He tamped down his wildly vacillating emotions and walled them away in that cold pit he had mentally constructed years ago. He had no idea what to expect when he found her and needed to be able to think clearly. Later, when he had her safely back in the apartment and he was back at his own home, he would allow himself to sort through his feelings.
When his phone started to ring again, he answered it quickly. “Yes?”
“Jet says they just turned into a motel on Spencer. It’s a shit hole. He spotted a couple of Hermanos parked at the tire shop half a block down. There’s an SUV parked at the car wash that he recognizes. It’s one that Ben modified for Lalo.”
Jesus Christ. Whatever anger Alexei felt toward Shay evaporated in that moment. Did she have any idea that she was walking into a trap? Would she even know what to look for? After what had gone down with Lalo last night, that little bastard would be bloodthirsty for revenge. How much damage could he inflict in five minutes? In ten?
Desperation took hold. “Which motel?”
“Spanish Trail. Be careful, Alexei. We’re stuck behind a fucking accident. The rain is heavy this way. We’ll get there as fast as we can.”
Alexei smashed the accelerator and dialed Stas. He didn’t even utter a syllable before Stas talked over him.
“Yeah, I know. She’s at Spanish Trail. Jet called me. I’m almost there. Less than ten minutes.”
“I’m closer.”
“Don’t do anything stupid before I get there. Nikolai will kill me if anything happens to you.”
The line went dead, and Alexei zoomed around a truck. A light drizzle was falling now, slicking the road and forcing him to be more cautious. Wrecking a few blocks from the hotel wouldn’t help Shay.
When he raced onto the parking lot, he hastily sized up the situation. There seemed to be twenty rooms. Maybe half of them were rented and probably to drug addicts or whores. Whatever was seen or heard tonight would be easy enough to cover up with a liberal application of money—or so he hoped.
He spotted the SUV that probably belonged to Lalo. Those shiny rims practically blinked at him. The idling truck was a different story. Did it belong to Shay’s friend?
The sight of a heavy-set guy in a black T-shirt rolling into the middle of the lot caught his attention. A moment later, Jet appeared from behind a parked car. He wiped at his bleeding mouth before giving the downed man a good kick. Two more men ran at Jet, but the gangster just laughed and leaped back into the fray. Alexei threw his SUV into park and bailed out of the driver’s seat. He rushed toward Jet but the Albanian enforcer shook his head. “I’ve got this.”
A woman’s scream erupted from behind a closed door. A heartbeat later, he heard Shay shouting, “Don’t touch her!”
Tunnel vision overwhelmed him. Not fearing what he might find on the other side of that door, he ran toward it and planted his foot right above the handle. With a crack, the door slammed open and right into the back of one of Lalo’s thugs. Using the momentum of the kick, Alexei rushed forward, grabbed two handfuls of leather jacket and swung the thug right out into the now pouring rain. He rammed the bastard head first into the tailgate of the idling pickup and dropped him to the pavement.
Spinning around, he stormed into the hotel room and faced off with another one of Lalo’s henchmen. He blocked the punch that flew at his head and buried his fist in the other man’s paunchy belly. The guy he fought was younger but stupid and unskilled. He was no match for Alexei who had years of fighting experience on his side. A couple of punches to the ribs and a knee to the face finished off his opponent. He threw him right out the open door.
Amid the squeal of tires that signaled Stas’ arrival and backup for Jet who was still fighting those three men, Alexei whirled back to face his next opponent—and found himself staring right into the barrel of Lalo’s gleaming Five-seveN. The irony of the moment was laughable. Years ago, he had helped move shipments of the Belgian-made handguns from Russian to Mexico. South of the border, they called the armor piercing ammunition used in the guns matas policias—cop killers.
“No!” From the space between the dingy beds, Shay jumped in front of him, putting her small, fragile body between his and Lalo’s.
“Shay!” He tried to grab her and throw her out of the way, but Lalo pointed the gun right at her head. Alexei froze, suddenly fearful that any move would provoke the wild-eyed kingpin. What the hell is she thinking? He’ll kill her.
“You are not going to hurt anyone else that I care about,” she stubbornly stated. “I’m the one you hate. You punish me.”
