"How much?"
"Five thousand for the tip. More if you keep her here until we arrive."
"Deal."
I wait for the bell over the door to announce their exit, then slip back into the alley, undetected. Watching from the shadows, I count to thirty before following the men. The rain's gotten heavier, offering perfect cover. They head east toward the docks, moving fast through the downpour.
Two blocks away, there's an alley. Narrow and dark, it’s a place bodies could turn up without witnesses. I know it well.
I cut through a side street I know they'll pass and position myself at the alley mouth, waiting.
The two fools appear, hunched against the rain, talking in Russian about the girl they're hunting. About what Dmitri plans to do with her once she's found. The details make rage bloom hot and violent in my chest.
I step out behind them. "Looking for someone?"
They spin. Mikhail reaches for his gun, but I'm faster. One shot to his knee, and he's down, screaming, falling into a puddle that's already pink with his blood.
Alexei freezes, hands up. "Petrov. Boss, we weren't?—"
"Shut up." I train the gun on Mikhail, who's writhing in agony. "What is she worth to Dmitri?"
"I don't know, man, I just?—"
I press the gun to his forehead. "Wrong answer. Try again."
"Please, I'm just a soldier?—"
"Then tell me what you know."
Mikhail's breathing is ragged. Rain dilutes the blood spreading around his knee. "The girl—the waitress—his Moscow connections want her. I don't know why. Dmitri said to find her and bring her in. He's got buyers interested."
"Buyers." The word tastes like ash. "She's a person, not merchandise."
"I know, man, I know. But Dmitri's got a thing about it. He wants her specifically."
"The lie she told. He thinks she's with me."
" Yeah, exactly. Boss thinks you're keeping her. Thinks you've?—"
“I already knew that.”
I shoot him in the shoulder before he can finish. The sound is loud even with the rain, but no one's around to hear. Mikhail screams again, clutching the fresh wound.
"That's for calling her nobody." I crouch, gun still trained on him. "Now listen carefully, because I'm only saying this once. Crawl back to Dmitri. Tell him Lila is under Petrov’s protection. Tell him if he or anyone working for him touches her, looks at her, or even thinks about her, I will burn his entire empire to the ground. Every warehouse. Every operation. Every man who's ever taken his money. I'll leave him with nothing but rubble and corpses."
"He won't care, man." Mikhail's face is pale, shock setting in. "He wants to expand. And he's got the other families backing him?—"
I put the gun to his good knee. "I'm going to count to three. If you're still here, I'll make sure you never walk again. One."
He begins crawling, leaving a trail of blood. Alexei helps him up, and they stumble away into the storm.
I stand still watching them disappear. Water soaks through my clothes, the gun still warm in my hand.
The other families are talking. Of course they are.They’re always fucking talking.
I head back to the diner through back alleys, avoiding cameras. Mick is wiping down the counter when I walk in the front door, bell chiming.
He looks up, and the color drains from his face. "Hey. What can I?—"
