“And she ended up in the desert like all the rest,” Greg finished for him. It was an easy way to get rid of a body without tying it back to you. In the desert, any number of creatures could feast on the body, or chances were they’d never turn up.
“Thanks for telling me, Kenny.”
The kid bobbed his head up and down, still staring down at his feet.
“Did you recognize the men that gave her the bag?”
Kenny glanced up at Fernando as if seeking his permission to speak. Fernando nodded to him. “Ivan and Nikolay.”
“Can you describe them?”
Kenny rattled off some nondescript info. The basic six foot, short hair, brown eyes. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. But he had a place and names to start with. It was more than he’d had for the past few weeks.
Fernando gave him the address. “Thanks, Fernando.” Greg held his hand out for Fernando to shake.
“Don’t mention it.” Fernando shook his hand. “I mean it. Don’t mention I said anything.”
“I would never snitch on my informant.” As if. He would never stay informed if he did that.
“Good luck, amigo. You’re going to need it.”
Chapter 2
Zoe sat on the bench in the VIP section that overlooked Club Domenico while taking a slow pull from her longneck. Bodies heaved and intertwined to the heart-pulsing music below her. The bass thrummed against her skin with every beat, the music ringing in her ears. It was one of several clubs that her boss, Maxim Sokolov, owned. She didn’t care much for the club scene, but her boss liked to come here and conduct business. As head of his operations, Maxim always liked to keep her nearby—so where he went, she went.
Even if she couldn’t hear for several days after visiting these places.
Maxim was old enough to be her grandfather. He had thick white and gray hair combed back from his forehead. His beard was trimmed, and he wore a well-tailored suit that cost more than most people made in a month. He was still fit for a man of his years. Zoe didn’t let his age fool her; he was mean and ruthless. Almost as much as his son who stood next to him, Leonid who liked to go by the name Leo.
Leo was a year or two older than her thirty-three. He had thick black hair that was slicked back to his collar. A permanent five o’clock shadow on his face. All the women vied for his attention. Zoe didn’t know if it was for his looks or the fact he was the son of a wealthy business owner.
Maxim and Leo had their heads bent down toward one another off to the side of the VIP section. They were in a private meeting, their personal guards standing close by looking out to the crowd, making sure no one approached. The conversation looked heated, but she couldn’t hear anything over the music. What she wouldn’t pay to be a fly on the wall to hear their conversation.
Zoe was included in business meetings, but when it came to family affairs, she was kept in the dark. She knew Leo had aspirations to branch out on his own and make a name for himself, but his father wanted to keep a tight leash on him.
“What are you doing?” a male voice boomed next to her, startling her, then she groaned when a meaty hand ruffled her hair.
“Knock it off, Tree.” She swatted at his hand and then tried to fix her hair. Not like it needed much help. She kept it short on purpose to keep the maintenance low. It was only an inch long at the back, with the rest of her hair from the crown up brushed forward and to the side of her face near her eyes.
“So sensitive, Silver,” Tree teased, referring to the strip of silver in her hair. It was a stupid nickname she couldn’t get him to stop using. He knew it annoyed her, so he did it. Like she called him Tree instead of his real name, Aleksei.
The bastard was huge like a tree, being almost seven feet tall. Most of the guys in Maxim’s employ were around six feet. Aleksei towered over all of them, making him always easy to spot. He was also the nicest guy in the world.
Which should be an oxymoron considering he worked for a mafia boss. His older brother Boris was one of Maxim’s personal guards. He’d gotten Aleksei in, probably so he could toughen Aleksei up. Or keep a close eye on him.
Only Aleksei wasn’t a killer like most of these guys, so he was stuck with menial work like driving or running errands. Aleksei didn’t seem to mind. For the most part, he got along with everyone. Probably because they knew Boris would kill them if they were mean to his little brother.
“Don’t you have someone else to bug? Anyone?” She nudged him when he took a seat next to her. She really did love Aleksei, but right now she wanted to be alone.
“But you’re my favorite person to bug.” Aleksei nudged her back with his shoulder, almost sending her sprawling to the ground. The bastard didn’t know his own strength sometimes. Aleksei treated her like an older sister and she in turn treated him like a little brother. Aleksei was only twenty-four and still had a lot of growing up to do. She only wished it wasn’t here that he was learning to.
“More than Boris, I’m touched.” Zoe’s eyes strayed back to Maxim and noted Boris glaring at them.
He’d never outright told her to stay away from his brother, but it was evident he didn’t like them hanging out. Well, tough for him. Aleksei was a good kid, and she enjoyed his company. She suspected Boris thought they had a fling going on, and he didn’t approve. Boris had nothing to worry about in that department. Aleksei wasn’t interested in her, or women for that matter. A secret only she knew about. Aleksei feared his brother’s reaction if he knew that he preferred the company of men.
“Don’t worry about him. He’s got enough on his plate right now,” Aleksei said, looking over at his brother. Boris noticed them both looking at him, his eyes darting back and forth as if trying to figure out why they were staring at him.
That piqued her interest. “What do you mean?” she asked as casually as possible, looking back toward the dance floor below. The last thing she wanted to do was draw Boris’s interest in her.
