He produces his wallet, takes a few bills out of it and stuffs them in Pierce’s pocket. “Make sure that you do.”
I’d like to say we took a dignified stroll to the elevator, but instead we run across the lobby, arriving just as the doors opens
Two guys and a couple start to step inside, but Eight pushes them out of the way. “Take the next car,” he growls.
“Get lost!” one of the young men protests.
Eight punches him the face. “I said take the next fucking car.”
“You can’t do that, man!” his friend growls as the couple walk slowly backwards.
“He just did, man,” I sneer as the elevator doors close. I’m perversely ridiculously proud of my guy.
When we arrive at the penthouse, Eight says, “Okay, here’s the plan.”
I ignore him and start pounding on the door. “Kozlov, open up! You got our kids, I want them back!”
A few seconds later, one of Kozlov’s men throws open the door, his gun pointing at me. “You fuckin’ better?—”
I punch him in the face. He reels back and hits the floor.
“What the fuck!” Eight says.
“Oh sure, you can do it but I can’t.”
“He had a gun!”
“The safety was on.”
The goon starts to get up, but I give him a hard kick in the gut. “Stay down, bastard, or I’ll have my goon here make you regret you have legs.”
“I’m not your goon,” Eight hisses as he follows me into the main area.
“I thought we decided back at your house that you were officially my goon.”
Kozlov’s voice interrupts our bickering. “It’s hard for a Russian to get a good night’s sleep around here. What are you doing assaulting my man?” He stares at the asshole I hit laying on his back, hands clutching his stomach as he groans. “I’m running out of goons.”
Eight shoves me behind him. “Where’s our kids?”
Kozlov looks blank. “You mean Henri and Oscar? The kids who broke into my suite?”
I suck in a breath and try to step out in front of Eight, but he blocks me.
“You fuckin’ harmed a hair on their heads,” he snarls, “you’ll go to war with Hell’s Jury.”
Kozlov smiles smugly. “I’m not interested in hurting children.” He scrunches his brow. “But those two. I might make an exception.”
“You sonofabitch,” I say as I struggle out of Eight’s grip and lunge. Eight grabs me around the waist, holding me back.
“I didn’t of course.” He meets my gaze. “They said they were looking for you. I told them you weren’t here and sent them on their way.”
“You what?” I gasp. “You just let them leave? In the middle of the night? In Reno.”
He shrugs. “I’m not familiar with how kids should be looked after. Since they arrived here in the middle of the night, I thought they were allowed to be out on their own in the middle of the night.”
“Don’t you fuckin’ play games, Kozlov,” Eight snarls.
Kozlov throws his hands out in front of him like he’s surrendering. “They were on a mission. I don’t think I could have stopped them.”
