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Alex disconnected the phone. Slumped against the back of the bed.
Gideon was already on the phone with Mel and Devlin. A muscle twitched in his cheek as he listened. Finally he said, “I got it. Get there as fast as you can. And send someone to Evanston to protect Sierra Baker. She’s Alex’s partner, and the Russians threatened her just now. Have the local police guard her until one of our people can get there.”
Gideon ended the call and turned to Alex. “You can’t go to that address, Alex. The Russians will kill you. They’ll get a small payoff if you turn over Trotter’s money, but a much bigger one if you’re dead. So you’re staying here and I’m going with the money.”
“You heard them, Gideon. I have to show up, or they’re going to kill Jerry. After they cut off the rest of his fingers. And then they’ll come after you and I. I want to end this now.”
Gideon stared at her in disbelief. “You’re going to risk your life to try and save the man who hired me to kill you?”
Alex drew in a deep breath. Another. She had to calm down. “I’m thinking logically. Strategically. I want to save myself and you. Jerry’s just an opening to do that. Someone has to stop them. We can do this together.”
She moved closer to Gideon, trying to make him see. “They want me because I have the money. If you show up, they’ll kill you without giving you a chance to negotiate. I took the money. If I hadn’t taken it, Jerry would have had it to give to the Russians.”
“That money wouldn’t have saved him,” Gideon said, his voice grim. “Once the Bratva get their hooks into someone, it doesn’t end well.”
“I need to give it a shot,” she said. “Do I want to face them? Of course not. But what other choice do we have if we want to be free of them?
“Together, we can figure out a way to do this so we’re both safe. We have the vests. I’ll have my gun. I’ll drop you off when we’re close and you can walk the rest of the way. If they’re in the mountains as well, there should be lots of cover to use. You can slip behind the back of the house or something. And I’ll make sure they’re focused on me so they don’t notice you.”
“Alex, be serious.” He grabbed her hands. “I was trained to negotiate, too, and I’m a man. You heard that guy. Those Russians don’t take you seriously. No one in the Bratva respects women. Misogynists, every one of them.”
“That works to my advantage,” she said, already planning what to do. “If they don’t take me seriously, they’ll give me openings. Buy you time to do what you need to do.” She leaned closer. “I’m a negotiator, too. It’s one of my strengths. Believe me, I’ll be very careful. Not give them any openings. But I’m going.”
Gideon stared at her for a long moment. Finally shook his head slowly. “You’re either the bravest woman I’ve ever met, or the most stupid.”
“Stupid, probably, but I’ll pick the ‘bravest’ option. Now let’s get going.”
They threw on their clothes and shrugged into the tactical vests. Then Alex drew on her coat. She had to drape it over her left shoulder because of the cast, but that suited her perfectly. She hid the gun in her sling. Used some masking tape they found in a drawer to hold it in place on top of her cast.
Finally, Gideon carried the tote bag full of the fake cash bundles out to the Forester. He helped Alex into the passenger seat. Fastened her seatbelt. Then he slid into the driver’s seat. In fifteen minutes, they were back on Dry Gulch Road, the two-lane highway they’d taken into the mountains.
“Trotter and the Russians are north of us, closer to Helena,” Gideon told her. “We’re going to arrive a few minutes before our hour and a half is up. Cutting it so close will make them nervous. On edge. And it’ll give Brynn, Nico and Spence more time to get here. Once they’re outside Helena, they’ll go like hell. With luck, they’ll arrive around the same time we do.”
“And then?” Alex asked.
“You show up at the front of the house. Blackhawk Security will have your back, but you won’t see us. Stall them for as long as you can. And as a negotiating tactic, make them send Trotter out before they get their money.”
“Trust me, I have a plan for that. I’m going to start burning the money if they don’t send Jerry out.”
A muscle in Gideon’s jaw twitched. She knew he hated this plan. Hated having her exposed and in danger. So she put her hand on his thigh. “I know they want to kill me. Know they’ll try, but I’ll stay behind the car door. I have my gun, and I’ll use it if I get a chance.”
“This is insane,” Gideon growled. “Let me do it. I’ll let you out before we get to the house. You can wait for Nico, Brynn and Spence. I’ll deal with the Russians.”
“You said they were misogynists,” she pointed out. “They’ll underestimate me. If you show up, they’ll watch you carefully. Register every move you make. Me? They’ll laugh at me.” She smiled at him. “I love it when people underestimate me.”
“You’re not going to be in court here, Alex,” Gideon said. “These aren’t a bunch of lawyers and a judge. The Bratva isn’t civilized. They’re completely brutal. Merciless. They kill without even thinking about it.”
“I’m wearing a vest,” she pointed out.
“Not going to help if they take a head shot,” he retorted.
“I’ll stay below the door window. If they shoot at me, they’ll try for body mass first. And yes, I know it’ll hurt if they hit me. But I won’t die.”
“Damn it all to hell, Alex,” he said, his voice too loud in the small car. “Do you have an answer for everything?”
“Pretty much,” she said. “It’s what I do. How I operate.”
They rode in silence, Alex studying the map she’d downloaded before they left the cabin. After almost an hour, she said, “The road into their cabin is coming up on the right. A mile.”
