The Spy Switch, page 20
The instant they pulled up in front of the lavish estate, several armed men surrounded their car. They wore their weapons discreetly, under their windbreakers, making sure to move just enough to alert Mike to their presence.
He gave his name and explained that he didn’t have an appointment but felt sure Igor would see him. In this, it seemed he was correct, as after conferring with their boss, they said they’d escort him to the house.
“I’ve been expecting you,” Igor said when his men showed Mike and Lania into his office. He sat behind his huge, elaborately carved mahogany desk, hands behind his head.
Mike gave a slow nod. “We just checked on Carmen in the hospital. She’s in serious condition.”
“Is she?” Igor’s sharp gaze missed nothing. He looked from Mike to Lania and back again. “Sit,” he ordered. “Would either of you like something to drink?”
Both Mike and Lania sat, though they declined the offer of a beverage. Igor took a sip of his drink. “I’m glad both of you escaped the accident without serious injuries.”
“Thanks. We are, too.” Mike wasn’t going to go there. Not yet. He wanted to deal with the other business first. “I wanted to talk to you about the smaller shipment I signed off on. It went well, without a hitch.”
“It did,” Igor agreed, his expression giving nothing away. “Clearly, the information I received about an informant was wrong.”
“Clearly,” Mike drawled, crossing his arms. “And because I’d really like to get paid, how about we get that other shipment taken care of while Carmen is out of commission? It seems to me all the problems started when she got involved.”
Igor stared, his eyes narrowing. Finally, he sat up straight and slammed his hands on top of his desk. “I like the way you think,” he said. “And you’re right. Carmen is nothing but trouble. Let’s get the ball rolling. The sooner we get those guns to the coast, the sooner we all get paid.”
It took every ounce of self-control Mike possessed not to jump up and fist-bump the air. Instead, he flashed Lania his most savage, ruthless grin. “We’re going to do this,” he said.
“Damn right we are,” Igor seconded. He actually seemed pleased, something Mike hadn’t seen often. “Let me make some calls and get things moving. I’ll let you know when I want you back out at the trucking company to do your inspection of the cargo.”
“Perfect.” Mike pushed to his feet, holding out his hand to help Lania up. “I think we’ve got some getting ready to do.”
“You do that.” Standing also, Igor gestured toward the door. “And this time, try not to wreck your car.” Grinning, he cracked up at his own joke.
Mike shepherded Lania out of there as quickly as he could without appearing to be rushing.
“What’s wrong?” she asked while they were getting into his car.
He shook his head. “The way Igor was acting back there? That’s what I’m talking about. In the entire two years I’ve worked with him, I’ve never seen him make a joke. Not once. I always figured he just didn’t have a sense of humor.”
“Okay,” she replied, clicking her seat belt in place. “But maybe that’s a good thing. Perhaps he’s loosening up a bit more because he trusts you.”
“Maybe, but somehow I doubt it.”
She made a face. “You sure sound grumpy,” she teased. “I’d think you’d be more excited. The end is once again in sight.”
He leaned over and kissed her then, a quick press of his mouth on hers, promising more later. “I hope you’re right,” he said. “The sooner the better.”
Two days went by without word from Igor. Micah didn’t want to worry, but he couldn’t help but wonder about the delay. After they’d left their meeting with Igor, he’d assumed he’d be hearing from the other man in hours, not days.
The delay—for whatever reason—was driving him straight up a wall. Worse, he couldn’t do anything about it. It would be bad form to press Igor, especially since Igor had made it plain he’d let Mike know as soon as he’d set everything up.
Now, though, it felt more like Mike had been cut out. He couldn’t imagine why Igor hadn’t yet contacted him. Each and every scenario that played out in his mind seemed worse than the other.
While forty-eight hours of nothing to do turned Micah into a pacing, grumbly fool, the peace and quiet appeared to have the opposite effect on Jennifer. She’d happily settled into one of the chaise lounges on his patio with a book and had barely budged. “I finally feel like I’m on a bit of a vacation,” she told him, which made him feel guilty, since he knew she was actually on her summer break.
He made an attempt to join her, grabbing the latest bestselling thriller from his nightstand, but his restlessness made it impossible to concentrate on the pages.
The morning of the third day, he remembered Carmen. “Maybe we should check on her,” he said to Jennifer over coffee. He’d come to enjoy this little ritual they’d developed—coffee together, sometimes in the bed they’d shared, more often in the kitchen, talking over their plans for the day.
Jennifer made a face. “This is going to sound awful, but do you think we can just call? I really don’t want to go visit her again.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle. “I hear that. Let me call the hospital. I bet they wonder why her so-called fiancé hasn’t been to see her at all since day one.”
This comment had Jennifer shaking her head. He called the hospital, identified himself and winced as they put him through to Carmen’s room.
However, the nurse answered. He asked a few questions, made up some story about his job making him travel out of town and got the update on her status.
“Well?” Jennifer asked, getting up to make herself a second mug of coffee. “How’s she doing?”
