“Fine.” I am just too tired to deal with this. At least I had a nice meal with Ella earlier when I gave her the disc that she promised to decipher. Right now, I’m unsure I want to help Alexei avoid another stint in prison. I’m starting to think he deserves it.
Garik and I ride down the elevator to the street level, where he escorts me outside to a waiting black town car. A Mercedes. I look at him and then back at the vehicle. He shrugs. “Alexei went shopping after his funds were released.”
“Apparently so.” Garik opens the door for me, and I slip inside and sit on the buttery soft seat. I have to admit the new car smell is relaxing. Garik slides into the driver’s seat and maneuvers the luxury vehicle through town, taking me to my pretty pink house. He’s out of and around the car in a heartbeat to open my door to help me out.
“Thank you,” I say.
He straightens, his gaze scanning the surrounding area. “No problem. I’ll be here all night unless Alexei gets back.”
“He’s going to be gone all night?”
Garik shrugs, no expression on his hard face. “I don’t know. But if he is gone, I’m here. If you need anything, call me.”
I glare. “I don’t need anything.” I don’t like the mystery, and I don’t like caring where Alexei is. That just angers me. I’m not in the mood to deal with any of my boarders, and they surely had dinner without me, so I climb my private stairway up to my suite, open the door, and shut it before flicking on the light. I gasp.
Shoe boxes are perched everywhere around the small seating area.
I look around wildly. Nobody’s here. I walk forward and tip open the top of a pair of Louboutins. They’re kitten heels—so cute like the ones I lost, except much nicer. Trying not to smile, I toss open a couple other boxes. All sorts of kitten heels in every color from every designer soon fill the room. I don’t want to be delighted, but I am.
Laughing, I try on a pair. They fit perfectly. The shoe boxes lead into my bedroom, where there are more shoe boxes. These are more shoes than anybody could ever want.
I open the top of a feminine flowery pair made out of hand-sewn crystals and sigh. They’re absolutely beautiful. Maybe I’ve been wrong about Alexei. This is a sweet gift. Perhaps he is the right man to handle the mob. Plus, he did sketch my face. That’s romantic, I’m pretty sure.
Although, I do wonder what business is keeping him out all night.
TWENTY-THREE
Alexei
I’ve brought Miguel Cruz down to the basement of his one-bedroom tenement on the outskirts of San Jose. Oddly enough, the place is already soundproof with plenty of cement blocks set against the walls. Blood sprays show on many of the blocks as well as on the dirt floor.
“You’re not going to get away with this.” He spits blood out of his mouth.
“I actually am.” I sound as bored as I feel. He’s tied to a chair, and I’ve cut ribbons of his skin, but I have to admit, he hasn’t broken as quickly as I would’ve thought. I stab him again, casually in the shoulder, and his jaw clenches.
He has to be around thirty with several tattoos across his face and neck. Some of it’s pretty decent ink. Some of it looks like he did it himself. I’ve cut off part of his right ear, and so I stick to the left side so he can hear me. “I could keep playing all night,” I say casually, twirling the knife in my hand. The blade has always been my favorite device, and apparently I haven’t lost any of my skill with it. I’ve removed his shirt, and his jeans are in tatters. His knees are bloody.
“What do you want, man?” he asks. It’s been a couple of hours, and that’s the first question he has asked. Good. We’re getting somewhere finally.
“I want to know why Reyes wants you dead.” I cross in front of his vision.
His gaze remains on the bloody knife. “I don’t believe you. Urbano Reyes does not want me dead.”
I crouch so I’m meeting his eyes. One’s filled with blood. “I have a kill list, Miguel. You’re the second name on it. You will tell me. You might as well make it quick.” I have no sympathy for him because I know his type. I’m certain plenty of the blood on the walls was spilled by him.
He swallows. “I don’t believe you.” His eyes widen and more blood drips out of the right one. “Did you kill Paco?”
I smile, and he shrinks back. “Yeah, I did.” His mouth gapes open, and he’s missing several teeth. I’ve only taken out two so far. I don’t know how he lost the others.
He shakes his head wildly, and blood sprays. “Why would you kill Paco?”
“He was number one on the list.”
Miguel’s chest sinks and his shoulders slump. There we go. We’re almost there. His breath wheezes out. “How did he find out?”
“He’s Urbano Reyes,” I say. “He’s the head of your organization.”
“He didn’t tell you why?” Miguel asks.