Hush, ptichka. He desperately wanted her to be quiet. Lalo was clearly a man on edge. He had a crazy gleam in his eye, and Alexei feared there was more going on here than just a man hell-bent on revenge against the young woman who had humiliated him.
“Oh, I’m going to punish you,” Lalo promised. “Maybe I’ll start right here.” He swung the gun toward Kylee who was crouched on the floor next to him, her nose bloodied and her eyes wet with tears. She flinched, as if expecting to be shot, and then he swung the gun back toward Alexei’s head. “Or maybe I’ll spray your boyfriend’s brains all over the wall.”
“No!” Shay stepped forward, right toward Lalo, and drew his aim. “You are not going to hurt them.”
“I’m going to hurt you,” Lalo promised, his evil gaze raking Shay from head to toe. “All night long,” he added nastily. “Fuck it. Maybe I’ll record it so Alexei can see how a real man makes a woman scream.”
Infuriated that Lalo would even think to threaten such a thing about Shay, he growled, “The only motherfu—”
“If you let Alexei and Kylee walk out of here right now,” Shay talked over him, “I’ll go with you. I’ll walk out of here without a fight, and I’ll do whatever you want.”
“No!” He couldn’t allow her to prostitute herself, to bargain with her body and her life, for him. “You aren’t going anywhere unless it’s with me.”
“Be quiet, Alexei!” Shay glanced back at him, her dark eyes pleading with him. “It’s my turn to save you.”
“This pinche Russian was dead the moment he decided to take you from me,” Lalo snarled. “You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.”
“I was never yours,” she retorted with disgust.
“You. Are. Mine.” Lalo annunciated each word. “You were bought and paid for when Shannon took my money to fund this little scam of hers.”
Alexei watched as Shay’s shoulders slumped with shock. He couldn’t quite believe it either. Suddenly this whole fucking mess was more twisted and tangled than he had ever imagined.
“Fine,” Shay said with resignation. “You’re right.” She seemed desperate to please Lalo now. “I’m yours. I’m all yours.” She said the words the wannabe kingpin had wanted to hear for months and months. “Just let Alexei and Kylee leave, and I’ll be yours as long as you want.”
“No!” Alexei couldn’t allow it. He would take a bullet to the brain before he let Shay leave with Lalo.
But he wouldn’t have to make that choice. He had been so intent on watching Lalo and that damn gun that he hadn’t noticed Kylee inching along the edge of the bed until she was directly behind the drug dealer.
In a flash of blonde hair and with a banshee’s scream, she hefted up a blood-stained crystal paperweight and slammed it right into the back of his head. When Lalo lurched forward, Shay rushed him and grabbed his wrist, shoving the gun’s muzzle toward the ceiling.
“Shay!” Alexei cursed loudly and raced to intervene. “Fuck! No!”
Kylee swung the paperweight high and cracked Lalo on the side of the head this time. Just then, a bright bolt of lightning hit nearby and lit up the room with a shocking blast of light. A heartbeat later, a crack of thunder shook the paper-thin walls of the motel. In that same instant, Shay threw her knee into Lalo’s stomach—and the gun fired.
The eardrum piercing crack of the bullet momentarily deafened him. Amid the muzzle fire, he spotted a burst of blood. His hear
t stuttered painfully in his chest. He grabbed Shay by the shoulders, picking her up and swinging her out of the way and onto the closest bed. Unable to breathe, he frantically looked her over. There was blood all over her skin. His fingers slipped in the messy stuff, but he couldn’t find the source. “Where did the bullet hit you?”
“I’m okay!” she shouted hysterically. “I’m okay. It’s not me.”
There was blood on her face, neck and chest but it wasn’t hers. Before he could fully process how the blood had gotten on her, Kylee screamed again. Like a woman possessed, she hit Lalo with the paperweight, this time between the shoulder blades. The drug dealer slumped forward and flopped onto the ground.
Blood poured out of his mouth and pooled on the carpet. In the struggle, Shay or Lalo had caused the weapon to fire and a bullet had ripped through his face, entering just under his chin and taking off most of his lower mouth and jaw. Lalo’s limbs shuddered wildly, as if he were having a seizure, and then he expelled a ragged, noisy breath. Had the bullet lodged in his brain? Had the multiple blows from the heavy crystal paperweight finally killed him?
