“I don’t want you there, Aleksei. Don’t you understand how dangerous the situation is without bringing a Russian into the mix?”
The infuriating man only stared at the road and didn’t even acknowledge her question. Lazarus let out a mirthless chuckle in the backseat.
“You mean, an MC princess and a Bratva enforcer? It’s the start of a very bad joke in my opinion.”
Deva flashed him an annoyed look over her shoulder. “And what about you? Son of Finch?”
He puffed, annoyed. “I’m my mother’s son. I’m a bastard, and I would prefer using that adjective.”
“Is Lazarus King even your real name?”
The man only smiled at her, and she suspected that it had to be the first of a very long list of secrets. “The same as Deva for you I suppose. I had to recreate myself, for my own salvation. A long, sad story that’s irrelevant right now.”
Deva shook her head. “Nonetheless, and to return to the question you conveniently ignored, you are not helping me by acting as my bodyguards. And Aleksei, if you clench your jaw any tighter, you won’t be able to chew Jell-O.”
“Couldn’t a phone call be enough?” The words came out of his mouth with a hiss.
This man would never learn. “The best would have been for me to meet him alone. On his territory, and Hector was even fine with meeting me on neutral territory. It may have been okay for you to train at the same gym, but not discuss business. And this is business. And no, a phone call wouldn’t have been enough. I want to see his face. And so far, the safest and most neutral place is Rusty’s gym. Now that I’ve convinced Hector to meet, you acting as my bodyguards can mess things up.”
The way both men stayed silent made her want to shoot them where it would hurt for their stubbornness.
The rest of the trip was blessedly silent and helped Deva gather her thoughts. The problem was, she didn’t know which angle to take. Only her instinct, that gut feeling deep down inside, convinced her that she could approach Hector, the unknown was how much she could reveal and believe what he would say.
As they turned the corner, Deva noticed a couple of random men standing by. Probably Hector’s. The Puerto Rican was no fool, especially since he saw her at the gathering. She wouldn’t be the only one asking questions.
Aleksei parked beside the gym, not too far from the door and waited a beat before getting out. No surprise that he would have seen the men. When he got out, Lazarus did the same and opened her door, helping her out. Both men may have appeared relaxed on the outside, but it was everything but the case.
Deva rounded the car, but as she was about to reach for the door handle, Aleksei pulled her roughly into his arms and kissed her. It took her a full second to get her bearings, and when she did, her body melted against his. It was immediate as if the only option was to surrender upon contact. The kiss was possessive and very demonstrative. As if staged? That thought made her push against his muscled chest.
“What was that for?” Her breathlessness revealed that despite the tone of annoyance in her voice, she wasn’t indifferent to him. The expression on his gorgeous face didn’t give anything away, only the thunder against her palms revealed a bit more.
“The Puerto Ricans are all around, by claiming you, I’m making you Bratva. Giving you protection.”
Deep down, she knew there were advantages in that, although it complicated things even more. And it was only for that reason she didn’t knee him in the balls, and instead pulled at his black t-shirt to bring him so close, she would only have to whisper.
“I hope you catch my bug. Damn you.”
Shoving him away, Deva opened the door, but not before seeing Lazarus with a smirk behind his beard. Bastards, both of them.
Inside, the gym was dimly lit as the sun was setting over the city. And apart from Hector, there didn’t seem to be anyone else.
He was near the punching bags, giving one of them tentative punches. But this wasn’t the fighter Deva was used to joking with, the man in the gym sported a three-piece suit, and his chocolate hair was slicked back. If not for the tattoos peeking from his collar and sleeves, he would pass for a rich businessman instead of a gang member.
He continued to launch a few more punches as the three of them approached, and then immobilized the bag before turning to them.
Hector seemed to encompass her two companions, a deeper frown for Aleksei. For a long moment, the two men sized each other up. Deva could feel tension mounting and decided to cut to the chase and hopefully avoid the two alpha males ending up in a confrontation.
Stepping between them, she got closer to Hector.
“I don’t want a confrontation, Hector. Ignore those two goons, it was my idea to come and see you and they insisted on coming along.”
Immediately, Hector’s fierce expression mellowed into a grin. “You have me intrigued. I would have helped you because I like you. You are a good person. But when I saw you at the gathering, dressed as you were, with the Russian, a few questions popped up. And there was some strong gossip too.”
Deva winced. “Yeah, it’s partly the reason why I asked for a meeting with you. I wasn’t sure you were with the Puerto Rican family, but seeing you there...”
“Well, and my question would be with which family are you. The Russians?”
Aleksei moved forward, coming close to her back as Lazarus stayed a few feet away, trying to be as invisible as possible.
“Is it the only word getting around?”
Hector put his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels a few times.
“Maybe.” He took a few more steps in her direction. Aleksei moved to intercept, but Deva put a hand on his arm. She needed to deal with it by herself.
Making sure, Aleksei had understood, Deva turned her attention back to Hector.
“It’s a complicated story. And you ought to understand that initially, it has nothing to do with you. To be honest, I wasn’t completely sure you were...”
He gave her a dazzling smile. “A criminal? A killer?”
At least he hadn’t lost his sense of humor. “Well, if you don’t care about my past, I certainly don’t care about yours.”
“That you are Bratva?”
Deva rolled her eyes. “I’m not Bratva.”
