“Oh, but you will.”
I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket and pulled out a black wallet. His brows shot up the instant realization hit. Flipping it open, I was greeted with a picture of his family: three kids and a young wife who was wearing entirely too much makeup.
“Would be a damn shame if—”
“Don’t you dare. You wouldn’t.”
I grinned, double row of teeth on show. “I guess the question is, whose life is more important to you?”
He cursed under his breath, but leaned in with the information nonetheless. As the man reached to retrieve the wallet, I snatched it away from his grasp. “You’ve been very helpful, Vladimir, but I think I’ll hold on to this a little longer until you’ve proved yourself an honest man.”
He gritted his teeth together. “No! I gave you what you asked for.”
“And you have my word that no harm will come to you or your family if your information pans out.”
His nostrils flared, but he knew he had no choice. Comply or die. What he didn’t know was that I didn’t leave loose ends.
“Derek.” Eva’s sultry voice cut through my thoughts.
“We’re done here. He was just leaving. Isn’t that right?”
Vladimir’s eyes fell on his wallet as I tucked it back into my breast pocket. He grumbled under his breath and took off, disappearing into the crowd.
“Is he gone for good?”
“He is.” My gaze lifted to Carmen, who was now sitting on a wooden stool and dabbing at her eyes.
“He’s part of Belov’s crew, isn’t he? She told me he wanted information on Rayne. Threatened her for it. I told her to press charges and pack up and leave, but of course, she’s refusing. I’m going to try to get a unit to keep an eye on her block.”
Once Eva helped Carmen calm down, we exited the market. When we reached the parking lot, I leaned against my car, arms folded over my chest. Her gaze met mine, and she offered a warm smile and settled next to me.
“Thank you… for what you did back there. I wouldn’t want you to get into an altercation because of me. But…”
“What?” I raised my brow, waiting for the lecture I knew was coming.
“You can’t just go around assaulting people or making threats, especially in front of me. It puts me in a tight spot.”
“I can’t make those types of promises, but I’ll try my best. I already told you, I won’t stand by and let anyone disrespect you.”
The sexy way she bit her lip did things to me. I shifted, and she followed, standing just inches in front of me.
“Do you do that for everyone?”
“No.”
She inched closer. “I’m no damsel, Derek.”
I pulled her in by the collar of her jacket, our bodies pressed together, while my cock reacted to her proximity.
“I know you can take care of yourself.”
“I can.”
“Of course, you can.” I chuckled, rubbing a gentle thumb over the edge of her healing lip, causing her eyes to flutter. “Where to next?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I thought of heading into the precinct and reviewing Rayne’s file some more. Make sure there isn’t anything I’m missing. I also want to compare mug shots, and see if that man is in our system. Did you happen to get his name?”
“No,” I lied. Again. “But I can still help.” I hated the slight tinge of desperation lacing my tone. Maybe getting far from her at the moment was necessary.
