Otherwise Unharmed

  I dropped my ass onto the bed and my head onto the palms of my hands. I pushed at my eye sockets to try to relieve the pressure there a bit and ignored the fact that my hands ended up a little damp.

  Turning my head to the side, I looked over at her. Lia’s posture had relaxed a little, but she still kept glancing at the door.

  “I can’t let you just walk out,” I said. “I’ll take you somewhere, but I can’t let you go out there on your own.”

  “You really are serious about all of this,” Lia said—part statement, part question.

  “Yeah, it’s all true. I don’t have any reason to lie to you about this, do I?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I don’t.”

  She nodded, and her eyes moved to stare at me for several silent minutes.

  “I need a little time,” she said softly. “I need to think for a minute.”

  Lia moved slowly around the corner of the wall, watching me the entire time, to the bathroom where she shut herself in. I heard the click of the lock right after the door closed and dropped my head back into my hands.

  I’d been wrong. Telling her everything was a stupid fucking idea. Not only was she never going to have anything to do with me again, but having knowledge of the few facts I had revealed was enough to get her on someone’s watch list and very possibly just decide she wasn’t worth the risk and take her out.

  No, it was too late to avoid that anyway. She’d been with me enough, had even seen at the prison with me, and was already in that kind of danger. I’d already fucked her over just by being around her. If someone picked her up and questioned her yesterday, she wouldn’t have been able to tell them anything, but they wouldn’t have believed her.

  I’d fucked this up as much as I possibly could have, and at the end of the day, she was still going to be gone, and except for Odin, I was going to be alone again. I’d be back to fucking hookers, having no one I could really talk to, and just counting the days until my sleep-deprived state took me back into total meltdown.

  Status quo.

  It was probably for the best for both of us.

  So why didn’t I believe it?

  Because it was best for her, not for me, and I’d learned to be a selfish son of a bitch over the years. If I could think of something to say to her that would convince her to stay with me, accept who I was and what I did and not be afraid, I would use those words in a heartbeat. As it was, I was only a slight step away from being a big enough bastard to hold her against her will.

  Would I really do that?

  Fuck.

  Yeah, I might.

  Though I was both repulsed and intrigued with the idea, I was also trying to figure out how I felt, knowing that I was capable of something like that. It seemed far worse than just killing someone. Once you’re dead, you’re dead—no pain, no suffering. Hell, I’d wished for it myself repeatedly.

  I knew what being held captive was like, though—I knew how it felt to be so completely within someone else’s control. I knew exactly what it did to someone when they were imprisoned, and I was considering doing the same thing to her. I didn’t think I would do it—not because I didn’t want to—I did—but that didn’t mean I wasn’t capable of it. I clearly was, and now that the thought was in my head, I couldn’t seem to shake it.

  Shit! What if she demands I let her leave, and I can’t do it?

  The muscles in my arms and legs were so tight, I was starting to shake a little. Even though I knew there was air coming into my lungs, it still felt like I wasn’t breathing. I tried to find another cigarette, but I had already smoked the few I had bought off the guy at the front desk. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to shove thoughts of Lia, handcuffed to my bed, out of my mind.

  “Evan?” Lia’s fingers touched my shoulder, and I startled.

  I dropped my hands and looked up at her, waiting for the words that were likely to feel like a stake being shoved through my heart. She didn’t say anything, though. She just wrapped her arms around my head and pulled me against her body.

  I lifted my arms to grasp her waist and pull her closer to me. My fingers wrapped around her shirt right at the small of her back, and I clutched at the material. Her warmth was instantly soothing, and a moment later heart rending, because I didn’t know how long it would last.

  “Don’t leave,” I heard myself beg. “Please don’t leave.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she responded.

  My throat seized up, and I couldn’t speak. I tilted my head up to look into her face and try to figure out if I had heard her right. If she meant it, I wouldn’t have to test myself. I wouldn’t find out if I was really willing to hold her captive like that.

  “You’re not?” I asked quietly.

  She shook her head slowly as she leaned back to look at me, and I tightened my fingers around the fabric of her shirt to keep her close.

  “Why not?” I heard myself ask. I wanted to take back the words immediately. Asking her to justify why she was staying could very well lead her to change her mind.

  “Because you are a mess, and I can’t just leave you like this!” she nearly yelled but then softened her tone. “I needed to find you for a reason. I didn’t completely understand it at the time, but now I think I do. I thought I just needed you, but it seems you need me even more.”

  “I do need you,” I said quietly. “It kinda scares me.”

  “Me too,” Lia agreed, “but I can’t just…just condone this, Evan. I don’t think I’m wired that way.”

  I tensed again and waited for her to explain exactly what she meant.

  “Can you just quit?” she asked. “I mean, walk away and never go back? You said it wasn’t like the movies, but I never really watched those movies. I don’t know the rules.”

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “I’ve never thought about it, so I’ve never asked. I know I can’t leave now, though.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have…I have a job to do.”

