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He stared at Alex for a long moment, and she straightened her spine. Gideon’s boss intended to kill them as soon as he had Jerry’s files. The intention was clear in his eyes. She wasn’t sure how they’d stop him, but she’d watch for an opening.
Alex reached into her purse. Her fingers touched the gun, but she couldn’t take the chance. Kramer might shoot Gideon before she could get a shot off. So she pulled out her phone.
Her finger shook a little as she pushed the call icon beside Mel’s name. Kramer barked, “Put it on speaker!”
Alex touched the icon, then waited for Mel to pick up.
“Hey, Alex,” Mel said. “What’s up?”
“I’m on speaker so Gideon can hear, too,” she said. “We need those files of Jerry’s. The ones in the safe. Can someone bring them to the safe house?”
Watching her, Kramer smirked. It hadn’t turned out to be such a safe house after all. They should have locked the door when they came inside, but they’d only planned on being here for a few minutes.
“Right,” Mel said, not missing a beat. “Nico, Spence and Brynn just got back. I’ll send one of them with the files. They’ll be there as quickly as they can.”
“Thanks, Mel. Appreciate that,” she said. She ended the call, then pressed the icon for her recording app. Slid the phone back in the bag, making sure nothing blocked the microphone.
“It’ll be a while before those files get here,” Gideon said. “Plenty of time for us to chat. Why’d you do it, Kramer? Why did you betray the bureau and risk so many lives for that Russian scum?”
Kramer shrugged. “My mother is Russian. I speak the language. Her family isn’t connected to the Bratva, or I wouldn’t have made it through the background check for the FBI. But they found out I speak Russian on a raid when I yelled at one of them to drop the gun. Reflex, you know? I heard Russian and responded in the same language.
“Anyway, they offered me money to make the raid go away. Lots of money. More to keep passing them information. More money than I could ever make working a government job.”
Gideon took a step to the side. He was moving in front of her, Alex realized. Protecting her. Should she take a chance and remove her gun from her bag?
No. Wolf might see. And she could accidentally disable the recording function.
“You’ve probably caused the deaths of a lot of people,” Gideon said. Was he drawing Kramer’s attention away from her? She hadn’t missed how Gideon’s former boss had looked at her face. Her chest. More than once.
Kramer shrugged. “Collateral damage. Unintended consequences of my work.”
“I’m sure their families didn’t think of them as collateral. And you did it for money?” Gideon said, disgust filling his voice.
“What other reason is there?” Kramer asked. “Money’s all that counts. I’ve got plenty now, thanks to the Bratva. I’ll resign from the FBI and disappear. Find a place to live where I can enjoy my money. Your boss Morton? He was a stupid schmuck to get caught. I’m smarter than that.”
“You think the Bratva’s going to let you retire?” Gideon scoffed. “They don’t let anyone retire, Kramer. You should know that by now.”
A ripple of unease flickered over Kramer’s face. Disappeared. “I’ve already made my plans,” he said. “They won’t find me.”
“Good luck with that,” Gideon said.
Anger flashed over Kramer’s face, then he looked past Gideon at her. Studied her for a moment, then looked back at Gideon. Smiled. Alex saw the recognition in Kramer’s eyes that she was important to Gideon.
“Tell me about your woman, Wolf. Is she hot in the sack?”
Gideon didn’t speak, and Kramer smiled. “Do I need to find out for myself?” He glanced at his watch again, and Alex saw his foot jiggle. “How long do we have to play?”
Gideon shrugged. “Not long. The compound SUVs have special engines. They go like hell. Especially on a low-traffic road like the one up here.”
“Then we better get started.” Kramer motioned Gideon toward the living area.” he said “Get over there where I can keep an eye on you,
Gideon hesitated, and Alex saw Kramer’s finger tighten on the trigger. “Do it, Gideon. Please,” Alex begged.
Turning around, keeping his gaze on Kramer, Gideon walked backward to the spot against the wall Kramer indicated. Crossed his arms and watched his boss move toward Alex.
Alex couldn’t look at Gideon. She had to focus on Kramer. Figure out a way to stop him. He wanted to rape her in front of Gideon, then kill both of them. She vowed that wasn’t going to happen.
Kramer stopped in front of Alex. Let his gaze linger on her chest. Then he tapped on her cast. “How long have you had this?” he asked. “It looks brand new.”