“Carmen’s on the mend, according to her nurse. The meds were successful in stopping her brain swelling, and they’ve brought her out of the medically induced coma. They’ve got her moving around a little and are hoping she can be discharged in a day or two.”
“Coma? I thought she was just sedated.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. But more importantly, the longer Igor keeps stalling, the less likely it will be that we can get that shipment done before Carmen gets out of the hospital.”
About to head to the shower, he stopped when his phone rang. “Igor,” he said, his heart skipping a beat. “Finally.”
“I bet you wondered what the hell was going on,” Igor said, sounding tired. “It’s been a lot of work trying to get everything coordinated again.” He went on to complain about sellers refusing to hold his previous orders, having to work new deals and now having to reschedule everything from the trucking company to the dock time down in Galveston. From the way he talked, anyone listening in would assume this to be a completely legitimate business operation.
“You should have called me,” Mike replied. “I would have helped wherever you needed me.”
“I know, I know. I got it handled. And finally, we’re almost good to go,” Igor said. “I’m hoping to be able to send you out to the trucking company bright and early Thursday morning. You’ll be doing exactly what you did with the smaller shipment.”
“Let me know for sure and I’ll be there,” Mike said. “Will there still be seven containers?” Which would mean he’d need one more tracking device. He’d only had seven and had sent one with the smaller shipment just as a test case. From all reports he’d received, the device was working perfectly.
“Yes.” Igor coughed. “I’m waiting on confirmation from one more manufacturer before I can say we’re good to go. Meanwhile, I’ve got to try and keep Carmen from finding out. I don’t want her there.”
“Carmen?” Alarm bells went off. “Is she out of the hospital?”
“She’s not but claims she’s getting out soon. Since she regained consciousness, she’s made several phone calls threatening me.” He sighed. “She clearly feels that I was behind the accident.”
Mike so badly wanted to ask the other man if he had been, but he knew better. Right now, he couldn’t afford to say anything that might jeopardize his role in the shipment. He just wanted all this over.
“You’d think she’d know better,” Igor continued. “If I want someone dead, they’re dead, usually from a bullet in the brain.” He took a deep breath. “Let me talk to Lania.”
Startled, Mike’s first instinct was to refuse. Then, thinking better of that, he held out the phone. “Lania, it’s Igor. He wants to talk to you.”
Her eyes widened, but she accepted the cell. “Hello, Igor,” she said. “Of course it’s wonderful to hear from you. What’s up?”
She listened again. “You know Mike and I are a team. We can talk about this other opportunity, but together. I see. Yes, I’ll think about it. Thank you.”
Ending the call, she passed the phone back to Mike. “He’s back at it again,” she said. “I’m guessing since Carmen is out of the picture. He wanted to talk to me about forming a partnership with him. You heard my response.”
Mike swore. “Whatever you do, stall him until after Thursday. We can’t piss him off. Not now—not when it’s so close.”
“I told him I would think about it. He didn’t specify a time frame—in fact, he told me to take all the time I needed.”
Though Mike nodded, he couldn’t help but think this wasn’t good. For Igor to stir things up this close to a major shipment seemed worrisome, to say the least.
“We just need to hang in there,” he said out loud. “Thursday, the shipment leaves Denver. From that point, it’s out of our hands. All we can do is sit back and wait.”
“I hope Igor doesn’t somehow screw this up,” Lania said.
“Me, too,” Mike agreed. “Me, too.”
Chapter 14
The phone conversation with Igor had been unsettling, to say the least. Jennifer didn’t understand why the crime boss couldn’t seem to follow a normal, straight trajectory. Why not finish with one thing before starting another?
Still, now that everything had been okayed and was almost good to go, she felt optimistic that the end might finally be in sight. As long as Igor didn’t do anything stupid, she had hopes that she could get back to her real life soon.
The thought brought a pang. Would Micah remain in her life once this had ended? While she hoped he would, she didn’t want to talk to him about what would happen afterward, as she didn’t want to jinx it.
Two more days went by without them hearing from Igor. This appeared to drive Micah crazy, judging by his pacing and all-around grumpiness. Though worried, Jennifer caught up on her reading, got a little sun and even accompanied Micah to the building gym. To counteract this, she’d also baked a delicious apple crumble, and she and Micah had enjoyed every decadent bite.
Mike checked with the hospital and learned that Carmen had been discharged, they suspected mostly by sheer dint of will. Though Lania hadn’t heard from her—a blessing for which she was glad—she occasionally wondered how the other woman was doing. Since she couldn’t bring herself to worry about a human trafficker, she considered Carmen’s absence a godsend.
As for herself, after the accident Lania had felt a bit bruised and battered, but nothing major. Mike claimed he felt the same. They knew they were lucky not to have been more seriously injured. Mike claimed he still didn’t know if Igor had been behind the wreck or not. While Lania had her suspicions, in the end it didn’t matter.
As it inched closer to Thursday, they both got a bit jumpier. Waiting on Igor to give them the order to head up to the trucking company to inspect the outgoing shipment was a form of torture, especially since Igor made no other contact.
