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He checked the time and looked around the bar for the third time. The man that he was supposed to be meeting wasn’t late yet, but after what happened to Nix, being arrested so suddenly, he was on edge and wanted to get this done.
Once a month, one of Sam’s foot soldiers was responsible for collecting a cash payment from neighborhood businesses that wanted protection from the Bratva. It was a common extortion tactic, not one that brought in the most money for the syndicate, but any influx of cash was worth pursuing.
They usually met at Drew’s place, but he had other business to attend to earlier today and set up this meeting because it was nearby. Truthfully, he was impatient to get this over with so that he could go home. Lexi was trying out a new recipe tonight, and he didn’t want to miss it.
It had been four days since he showed up unexpectedly on her doorstep after his mother’s call, and he’d spent time with her every evening. Spending time with her was addicting. Lexi was strong and caring, and he’d never felt such a connection to a woman.
He was falling for her. It wasn’t something he expected to happen the first time they slept together, no matter how enjoyable it was. Then, he’d had to lock her up to protect the Bratva’s interests, which came very close to being a complete disaster.
It didn’t exactly set the stage for a good relationship, but they’d somehow started seeing each other anyway. Sam was sure that she was the woman for him.
But that didn’t make opening up easy. He was still hiding his past from her. Anytime she tried to ask him about it, he shut down the conversation, too haunted by it to discuss it.
Sam’s eyes trailed over to one of the big flat-screen TVs hanging on the wall, getting caught up in the violence of the game for a moment, but his attention returned to his table as a stranger pulled out the chair and took a seat across from him.
The man was average height with broad shoulders and gray streaking his brown hair. There was a goatee on his serious face and he looked like he could handle himself in a fight.
“Are you at the wrong table?” Sam asked. “Because I’m waiting for someone.”
“I won’t be long, Mr. Gusev.”
Sam leaned back in his chair, studying the man. The way he held himself was telling. The tension in his muscles and the sharpness of his gaze mixed with the fact that he knew who Sam was and clearly sought him out set off warning bells in his mind.
“Are you a cop?” he asked.
The man smiled, but his eyes were cold. “I had a feeling that you were smart. I work for the FBI. Agent Calloway.”
He held out his hand, but Sam didn’t shake it. His mind was racing as he regarded the man. The FBI? That was a whole new load of trouble that they were going to have to deal with.
“What can I do for you?” Sam asked, now glad that the exchange of money hadn’t occurred yet. If he was about to be taken in by this man, it would be better if he didn’t have thousands of dollars of cash on him. As of right now, all he was carrying was his gun, but he had a permit for that and it was clean, he’d never used this one for a crime.
“Just wanted to talk to you. I hear that you’re an associate of Alexander Helt.”
“He goes by Nix, and he’s a friend.”
“A friend? Are you sure about that?”
Sam grinned. “He’s also an employee at my security company.”
That was his big cover story. On paper, he owned a security company, which made Vic’s request of protection for his sister almost funny. The entire company was a front, but he had some pretty convincing paperwork that he hoped would even stand up to the FBI’s scrutiny if it came to that.
“Interesting,” Calloway said, tapping his fingers against the table. “Because I believe that yourfriendNix might have ties with the mafia.”
Sam’s eyebrows popped up in an attempt to look properly shocked. “The mafia? Are you saying he’s dangerous?”
Calloway’s grin widened, but there was anger in his eyes. “Don’t play dumb with me,” he snapped.
Wow. This guy has a short temper.
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t believe for a moment that Nix is involved in anything illegal.”
“He was justarrested.You visited him in jail. I checked the log.”
“And I believe he was alsoreleased.All charges dropped, from what I understand. Just an unfortunate misunderstanding.”
“That happens to be why I’m here,” Calloway said. “The DA suddenly dropping charges against a suspected member of the Bratva got my attention. Something is not right here, and I’m going to figure out what it is.”
Sam shook his head. “I’m not sure what this has to do with me.”
