CHAPTER TWELVE
Wednesday, June 7
Hank sat in his office and pored over the information that they’d been collecting on Firtash. Lucky had been summarizing the intel every evening since he and Stazi had been in the house, and Sam was coming in any minute to update him on what the FBI had.
When Lucky had been called to San Francisco last Friday, he’d worried that they were going to lose momentum, but of course, that hadn’t been the case. She would never let that happen, even if it wasn’t her best friend under threat. Whatever Ryder had going on in the San Francisco SAI office was big and Lucky felt her physical presence was needed, so she’d been handling the dissemination of incoming intel remotely.
A knock on his door pulled his attention away from the reports and he looked up to see Jason striding in. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to let you know that I just met with Sam’s informant and she’s a pistol.” He collapsed into a chair and ran his hand over his neck. “Fucking beautiful for sure, but a damn pistol.”
Hank leaned back, studied his partner, and wondered what kind of woman would rile his buddy up. In all the years they’d spent downrange, he’d never seen Jason lose his cool. They could be surrounded by Tangos and Jason would do nothing more than smile. He was a man who loved putting his skill set up against anyone else’s just to prove he could come out victorious. Which usually happened.
So, the fact his friend’s foot was bouncing told him that the woman they were discussing was a lot more than a pistol. Might be interesting to see how Jason handled it. “What’s your plan to make sure the Outfit doesn’t get their hands on her?”
“Right now, she’s agreed to go down to my house in Shelbyville and hang low until we come up with a long-term plan. I’m going to drive her down on Saturday and get her settled and then be back in the office by Monday.”
“How’s she going to do in a small town? There can’t be more than three thousand people in Shelbyville.”
Jason let out a laugh. “Closer to five thousand.”
“She like fishing?”
“Doubt it, but she may decide to try it at the lake.”
“Well, I’d say good luck but it seems you’re going to need a lot more than that.”
“Unfortunately, I may agree with you.” Jason locked his hands behind his head. “Anything else I need to be aware of before you leave for Rome on Friday?”
“No. You’ve been read in on all the active cases and you know all our clients. I’ll be gone for ten days, so hopefully, nothing too crazy will happen while I’m away.”
“You haven’t had any time off since you opened the office. This little vacay is past due. Go relax and romance your girl.”
“That’s the plan. I’m not expecting the Bratva to follow us over, but if they do, I’ll be ready.”
“Wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“I see you boys are putting the world right,” Kaye commented as she bustled into the office.
Hank looked at the woman who ran SAI with an iron fist and gave her a wink. “It’s what we do.”
Kaye set a folder on Hank’s desk and then gave him a disapproving look. “I made all the arrangements for Rome. I hope you know what you’re doing because Anastasia may not like it when she discovers you’ve changed everything.”
“I just want her to be happy,” he replied.
Kaye shook her head as she walked out. “Don’t know if that’s how she’s going to see it.”
Jason lifted an eyebrow. “What did you do?”
“I upgraded our flight and changed our accommodations. We’re staying at a beautiful hotel instead of a pensione that she had booked. I want to treat her to something romantic.”
“Not that I’m an expert at women, but I’d say you have a fifty-fifty chance of totally pissing her off.” Standing, he crossed his arms. “Girls don’t like to be left out of arrangements.”
“Stazi is going to love it,” he replied with more confidence than he actually felt. Maybe he should’ve mentioned his ideas to her before making final arrangements. Oh well, it was done now and he was sure when she saw the hotel they were staying at she would be happy.
Sam walked in as Jason walked out, and Hank motioned to a chair. “Come in and tell me what you’ve got.”
Sam lifted his arm and pulled up the sleeve of his suit. “It’s five-thirty. I thought you were a civilized human being and would offer me a drink.”
Hank stood and let out a laugh. “I’m nothing but civilized.” He walked over to the bar he had set up in the corner and poured them both a scotch. Once Sam had his drink, Hank settled into his chair and crossed his leg over his knee. “Is this why you always suggest we meet in my office?”
