Chapter Six
Lucy glared over the table at the cop interrogating her. “I told you, I’m not answering any questions. I have a right to a lawyer.”
“And ma’am, I told you, you’re not being charged with anything, we just need some answers about what happened to you back there.”
“Then why am I in these?” She rattled the handcuffs they’d put her in when they’d brought her into this room. For a rescue, it had been seriously lacking.
The cops and FBI had arrived at the hotel room not long after Yuri left her strung up and alone with a corpse. They’d cut her free, but once they’d determined she didn’t require emergency care and wasn’t a cooperative witness, she’d ended up at the local precinct in handcuffs.
After she’d been left alone in the interrogation room for what felt like hours, this asshole had come in and tried to pretend he was good cop. She’d already decided the moment the police and feds swarmed in that she wasn’t going to say a word. Her brother’s life still hung on the line, and since Yuri had just killed a man for her, he might be in mortal danger, too. Until she knew what was going on with the two of them, she needed to keep her mouth shut. She wasn’t going to throw them under the bus.
The door suddenly slammed open and to her shock, a furious Yuri stormed in like he owned the place.
She surged to her feet, but the chain that attaches the cuffs to the desk tugged on her wrists.
“What in the fuck is she doing in here?” He flashed… a badge—yes, a fucking badge—at the guy. Was it an FBI badge?
Yuri is a cop? Or agent? The blood drained from her face, leaving her ice cold. Her mind swirled, swiftly rearranging the facts in her mind. Yuri wasn’t Yuri at all. He was some undercover agent.
She couldn’t breathe.
Of course he’d had to protect her. It had been his job, not some impassioned need on his part. He wasn’t her crazy Russian, he’d been playing a part. But… what the fuck? He’d had sex with her! Was that in the protect the innocent job description?
An older FBI agent trailed in behind Yuri, shouting at him to calm down.
“I asked you to get her to a fucking safe house,” Yuri snapped at the other agent. To the local cop, he said, “Get those cuffs off her—now!” Funny, his Russian accent was still just as thick. She’d half expected him to suddenly speak in a perfect Midwestern cadence. Who was this man?
The local cop looked pissed, but apparently Yuri’s intimidation worked here, too, because he produced a key and unlocked her wrists.
“Thank you, you can leave us,” the older agent said to the local cop. To Yuri, he said, “You are out of line. I need a full report immediately. If I’m understanding right, this entire operation has been jeopardized by your feelings for this woman—”
Yuri held his hand up. “Please, Leo. I know. I will make full report and I have hope the mission may still be salvageable.” He spoke to his boss, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off her. “But first, I need to know Lucy is safe.”
The man Yuri called Leo blew out his breath. “The safe house is being arranged.”
“Now. She shouldn’t be treated like a fucking criminal.”
“I know. The locals got too excited. I’ll take care of it.”
“Give me one minute, please.”
Despite the tension, there seemed to be mutual respect between the men because Leo nodded and left the room.
“You’re an agent?” she croaked the minute they were alone.
He stepped toward her but she backed away. He held his hands up as if to show he meant her no harm. “Yes. Lucya—”
She shook her head. “Don’t Lucya me. Everything about you has been a lie. I don’t even know who in the fuck you are.”
Jesus, she’d had sex with this man. Been held captive by him. Whipped by him. And it all was a setup? Had there been bugs and cameras? Would he put their blowjob in the report? The room spun and her stomach churned.
He kept advancing, but he didn’t touch her when they arrived toe to toe, either. Instead, he leaned his head down to hold her eyes. “I’m still who you thought I was, Lucya. A bad man. But nothing between us was a lie. Nothing.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “Nothing.”
The door opened again. “Lucy, come with me, please,” another crisp FBI agent said. “I’m sorry for the way you were treated. We’re going to get you somewhere safe until we can locate your brother and ascertain that your lives are no longer in danger.”
Tears burned behind her eyes, but she wasn’t even sure what they were for. “Thank you.” She pushed past Yuri and walked out the door. It took all her effort not to look back at him, but she managed. No matter what he said, he’d lied. She didn’t know which parts of him were real. Or which parts of them were real.
She’d just been kidnapped, bound, and seen a man killed right in front of her. Her brother was missing, maybe dead. The last thing she needed right now was a complicated Russian explaining his deception.
No, this would be their clean break.
Thanks, it’s been nice knowing you. Have a great life.
Oh, and by the way, thanks for saving me from getting raped, but I’ll never forgive you for leaving me with the dead guy.
And also, that was the best sex of my life.
The last thought brought on a stab of pain. Her passionate lover who had whipped her and brought her to orgasm with such skill. Was she willing to write him off?
Yes.
She had to. This was all too crazy, and she needed the craziness to stop. It was too much to believe that her life would ever go back to normal, but she could at least eliminate the one person who had brought the crazy.
So long, Yuri.
***
Yuri had never worn a wire on this assignment. He’d also refused to insert any special technology into the mobsters’ phones. They checked for things like that all the time, and if he was made, at best, their one chance to get anything on the don would be over and at worst, Yuri would be dead. He’d been waiting all this time to either see or hear something in person or get something on his phone recorder—anything that would be big enough to end the operation; the drop on Don Diego’s drug supplier, or a kill order. But Yuri hadn’t worked his way high enough in the organization. They used him for grunt work, but he never dealt directly with the don or his business dealings.
He felt certain a hit would be out on him now, though. Hopefully, if they arrested Freddo right away and checked his phone, they’d find something incriminating enough. That was the best he could hope for out of the situation.
He explained that to Leo, and the two of them were now dressed in Kevlar vests, following the location signal on Yuri’s cell phone, which he’d purposely left in Freddo’s car. Four backup vehicles trailed behind them.
They tracked the car to a warehouse the organization used as a meeting location. Bare industrial warehouse on the outside, the inside was used for everything, from torturing people who owed the don money, to storing stolen merchandise, to a hangout. Three cars were parked out back—Freddo’s Mercedes, Don Diego’s Range Rover, and Junior’s Jaguar. Leo parked beside one. The backup vehicles glided noiselessly into place, surrounding the warehouse.
“Let me go in first.” Yuri surged out of the car, drawing his government-issued Glock 22.
“No,” Leo snapped, but he was too busy barking orders over the comms unit to the rest of his men.
Ignoring his superior, Yuri strode quickly up to the back door and gave the secret knock.
The door swung open before Leo arrived behind him.
“Well, look who showed up,” Junior said.
The don’s face contorted with rage and all three men drew on him.
Technically, he should have identified himself as an FBI agent first. Leo shouted it behind him, his weapon also drawn. But Yuri hoped to draw their fire, which would solidify the government’s case against the men and allow him to fire back.
Don Diego fired first.
Leo was still yelling for them to drop their weapons when the don fell to the floor with a bullet between his eyes.
Yuri moved his aim to Junior, and when he saw a gun in his hand instead of hands in the air, he took him out, too.
Leo dropped Freddo, but not before the asshole shot Yuri. A searing hole burned on his outer arm—just a flesh wound. Jesus, they were bad shots. It was no wonder they wanted Yuri to do all their dirty work.
Leo cursed as the FBI agents swarmed in, kicking guns away and checking pulses. “You didn’t even try to take them in, did you?”
“Better this way.”
His mentor sighed. “Yeah. Probably so.”