I watch as she lets out a soft moan and rolls onto her side, grabbing the blanket I’d given her from my bed and bringing it up to cover her body so she’s cocooned in it. If she wakes up and sees me standing over her bed, she’s not going to take it well. I know this, but I don’t move. I keep watching her until the sky starts to lighten. Leaning closer, I run my fingers over the ends of her hair. Knowing I need to get my ass out of here before I do something really crazy like crawl in bed with her, I slip out and go to finally take that shower I so desperately need. I’m going to need to watch myself around her. Maddie’s woken something up inside me, and I’m determined to put it back to sleep.
Giving up on getting any rest, I grab a bagel and start sending out texts. I smile when I think about how much Ilya is going to love getting a text at seven in the morning, telling him to go buy me a vehicle. I send out another one to Pavel, asking him to dig up as much information about Maddie and her mom as he can, and finally, I send one to Vasily, letting him know I’m ready when he is.
I’ll be there soon. Just finished breakfast,he quickly responds, and then sends me a picture of Dmitri. His son is giving the camera a big smile, and his face is coated in god knows what. He looks cute as hell, though. I’m not a natural around kids, but even I can admit the little guy is cute.
Letting the dogs out, I spend a few minutes throwing tennis balls for them, and when Vasily drives up, I get in the car with him so he can drive us to the cabin. The ocean beats against the coastline, but soon we’re too far into the woods for me to see it.
“So how was your first night together?” he asks. His amused tone is painfully obvious.
“I spent most of it out grabbing Kaylee,” I remind him.
“Oleg said you also went and picked up a bunch of stuff from Scott’s.” He gives a soft laugh. “That was awfully sweet of you.”
“I should warn you that I didn’t get any sleep last night, and I’m already grumpy.”
He laughs and pulls up in front of the small cabin. It’s not huge, just a one-bedroom, one-bathroom log cabin, but it’s brand-new and the perfect place to hide a woman in.
“I have a feeling I’m not going to like Kaylee,” I tell him.
“Just try not to stab her. She could prove useful.”
“No promises,” I mutter, walking in the front door.
“Let me fucking go, asshole!”
I groan at the scene before me. Oleg is sitting on the couch, looking both annoyed and bored, and Kaylee is pacing the floor, her hands still bound but her mouth free of the tape. She’s clearly pissed off and wanting everyone to know it.
“Thank god,” Oleg groans when he sees us. “I was afraid she was going to throw up last night with the tape on, so I took it off, and I’ve never regretted a decision so much in my whole life.”
“Who the fuck are you?” Kaylee yells at us. “My boyfriend’s going to kick your asses!”
I laugh, which really pisses her off. “Who? Preston? Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be breaking down the door in his starched chinos any second now.”
“Asshole,” she mutters, and I lose my patience.
Pointing a finger at her, I say, “Sit your ass down, Kaylee.”
She listens, but she makes it clear she doesn’t want to. I feel bad for Maddie having had to work for such a high-maintenance ass. Her eyes run over us, and she may not be pissing herself in fear, but that’s just because she’s the type of woman who never thinks anything bad can happen to her. She sees everyone as inferior, and therefore not a threat. I’ve met a lot of people like her. They’re always so surprised when I make my first cut.
“Tell us about your brother,” I say, sitting down in the chair opposite her.
She lets out a harsh laugh. “That’s what this is about? You’re wasting your time. He doesn’t tell me shit about what he does.”
“Well, I hope you have something useful for us,” I say, leaning closer and meeting her eyes. “Otherwise, what’s the point in keeping you alive?”
For the first time since meeting her, I see a spark of fear start to take hold. Her eyes dart to my brother, who so far has remained silent. We’re both in jeans and T-shirts today, and I’m guessing that she mistakenly thinks that makes us low-level criminals. She equates us with her brother’s crew, and she couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I can give the names of his friends,” she quickly says, eager to rat out anyone if it’ll save her ass.
“Go on,” I tell her.
“Darin and Seth are the ones he’s closest to.”
I cut her off and ask, “Seth with the lip ring?” When she nods, I laugh. “Yeah, you can mark him off your list. Who else?”
She names off a couple more names that we’re already aware of, and I start to grow impatient. “Who does he buy his pills from?”
“I don’t know. I told you he doesn’t talk to me about that stuff.”
