Page 88 of Hunt Me

He laughed while I cringed. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you? Have you thought this through? That alone could ruin us. Imagine what her father will say and do.”

“I’ve thought about the situation as much as the circumstances allowed.”

“Please tell me she’s not in a cage.”

He threw up his hands from the harsh look I gave him. “Not a bad idea for the future.”

“Jesus, bro. You’re playing with fire. Why not just gather information and give her a stern warning? Are you worried she’ll run to her father? From what you told me, she certainly was able to keep her mouth shut, although you don’t know her or what she’s capable of.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t know her at all. Plus, there’s a chance the assailants realized someone was in the house. If I easily figured out the substance on the wall, they could do so as well.”

I moved into the living room, turning on another light. Other than what had been fingerprinted, I could see nothing that had been disturbed. Kazimir moved ahead of me and toward the bar. My guess was that the two men Bristol had seen were standing by it. Maybe they were the two having a drink. When Jack had called, he’d indicated the single set of fingerprints had been Sergio’s, but they’d both been taken to check for DNA.

My guess was they’d find nothing.

Perhaps he’d welcomed a guest, offering a drink and been confronted by a second man. Whatever had happened, I’d go on my instinct he’d opened a back door to his assailant. That meantwe could have a traitor in our midst. My muscles tightened from the thought.

A series of memories rushed into my mind. Good ones. The way Sergio had taken his time with me. The way he’d explained the pride in being an enforcer. And the necessity for full loyalty and respect for the Pakhan.

“So you’re going to keep her indefinitely. For protection, of course.” His smile was one of ire.

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted. The possessive need to keep her remained, but the logistics weren’t plausible.

“Well, you need to figure it out before your ass lands in jail. I don’t seriously think Sebastian Rork will allow the fact his daughter was kidnapped to go without an arrest.”

“Stop pushing me, brother. Go check the goddamn computers in his office. We need to secure the blackmail information.”

“You think Sergio kept a hard copy?”

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

When he didn’t move right away, I sighed and headed from the kitchen. “I’m sorry, Kazimir. Sergio’s death affected me more than I could have believed.”

“Death is never easy, Mikhail. I learned that the first time I was forced to kill a man even while knowing remorse has no place in our world. Sergio was your friend. He was there when Pops was busy. He was loyal.”

“He was more than that and just so you know, remorse separates men from animals.” I gave him a look and he nodded.

He leaned against the counter. “As you requested, I checked into Sebastian’s background. He was a prosecutor for years.”

“So I heard.”

“He was good at what he did.”

“Let me guess. He put away some very bad criminals.” I glanced around the room, trying to remember where Sergio’s safe was located. I’d been in his house a half dozen times before but had never paid close attention to his belongings. There’d been no need.

“Yes, in Los Angeles.”

Immediately I turned my head toward him. “Let me guess. He prosecuted someone in the O’Shaughnessy clan.” I’d thrown it out for kicks, but when his grin widened, I fought another wave of fury. “Fuck. The shit is becoming more and more interesting.” And not fucking coincidental.

“He did. One of the sons. Managed to put him in prison. He was only eighteen, arrested on his birthday and Sebastian managed to put him behind bars for voluntary manslaughter. Guess which son?”

“Connor.”

“Very good. The son taking over a huge share of his father’s business. Now, I don’t know the ins and outs of Irish traditions, but imagine if Connor is required to perform a deed for his coronation? What do you want to bet he’s handling the activity in Las Vegas, which would add credence to what Nadia discovered. Connor comes into the city, does his best to ruin our reputation and perhaps even plant evidence so you or several of the family members are arrested. Or he could simply be tossingout crumbs to take your eye off the ball before he blows your brains out.”

Now I gave him my full attention. “You need to cut your caffeine intake, brother. You’re right though. Far too coincidental. What happened with Connor’s case?”