I twist my lips to hold back my smirk. “The title is negotiable.” Once his laughter lessons, I advise him the real reason for my call. “I need Nina delivered to Sergei within the hour.”
I hear the groan of a woman on the brink of orgasm before Trey says, “You’re loaning Nina to Sergei?”
From the ruffling of sheets and a faint ‘come back to bed, baby’ I can only assume he is being entertained at either Clarks or Clichés.
“No.” I shake my head, even though he can’t see me. “I’mgivingher to him.”
“Fuck.” More ruffling, most likely Trey tugging on a pair of jeans. “Vladimir didn’t buy my excuse?”
I smirk, unsurprised he understood my request without me needing to spell out all the details. He’s good like that. Always one step ahead.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Need decoy?”
I stray my eyes to Justine, who is pulling back the sheets on her bed. “No. I need you to deliver Nina to Sergei. Her delivery will give me a couple of hours—”
“And gain you more blood on your hands…” Trey’s words trail off when I growl. “Sorry, Nikolai, but this is Sergei we’re talking about.” A car door creaking open booms down the line. It’s quickly chased by the rumble of a motor. “He swears he doesn’t have a thing for necrophilia. I don’t believe a fucking word he speaks.”
He’s not the only one.
“I told him he’d be buried with Nina if he killed her.”
“Do you really think that’ll stop him?” he huffs out with a grunt.
He isn’t technically asking a question, but I answer him anyway. “Probably not. That’s why you’re going to deliver Nina, then make yourself comfortable.”
I can’t see Trey, but I can imagine his smile when silence resonates down the line. “Sergei has been seeking a way into your crew for years.”
“And you’re going to make him believe he’s in with a shot. Greed is Sergei’s drug of choice. He’d choose it over lust any day of the week.”
“Should you be encouraging him down this path, though, Nikolai?” He sounds worried. Justly so. Sergei is even more unhinged than me.
I scrub at the stubble on my chin as my eyes once again stray to Justine. She’s in her bed now, sleeping on top of the bedding since it’s too humid to slip beneath them. Even with my attention being shot down more than welcomed, my thirst for her is undeniable. I crave her like I already know what she tastes like.
The fucked-up thoughts in my head should frustrate me more than they do, but for some reason, they don’t. A life without challenges is boring, and convincing an angel to side with a devil is far from tedious.
I watch Justine for a few more seconds before shifting my focus back to my conversation with Trey. “I don’t have much choice. Vladimir has already walked us down this path. At least this way, I get a few hours of reprieve.”
“True.” Trey’s big exhale rustles down the line. He’s not one hundred percent convinced, but since he’s minus a better solution, he’s going to run with mine. “If Sergei falls for it, what do you want me to do with Nina?”
I take a moment to consider a reply. It’s nowhere near long enough considering the short period of time I’ve known Justine. “Offer her an out. If she wants it, buy her a one way ticket to LA. If she doesn’t, make sure she is aware our agreement is terminated.”
“Look at you, acting all grown up.” My swollen chest shrinks when Trey adds on with a laugh, “If only you could get rid of your fiancée just as easily, eh?”
Yes, I’m engaged. No, it’s not up for discussion. It was a stupid mistake I made years ago while high, and I’m still fucking paying for it.
“With all the weaponry trade we’ve conducted the past six months, have you found a vanishing potion yet?”
Trey’s reply is more honest than deceitful. “Yeah, it’s called a bullet.”
* * *
After talking shop with Trey for almost twenty minutes, I make my way back into Justine’s retro apartment. Our conversation didn’t stray far from the ones we’ve had many times the past six months, except this time, I requested for my personal life to be included in our efforts to keep Vladimir in the dark about my business proposals. There will be less chance of an ambush if we watch Vladimir as closely as he forever watches me. I hate needing to be cautious, but I prefer it over being dead.
I dump my cell phone onto the table housing the letter open Officer Prentice almost had a meeting with before heading for Justine’s bedroom door. I know her door isn’t locked. Not only did I fail to hear the locking mechanism slide into place when she slammed it shut, but the barrel of the lock is drilled out. It makes the perfect peep hole, which I look through not even two seconds later.
Justine’s strengths shine when I notice the rise and fall of her chest. She’s sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the chaos honing in on her.
