Page 35 of Sweet Torture (Torture Games #1)

TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAOS

W ell, that was completely unexpected. “What do you mean I murdered my father?” I neither confirm nor deny his allegations. For all I know, he could be recording this conversation.

An amused snort leaves his mouth, “Let me put it this way. I am very good at my job, and just because I am not an officer anymore doesn’t mean I don’t still possess the skill to identify a killer when I see one.

I dug a little deeper into you, and although I can’t condone what you did, I completely understand your motivations.

The one thing that bothers me is that he didn’t suffer enough, but the fact that you spared him is also in your favor.

It shows that you are a good man who has been dealt a shitty deal. ”

I can only nod. I have been carrying around this secret for so long that the weight of it has been permanently fixed on my shoulders.

Not that the weight is lifted by his comment, but knowing that it was justified, although wrong, gives me hope that I will someday be rid of the guilt I carry with me.

“I bet you are wondering why I left the force. I was forced out because I refused to become a dirty cop. My sister is still there, but she is barely hanging on with all the corruption in the precinct. We are surrounded by assholes, and in this Mad Max world, we need to live by our own moral code or perish. I like you, Griffin, and I think we can work well together. Why don’t we get started and get this sorted out for you so you can spend your time treating your girl right? ”

I look into his open face. “What information can you dig up on Vlad?”

He scoots the laptop back in front of him and gets typing.

“It seems he has close ties to the Bratva. His big brother became Pakhan after his father perished in a terrible warehouse fire. The police suspected a rival gang but never followed up, and the case ran cold. Rumor has it that the two brothers are not fond of each other, and that is why Vlad was banished to New York to run operations here. He is suspected of gun running, prostitution, human trafficking, and numerous other nefarious activities. The police tried to charge him with racketeering, but that failed miserably. My sister wanted to become part of the task force, but politics prevented her from getting the position. You would really like her.”

I listen patiently and make mental notes but pause at his last comment.

“I have to warn you: I am in a committed relationship, and I am not interested in yet another complication.”

He roars in laughter, “That is not what your contract says, mate. Besides, I was talking in the capacity of a cop. We might need help with his case, and if you want to live to be in your ‘committed relationship,’ as you call it, Claire is the person to go to. She is fair and only wants what is best for the people of New York.”

There is no way I can work with the police. But if I want to get rid of Vlad without bringing down the wrath of the Bratva on me, I will need to get creative.

Who knows, maybe I can make it look like I have some brass in my pocket after all this is done.

I hate the air quotes he makes with his hands, though, when he talks about my relationship.

“Let’s come up with a plan before we involve anyone else. I would feel much better if I knew we were not leading people to their deaths.”

He flicks his nose. “That is a smart plan. Let’s see here.

Vlad is always surrounded by women, but there is no clear attachment to anyone.

According to my source, he has four lieutenants and no clear favorite.

Oh, he also has different safe houses and rotates between them randomly.

So, there is no way to pin his schedule down. ”

I ponder our options.

“What if we create a scenario where he is left standing with the knife in his hand, so to speak?”

“What do you have in mind?”

I give my plan in broad strokes: "Being a courier affords me some leeway with getting into difficult places. What if we lead him into a place where there could be no doubt he is the culprit? Then the police will have to arrest him, right?”

“In theory, yes. Claire would be able to help with that, but we need credible information. I can only get so much from my research and sources, and most of the info is about incidents that have already occurred.”

“Exactly, but the whole reason he is threatening me is to get me to go through with one of his future deals. He wouldn’t be so aggressive if he didn’t need it done quickly.

All I need to do is contact him and set everything up, and then Claire can bring in the squad and make the arrest,” I conclude.

“But wouldn’t he know you were the one to burn him? He might get arrested, but he still has influence on the outside. No one in your vicinity would be safe.” Bastian looks worried.

But I have had years of playing with the big dogs, and that experience does give me some arrogance on my part .

“Unless we can convince him that we were betrayed as well. I fired my partner about an hour ago. I gave him a week to get out of town and to disappear. If we are lucky, Vlad’s boys have already reported the fight we had, and the suspicion would fall on him.”

“You would be condemning him to death, you know that, right?” Bastian searches my face for something.

But he will only find my resolution to keep Naz safe.

“I do. But it is nothing less than Mike deserves. He let Vlad take an innocent woman to cover his own ass. He was willing to give him Naz, too. If I had known what type of person he was, I would have cut ties earlier.”

Bastian snickers, “Oh, the joy of being in love. It changes the way you look at the world, doesn’t it?”

