Page 38 of Nightfire

Harry spoke to Sam quietly. “Sam, Mike and I have something to discuss. Get the van started and we’ll be there in five.”

Harry’s face was naturally grave and right now he looked as if his best friend and his dog had died. Sam looked at him, at Mike, and nodded.

Harry waited until Sam was out of earshot then turned to Mike, placing a big hand on Mike’s shoulder.

“Congratulations. I’m glad this got cleared up.” His face was absolutely expressionless. The words were good but his face was closed to Mike.

Wary, Mike answered. “Yeah, me too. I have Chloe to thank for it. I never would have thought of canvassing the security cameras along my run.” It was true. And he had no real memory of what route he’d taken. If Chloe’s friend hadn’t had the right software, he’d still be in PD headquarters, maybe in jail.

“Yes, you do. She’s a good woman. She was the best little girl you could imagine. Loving and sweet and gentle.” He fixed Mike with a hard glare. “Chloe’s been through hell and back, Mike. I saw the way you were looking at her and I know what you’re like with women. I’m sorry to say this but I have to. Go fuck someone else, somewhere else. I don’t want you near my little sister. She deserves better than you. I want you to give me your word you won’t touch her. Because if you do, I’ll beat the crap out of you. Or try. You might even win, but she’d be even more disgusted with you than she already is.”

Yeah. Mike would possibly win because he fought dirty, always. He’d win the battle and lose the war.

He didn’t want to fight Harry. He understood exactly where Harry was coming from. If their roles were reversed, Mike would do the exact same thing. He’d want to protect his little sister from someone like Mike, who’d spent more than half his life fucking anything that would hold still long enough.

There wasn’t anything Mike could do except take it. Because, fuck it, Harry was right.

He was bad news for Chloe. The worst.

Harry’s hand dug into his shoulder. Harry had big strong hands, but Mike’s shoulder muscles were like steel. Still, he welcomed the tiny bite of pain Harry was causing.

Harry’s jaw muscles jumped. “I love you, Mike. You know that. But there’s—there’s just something broken in you, something off, and I don’t want that touching Chloe.” Harry shook him. “Do I make myself clear? Chloe is off limits to you. I can’t ask you to stay away from her because we all see too much of each other, but I can ask you not to come on to her. You’re bad news for women, Mike, and you’re bad news for Chloe. Do her a favor and leave her alone.”

Every muscle Mike had was clenched. Harry shook him harder. “Did you hear me? Talk, damn you.”

“Yes.” Mike said the one syllable word as if coughing up a stone lodged in his throat and stopped. He couldn’t say another word.

“Yes, what?”

Mike forced himself to relax a little, to allow some air into his lungs. Everything in him burned and hurt. “Yes, I won’t touch Chloe.”

Harry’s hand bit deeper. “Do I have your word?”

Harry knew what he was asking. Mike might fuck around but he never broke his word.

Mike drew in a deep breath and it felt like knives were carving his chest open from the inside. “I promise. You have my word. I won’t touch Chloe.”

NINE

Six months later

On board the Svetlana

Twenty kilometers south of Petropavlosk

Kamchatka Peninsula

Russian Federation

They came from all over the country, mainly from small towns. Two girls had been culled from the Pololsk Orphanage just outside the ring road of Moscow and one came from Ekaterinburg, but the rest came from small orphanages in small towns, cash-strapped, isolated. The kind of place where for a ridiculously small sum of cash, the recruiters could take their time, choose carefully.

It was important that the girls be utterly and completely alone in the world. There could be no vodka-soaked father, or poor aunt or some jobless cousin out there somewhere who’d had to park the girl in the orphanage until times improved. The father might dry up, the aunt land on better times, the cousin find a job and then they’d come back to the orphanage only to find the girl gone.

And start asking questions.

That wouldn’t do. Everything had to run smoothly and seamlessly without any hanging threads.

These girls were completely alone. No one would come looking for them. Ever.