Sam took a slug of his drink and grinned. “Absolutely. The government doesn’t believe in stocking alcohol in the Federal Bureau of Investigation office.”
Hank lifted his drink in salute. “Which is another good reason to join the private sector.”
Sam offered a wry smile and kept his mouth shut. “I’ve got some new intel I want you to have before you take off for Italy.”
“Is this guy as bad as we think?” Hank asked.
“Maybe worse. Right now, we’re looking at him for money laundering and bribery. Not to mention his ties to organized crime.”
“Lucky came up with a similar laundry list from…sources that she uncovered.”
Sam looked at Hank over the rim of his glass and smirked. “I’m drinking scotch in your office. This meeting is definitely off the record. I know there are few people in the world who possess the set of skills that Lucky has and I have no illusion that she’s not availing herself of all the information available about Dmitry.”
“Spain wants him for bribery and conspiracy. Apparently, he was very enthusiastic about facilitating a titanium project.”
“Yeah, when it comes down to it, more than one country is going to be fighting for a chance to extradite him. Even the Russians are motivated because of his interest in the multibillion-dollar company he controls that trades the gas between Ukraine and Russia.”
“So, how did my girlfriend catch this guy’s eye?” Hank asked.
Sam threw back his head and let out a laugh. “Are you two Facebook-official already?”
“I have no idea what you just asked, but know that Stazi is mine and I will stop at nothing to make sure she is safe and happy.”
Sam held up his hands and grinned. “Understood. To answer your question, we have no idea. As far as we can tell, it’s Belikov’s men who are following her. Now, does that mean it’s Sergey who’s interested or is it Firtash who asked for it? We haven’t picked up anything on the audio devices that you planted in the house to let us know either way. What we have determined is that we have a third player and his name is Anton Vazov. The images that you were able to capture last week let us know that Firtash is playing not only with the Chicago arm of the Bratva but also the one based in Brussels. Anton runs the show there and is heavily into money laundering and human trafficking.”
“What the fuck?” Hank growled.
We have three major players with very different business interests hanging out and making plans. We don’t know who has the most power and who needs what from whom. Once we get more intel, we can start to unravel this mess and see why any of them are interested in Stazi.”
“Lucky has been digging up everything there is to know on Firtash and said something the other day about how much Stazi resembled Dmitry’s first wife. What if it’s nothing more complicated than him being obsessed with Stazi?”
“It’s never that simple,” Sam replied resolutely.
Hank couldn’t argue a strong case either way, so he kept his mouth shut. Bottom line, they still didn’t have enough to make a move, so he was going to continue to keep Stazi by his side. Or underneath, or on top. Hell yeah, he definitely liked watching her ride him to her peak.
Clearing his throat, he let the picture quickly dissipate. Not appropriate thoughts to be having when Sam was sitting across from his desk.
His phone buzzed and he picked it up. Stazi had texted him that she was done for the day and ready to be picked up whenever he was ready. He stood and gathered his things. “Got to go.”
“That must’ve been Stazi. Nothing else would have you moving that fast.” Sam drained his drink and took his glass over to the bar. “I’ll let you know if anything significant develops.”
“Thanks, man. I’m looking forward to my first holiday in about fourteen years. I never did much when I was on the Teams and I haven’t had a chance since I opened the office, so ten days with Stazi is damn enticing.”
Sam let out a laugh. “If you were going to Arizona in the middle of summer, you would probably say the same thing. I think you’re excited about the company and not the destination.”
Hank shoved his tablet and files into his bag and shrugged. “True. Doesn’t mean that I’m not going to let Rome help me romance my woman. I don’t have much experience in this area, so I need all the help I can get. If I can’t get her to fall for me in Italy, then I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“Have a feeling she’s more than halfway there,” Sam replied as they walked out of the office.
Hank hoped like hell that was true because he was already there.
***
“Just tell me what I did,” Hank said as he pulled out of the parking structure.