With a sob, Kylee dropped forward onto her knees. The crystal teardrop hit the carpeted floor with a loud thunk. Shay scrambled off the bed and half-crawled, half-stumbled her way to her best friend. She wrapped her arms around Kylee and rocked her like a mother would a small child.
“Holy shit.”
Alexei whirled around at the sound of Besian’s voice. The boss stood in the doorway of the motel room, his hair wet from the rain and the hem of his neatly pressed trousers soaked. Devil, his face a ruined mess of scars, stood behind his boss and looked on with little emotion. Like Sergei, Devil had been hired for his size and strength and his ability to intimidate with nothing more than a glare.
Without taking his eyes off the mess in front of him, Besian ordered, “You need to get her out of here, Alexei. Right now. I’ll deal with the mouthy blonde.”
“Oh, no you won’t!” Shay growled like a mama bear, her voice so filled with hatred that it stunned Alexei. “You aren’t touching Kylee. You already killed her father. I won’t let you hurt her.”
Completely confounded by Shay’s accusation, Alexei shot his attention to Besian who seemed totally thrown by the charge. He tilted his head, studying Kylee’s face, and then recognition dawned. “You’re Monty Benson’s little girl. The one with the horse.”
“I’m not so little anymore.” Kylee stood with Shay’s help and roughly wiped at her wet nose and cheeks, smearing Lalo’s blood on her skin. “And you took my horse, you asshole.”
Besian didn’t take kindly to anyone calling him names. “Your father was the asshole who got into debt he couldn’t service. No one made him bet on those games or races. No one made him come into the club to play cards. He put that rope around his neck because he was a failure as a provider, a husband and a father. Don’t even think about putting that shit on me.”
“Boy, you’re real tough, aren’t you? Stealing a little girl’s horse? Having your thugs beat up my daddy? Taking the life insurance money and the house and driving a sick woman and her kid into a homeless shelter. You’re just some big fucking gangster hero, aren’t you?” Kylee stepped over Lalo’s bent legs and raised a fist as if to strike Besian. “I’ve already taken out one gangster tonight. Maybe I’ll go ahead and make my score an even two.”
Shit. Alexei moved in front of Kylee, shielding her from Besian’s wrath, and Shay grabbed her friends arm, desperately pleading for her to hush. “She’s had a shock,” Alexei insisted. “She doesn’t know what she’s saying.”
“She better learn to keep that mouth of hers shut unless she wants Hector Salas to send one of his hit squads after her—and Shay,” Besian added with a threatening edge.
Because there were years of friendship and history between them, Alexei understood Besian wasn’t actually threatening to hurt Shay. The boss was trying to put the fear of God into Kylee, to make her shut up and get in line.
“She’ll be quiet.” Alexei cast a warning glare at Kylee who eventually nodded stiffly.
Devil edged his way into the room and unfurled the tarp. “Lorik and Jet have the Hermanos boys tied up and tossed in the back of Bek’s Tahoe. I sent Lorik with Bek to stow them away at the safe house until you decide what to do with them.”
Alexei wondered if those five men understood their lives were held in Besian’s hands now. What the Albanian boss would do was anyone’s guess.
“Do you have any cash on you?” Besian patted his pockets. “Because I’m clean out.”
“I have a little,” Alexei said, already reaching for his wallet. “But not enough to buy the silence of an entire motel.”
“I have money.” Shay rubbed at the drying blood spattered on her cheek. “It’s on the front seat of Kylee’s truck. It should be more than enough.”
Besian glanced at Jet who lingered in the doorway waiting for orders. “Get the money and bring it to me. Then take the loudmouth home and sit on her until I’ve secured her safety.”
Wordlessly, Jet left the doorway and returned a few moments later with the sack of cash. He handed it to Besian and then motioned for Kylee to join him. She walked toward him on shaking legs. Jet tugged the black hood on her jacket over her blonde hair. It was a surprisingly gentle action from a man with a ruthless, cold-hearted reputation. “Can you drive?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll follow you, but we’re taking the back roads. Got it?”
