Page 11 of Devious Corruption

“Lev. Seriously, don’t take it. They might need it.” She grabs the door and is out in the hallway with me as I head to the stairs.

As I turn down to the first step, I stopand make eye contact with her. She needs to understand I’m not bluffing. I’m not fucking around here.

“If they want it back, they can come get it.”

“Max.” A hand slaps down on the counter I’m crouched behind.

Startled, I drop the box of pens I was trying to stock.

“Joey.” I grumble his name, picking up the pens before getting up to my feet. “Where the hell have you been? It’s been days.”

Keith’s with him this time, and there’s a look of panic in their identical faces. Other than the mole on Joey’s left cheek, near his ear, the two of them are hard to tell apart. At least to anyone who doesn’t know them like I do.

“Yeah, we ran into some trouble.” He rubs the back ofhis neck.

“What kind of trouble? Are you all right?” I do a quick survey; all hands and feet are accounted for, and I don’t see any other outright evidence of injury. No bruises, even.

It must not have been a lot of trouble.

“So far, yeah.” Joey huffs. “We were just at your apartment; the key doesn’t work.” He shoves the key Keith snagged from my purse three days ago at me.

“I know it doesn’t. I had to get the locks changed when you’d didn’t come back or get back to me. I couldn’t just leave the door unlocked without knowing how long you’d be gone.”

It’s not unheard of these two taking off for a week or more at a time. I normally don’t worry too much, but given the way things went with Lev, I have more concern than usual.

“Okay, well, anyway, we need to get back in there. We left something behind; we need it.”

“That’s what you said three days ago.” I lean back against the counter. “Or did you not leave anything the first time, but needed to stash something, and that’s why you needed to go to my apartment when I wasn’t there? Because you knew I wouldn’t let you leave that thing in my place if I knew what you were doing?”

The shop’s empty at the moment, making this conversation easier to have.

Joey winces. “No. Of course not. When I went to pick up the thing I left the first time, I accidentally left something else the second time.”

My bullshit radar trips.

“I’m not as stupid as you want to think I am. What did you leave the first time, and why did you leave a loaded gun in my apartment the second time?” I demand, keeping my voice low even though we’re alone in the store. I’m almost certain the CCTV Mr. Miller set up won’t pick up voices, but it’s better to be safe.

“Do you still have it? I mean you didn’t do anything stupid, did you?” Keith accuses, his eyes narrowing as he takes a step toward me.

“No. I didn’t do anything stupid.” I fold my arms over my chest. “But, no, it’s not there.”

How the hell am I supposed to tell them a friend of the Russian mafia currently has possession of their illegal firearm.

“What did you do?” Keith crowds me.

I have to lean backward over the counter to keep his face from bumping into mine.

“I didn’t do anything, Keith.” I try to push him back a step, but the vein in the side of his neck is pulsating.

He’s not going to listen to reason.

“Hold up, Keith. Get off her, man. Let her explain.” Joey grabs Keith’s shoulder and pulls him back enough that I can stand straight again.

“Fine.” Keith shoves his fists into his jean pockets. “Explain.”

“First tell me where you got it.” I keep my attention focused on Joey now. “I need to know how you got it.”

“Why?” Keith looks ready to launch at me. “Why do you need to know?”