Staring out the window, Stazi tried to get her temper under control before she responded. The last thing she wanted to do was get into a fight before they left on their trip, but she didn’t know how to avoid it. He’d totally rearranged the trip she had painstakingly planned over six months ago, and she was pissed. He not only booked new flights but also chose a new hotel. Turning around, she carefully folded her hands in her lap and tried to adopt a reasonable tone. “I received the new itinerary from Kaye before I left today and I was surprised to see that you completely changed everything.”
“The calm tone you’re using is scaring the hell out of me.”
“I’m working really hard not to lose my temper and tell you that you can’t join me.” Smoothing out her skirt, she took several deep breaths. “I was looking forward to going back to the Locanda del Sole. I stayed there when I first went to Rome and I have so many sweet memories.”
“I thought you would like the Hotel de Russie. It’s supposed to be very romantic. I read that Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau stayed there at one time, and they have a secret garden.”
“I’m sure it’s lovely, Hank. But it’s very expensive and it’s going to blow my travel budget for the year. I try to take a couple of trips a year and this is now going to be the only one I can manage.”
His head snapped around and he frowned. “I would never change the arrangements and expect you to pitch in.” Rolling his head, he let out a sigh. “In fact, I never want you to pay for a thing because that’s my job.”
“I can’t accept that, Hank. It wouldn’t be right, and you can’t make unilateral decisions and expect me to go along with them.” Crossing her arms, she looked out the window again.
“Honey, I agree with the unilateral thing, but you have to let me take care of you. Let’s go get something to eat before we go home, and we’ll figure everything out.”
“That’s another thing…why are we living together?”
Hank held up his hand and waited. “Come on, Staz, you have to take my hand if we’re going to argue.”
“Says who?”
“Me.” He raised an eyebrow and waited. “I want you to remember that we are in this thing together before you start yelling at me.”
She placed her hand in his and let out a sigh. “I’m not going to yell.”
“I kind of wish you would. I don’t like it when you’re quiet because it makes me think you want to get away from me.”
“A lot has changed in the last two weeks and I didn’t want my trip to be a casualty of the nonsense with Firtash.”
“I’m sorry, Staz. I’ll have Kaye cancel everything and we can do exactly what you want.”
“No, that won’t work.” Sighing, she stared down at her lap. “Let’s discuss a compromise at dinner.”
“Are you getting sick of me?”
Glancing up, she saw the lines in his forehead and realized he was worried. “I’m not sick of you, but I’ve never lived with a man before and it takes some getting used to.”
“I’ve never lived with a woman, so I have no idea what I’m doing. Unfortunately, we can’t do too much about it until we figure how to neutralize the threat against you. Right now, we have Ivan the Terrible two cars back and someone tried to break into your apartment earlier this afternoon. So, until all that ends, we’re…”
“…cheese and crackers,” Stazi finished. “When were you going to tell me about the attempted break-in?”
“After I made you scream my name a couple of times,” he replied with a smile.
“Ah, I see.”
“Doesn’t make me a bad person,” he replied. “I figured after you had a couple of orgasms the news wouldn’t bother you so much.”
“Are you that confident about your ability?”
They stopped at a red light, and he leaned over and kissed her like a man who had nothing to worry about. Which was pretty much true. “It turned green,” she said breathlessly as he released her mouth.
“I’m a man of action, so the only way to answer the question is to show you what I’m capable of. Which I will be doing the moment we get home.”
There wasn’t anything to say because the truth was, Hank completely ruled her body. One touch and she was his to do with as he pleased. Which was not something she would be admitting anytime soon. They had to work out his bossiness and until that happened, she wasn’t going to tell him a thing.
***
Stazi studied Hank as they sat in one of her favorite restaurants, The Little Goat Diner. It was the perfect amalgamation of things she loved: all-American dining with amazing food. The interior was a riff on a glammed-out diner and she loved it..
From the moment she entered kindergarten and realized how different she was from everyone else, she had embraced anything that felt American. The food, the music, the sense of humor, the cheer. And diners were a big part of that for her, which was probably why she loved this place so much. The fact that a man who looked like a superhero sat across from her only made the experience all that more enjoyable.
