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Throwing a glance at Roan’s unconscious body, I exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Take him to the warehouse. Ivan is going to deliver the package tomorrow. And then we wait.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Better than trying a second robbery.”
Eduard shook his head and flicked ash off the end of his cigarette. “I don’t know why Viktor let Yuri take the lead on that. Even if itwasYuri’s idea, he’s a fucking idiot. What the fuck is in that safety deposit box that is so important anyway?”
“Viktor said it’s a bunch of emeralds,” I replied with a shrug.
Eduard leveled a skeptical look at me. “Seems like a lot of trouble for some emeralds.”
I agreed but I didn’t say it out loud. I wasn’t in a position to question what Viktor wanted, at least publicly. Privately, I thought he’d lost his goddamn mind. Emeralds were technically worth more than diamonds, but as with any stolen item, if you didn’t have a buyer, then it didn’t matter what the value was. I didn’t know what he was playing at, and I didn’t want to know. All I wanted was to get the fucking things and move on with my life while I still could.
“Hey, are you two hungry?” Gregor yelled from the front seat. “I can stop somewhere real quick.”
I exchanged a look with Eduard before I rolled my eyes skyward. God give me the strength to not fucking snap.
Eduard did it for me. “With a fucking body in the back?” He reached between the seats and smacked Gregor’s head. “You fucking moron!”
“He’s not even awake!” Gregor bit back in his defense. “It’s not like they’d even know.”
“Just drive,” I said with a sigh, holding my forehead with one hand.
“Yes, boss.”
* * *
Gregor drovestraight into the warehouse, which made carting Roan to the cell that much easier. Thankfully he was still out when I grabbed his arm and slung him over my shoulder like a fireman, winding my arm through his legs and holding onto his thigh. He smelled like some sort of cologne, citrusy and aquatic all at once. It reminded me of summer in the Mediterranean. For a moment, I wondered where he’d be come summertime — if he’d even still be alive.
Ducking through the door of his cell, I slid him off of my shoulder, pretty much dropping him onto the floor. I aimed for the blanket that was in there, but there was only so much I could do to cushion the impact.
The sight of him laying there, looking like a broken doll, gave me a moment’s pause. It was strange seeing Roan so still. Every other time I’d had him in my sights, he was moving. Constantly moving. Even when he was on the couch, there was some part of him that twitched or tapped. He was like a hummingbird, like the music he played was constantly at work inside his brain and his body couldn’t help itself. Except now, the only movement came from the rise and fall of his chest.
After waiting for more than a minute, I yelled for Ivan.
He scurried around the corner, eyes wide. “Yeah, boss?”
I gestured to Roan impatiently. Why did I have to spell everything out? What was the point of a plan if I had to hold everyone’s fucking hand along the way?
“What? Oh! Oh. Yeah, got it, boss.” Ivan darted into the cell and pulled his phone out, snapping a couple pictures of our hostage. “You want me to go now?”
“No, I want you to go tomorrow, like I told you.”
“Oh, ok. What do you want me to do now?”
My gaze fell to Roan, considering him for a moment. Ivan was young and dumb, but Roan would be fine. The drugs I gave him would keep him unconscious for a while and as long as he was asleep, he wasn’t in any danger.
“Watch him,” I replied. “I’m going to sleep for a few hours.” I stepped out of the cell and headed for the office, slipping my phone out and dialing Viktor’s number. “It’s done,” I said when he picked up.
“Problems?”
“No.”
“Then move to the next step.”
I didn’t acknowledge the command. I simply hung up and eased myself onto the couch, covering my eyes with my forearm. Hopefully I could get a few decent hours of sleep now that something had finally gone right.
7
