“Do you want to tell me what this is about?”
Ash runs a hand over his beard and his expression becomes more serious. I guess now he knows that Quinn isn’t the type to hide under the bed quaking. If she has beenaffected by the life she took, she isn’t letting it cloud her focus.
“Here’s the thing,” Ash begins. “We both know Ilya is the lowest form of scum. You have your reasons for hunting him down, and we have ours. And to be clear, we’re not planning a takedown for our benefit, or the McConkeys. Our only vested interest, for want of a better phrase, is the fuckwit my mother spawned.”
“Is that any way to talk about Mace?” Quinn says. She clears her throat. “Sorry, go on.”
Mace and I share a look. He’s trying to look offended, but if there’s one way to earn Mace’s respect, it’s by insulting him.
“Barrett seems to be under the illusion that he can simply turn a blind eye to what Ilya plans to use the estate for, and that will keep him safe,” Ash continues. “It won’t. Ilya doesn’t do deals unless they’re heavily weighted in his favor, and he’s not the type to keep promises.”
I shift in my seat. This is a warning for Quinn without Ash telling her explicitly what she should or shouldn’t do. He’s right to assume she wouldn’t take kindly to being lectured.
“You know why I’m going after him?” she asks.
“I told them about Blake,” I confirm.
“Then you’ll understand why I won’t back down, if that’s what you’re about to suggest.”
Ash stares into the middle distance as he reorders his thoughts. “It was an option I hoped you’d consider, but I’m not surprised by your determination to see this through. You got yourself this far.”
“I did.”
“And you saved my brother’s life along the way. We owe you, and if we can help, we will.”
“Good,” Quinn replies. “So, do you want to tell me what your plan of attack is?”
“No. But I am willing to work around you,” Ash says. “If you can agree to work around us.”
“And what does that mean?”
“How about we try a coordinated approach?” he suggests. “The one thing Ilya is good at, is sneaking under the radar.”
“You want me to be your informer?”
“We share information,” Ash corrects.
“Then go ahead,” Quinn says. “Start sharing, Ash.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Our intention is to disrupt Ilya’s operations in Poulton Springs and prevent his uncle’s expansion into Illinois. We’d take down Vasili Barkov’s entire network if we could, but Ilya is only one general in a very big army. And…” He taps his finger on the table as he considers how much to reveal. “The resources at our disposal might have been exaggerated.”
“But you have your mafia backers,” she counters.
Ash doesn’t reply immediately.
John McConkey remains reluctant to involve himself in the battle we’re facing. The infamous Irish mafia boss no longer lives up to the reputation that preceded him. He’s lost his thirst for blood, which I’d seen as a good thing – until I met Quinn and found out about the one-woman war she’s waging.
“We have a fight on our hands,” Ash says at last. “And if you can keep us updated on what’s happening on the ground, we can stop Ilya from using Barrett’s land for his trade in innocent lives. Do you think you could help us?”
“I do want to stop him hurting other women,” Quinn replies carefully. There’s a pause as she takes a moment to think through the offer. “But that’s not my primaryobjective. I’ll only help if you can promise not to kill Ilya until I know what he’s done with my sister.”
Ash glances at me. Such a promise could stay our hand indefinitely. “That’s a tough ask, Quinn. But in truth, Ilya isn’t going to be that easy to kill. He’s heavily protected, and you’d have more chance of slitting his throat than any of us,” he says. “Not that I’d advise it. You’d be captured before you had a chance to drop the knife, and his uncle would personally torture you beyond your worst nightmares.”
I glare at Ash. So much for keeping Quinn calm and collected. Ash simply shrugs. He’s got the measure of Quinn now, and he’s throwing warnings at her at every opportunity.
“Vasili Barkov is back in Russia.”
“Correct,” says Ash. “And you’d be delivered to him on a platter. Believe me, you don’t ever want to be caught doing something you shouldn’t. Which is why I strongly advise against using any kind of tracker. At the moment, there’s no reason for Ilya to suspect your involvement given your open hostility towards Reid.”