Not that she was interested in Hank for his all-American qualities. He could be from the moon and she would still find him unbelievably desirable.
Which was turning into a bit of a problem, because he was the sort of man who was going to be hard to get over if their relationship imploded.
The rational approach she’d taken toward her dating life over the last five years had allowed her to feel nothing more than mild disappointment if things didn’t work out with the man she was dating. And unfortunately, there was nothing rational about getting involved with Hank.
Which seemed to be bothering her less and less as each day passed. So what if she was using the threats against her as a convenient excuse to shack up with him and act like she had no option. It didn’t make her a bad person…right?
Realizing her mind was a seesaw constantly going back and forth with pros and cons, she wished she could be one of those women who let things flow.
“Stazi.”
Looking up from her menu, she focused on Hank and realized she hadn’t heard anything he’d said. “Can you repeat that?”
“What are you going to have for dinner?”
“Oh…I was thinking about having either the fried chicken or the smoked corned beef hash with eggs.” Setting the menu down, she gave him a small smile. “What about you?”
“I can’t decide between the Reuben sandwich or the chicken pot pie.”
“Two very good choices.”
“Not much help, honey.” He moved his hand across the table and took hers. “Are you still mad at me?”
“A little.” Before she could say more, the waitress approached and they ordered. She decided on the corned beef and Hank chose the Reuben.
“Honey, what is the drink you ordered?”
“It’s called a 1.21 Gigawatt and it has Ketel One, sauvignon and thyme syrup, Tiki Bitters, lemon, and vermouth. It’s delicious.”
“I have no idea what half those things are.”
“Neither do I, but it’s divine. I love all the artisanal drinks that are so readily available now. The experimentation is fun and I like discovering new things.”
“I’m the exact opposite. I have either beer or scotch.” He shrugged and gave her a smile. “I guess you’re going to show me a whole new world.”
Their drinks were delivered and she was saved from responding. Which was a blessing because she had no idea what to say. Hank was on a much different path than she was and she had no idea what to do about it. As much as she liked him and was infatuated with him, she wasn’t ready to predict what was going to happen beyond next week. She knew what she’d like to happen but she wasn’t an optimistic enough person to believe it was possible.
“Your lack of response tells me that you’re either still mad or can’t imagine spending enough time with me that we can become part of one another’s worlds.”
“It’s a little of both. We’re an unlikely match and I think that may prove to be a problem the more time we spend with one another.”
“So, the woman who sleeps in my arms and entwines her body intimately with mine isn’t sure if we have a chance beyond next week?”
Seeing his incredulous expression let her know that he didn’t believe a word she was saying. Which, unfortunately, made a small amount of sense. What happened between them physically transcended everything and created a bond that was difficult to deny. Which didn’t mean that her rational mind wasn’t going to make some really good arguments. “Hank…”
He held up his hand and shook his head. “Nope, there’s nothing you can say that is going to change my mind.” He moved his hand between the two of them and grinned. “Whatever this is—is real and comes along once in a lifetime. If you’re lucky.” He lifted his beer and took a long drink. “I didn’t have a relationship in mind until I met you, and now that I have you in my life, I’m never going to let you go.”
“That sounds…”
“Crazy?”
“Yeah. And slightly stalkerish.”
He shrugged and took her hand. “Love does things to a man that change who he is. I’m seeing the world in a whole new light and I want to be a better person and give you everything. If that makes me crazy, then so be it.”
“I have about ten responses ready and none of them seem quite appropriate. The words you’ve just spoken are something a person waits a lifetime to hear…but they’re freaking me out.”
“Don’t worry, they freaked me out too when they first entered my mind. Give yourself a day or two and you’ll be totally comfortable with the concept.”
The waitress approached with their food, and Stazi gave Hank a small smile. What else could she do? He was either completely nuts or a relationship savant. Since she had no clue what the answer was, she decided to eat her food.
After all, everything would be revealed eventually.