  “You mean someone to kill?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Quit being so damn cryptic!” Lia snapped as she pushed away from me. “I certainly hope I’ve heard the worst by now, and being evasive isn’t going to make me feel any better!”

  I reached out and pulled her back to me. She came reluctantly but didn’t actually resist. I tightened my grip on her, completely afraid to let her go now. She hadn’t heard the worst, but she’d certainly heard enough. She knew that whatever she decided to do, I shouldn’t have to lie to her about what I was doing.

  It was time to tell her the rest.

  “It has to do with why I got released,” I said. “I made a deal with a couple of federal agents. One of them was the guy you talked to outside my apartment. The other was inside talking to me at the same time.”

  I kept my grip on her shirt as I looked up at her, and she scrutinized me cautiously as I spoke.

  “Most of the organizations in the city deal with the usual: politics, corruption of law enforcement, bribery, marketeering, money laundering, prostitution—all that typical stuff. There’s enough of that to go around, and they tend to work together pretty well for the common interest as far as the local government and police go. Outside of that, there are some specialized businesses primarily run by separate families.”

  Lia continued to watch me intently.

  “I work for Rinaldo Moretti,” I told her. “His family runs the majority of the casinos and has its hands in strip joints, a lot of weapon sales, cocaine, and the caviar trade.”

  “Caviar?” Lia’s brow furrowed. “That’s not illegal.”

  “Well, yeah, actually,” I corrected, “some of it is. It depends on where it comes from and how you get it. It’s a business that is heavily regulated—like the sale of ivory or something like that. Some of it’s legal, but a lot of it isn’t. It’s actually a bigger business than a lot of the drug trade.”

  “Shit,” Lia said. “I had no idea.”
br />   “Overfishing caused a shortage,” I replied. “Shortage means higher demand. Higher demand means there’s room for organized crime to step in and make sure we’re the ones with the best supply when it comes to the kind of shit stupidly rich people will pay for. It’s like gorilla-hand ashtrays or certain types of cars. Yeah, you can get them legally, but it’s a pain in the ass. Sometimes it’s easier to get them illegally.”

  “Do they still come with the manufacturer’s warranty?” Lia asked.

  I glanced up at her, saw her smirk, and laughed a bit before going on with Mafia 101.

  “Gavino Greco’s organization is Rinaldo’s primary competition. They focus on stolen goods, heroin, and human trafficking.”

  “Human trafficking?”

  Fuck. I probably had said too much, especially considering my thoughts of her in chains.

  “I don’t really want to go into that,” I admitted. “It’s as bad as it sounds. If you really want the details, I’ll tell you, but it’s just going to make you sick to your stomach.”

  “I guess I’ll stick with the vague, then.”

  “Good call.” I collected my thoughts. “So I’ve been working for Moretti and his family since I moved here. The feds want me to help bring him in, but I can’t do that. He’s been great to me, and I can’t betray him.”

  “Great to you?” Lia said with a snort. “He made you a killer.”

  “No, he didn’t,” I corrected. I turned my eyes to her in warning. “I’m not going to hear any shit-talk about him either. Think what you want of me—I’m responsible for whatever the fuck I do—but don’t say a fucking word against Rinaldo. Clear?”

  Lia stared at me for a long moment before she nodded once.

  I was being shitty and I knew it, but I was in a shitty position and sometimes you just have to drop back to what you are most comfortable and familiar with to keep going. I also had to remember that she wasn’t used to any of this, and me going all mob-threatening on her probably wasn’t going to keep her close to me. I had to be careful.

  “Sorry,” I muttered. “He’s just…he’s always taken care of me, dealt with my messes when I fucked up, and been more of a father to me than anyone else ever has been, okay?”

  “I understand,” Lia replied. Her fingers traced my arm, causing little goose bumps to form on my skin. “It’s all right.”

  She sat down next to me on the bed, and I turned to look at her.

  “You’re really going to stay?” I didn’t know why I was opening the door for this conversation. Maybe I just needed the reassurance.

  “I told you before,” she said. “I didn’t spend all this time looking for you to just turn around and go home. I don’t like this at all though, Evan—don’t think for a second that I do.”

  “I didn’t think you would.” I wanted to grab her and kiss her and fuck her senseless again, but I knew she wasn’t going to put up with any of that until she got the rest of her answers. I just hoped I’d be able to provide them all to her satisfaction.

  Living up to what I said, that would be a whole separate challenge.

  “I need to understand what happens after,” Lia said. “What do we do once you’ve…well, once you’ve done whatever it is you need to do? Explain that first, and then we need to figure out what comes later.”

  I rubbed my fingers into my eyes and thought for a minute.

  “I half considered just making a run for it,” I told her, “but the more I think about it, the more I know that isn’t going to work. Ask me how many people tried to run from my boss, and I’ll give you the same number of people I caught on the run. No one ever got away from me, and I’m the kind of guy they’d send after us.”

  “Jesus,” she muttered, “I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this.”

  I cringed a bit, closed my eyes, and tried to focus. When I opened them again, I reached out and took her hand.

