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“But even though I wasn’t afraid of him, I didn’t know who he really was. I couldn’t read those files in front of Gideon without explaining what they were and where I’d gotten them.”
“You couldn’t have told him they were files from a case you were working on?” Mel asked, frowning.
Alex nodded slowly. “I could have. But by then, I didn’t want to lie to him.”
Mel tilted her head. Her careful scrutiny made Alex want to squirm, but she held the other woman’s gaze steadily.
“I’m sure Gideon’s told you he was fired by his boss at the FBI,” Mel finally said. “And that Gideon’s pretty sure he’s dirty,” Mel said, her face hardening. “You have files that might give him some answers, but you haven’t shown them to him. Why?”
“No time,” Alex said. “From the time the Russians showed up at the motel, we were running. We stopped one night in Livingston because the pass was closed, but we were figuring out what to do the next day.” She sighed and slumped in her chair. “Last night, we were both exhausted.” And they’d had other things on their minds. “I intend to show him the files tonight.”
Mel nodded. “I think that would be wise.” She stood up. “We’re going to try to get you back to Evanston as quickly as we can,” she said. “But it might not happen for a while. We have to assess the threat level and deal with the three men watching the compound before we let you leave. And you’ll probably have Gideon with you for a while. Until we’re sure you’re safe.”
“Thanks,” Alex said, standing as well. “I know bodyguards are expensive. If Gideon has to come back to Evanston with me, I’ll be happy to pay you for his time.”
Mel stared at her for a long moment. Finally she said, “I’m not sure if I’m pleased by your generosity or offended on Gideon’s behalf. I don’t think he would be happy if he knew you’d offered to pay for his services.”
She’d emphasized ‘services’ just enough to make Alex’s face flame. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she muttered.
“Then don’t offer to pay for him again,” Mel said. She nodded at the door. “You might want to find him and show him the files now.”
“I’ll do that,” Alex promised.
She walked out of Mel’s office, her cheeks still hot. Mel was right. She should have shown Gideon those files a long time ago. As soon as she was certain he was on her side and wasn’t planning to kill her.
After she found him, they’d go back to his apartment and look at that file folder together. If there was something in Jerry’s files that would help Gideon, he needed to have it. She should have shared that information with him a long time ago.
* * *
Jerry perched on the edge of a chair in the cramped motel room he and the Russians were sharing in Helena. He’d offered to get his own room. Said one of the Russians could share it with him if they were worried about him taking off. But Sergei had narrowed his eyes in that dead stare that scared the shit out of him. Told him they were staying together. ‘All for one. One for all. Right?’
‘Right’, Jerry had stuttered. ‘Absolutely’.
Now he watched Sergei, who was the brains, such as they were, of the Russian team. Yuri was definitely the muscle. Jerry’d seen enough muscle guys in his time to know one when he saw him.
After staring at him long enough to make Jerry shiver, Sergei said, “I have a plan.”
“Yeah?” Jerry leaned forward. “To get the files? And kill Alex?”
“To kill your wife,” Sergei said, drilling Jerry with his stare. “That is the point, no? To have her die so you collect the insurance money. So you can repay us for the money you stole.”
Jerry didn’t like the look in Sergei’s eyes. He looked… predatory. As if he was imagining Jerry at his mercy. Thinking about all the ways he planned to make Jerry pay for stealing money from the Bratva.
Sliding his chair further away from Sergei, Jerry said, “Yes. Yes. Absolutely that’s the goal. But she took something besides your money from my safe. Some business papers for another deal I’m involved in. Real estate,” he stuttered, the words falling over each other. “Contracts that I need to have back, so my clients can sign them. Soon. Once the papers are signed, I’ll get paid. You’ll get your money more quickly.”
Sergei cocked his head. Studied Jerry. “Why would she take these papers? Does she know about your business?” His face hardened. “Does she know about your business with us? Is she trying to sabotage it?”
Oh, God, he shouldn’t have said anything about the files. Now Sergei was suspicious. “No! God no! I never said a word to Alex about our transactions. As far as she knows, I’m a real estate developer. I put together deals. Manage a number of businesses. That’s,” he stuttered, “that’s how I was able to launder your money. Through those businesses I manage.”
Sergei nodded slowly. “Fine. We’ll get these papers from your wife before we kill her.” Sergei leaned toward Jerry. “One of us will be with you at all times until you get that check from the insurance and sign it over to us. Then we will see where we are.”
See where we are?They weren’t going to leave once they got their money? Were they going to demand more? Drain him completely?
“Fine,” he said hurriedly. “I have nothing to hide. I picked an insurance company that pays out on claims quickly. So you’ll get your money fast, once Alex is dead.”
“That is good, Mr. Trotter. Because if we don’t, your life will become… unpleasant.”
Sergei sat back in his chair, ignoring Jerry to speak to Yuri in Russian. Thank God Sergei wasn’t focused on him anymore. Because he needed to figure out how to get away from these guys.
After a long conversation, he turned back to Jerry. “Yuri and I have a plan to get into that fenced base, but we need more information. We’ll watch them tomorrow and see if our plans come together. And you will do exactly what we tell you to do, or the unpleasantness will begin immediately.”
* * *
Alex hurried away from Mel’s office, cutting across the snow-covered grass instead of using the sidewalk. As she got closer to the apartment building, she broke into a run. She hoped Gideon was in the apartment. She’d been so stupid, keeping that file from Gideon. She needed to fix this immediately.
When she reached the building, she yanked open the door and dashed up the stairs. But once on their floor, she slowed down. Took a deep breath. For all she knew, Gideon wasn’t even here. He could still be in his meeting with Devlin.
If he wasn’t in the apartment, she’d get the file out of the safe. Have it waiting for him when he returned.
Inserting her keycard into the lock with a slightly shaking hand, she turned the handle and hurried inside. Stepped into the living area, and Gideon spun around. He was standing in front of the bookcase. Right in front of her tote bag. The one that had held Jerry’s file folders.
