Page 61 of Demitri

“What happens if I want out?”

“You run. You know she’ll kill you if you don’t.”

“She’ll kill me if I do.”

“Then I guess you’re in.”

“The lights are still on. Let’s come back when we know the place is empty. I don’t want to have to hurt anyone just on a whim that this guy is Mr. Pavlov.”

“Fuck you, I know who I saw, and it was him. Bet everything I have on it.”

“Still think we should wait until we know the building’s empty if you’re so sure of everything.”

“Fine. But I’m telling Ms. Pavlov if you pussy out. Let’s get some food and come back, see if it’s empty then.”

Mr. Pavlov was my father. Not me. And there isn’t anything here that would tie that name to the family. I rack my brain trying to remember a Luka. The only one I can think of was just a kid when I checked out. He wasn’t too into anything back then,either. Where’s he been the last few years since my father died? Why’s he back?

I’m asking myself a million questions that I don’t know the answers to as I listen to them scurry away like the rats they are. Think they can come into my place of business on a hunch and destroy what I’ve worked so hard to build? No, they didn’t talk about doing that, but these are Pavlov men. They can’t quietly go in, get the information they want, and get out. They have to create chaos and destruction on their way.

I pull out my phone.

Demitri: Have eyes on the garage?

Joker: I can. What’s up?

Demitri: Two of the family. Want to break in and verify who I am. Need IDs on them if you can. One of them is Luka Novikov, I’m sure of it.

Joker: What do you want to do?

Demitri: Stick around here until they come back and teach them a lesson?

Joker: What are you going to do?

Demitri: Give you the information and let you handle it?

Joker: That’s the right answer. We’ll take care of it.

Demitri: Going to the bar.

Joker: Grady’s on duty.

Demitri: Why is it just Aiden and Grady pulling bar duty?

Joker: Have to ask them, man. They keep volunteering for it.

Demitri: They’re insane. That’s the only thing I can figure out.

Joker: No argument on that. I think we all have to be a little crazy to work here.

Demitri: I need to get to the bar. If they think they know who I really am, I need to stay close to Mia.

Joker: No worries. I got this.

Demitri: Let them in before you do anything. I want to talk to Luka.

Joker: You got it.

I put my phone in my pocket and grab the keys off my desk. I bypass the bay with my truck in it and go to the far wall. Pulling the cover off the car, I grin to myself, thinking about Mia’s face when she sees it. My own ‘Elenore’, a completely restored and mint condition sixty-seven Ford Shelby GT. It’s the first car I ever restored on my own. Found on my father’s property, abandoned and forgotten after what I can only assume was a small fender bender. I had it transferred to John Smith’s nameas soon as I had the identification to do so, further removing it from the Pavlov family. Little known fact, my father loved cars. Loved them and left them as soon as he was tired of them. He also had a secret alias he used to procure the cars, and this one could never be traced to the Pavlov name.

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