“It should have been me keeping her safe,” Mike growled. “Ishould have been here to protect her.” Even from the side, Jake could see the guilt in his friend’s eyes.
“Kind of hard to do from the grave.” Jake put his hand on the guy’s shoulder. “I won’t stop watching over her, Mike. Not ever.”
He briefly considered telling Mike about his relationship with Liv, but decided not to, for fear his friend would return to his job distracted. Mike needed to keep a clear head.
Jake guessed it was why his friend had felt the need to see Olivia with his own eyes. Now that he had, Mike could focus on what needed to be done without personal shit getting in the way and putting him at risk.
Giving Jake an earnest nod, Mike looked at his watch. “Speaking of the little hellion, we should probably head back. I’m sure we have time before she gets home, but better not chance it.
The two men remounted and headed back toward the ranch. There was no racing this time. Their movements were slow and steady as they made their way back to the barn.
After a few quiet moments, Mike said, “So, don’t bullshit me, Jake. How is she? Really.”
Jake smiled, “She’s good. No bullshit. Stubborn as ever, but she’s good.”
He opted to not share with Mike what had happened at the hospital. The guy was shouldering enough guilt already. He wasn’t going to add to it unnecessarily.
The corners of Mike’s mouth turned up in a sad smile. “Good. I’m glad.” He was quiet for a time and then, “I’ve missed out on so much with her.”
Jake waited a beat and then asked, “Was it worth it?”
Mike drew a deep breath in then let it out slowly. “If you’d asked me eight years ago, I’d have said yes. Hell, if you’d asked me two years ago, I probably would have said yes. These guys are bad news, Jake. I’ve been able to help put away some of the worst people out there. It’s not just about selling illegal weapons and trading government information anymore. It’s all about skin trade with these freaks. Fucking sick shit, man.”
Jake understood his friend’s anger all too well.
“The guy I’m in with now, Alexandar Volkov, is seriously bad news. And his sons are no better. Ivan, the oldest, is even worse than his old man. Total piece of shit. Uses his strip clubs as a way for his buyers to get a look atmerchandisebefore spending their hard-earned money.” Mike’s words were laced with sarcasm. “Those women have no idea, either. They think they’re just there to dance and maybe give a few private shows behind the curtains. Some are barely legal.”
Continuing on, Mike’s anger became more noticeable. “One night, they’re on stage, the next they’ve suddenly ‘quit’ their jobs and moved on. Ivan is as good as his dad at making sure the stink from his shit doesn’t touch him. He can’t wait for the day Alexandar kicks the bucket so he can take over the family business. Mikhail, the youngest son, wants out, but he knows going against his father and brother would be suicide.”
Mike took a breath and shook his head. “I’ve been working that angle for a while, and I’m finally close to breaking him. I canfeelit. If I could just turn him, then good ol’ dad and Ivan, along with the rest of the Russian bastards, will go down for good. But Mikhail’s been too scared to give us anything concrete that we can use in court. Shitty thing is, I can’t blame the poor sonofabitch.”
Jake wasn’t surprised that Mike was sharing such detailed information. Jake had the same clearance level as Mike, so Mike wouldn’t be in trouble for reading him in.
“Couldn’t you testify on what you’ve seen? From what you’ve just said, I would think you’d have enough to put them all away by now.”
“I’ve got Mikhail dead to rights, which is why I’ve been leaning hardest on him. Ivan...maybe, but not Alexandar. I’m tellin’ ya, the guy’s damn near untouchable. I could get the smaller fish, which would definitely hurt their empire, but my bosses want them all.”
Mike ran a frustrated hand over his jaw. “And Alexandar Volkov isn’t stupid. He’s covered his tracks over the years and made sure nothing could be tied directly back to him. Well, almost nothing. We’re so close, but I need Mikhail’s help. I convince him, and we’ll take Volkov down once and for all. Once the top falls, the rest will be scrambling to make deals. Problem is, even if I do get Mikhail to agree to everything, there’s no guarantee that when the time comes he’ll actually have the guts to take the stand.”
Mike paused, lost in thought for a moment. “So to answer your original question, in the beginning, I was sure it was worth it.”
“And now?” Jake asked, sensing his friend was struggling.
Mike looked over their surroundings and shook his head. “Now...” He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. “Now, I don’t know, man. Everything we’ve done has made a real difference to a hell of a lot of people. But you only get one shot at this, you know?” Mike was still looking out at the wide-open space longingly, and Jake knew his friend was talking about life.
“You could quit,” Jake only half-teased. “Do some real work for a change.”
Mike chuckled but, then, got serious fast. “I’ve been thinking about it. A lot, actually.”
Jake swung his head to the side, surprised. “Seriously?”
Mike turned to him, not a trace of humor in his expression. “This cover has just about reached its end. If I can’t convince Mikhail to help us soon, then they’re going to either get someone else in who can or settle for what they can get with what we have now.” He sighed, his eyes filled with resignation. “Either way, I’m done, Jake.”
Jake recognized the look, and it wasn’t a good one to have when working deep undercover. He’d seen a lot of guys burn out. They’d make a fatal mistake, or say fuck it, and join the other side.
Mike would never trade sides. Jake was as sure of that as he was his love for Olivia. But the guy was right. He clearly needed out of that life. Jake just prayed Mike could make that happen before he did something stupid like getting killed for real.
“So, what are you going to do?” Jake asked his friend. “It’s not like you can just rise from the dead after ten years.”
