“A dangerous man.” Lazarus started pacing. “And one that needs to be stopped.”
Aleksei turned to his brother. “I never would have thought you would be on the side of the mob.”
“I’m on the opposite side of Finch, whoever or whatever it is.” He turned to Hector. “Thank you for the meet.”
Hector nodded. “A favor always calls for one. In return, I want to be informed if anything is about to fall on our heads.”
Lazarus nodded. “Deal. I must go. There are a couple of leads I need to check out.” He extended his arm to Hector who took it.
“Mr. King. Always a pleasure to help the British Empire.”
Before his brother could leave, Aleksei grabbed his elbow. A weird look passed between them, and Lazarus walked with him toward the door.
Hector took advantage of Deva’s current lack of a shield to come closer. He touched her shoulder lightly, a friendly gesture, and spoke in a very low tone.
“Are you alright?”
Deva rolled her head before looking up at him. “I’m not sure what answer to give you. I would say as good as can be expected in these circumstances.”
Hector looked over her shoulder at the two men before returning his attention to her again. “If you are Victoria Johnson, and if asked I will deny it, you have to either disappear or be under strong protection. As strong as the Rows, do you understand? And if that Russian of yours can’t do it, I want you to call me. Or even Andy. He knows about the situation, and you seem to be on his good side too. And although the Irish mob would prefer to steer clear from all this, it seems that they are ready to cross the line a little for a certain Deva Landry. Promise me.”
She smiled at him and touched his hand. “I can’t give you a promise I may not be able to keep. I don’t want to return to where I was, and won’t involve you in this mess of mine unless it is to stop Finch. I may have been born from the dark, but this son of a bitch is a bigger threat than all of you guys together. At least, amongst yourselves, the balance of power stays the same.”
Aleksei came back alone, ending their private conversation, and taking the hand touching Hector into both of his.
Hector noticed the gesture but didn’t comment. “I think it’s preferable if you two leave now. I’ve kept our little meeting as secret as possible, but I wouldn’t push our luck.”
A slow roar started shaking the building, and Deva blindly inched toward Aleksei when she recognized the sound.
Hector scowled. “I think our luck has completely run out.”
It took her a couple of deep breaths to get her wits back and straighten. “Guys, you need to leave. Take the back door and run before they come in.”
Both men looked at her as if she had gone completely mad. Something buzzed in Hector’s pocket, and he retrieved his phone to look at an incoming message. Aleksei didn’t let go of her hand and turned her towards him.
“It’s just bikers passing down the street,solnyshka.”
Hector groaned and shook his head. “Nope, these are Rows members. And from what my guys say, they are heading toward the gym.”
Deva fought laughter bubbling up as she feared it would overflow into hysteria. Racking her throat, she battled to keep a straight face. “That meeting was doomed to happen sooner or later. Dear Daddy wouldn’t want it any other way.”
