’m on edge and filled with chaotic energy. An insatiable hunger that can only be satiated with blood or flesh. Since I can’t supply the first option tonight, flesh will have to do.
