Page 34 of Sweet Torture (Torture Games #1)

TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAOS

T his time, I barge into Mike’s office. The startled jump he gives in his seat gives me endless pleasure. He was staring out the window, motionless in his chair, looking pathetic. That is what happens when your sins come to visit.

“Have you talked to the Russian?” There is no time for small talk. He gets up and practically runs to close his door.

“Dammit, Griffin, you need to be careful. He has eyes and ears everywhere.” His eyes dart around the room as if expecting Vlad to jump out.

“If you are this scared of the man, why did you agree to do business with him?”

I am still standing, arms crossed, and wrath pumping through my alert body.

“He seemed reasonable enough. But that was before he left me a voice note last night.” He is trying quite unsuccessfully to hide the tremor in his voice.

“And what did this voice note say exactly?”

He strolls to his desk and starts digging in a drawer. “Here, let me play it for you.”

He keeps burrowing, and out of frustration, I take a seat. Once he finds the infernal device, he walks closer and leans with his backside on the edge of the desk next to me before he puts the phone down and presses play.

The rich baritone voice of Vlad fills the room with the chilling tone I am sure he intended.

“I am deeply disappointed in your employer. I thought we had an understanding. Maybe you both need a lesson in what happens when you bite the hand that feeds you. Expect a visit from me real soon, Mr. Dunn. Till then, don’t you disappear on me, or I will make it permanent in your case.”

Amused, the corner of my mouth pulls into a smirk. “Seems like you have a huge problem on your hands. Let me know when you’ve dealt with it.”

I move to stand, but he grabs my arm to stop me.

“ We . We have a problem. I was already informed of your little stunt at the club last night. Do you realize what you have done? He is going to try and kill us.”

Something doesn’t add up.

“How did you hear about last night? Were you there?”

Indignant, he jumps up. “Of course not. Don’t you think I would have told you if I had been there? No. One of the girls I dated a while back sent me a video. You really made a mess of everything.”

Figures. His fuck bunnies would be too eager to get in his good graces again.

I push my pointed finger into his chest. “No, you fucked up, Mike. I told you what to do, but you ignored my instructions. And grabbing my girl from the clutches of an insane human trafficker is not wrong. It could have turned out very differently, and then I would have no other choice but to kill you myself. And him, for that matter. No one touches what is mine, and I thought I made that very clear.”

He starts clapping a slow, dramatic clap.

“Look at the great Griffin Maxwell, finding magical pussy and turning into Prince Charming. That really is a neat trick but I have to ask, is she really worth it? What we have built here can stand the test of time if we just clear this one obstacle out of our way.”

“Would you have said that it was your girl?” I snub my nose at him.

He stands and takes me in for a few moments before he rounds the desk and avoids eye contact by picking up some random papers to thumb through.

“What are you not telling me, Mike?”

He sighs and sits back down before he opens and closes his mouth.

Still preoccupied with the stupid papers in his hand, I snatch them from him and hurl them aside. “What the fuck did you do, Mike?”

He looks away, guilt radiating from him. “Why am I her keeper? It was her own fault she was taken.”

My nostrils flare dangerously. “Who was taken and by whom?”

“Who do you think?”

I walk to the window, breathing hard to contain the immeasurable rage that wants to consume me.

He must be referring to one of his dates, maybe even the one that we had the displeasure of meeting the other night.

Even though the woman was a pill, she is still a human being, and I can only imagine what ungodly things they have done to her by now.

And Mike is just standing here, acting as if it is her fault for being associated with scum like him.

“What if they kill her?” I ask.

I doubt she would be able to withstand torture for long.

“Nah, she is worth more alive with her legs open. Our real problem is…”

“Our real problem is that you are a callous, insensitive bastard who sacrificed a young girl into a life of servitude. When did you lose your humanity?”

His face turns red. “And when did you find yours? We have been working together for years, and I have never seen you care about anyone except yourself. Why the sudden change of heart? Can it really all boil down to your dick? Maybe I need to test drive her myself, and then I will be able to comprehend this sudden change of heart.”

I race forward and yank him out of his chair. My open palm connects with his ear, and I watch as his head bounces off the opposite wall. Ignoring the grimace on his face, my fingers wrapped around his chin, forcing his mouth open. The sour smell of day-old whiskey disgusts me.

“I swear I will make you pay for this mistake. Not only are you careless with other lives, but you have also put my loved ones in danger. Or do you think it was by coincidence that Naz found herself in the belly of the beast? You have one chance to fix this, or I will do it my way. And neither of you will like it.”

He doesn’t struggle, and I let him go.

His voice is laced with terror, “Do you think I wanted it to be like this? If I had known how I would have fixed this already. The only thing I could do was tell the truth when he put the gun to my head.”

I was in a hurry to escape this worthless piece of shit, but now my steps drag to a stop.

“What truth? What are you talking about?”

I turn back to look him in the eye so there can be no confusion about his betrayal.

He shakes his head, eyes glistening and false bravado plastered on his features.

“He asked about you. Where you live and what you do when you are not at work. Seems like it isn’t just me in this situation anymore, is it, Griffin? ”

“And you told him everything?” I seethe.

He shrugs his shoulders. “I had no choice. He was going to kill me.”

I take three steps closer when I stop. There is no way to hide it if I murdered him right here.

So, I do the next best thing. Until I can catch him unawares.

“You are done. You have one week to get your shit and disappear out of my life for good. If I ever see you again, I will finish what Vlad started. Do you understand?”

He nods, and I march to the door. I have to go make some calls. The only way to get ahead of this thing is to know what Vlad is planning next.

“Griffin.” The voice is hesitant.

