Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Alexei shrugs.
Wally brings up a computer feed over in the far corner. “I have security all around this place. If we’re being watched, I didn’t know it. My guess is they traced the phone records. You’ve been in and out of here, Alexei.”
“It doesn’t matter how they know.” Alexei glances over his shoulder at Garik. “Take advantage of this matter, will you? You have access to the funds, and you know what I need.”
“Are you sure about this?” Garik frowns. “We can go out the back if you want.”
Alexei rolls up his white shirt sleeves. “No, this is what I want—it’s actually the perfect opportunity.” He nods at me. “All right, attorney, let’s see how good you are.” There’s a mild undercurrent to his voice I don’t like, but I don’t really blame him.
“What are you two talking about?” I ask. That is some kind of bro code. What matter? What does he need? “Alexei?”
“This doesn’t concern you,” he says quietly.
We move toward the door, and I open it to see the full SWAT team. “He’s coming out and we’re going in voluntarily,” I say.
“He’s coming with us.” Detective Battlement moves toward Alexei, who calmly turns and allows himself to be a handcuffed. “We have solid evidence.”
“Oh, yeah?” I say. “Last time you had evidence, it was planted. Nobody trusts you right now.”
Detective Battlement blushes. “I’m aware of that, but this needs to happen.”
I look at a very calm Alexei. “Don’t say anything until I get there.”
The detective reads Alexei his rights and then leads him down the long sidewalk to the road with all of the SWAT team following.
I shut the door and take a deep breath.
Wally turns from the stove. “We can set up somebody else if you want.”
I don’t want to ask. “You have experience in that kind of thing?”
He nods. “Yeah. I was a grifter most of my life, and I have pretty good connections.”
A grifter? Seriously? The man makes sure I count out his rent every month to ensure he’s paid me enough. I look at Percy. “And you worked for the mob?”
He nods. Wally was with MI6. Doc’s definitely a doctor. That leaves two of my boarders as mysteries. “Kenny?”
Kenny looks up from his pancakes, today dressed in a flannel shirt and overalls. The guy looks like a retired farmer. “I was a spy, and that’s all I’m saying.” He pours more syrup over his plate.
I can’t believe it. “Yardley?” I look at him. He’s the youngest, and his bald head gleams in the soft light. “You weren’t with a mob or an assassin or anything like that?”
“Nope,” Yardley says cheerfully. “I was a nuclear physicist.”
“How does that help?” Ozzy throws up his arms.
Yardley shrugs. “I didn’t say it did.”
I’m getting a headache. It’s roaring in from the base of my skull. “Come on, Ella. I need a ride.”
“We’re all going,” Merlin says.
I turn to hold up a hand. “We are not all going. You stay here and stay safe. I’ll bail Alexei out with his own money, and we’ll figure this out.”
Exiting my comfortable home, we walk down the sidewalk and get into Ella’s banged-up car. She looks over at me. “What do you think the chances are that he killed Hendrix?”
I gulp. “I don’t know. He’s trying to consolidate power and Hendrix did set him up. If Alexei was furious enough, I can see him dumping Hendrix’s body at the family home, but there’s no way he would’ve left evidence.”
She sighs. “Things just get keeping more and more complicated, don’t they?”
“Yes. Not to mention how angry Alexei is with me at the moment.” He hid it well, but I felt his fury as he walked past me.
“Maybe we should leave him in jail,” Ella offers.
I sit back, my mind reeling. “It’s not a bad idea.”
We reach the police station, and I run immediately inside, my newish kitten heels clicking on the tiles. I show credentials and soon find myself in the interrogation room next to Alexei, sitting across from Detective Battlement.
Alexei looks calm and relaxed. I glance at the two-way mirror and wonder who’s videotaping us. Not that it matters. I note how strong and handsome, deadly so, Alexei looks. Mirrors love him.
“Your counselor is here. Now you can talk,” the detective says, his jowls moving with each consonant.
“My client has nothing to say.” Even though I feel vulnerable in the same outfit I wore yesterday with my hair in a ponytail and no makeup on my face, my voice is strong.
The detective shakes his head. “That’s not good enough, Alexei. We have you on video. It’s all over the news actually, of your brother getting into your car last night.”
“I’m aware of that,” Alexei says. “We had a nice talk and I dropped him off.”
Battlement makes a couple of notations. “Where?”
“At his home,” Alexei drawls.