Every time Mike’s phone rang, he started, but so far Igor hadn’t called. Once that happened, everything would be underway. Igor’s operation would go down.
And if there was any way they could tie Carmen into it, Lania hoped she’d go down, too. Or at the very least, her trafficking operation would come under scrutiny, making it impossible for her to operate.
Micah’s phone rang. This time he stared at it in disbelief. “Finally,” he said. “It’s Igor.”
Answering, he listened. Apparently, Igor had a lot to say, because Micah never got another word in. Finally, he managed to speak, saying only “yes” before ending the call.
“Well?” she demanded.
“Igor wants to see us,” Micah said, not bothering to hide the excitement in his voice. “I think things are finally going to get underway.”
Jumping up, she high-fived him. “Awesome.” She couldn’t help but grin. “It’s about time. When are we meeting with him?”
“He wants us to head over there now. He’s got some final instructions he wants to go over.” He grinned back. “And then come Thursday, we’ll be good to go.”
“Fingers crossed.” She looked down at her denim shorts. “I should change first.”
“Igor said to come as we are.” Micah shrugged. He wore a pair of khaki shorts. “This time we’re meeting him in one of his warehouses. I’m ready if you are.”
“These shorts are too short,” she said, thinking of the way Igor undressed her with his eyes. “Let me get a sundress and sandals.”
Back in the huge closet, she picked the plainest sundress she could find. It was navy blue, and while it might be high fashion, the way it hung in a straight line reminded her of a tent. With this, she pared white sneakers. Glancing at herself in a mirror, she felt satisfied she looked as far from sexy or even attractive as she could get.
Even though Micah’s eyes widened when he saw her outfit, he didn’t comment. They climbed into the Corvette, Jennifer glad to have the longer length of the dress.
The warehouse was located near where they’d first gone to see Samir and Ernie.
“Are you ready?” Mike asked as they pulled onto the street that went between the various buildings.
Lania nodded. “I am.”
“I’m not sure what he stores in there,” Mike said.
“Maybe some of his guns?” she asked.
“Possibly, but that’s doubtful. It wouldn’t be wise to keep a lot of weapons in one place, though it could be a stopping place as he funnels them through for shipping.”
She guessed they were about to find out.
Once at the warehouse, they parked. Stepping out of the car, they walked to the back door and knocked. Slowly, the metal door opened, and they stepped inside. Two men holding some kind of large and dangerous-looking guns stood inside.
“Igor has asked that you follow me,” one said, speaking to Mike.
“And you are coming with me,” the second told Lania.
Right away, she balked. “We’d prefer to stay together,” she said. “Igor knows we work as a team.”
The guy didn’t budge.
“We go together,” Mike reiterated. He took her hand and squeezed it, which she interpreted as a warning.
The two armed men looked at each other. “He wants to meet with each of you separately,” the first one said. “We were not told why.”
Mike appeared torn. She could tell what was going through his mind. He didn’t want to blow this, but why on earth would Igor decide to do something like this now?
“It’s okay,” she said, pulling her hand free. “Hopefully, this won’t take long and we can get on with business.”
Slowly, Mike nodded. She watched as he walked away, waiting until he’d disappeared from sight around a corner before turning to follow her own escort.
He took her to what appeared to be some sort of storage room, with a concrete floor and walls, filled with boxes and metal shelves, and left her.
She didn’t like meeting Igor alone. Not just because she had a lingering fear that she might mess up, make a mistake and reveal herself, but because she flat out didn’t trust him. Not before and especially not now, when he’d been acting erratically, likely due to him using drugs.
“There you are.” Igor’s booming voice startled her, making her jump. She collected herself quickly, putting on her cool, composed face.
“Igor.” Hoping she sounded pleased to see him, she stayed put to keep her distance, but he crossed the room and took both her hands in his.
Air-kiss it would be, then. One for each cheek, European-style. As she moved in to do exactly that, Igor yanked her up against him, hard.
“Come here,” he growled, planting his mouth on hers.
Instinctively she knew if she struggled, it would only arouse him. Men like Igor were all about power, and her best chance would be a nonreaction. If that failed, she could use some of the moves she’d learned in that self-defense class she’d taken.
Lania kept her lips locked closed, her body stiff as stone. Igor pressed her back against the wall, grinding against her, his arousal obvious. Nauseated, she thought she might puke. Instead, she swallowed hard and turned her face to the side. “Let me go, Igor,” she demanded. “You know I don’t want this.”
When his gaze locked on hers, a chill snaked down her spine. His pupils were the size of pinpricks, which mean he’d taken some sort of drug.
“I don’t care what you want,” he told her, smirking. “You have spent months playing the tease, so now it’s time for payback.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” she warned. “Let me go.”
“Hurt me?” He chuckled. “As if you could. Go ahead, try. That will only make things more interesting.”
Dang, she’d been right. She brought her knee up, intending a sharp jab in his groin. Instead, he kicked her leg away and slammed her back into the wall, pinning her between his body and the wall, and then put both hands around her throat. “Try that again and I will choke you,” he said. “That is a promise, not a threat.”