I stop but don’t turn. He doesn’t deserve any more of my time or attention. Yet his words freeze the blood in my veins.

“I hope you know what you are doing. Once I was your friend but now the gloves are off.”

I keep walking.

Bastian was supposed to call me back when he had the information I needed, but now I need him for something else .

I dial the encrypted number he left on a slip of paper on my desk, and it rings three times before he answers.

“New York Mortuary. Where we take your loved ones downtown. How can I help?”

“Bastian, is that you? I have a crisis, and I need your expertise. Can you come to the office right away?”

He must have heard something in my tone because of his clipped answer, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” That is all I hear before the line goes dead.

Good, at least this is a start. I don’t engage in any war when I don’t know my opponents, but I have a feeling I might be out of my depth with Vlad.

I had to concede to him in the club; he left me no other option than to take my girl and run.

Normally, I would have forced the situation into the outcome I wanted, but I saw his guys moving closer and surrounding us.

In a few more minutes, we would have been outnumbered and in trouble.

Needless to say, I was furious at everyone, but especially Naz. She forced my hand and already put me at a disadvantage with Vlad. Actually, Mike put us at a disadvantage, and he put Naz in danger.

I grab the phone and dial her number. It is engaged. I keep trying until Bastain strolls in without an announcement and closes the door behind him.

He starts talking before he reaches the chair. “Hi, what’s up. You sounded strange on the phone.”

“Can you find Naz right now?” The incessant ringing in my ear changes to voicemail. I called off my guys following her. That is what she wanted, and I was so angry I didn’t think twice about it.

“Like right now? Sure, I can track her phone. Did you know it is a burner?”

I nod. This is not the time.

He takes out his stuff and again disregards my paperwork to place his laptop over it.

After a few nail-biting minutes, he says, “She is at her studio apartment. Her line is tied up with a call to a Rosalind Cooper.”

I sigh and push my chair back to extend my limbs.

“Okay, I can work with that. When the call ends, let me know, and I will try calling her again.”

He tilts his head, and lines appear on his forehead.

“Is that all you wanted? I feel cheap. I thought this was an emergency.”

He aims to start packing up, but I stop him.

“No, wait. This isn’t about Naz. Or it is about Naz, but not in the way you think. I have a bigger problem and thought you might be able to help me.”

He rubs his chin with two fingers, “Well, then, it must be something huge. Your partner only found me because I wanted to be found. But generally, I don’t engage in illegal activities. So whatever you need must be above board.”

I have no time to convince him and charge in. “There is this Russian, Vlad Antonov, and he… ”

Bastian’s hand flies up to halt me. He digs around in his bag and produces a strange device with flashing lights. Carefully, he gets up and waves the device over everything in the office.

His nonsensical comment makes no sense until the light on the device goes crazy.

“I don’t really think I can help you locate a ghost. The man is a myth, folklore if you will, and whatever scheme someone has come up with is probably bogus.

Let’s go for an early lunch. I know this great place around the corner. ”

He looks at me and urges me to answer with huge eyes, his lips pulled askew. He unscrews the light bulb next to my favorite lounge chair and takes out a small chip with wires attached.

“Yeah, sure, let me just get my things.”

I open some drawers noisily to allow him to take out a little black box from his bag and place the bug on the sponge liner inside. He looks at me and says, "Ready?”

“Ready,” I say as he closes the box.

“Sorry for the dramatics, but Antonov is famous for bugging the people who work for him. From your face, I can deduce that this is new information to you.”

He tosses the black box on my desk and drops down in the chair. I follow suit. Apparently, we aren’t going to lunch as suggested. Bastian is staring at me with wide eyes, awaiting my next move.

I nod tentatively, marveling at how I got myself so deeply entangled with so many strangers all at once.

Normally, my life is much more organized and planned, and now I find myself at the mercy of others.

And some are not as benevolent as the man sitting before me.

I think back to Mike’s reaction from this morning.

He was right. Maybe it would be best to bring him in again.

However, I can’t ignore the fact that he let a woman be taken to save his own ass.

“So, spit it out. I don’t have all day, and you are not my only client, you know.” Bastian adds with a wave of his hand.

I sit back down behind my desk again. "Does this mean I am your favorite for you to drop everything and rush over?”

“It means I am good at my job and could hear you were distressed. Now, will you tell me what is happening, or am I really going to leave for lunch? I am starving.”

“Mike, my partner, or rather ex-partner, made a deal with Vlad Antonov behind my back after I gave him explicit instructions not to get involved. Now Vlad is threatening Naz and maybe anyone close to her to force me to go through with this transaction,” I explain.

“And why don’t you want to do this? Isn’t it literally what makes you a criminal?”

I huff my frustration out. “Yes, I might be a criminal, but I do have some morals or boundaries, if you will, and human trafficking is something that I will ever condone. Vlad hasn’t mentioned the cargo's contents, but I have my suspicions. One of my rules is not to ask questions; that is why I do my homework beforehand and steer clear of situations like these.”

“Wow, who would have guessed. A criminal with morals. That is a first for me.” Bastian looks dazed.

I wave his comment away and then place my folded hands on the desk before me, leaning in to get down to business.

“How do I know I can trust you, Bastian? Normally, I vet my employees more thoroughly before I engage in any serious matter with them. Mike vouched for you, but I still don’t know you. And I definitely can’t trust him anymore. Can you give me a good reason to trust you?”

He mimics my position, pushing his laptop to the side, and I see the twinkle in his eyes.

“Well, I think if anything is going to convince you, it is this. I was a former NYPD officer, and I have proof that you murdered your father, and yet you are still a free man. Can we cut the bullshit now and get on with saving your girl?”