I get up and walk to the bar cart. Although it is way too early to drink, I will need it for the call I have to make. I pick up a glass and gesture for Bastian but he declines. I turn back and uncork the bottle of bourbon.

“Is Naz done with her call yet?” I toss over my shoulder.

I hear him typing frantically, and his answer does nothing to soothe my yearning to hear her voice. “Nope, she is in a very lengthy conversation, it seems. You know how girls are. Probably talking about their shoes or nails.”

With a heavy heart, I walk back and sit down. “Let’s get this over then.”

I pick up the handset, and Bastian slaps it out of my hand. “Are you crazy? What makes you think he doesn’t have a tap on your phone? You need to call him from your cell, and then I can reroute it through different towers to make it seem like you are in a completely different place.”

He rises and starts unpacking his bag on the table. After tinkering with my cell and another program on his computer for a few minutes, he indicates that we are all set. I locked the door while he got ready for whatever he was doing. We don’t want Jason coming in and ruining the whole ruse.

Finally settled behind my desk, I dial the number.

Vlad answers on the second ring. “Griffin, what a nice surprise. I was expecting your call a little earlier. As long as you are not late with my shipment, though.” His voice rumbles over the phone. He sounds completely relaxed and in control.

“I needed to tie up some loose ends on my side. That way, I can give you my complete attention. What can I do for you today?” Professional and in business mode is my sweet spot.

“I see you are calling from a coffee shop not far from your office. Out for a little lunch, aren’t we?” He wants me to know he is always a step ahead.

“Just needed to get some fresh air. You know how it goes when you have to struggle with incompetent employees.”

“I do know, back to business. I am hosting an intimate little get-together at my home tonight. Why don’t you join us and bring that lovely girlfriend of yours,” he says, placing emphasis on the word girlfriend.

I grind my teeth. “I would prefer to leave her out of this. She is still innocent in the ways of my business,” I say, tension clear in my tone.

“Not after your performance last night. Let’s say eight o’clock. My men will pick you up at your penthouse. See then.”

And the line went dead, cut off most likely.

“I recorded the whole conversation, but it was too short to pinpoint his location. What are you going to do about Naz?” Bastian asks.

“There is nothing I can do.” I shrug. Most likely, she will be safer in my company than left unattended at home.

“Don’t you have men for situations like this?” he inquires cautiously.

“I did, but with the collapse of hierarchy from Mike’s side, I no longer know who I can trust. Loyalty is a rare commodity in my business.”

“True, true. I have a few guys I can call upon, but they don’t come cheap,” he offers.

I smirk openly at his attempt to strong-arm me. “You have seen my financials, right? You know money is no option.”

He leans back from the computer and taps on the desk with his finger. “That is why I am rescinding my offer for a friends and family discount. Besides, I don’t like you at all.” We both laugh, but it ends in a tense chuckle.

“Look, I would like to pull my sister in on this. It might be the only way to secure the conviction once this shit show is done. She might even be able to give you immunity,” he states hopefully.

“My business will suffer if anybody finds out I am a rat. As I said, loyalty is a factor.”

“Then you need to decide who you want to protect. Naz or your clients. You can’t have it both ways.” He waves his hand, scaling the decision before me but it was never a question of who I would choose.

I slam my fist down on the desk, “Fucking Mike. If he only listened to me.”

“Once again, very true. But you are stuck in this situation now, and the only way forward is with our help. You can trust her, I promise. She has always been the best of us. Level-headed and smart as a whip,” Bastian builds his sister up to me.

She is still a cop.

And my business and cops don’t mix.

Unfortunately, she may also be my only way out of this mess.

I lean forward, thrusting out my hand for him to shake. “Okay, on one condition. You tell me the truth about why you left the NYPD.”

He hesitates before he grabs my hand and says, “I murdered a serial rapist who was set free, in cold blood. They couldn’t prove it was me, but everyone suspected me, so I was suspended and eventually retired.”

That wasn’t the whole truth, but it was enough for now.

“Call your sister. I think it is time we met. She needs to come in civilian clothing. We are going to my penthouse to talk to my girl.”

“Now you are talking.” Excitedly, he pulls out his phone and gets on a call.

I look around for anything important. At the last second, I made a note to find a replacement for Mike. A week is definitely not long enough to do so, but I can try in between the other messes I have to handle. Otherwise, both my businesses will fall into peril.

Bastian, who packed all his shit up in a rush, is already out the door when my eye falls on the drawer with my gun. I might need it tonight, but considering my host, keeping it locked up here is best.

I walk out the door, anxious to get to my woman, with no plan or future ahead.