Page 67 of Break Me

Suddenly, there was deathly quiet as if there was no one on the other end of the call.

But I could hear them breathing.

And a slow and dark chuckle.

CHAPTER 16

Alexsey

“What in the fuck is happening?” Glaring at the news report wasn’t going to give me any answers. The news had carried the assassination attempt all day, acting as if I was the fucking president instead of a wealthy businessman in the community.

That didn’t bother me nearly as much as realizing that someone had been following me, capturing pictures of my evening with Halle.

They’d followed us to the hotel, setting up the assassination attempt perfectly.

I was furious. Hell, I’d gone beyond furious at this point.

I was fucking enraged and that didn’t bode well for anyone around me.

Given I’d been sent to wait inside my condominium, protected by two soldiers assigned by Mikhail, I was about ready to crawl out of my skin.

Yes, I knew the stakes were high. Second on the evening news had been the raging fire at the warehouse. True to the soldiers’ expertise, only a portion of the building had been destroyed, the other half saved by the firefighters. I’d wondered if Halle’s engine company had responded. From what I’d seen on the television, they hadn’t been called to the scene. Two others had.

Hissing, I’d made a mental list of things that needed to be done, including having a nice long chat with the owner of the restaurant. He’d been paid a hefty sum of money to keep our dinner private. Someone had sold out.

The main question was whether that someone worked for Papadakis or the Irish clan. For some reason, the thought the O’Learys might have had a hand in at least hiring someone to take the photographs lingered in the back of my mind.

I’d possibly need to make another unannounced trip to the bar where Halle worked.

Halle.

Goddamn it. I couldn’t get her off my mind. I needed to talk with her. Not only to see if she was alright, but to ensure she knew she could call me if she needed anything.

Who was I trying to kid? Yes, I wanted to see her again, but in addition, I also needed to rule out that she had anything to do with the assassination attempt. It seemed ridiculous, but Mikhail had raised the point. Better to rule out her having a possible motive.

If she didn’t, a worse thought nagged the back of my mind.

Now that her picture had surfaced, she could be in real danger. On top of that, she’d seen me kill someone in cold blood. From what I knew about her, she was a lawful kind of woman. At some point her guilt could cause her to have a long conversation with the police. Yes, they could be controlled, but if she went over their heads to the FBI, there would be an issue.

Fuck it.

Waiting around in my condo wasn’t solving any issues. It was time to have that discussion.

Whether she liked it or not.

“Where are you headed, Mr. Dmitriyev?” Mario was one of the two soldiers Mikhail had assigned to me. While I’d never been one for having guards follow me around as if they were babysitters, I did understand the level of danger.

Instead of barking at him as I might normally do, I took a deep breath. “To see a friend. You can follow me, but you won’t interfere unless there’s confirmed danger and you will not relay the address to anyone. Is that clear?”

Mario glanced at Vladimir, one of several Russians who’d joined the ranks over the years. “Yes, sir. We’ll only be there to add support if needed.”

After nodding, I headed to the elevator, the soldiers dutifully following. The bar had risen after the attack on the warehouse. We knew it was only a matter of time before Papadakis retaliated. If he could. Between the fire and the police finding enough drugs to make a few arrests, the two men would be busy for a few days.

At least that’s what we were counting on.

I didn’t waste any time, taking roads that would avoid as much of the evening traffic as possible. When I pulled into Halle’s neighborhood, I was once again reminded she lived on a tight budget. I found a parking spot near her house on the street and before I even turned off the engine, I dialed Alessandro, surprised I hadn’t heard anything from him regarding Liam O’Leary.

“I was just about to call you,” Alessandro said, half laughing.