  “I know this is really fucked up,” I said. “I know this isn’t what you bargained for when you came to find me, but I’m glad you are here. I’m glad you’re staying. I…I…fuck!”

  “What is it?”

  I let go of her, stood up, and ran my hand over my face and head. I hadn’t gotten a haircut yet, and the length was starting to annoy me. Without being neat and orderly, I felt like I was totally off my normally collected game.

  “I’m not usually like this!” I bellowed. “I’m not used to…to…to needing someone else. It’s always been…just me.”

  Lia pushed away from the bed and stood in front of me while I shoved my hands in my pockets and tried not to look embarrassed over my outburst. Her hands came up and lay gently on the sides of my face before they ran down my shoulders to my chest, and I relaxed at her touch.

  “It’s okay to need someone,” she told me. “Everyone needs someone.”

  Her lips brushed mine.

  “I never have,” I argued.

  “You just didn’t know who you needed yet,” she countered.

  She kissed me again but only briefly. As I collected myself, she put an end to the intimacy and pulled me back to sit on the bed for the rest of the discussion. I sighed, complied, and started thinking out loud.

  “I’ve got to come up with a way of getting Greco to trust me. He’s got to let me deep into his organization so I can get enough information on him to turn over to Trent. The thing is, the last time I saw Greco wasn’t the friendliest of encounters.”

  “What happened?”

  “I held a gun to his head and threatened take him out. I doubt he’s forgotten.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “He started it,” I shrugged. “If it makes you feel any better, there were three guys with guns pointed at me, and I didn’t end up shooting any of them.”

  “It really doesn’t,” she said.

  “The point is, getting into his org isn’t going to be easy. I don’t even know where to begin at this point, and I’m going to have to move fast. Before any of that, though, I need to make sure you’re safe.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be safe?” Lia asked. “I haven’t done anything. I don’t even know who these people are!”

  I looked at the clock and rubbed my hands against my thighs.

  “We need to move,” I said. “It’s checkout time, and I only brought us here to get us out of Trent’s line of sight. We can’t stay another night.”

  “Where are we going?”

  I reminded myself that she wasn’t asking me to take her to the airport, but I still decided we weren’t going anywhere near O’Hare. I didn’t want to be too far from the city—I needed to be able to get to public transportation easily and quickly.

  “Another motel,” I said. “Maybe something up north. We just need to stay moving for now until I figure out how I’m going to do all this. We can talk more when we get to another location.”

  “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation at all.” Lia put her head in her hands.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “You’ve said that a lot,” she reminded me.

  “I know.”

  She went silent, and I went tense. I waited for her to say something—anything—to give me an idea what she was going to do. I probably should have reminded her that if she wanted me to get her a ticket back to Phoenix, I would, but I wasn’t going to make that offer again.

  “Well, Mom was right.” Lia sat back and looked at me. “I had no idea who you really were.”

  I looked down at my clenched hand and the veins pulsing in my arm. Everything about her posture told me she had just changed her mind. She was going to leave, and I was going to have to figure out some way to accept that and move on.

  Or do something far worse.

  “Do you like it?” she asked. She placed her hand on my thigh and started moving it up and down, her touch relaxing the muscles there.

  “I like that,” I said, indicating her hand on my leg.

  “That’s not what I meant.” Her hand stopped moving, and s
he started to pull it away, but I grabbed it and held it in place. My fingers stroked over hers softly.

  “Do I like what, then?”

  “Killing people.”

  “It’s a job. I’m good at it.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question.”

  I didn’t see any point in lying to her now, so I just spit it out.

  “Yeah, sometimes. Some people deserve it.”

  “But not all of them?”

  “Everyone’s done something wrong,” I said with a shrug.

  “And they deserve to die for it?”

  “I don’t really think about it much, you know?”

  “No,” Lia said as she raised her eyebrows and looked at me pointedly, “I do not know.”

  “People die,” I stated. “They might get a disease, or get hit by a fucking bus, or get hit by me, but they all die. Sometimes no one even gives a shit, and the kind of people I kill mostly fall into that category. I definitely don’t care if they die, so I don’t think about it much.”

  Lia was silent for a long moment. I struggled with wanting to give her a little time to process all the shit I’d thrown at her. I also needed to deal with my own nervousness at being in the same location as long as we had been.

  “What are you thinking?” I finally asked.

  “I’m trying to figure out how you can be so nonchalant about it,” Lia said. “I don’t understand how you can reconcile what you’re doing.”

  “Like I said, I don’t think about it. It’s usually from far away, and I only see my target through the scope. It’s just like playing a video game.”

  “It’s not a game,” she said quietly.

  “I know it isn’t.” I took in a long breath and let it out slowly. “Really, I swear we can talk more about it later, but we have to move now.”

  Lia nodded and silently gathered up her belongings from the bathroom and shoved them all into the overnight bag she’d brought with her the night before. I asked the motel guy where I could get a cab, and he directed me to a convenience store a few blocks away. I bought a pack of cigarettes while Lia gave me a bit of a look.