Vanessa fell asleep in my arms before I reached the elevator. So, instead of tossing her down on my bed and licking her pussy tonight, I remove her dress and shoes, then tuck her in without getting to taste her. Without getting any relief of my own at all. The pillow wall I voluntarily build between us is even more important tonight since she’s only wearing her damp panties.
I’ve just locked up my gun and removed my suit jacket when Titus texts me.
After the unexpected visit I got from Kozlov tonight in the casino, asking if I’ve seen his two enforcers, I can’t even say I’m surprised to find out another one of my warehouses was raided, this one in California.
Thankfully, it was empty. I wasn’t stupid enough to keep product in all the usual places after the hit in Arizona.
Kozlov is obviously coming after me, and someone is helping him. Whoever my rat is, they just don’t have the most current information, or they would’ve warned him about the move. I intentionally kept the details limited to only a handful of people I trust most. Now at least I know it wasn’t any of them who betrayed me, making me feel a little better.
“Anything on the cameras this time?” I ask Titus when I step out of the bedroom and meet him on the veranda.
“The IT guys are going through them now.”
“I assume you heard Kozlov showed up here tonight asking questions?”
“You think he’s behind the raids? There’s no way he could’ve known about his guys when the Arizona warehouse was hit.”
“I didn’t think so either, but if one of our men got sloppy with the pickup…”
“They weren’t. The sun wasn’t even up when we grabbed those guys, and all home security cameras were cut before it went down.”
“If it’s not Kozlov then who the fuck is coming after me?”
“No clue. If I knew, they would be dead by now.”
“Put together a list of any guards who may have been involved in this one or with Stevie down in Arizona. Then bring them in for interrogation. Anyone who had a recent deposit out of thin air.”
“You think it’s one of our own?”
“Somebody on the inside is giving information in exchange for cash. If we can find them, then we find out who they’re working for on the outside.”
“I’ll let you know when we start bringing them in.”
“I’ll tell Eli to be ready.”
“That sick bastard is going to be ecstatic.”
“As long as he’s around, you won’t have to get your hands dirty,” I remind him.
“True enough. I’m heading to Cali now. I’ll let you know if IT finds out anything else.”
I nod and follow him to the door to lock up before looking for Eli in his room. It’s still empty so I pull out my phone to text him to get his ass back up here. He’s had plenty of time to fuck around tonight.
I’m sitting in the chair in his room waiting when he comes in, his shirt buttoned the wrong way, halfway untucked, his blond hair down around his shoulders for once. He probably thinks he’s been sly, but I have eyes and ears every fucking where in this casino.
“Did you have fun playing with Gavin tonight?” I ask.
“Shit, Dante!” he exclaims before flipping on the overhead light and finding me in the dark corner.
“Well?”
“How did you know?”
“A little bird in reservations told me you booked a room for a bachelorette party. I’m guessing you were the lucky lady.”
“What I do in my free time is none of your business.”
“It’s my business when you use my suite to play with one of my employees who is on thin ice.” Then I ask the question I’m most curious about. “Is he still alive?”
“Yes.”
“While I would love for you to rip his heart out of his chest, if he goes missing, people will notice. And I’ll be at the top of the suspect list.”
“It’s fine. Seriously.” Eli scrubs his palms over his face as I search for blood spatter on his clothes or skin, but don’t find any.
I get up from the chair to leave, which is when he says, “What happened tonight?”
“Kozlov dropped by unexpectedly asking about his guys, which means he suspects me. Either connected or a big coincidence, a California warehouse was raided tonight.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah. Shit is hitting the fan, and I don’t have a fucking clue how to stop it.”
“You’ll probably punch me for saying this, but Vanessa’s a distraction you can’t afford to have right now.”
“I know that,” I assure him, clutching the doorknob tighter than necessary. “But she’s not leaving, not until her time with me is up.”
“I figured as much.”
“Just make sure nobody says a word to her about the Russians. She doesn’t need to know the two who hurt her are dead, or that it may be coming back to bite me in the ass.”
“Right,” he agrees. “Can I make another suggestion?”
“What?” I snap, ready to get back to the nearly naked woman sleeping in my bed.
“Maybe it’s time to think about calling in reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements?”
“Lochlan could be a powerful ally, make the Russians think twice about starting a war if he sides with you.”
I hate to admit that Eli makes a good point. I despise asking anyone for help. But the stronger my backing, the less likely Kozlov will attack me directly.
“I’ll think about it,” I agree before I slip out of the room.
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