Page 23 of No Reason to Trust

“I didn’t even think of that,” Jake said, and his mouth curled into a smile. “Not sure Nelson’s smart enough to think of that, either.”

“Donotunderestimate him,” Livvy said, leaning toward him. “He wanted me dead, and for some reason he wants you dead, too. If heisa Russian asset, he’s flown beneath the radar at the FBI for a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve already figured that out. The question is, why does he want both of us dead?” He glanced over at Livvy. “Do we know something we don’t know we know? Have we both seen something we’re not aware of? Overheard someone talking about something dangerous to Nelson’s cover?”

“God only knows. And we could speculate for days and not be able to figure it out. Do you remember all the random conversations you’ve overheard?”

“Of course not,” Jake said. “Bet you can’t, either.”

“No, I don’t. But there has to be some reason that he sent me to talk to the Bratva, and he’s now sending you to talk to them, as well. Just two different groups in different places.”

Jake shot a quick glance at her. “The possibilities are endless,” he said. “Maybe we saw him with someone he shouldn’t have been meeting with -- like someone from the Russian embassy. Or maybe he thought we overheard an incriminating conversation he was having.”

“Yeah,” Livvy said. “Way too many things that might have spooked Nelson. Which is why we need to get those cameras installed in that office tonight. The guys you’re meeting with might know what Nelson’s been up to.”

“Good thing we got here early,” Jake said. “Our meeting is far enough away that no one would think we’d even be in Brooklyn yet. So they’d probably feel free to talk about their plans without worrying about being overheard.”

Livvy frowned. “Yeah, that’s all true.” She glanced over at him. “But what if they’re speaking Russian?”

“Damn it!” Jake clenched his teeth. “I never thought of that. It’s possible.” Jake slapped his hand on the center of the steering wheel. “You speak Russian?”

“Of course not,” Livvy replied. “If I did, Nelson wouldn’t have tried to get me killed by Russians. He’d know I would understand everything they were saying. He’d send me to a different group that spoke a different language.”

Jake glanced over at her, and she saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel. “If we need to, we can play the recordings for someone who speaks Russian.” he said, biting out the words. “Have then translate for us.”

“Yeah, good plan so far. But where do we get a translator?” Livvy asked.

“Nowhere in Brighton Beach,” he said immediately. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Maybe a college. Find a professor who teaches Russian. Ask him or her to translate it for us.”

Livvy shook her head. “We can’t do that. Because what if the person we choose has ties to the Bratva? And how would we even know?”

“We wouldn’t,” Jake said, clenching his teeth. “Got any other ideas?”

Livvy drummed her fingers on the armrest. “I can call Mel at Blackhawk Security. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t speak Russian, but I bet she knows someone who does. She spent time in Afghanistan, and there were a lot of Russians skulking around that country. She might know someone who picked up the language.”

“Okay, I like that idea. And Mel would know if the person was trustworthy.”

“Yeah. She would.” She swiveled in her seat to face him. “We may not need a translator, anyway. Maybe they’ll speak English.”

“When they talk to me? Yeah, they’ll speak English.” Jake shook his head. “But talking to each other? I’d be shocked if theydidn’tspeak Russian. As far as they’re concerned, you never know who might be listening. Best to speak Russian when you can.”

“Okay,” Livvy said, slumping in her seat, beginning to feel overwhelmed by the logistics of this job. “When we get to our hotel, I’ll call Mel. Let her know what we’re doing and see if she knows anyone who’s even semi-fluent in Russian.”

Jake’s mouth thinned. “The closer we get to Brooklyn, the more complicated this assignment is getting.”

“Yeah,” Livvy said. “It is.” Her heart thundered in her chest, and she slid her hands beneath her thighs to keep them from trembling. “But we’re thinking ahead to any problems that could come up and planning how to handle them.” She grinned at him. “We’re gonna kick Nelson’s ass because we’ll be so much more prepared than he expects us to be. He probably figured that he could send you out to talk to the Russians, neglect to find you a backup, and arrange for them to kill you. Easy, peasy, another problem solved.”

“Yeah, that’s probably his exact plan. But we’re going to be two steps ahead of him the whole time,” Jake said, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “We need to figure outwhywe’re a problem. And when we hear what the Russians have to say, find out what they want, I hope we’ll be a few more steps closer to taking Nelson and all his Russian buddies down.”

Just ahead of them was the hotel where they had a reservation. When they checked in, Livvy leaned across the counter and smiled at the young man who was accessing their reservation. “Is there any way we could get a room that has a southern exposure?” she asked with a smile. “We stayed here on our honeymoon, and that was the view we had. We want to recreate that stay.”

The young man grinned at them. “Sure, but the rooms on that side of the building all have two queen beds. None of the beds are kings.”

Livvy smiled at him. Leaned a little closer, as if preparing to tell him a secret. “That’s fine. We like to be close together when we’re in bed.”

The young man’s face turned beet red. “Ah, sure.” He looked down at his screen and typed fast. “I’ve got a room with a great view.” He typed for a few more moments, then said, “Do you have a credit card I can use for the account?”

“Of course,” Livvy said, pulling Diana’s card out of her wallet. “Here you go.”

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