Total pages in book: 144
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135382 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 677(@200wpm)___ 542(@250wpm)___ 451(@300wpm)
“I didn’t mean for things to happen like this. I truly didn’t. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do with the thing. Man’s gotta jump on the opportunities the world gives him,” Alfi said stubbornly.
“Yep, Brody’s going to kick your ass.” Tucker’s eyes closed again.
Alfi looked her way. “When the time comes, you stay close to me. After Anya’s safe, I’ll do what I can to get you out. I promise. I’m not such a bad man that I wouldn’t try to help you, Steph. I like you quite a bit.”
She was fairly certain that by the time Anya was safe, there would be no way out. “Don’t risk your own life.”
“But you would,” Alfi said. “Do you know how brave you are? How much I admire you? I don’t care how or why you became the woman you are, I just know a whole lot of people who are grateful you did.”
“I tried to help.”
“You did more than help. You saved a lot of people. Let me try to save you. Let me try to do one good thing with my life.”
“So much drama and it’s all for nothing,” Tucker said under his breath. “We’re getting out of here soon and I’m telling Brody you were hitting on her.”
“He is not,” she shot back. Why couldn’t he be serious?
Alfi shrugged. “Kind of was. I mean, if we’re about to die, do you really want to go out in anger and fear? Or should we celebrate life one last time?”
Not a one of them could be serious.
The door crashed open and she was reminded that not all men joked around. Fedor strode in, followed by a couple of his cronies. They were all massive and armed to the teeth. One of them reached down and hauled Tucker up.
Tucker went pale and moaned, but managed to get to his feet.
“It’s time,” Fedor said.
Steph stood up and hoped and prayed that Tucker was right.
Chapter Fifteen
Steph stumbled out into the hallway, trying to keep up with her captor. It was the same man who had spoken to her the night before. The cousin. She didn’t know his name, only knew that he spoke for Fedor.
How many were there? Three had come for them the night before, and those three walked them down the hallway. Up ahead she could see a fourth man, smoking a cigarette as he leaned against the wall. He shouted out something in either Ukrainian or Russian.
Fedor nodded and replied.
She hated this, hated the fact that she was vulnerable. She couldn’t even understand what they were saying around her.
They turned a corner and she realized Alfi had been right. They were in a large warehouse. There were big boxes stacked all throughout, a veritable labyrinth of cardboard. Thick yellow and green and red lines on the floor seemed to point the direction to various parts of the warehouse floor, if one knew the code. Which, of course, she didn’t.
There were two more men in this large space, both smoking and looking vaguely bored with life.
“What is this place?” She couldn’t help but ask the question. She knew the answer. It was her Waterloo, but it would be nice to know a more literal name for where she was taking her last stand.
“It’s a shipping station for one of my many businesses. This one is completely legitimate,” Fedor explained. “I hate using it like this. I try to keep the legitimate and the not-so-legitimate in their own pretty boxes. I had to shut down operations this weekend. I’m sure there are some employees out there who are happy to have the time off.”
Well, at least something good had come of her eventual murder.
“I thought you were a full-time mobster,” she said under her breath.
“You thought wrong.” Fedor glanced down at his watch. “Where I come from, the syndicate is one of the only ways out of poverty. My father was strong man. He lifts us up, allows Anya to go to school. Allows me to learn how to be a legitimate businessman. In a few years, I’ll switch everything over and we’ll make our money in the proper ways. I’ll leave the syndicate to my cousin Petor.”
The man with the reptilian smile nodded her way. This was the man who’d told her how her world would shatter. “I have no desire to be legitimate.”
Yes, he would make a spectacular mob head.
“You planning on shipping us to de Vries?” If Alfi was bothered at all by the gun to his back, it didn’t show in the bland expression he wore. Alfi had an air about him, like this happened regularly, just another event in the life of a handsome rogue.
“They’ll be here in a few minutes. After that, you’re his problem. I’m certainly not helping him smuggle you out of the country.” Fedor moved to the center of the warehouse floor. The building had to be as large as an airplane hanger, the walls swooping up to what looked to be four floors. They were in the center of the building, the ceiling high above their heads. “Both of you on your knees.”