Page 57 of Double Edged Hearts
“Where are we?” I ask.
“My safe house,” he answers.
“This is yours?”
“Yeah, and before you bitch at me for getting it on dirty money I’ll tell you I got it from the sweat off my back.” He gives me a weary smile that recedes as soon as it appears. Placing his arm around me he pulls me close and I savor the safety I feel in his arms. “Come, doll let’s get inside,” he says.
“Okay.”
We walk up the path and onto a porch. A soft amber light switches on, lighting up the door so he can see to open it.
I like the homely feel of the place, although I’m not quite sure how I should feel about being here yet.
We enter, and the interior is just as I imagined. It’s homely. Not lavish like his home in Chicago. Just homely with a country feel to it that’s soothing.
He ushers me into the living room, and the lights come on in there too, revealing a stunning setup with a floor-to-ceiling glass windows that hold a magical view of the lake.
I walk over to it and place my hand on the glass as I look out at the moonlight stroking the surface of the water.
It’s time to talk. I know it is.
He’s waiting, and I know that once I talk, I’ll break down with fear.
I turn back to face him and take in the look of anticipation on his face.
He points to the sofa, and I move back over to sit down. Alex, however, remains standing.
“Tell me what happened, doll. All of it. I want it all,” he says.
I draw in a sharp breath and start with what I found out last night from the phone call and the email, then I finish with this morning’s event. By the time I get to that part, he pulls up one of the wooden chairs and sits on it backwards.
The stern expression on his face is what worries me. He has every right to be worried. We have Zack, the rogue federal agent who can do anything he wants, and Matvey on our backs. It’s too much.
Add in whoever they work for and it spells big trouble. They know I know what they’re planning to do.
That’s death.
We need help and I can’t just allow them to go through with a plan that will kill people.
Alex hangs his head. Not a good sign.
“I have to tell Richard,” I say, and his head shoots up.
“Like fuck… Cora, if there’s one thing this has taught you, it’s that you can’t trust anybody, and those who you can trust will be in danger if they know whatever the fuck’s going on,” he argues.
My eyes widen. “So, we stay here and hide? Alex… you think it’s right that I stay here like this and hide what I know is going to happen? They’re going to sell missiles and kill people. How can I just sit here and do nothing?”
“Doll, I told you this was dangerous. I asked you to get off this case. Look what happened to you today. Look what we went through. You can’t just call Richard. They’ll be listening for that call. Looking for it.”
“Richard can stop it, Alex. He’ll be able to stop it.”
He stands and shakes his head. “What you’re proposing is suicide. We’re staying here where I can protect you.”
I stand too. “What if I leave?”
“You’re not leaving here unless I say so. You aren’t doing shit unless I say. The only person I trust right now to protect you is me, so please feel free to fight me on it. You won’t win.”
His eyes bore into mine, holding me in place, and I’m frozen by his words.
I was kidnapped this morning, and I’m certain death was in the cards for me. I’ve gone from one captive scenario to another.
Death or protection.
I’m numb once again because he’s serious. It’s their way. The mafia way. They take what they want, and they do things like this to get what they want.
What do I do now?
He walks away, leaving me to my thoughts.