“The word says you are Bratva-related now.”
Annoyed, she frowned at Aleksei and then at Hector. “Come on! Is it like a disease? You touch it, you get it?”
Aleksei growled as Hector laughed. “The word is you didn’t just only touch.”
Rolling her eyes, Deva tried to stay serious. “Can we focus, please? It’s not Bratva related, okay?”
“So why is he here? Or maybe you decided to go British and brought the red coats along.”
She turned to Lazarus who stayed stoic, arms crossed, gray eyes cold as ice. Not a single sign of acknowledgment.
“And who’s the chatty Cathy now? If you make a single allusion about me going Puerto Rican, I’ll be forced to punch you.”
Laughing again, Hector lifted his hands. “I would not do such a thing, Deva. Unless you get really interested. Which you are clearly not. And if it has nothing to do with my crew, what do you need to know?”
“It’s about the Dark Blood Rows.”
The smile was quick to disappear, and Deva saw calculation in his eyes.
“Listen, Hector. All I want to know is there any news, any unusual restlessness on that front.”
The Puerto Rican fighter seemed to ponder his next words. “Like the sudden reappearance of Victoria Johnson?”
Slowly, Deva nodded, her vision slowly turning into a tunnel, narrowing her options.
“There is a rumor. I met with people yesterday, and that’s all they were talking about. But the thing is, the news was reported by an outsider to the president of the Rows. They are cautious and demanding proof. And from what I’ve heard, they are moving fast.”
Deva couldn’t talk just yet as Aleksei started caressing her lower back. Naturally, she slid a hand to him and weaved her fingers with his, a gesture she found incredibly reassuring. It was Lazarus who asked the question she had in her head.
“Who told Mex? Who’s the outsider?”
Hector turned his gaze to the man and nodded. “You already know the answer. Jamieson Finch. And I heard that Mex demanded proof from Finch. I think it’s only a question of time before Finch comes to snatch the daughter and take her to her father. If Mex doesn’t do it himself first.”
Deva shook her head. “The real question is; why is Finch making friends with certain families? And even the MCs? Does he want a cut or something? Benefit from their influence?”
Hector sighed and relaxed a bit. “I’m not privy to that information, Deva. And if I was I’m not sure I would be able to tell you. My personal take? Unofficially? It seems a little forced. Nobody, ever, gets that friendly with the upper management. If you get my drift.”
“What kind of man would have the balls to force Chicago’s most dangerous men into becoming his personal lapdogs?”
“A dangerous man.” Lazarus started pacing. “And one that needs to be stopped.”
Aleksei turned to his brother. “I never would have thought you would be on the side of the mob.”
“I’m on the opposite side of Finch, whoever or whatever it is.” He turned to Hector. “Thank you for the meet.”
Hector nodded. “A favor always calls for one. In return, I want to be informed if anything is about to fall on our heads.”
Lazarus nodded. “Deal. I must go. There are a couple of leads I need to check out.” He extended his arm to Hector who took it.
“Mr. King. Always a pleasure to help the British Empire.”
Before his brother could leave, Aleksei grabbed his elbow. A weird look passed between them, and Lazarus walked with him toward the door.
Hector took advantage of Deva’s current lack of a shield to come closer. He touched her shoulder lightly, a friendly gesture, and spoke in a very low tone.
“Are you alright?”
Deva rolled her head before looking up at him. “I’m not sure what answer to give you. I would say as good as can be expected in these circumstances.”
Hector looked over her shoulder at the two men before returning his attention to her again. “If you are Victoria Johnson, and if asked I will deny it, you have to either disappear or be under strong protection. As strong as the Rows, do you understand? And if that Russian of yours can’t do it, I want you to call me. Or even Andy. He knows about the situation, and you seem to be on his good side too. And although the Irish mob would prefer to steer clear from all this, it seems that they are ready to cross the line a little for a certain Deva Landry. Promise me.”
She smiled at him and touched his hand. “I can’t give you a promise I may not be able to keep. I don’t want to return to where I was, and won’t involve you in this mess of mine unless it is to stop Finch. I may have been born from the dark, but this son of a bitch is a bigger threat than all of you guys together. At least, amongst yourselves, the balance of power stays the same.”
Aleksei came back alone, ending their private conversation, and taking the hand touching Hector into both of his.
Hector noticed the gesture but didn’t comment. “I think it’s preferable if you two leave now. I’ve kept our little meeting as secret as possible, but I wouldn’t push our luck.”
A slow roar started shaking the building, and Deva blindly inched toward Aleksei when she recognized the sound.
Hector scowled. “I think our luck has completely run out.”
It took her a couple of deep breaths to get her wits back and straighten. “Guys, you need to leave. Take the back door and run before they come in.”
Both men looked at her as if she had gone completely mad. Something buzzed in Hector’s pocket, and he retrieved his phone to look at an incoming message. Aleksei didn’t let go of her hand and turned her towards him.
“It’s just bikers passing down the street, solnyshka.”
Hector groaned and shook his head. “Nope, these are Rows members. And from what my guys say, they are heading toward the gym.”
Deva fought laughter bubbling up as she feared it would overflow into hysteria. Racking her throat, she battled to keep a straight face. “That meeting was doomed to happen sooner or later. Dear Daddy wouldn’t want it any other way.”