“Yes.” She glanced back as if seeking Shay’s approval.
Shay nodded encouragingly. “I’ll be okay. Go.”
When Stas’ familiar face appeared in the doorway, Alexei grasped Shay’s upper arm and guided her toward the street soldier. “Get her out of here. Take her back to the apartment. Get her cleaned up, but don’t let her out of your sight.”
Seemingly stunned by his callous regard, Shay blinked at him. “Alexei—”
He ignored her entreaty and kept his gaze focused on Stas. “Take away her phone. I don’t want her contacting anyone.”
“Come on.” Stas clasped her hand and tugged her out of the dingy motel room. “Move.”
The hurt etched into her beautiful face bothered him, but he wasn’t going to show her an ounce of kindness or softness right now. She had deliberately broken his rules. She had put not only her life but her friend’s in danger. Lalo Contreras was dead, and there would be hell to pay for this, from Hector Salas and the cartel, from Diego and the Hermanos street gang loyal to Lalo, from Nikolai for upsetting the fragile balance of power in the city and from the police who would no doubt start sniffing around when Lalo’s disappearance became public knowledge.
“I’ll deal with this. You contact Nikolai.” Besian thumbed through the cash in the bag. Alexei hated to even think about how long Shay had worked to earn that money. “You should get out of here before anyone recognizes you.”
He cast one final glance at Lalo’s now lifeless body before heading for the door. When he reached it, he paused and looked back at the room. “Where is Shannon? Shay must have come here looking for her so where is she? Was she ever here?”
Realizing they might be one girl short, Besian looked under both beds and then in the bathroom. When he came back, he said, “It looks like she went out the back window. The glass is broken, and there’s blood.” He waved a cell phone. “She left this behind. Do you want to give it to Shay?”
He took the phone from Besian and tucked it away in his pocket. Looking around the room, she said, “If you find anything else that belonged to Shannon in this room, trash it.”
His instructions given, Alexei put his head down and ventured into the stormy night. The rain was cold and miserable and so heavy, but the lightning and thunder were useful. With all the noise of the storm, the fight and gunfire seemed to have gone unnoticed by the other occupants of the rat hole motel.
Sitting behind the wheel of his SUV, he inhaled a long, steadying breath. He needed to find a pay
phone as far away from here as possible. Nikolai’s fury would know no bounds tonight. All of the pain and punishment for this would land squarely on his shoulders. He had claimed Shay as his—and now he had to pay the price.
Chapter Twelve
Shaking from the cold rain and an adrenaline rush, I pulled my arms out of the sleeves of my hoodie and crossed them against my chest. I burrowed down into the warmth of the slightly damp fabric and wondered if I would ever stop trembling. Stas’ wild driving wasn’t helping any. Every time my teeth stopped chattering, he would veer around another vehicle or stomp the gas even harder. “Can you please slow down? You’re going to wreck and kill us!”
“Oh, now you’re worried about people getting killed, huh?” Stas glared at me. “Jesus Christ, Shay! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? God, if you were my girlfriend, I would toss you across my lap and beat your ass for this stunt!”
“If you were my boyfriend, I’d throw myself out of this moving car before I let you hit me!” I slid closer to the door, almost as if threatening to do it.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Stas reached over and smacked the lock button on the doors, just in case. “Don’t be childish.”
“Don’t be such a jerk! Do you think I wanted this to happen?”
“I don’t know what to think about you anymore. I thought you were a smart girl. I thought you understood what Alexei was risking for you. I was wrong. You just shit all over everything he did for you. Do you have any idea what Nikolai is going to do to him? What Hector Salas is going to take from him?” Stas shook his head. “You’ve ruined Alexei.”
The guilt I felt for helping take a life, even if it was the life of a miserable, cruel man, was nothing compared to the new guilt I experienced upon fully accepting my responsibility for hurting Alexei. What would Nikolai do to him? Would he have him beaten up or worse? And what would Hector Salas want? Money? His businesses? His home?
Fresh tears burned my eyes. Flashes of the fighting and the gunshot and the horrible gurgling noise Lalo made as he died tormented me. I still couldn’t make sense of any of it. How had everything gone so bad so fast?