Page 21 of Sheltering Hollis

“Didn’t your mother help you?” Dimitri had turned back to me, studying me closely. “If you love her like that, you must have had someone to show you how to do it.”

“No, she had wanted me to give her up to another family. She didn’t want me to stay in town if I wasn’t willing to do that. So,” I gulped momentarily, remembering how out of my depth I had been. “I left. She was mine.” I remembered how fiercely I’d felt that but how unsure I’d been. It would have been nice if my mother had supported me—even a little.

“What about the father?” Dimitri pressed, fixated on my face. I studied him, thinking hard about what I’d shared so far.

Apparently, he wanted the whole story. I shrugged. “He didn’t want anything to do with me being pregnant,” I scoffed. “Which was more than fine. I didn’t need him. I didn’t even name him on the birth certificate.” If I had put his name on the birth certificate, I could have used that to go after him for some child support legally, but I decided that I’d rather go it alone than have Chad attached to Olive any more than he already was. I’d been sorry a few times, but the stories I’d heard from single moms everywhere who had gone after reluctant fathers hadn’t given me any indication that I would have been successful. It’s hard to get blood from a stone.

“So you were alone during that time. Are alone now,” Dimitri was somber as he looked at me, his hands clasped before him. Intent in a way he hadn’t been before.

“No, Dimitri. I wasn’t alone anymore. I had my daughter. We were together. She was perfect and tiny. It was difficult,” I laughed as I looked at his face. He was skeptical. “Ok, very difficult. I’ve always had to juggle more than one job. Even now, I have more than one,” I paused. “I probably lost them, I suppose.” Biting my lip, I considered those jobs. Fuck. That worried me a lot that I’d lost the jobs I had worked hard to get. Maybe they would let me explain? Being on my own taught me that things like rent and utility bills didn’t wait for me to figure my life out. Jobs and bosses moved on. They didn’t care about me, my daughter, or my power being shut off.

“I guess you weren’t alone after all,” he said understandingly. “Don’t worry about the jobs right now, Hollis. Take one step at a time. Let me take care of things, alright? We’re close. And you can get back to Olive.” Setting down his coffee cup, he moved around the room, which suddenly didn’t seem as big as I thought it was.

“What did you figure out last night, anything?” I asked, trying to move the conversation away from my personal life and back to finishing this task so I could go home to my little girl.

“We’re close,” he said, turning back to me, his expression serious. “I know where Makarovich lives. Luka stayed here last night, but I went and double-checked on Makarovich,” his eyes were almost darker now. I wanted to ask if he could have ended it, killed him, but I was afraid of the answer. “But I want to know about this clinic … this bounty system, before we return home. Don’t you?”

I nodded, “Yes.” There was still revenge on my mind, and I had someone in front of me who could deliver it. That was wrong, right? Still, looking at Dimitri, his scarred knuckles, the tattoos dark against his skin. Vengeance was heavy on my mind. They deserved to die for what they did to me, for what I’m sure they have done to countless others.

Dimitri continued as if I wasn’t wrestling with my morality.“Rodriguez is cautious, but Makarovich is the key. He’s the one with the real power and the one we need to focus on.”

“How do we get to him?”

“Tonight, Rodriguez is hosting a private party,” Dimitri explained with a grimace, running a hand over his jeans. It’s an opportunity for prospective buyers to see some of the merchandise,” he sent me an apologetic look. “Up closer, to be … tantalized,” he paused. Makarovich is the man making the deals with Gregor and this doctor. We can gather more information. But it’s also riskier. I could just torture it out of him,” he suggested.

“Would that work?” I asked. It didn’t seem like he thought it would. The thought of another one of those parties didn’t appeal to me, let alone where there were; what did he say? Prospective buyers?

“Yes,” he said with absolute certainty in his voice. “He’d give me the information if he had it, but it could take longer and lead to suspicion. Delay our exit from the country, cause blowback.”

“Then we’ll go to the party.” I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what lay ahead. “I’m ready. Whatever it takes.” There were two parts to taking out the clinic. If Dimitri killed Gregor and the doctor, that would be satisfying in a personal way for me, but it might take out a lynchpin of their entire operation of trafficking women. No Makarovich, no clinic, no doctor, no Gregor. Wouldn’t that delay everything? Maybe I would have helped in some small way. Kept somebody else’s mother home.“What about Rodgriguez?”

“I haven’t decided.” Dimitri’s eyes softened again, a rare glimpse of vulnerability. “Unfortunately, I can’t take him out and get us out safely. I need us to slip out of the country.”

FOURTEEN

Dimitri

This upscale section of Bogotá was just north of downtown and was full of apartment buildings and restaurants. This was good and bad for me since the cafes were bustling at this late hour as I hurried over to where I was supposed to meet Tomas.

Luka had tracked Makarovich here to San Felipe. He’d been very displeased that he’d had to leave and come take over watching Hollis. He’d already told me on more than one occasion that she was a burden we didn’t need. I trusted him to watch her and keep her safe, even if I thought he was being a dick.

Easing my way up the fire escape, I winced at the noise, but the amount of chatter and music on the street would more than cover it. Usually, I was very stealthy. I prided myself on it.

Makarovich sprawled on a king-sized bed, black silk sheet rumpled around him stained with sweat. Amazingly, he was alone, his head tipped back and mouth open, and his flyaway hair moved away from his bald spot. Right now, I could kill him quickly. Torture him for hours to my heart’s content.

No, the plan would work. I needed him to deliver Gregor and the doctor. If I killed him now, I’d have to give up on that, and I wasn’t willing to do that. Leaving the way I came, I gave another look. He’d still die. I was sure of it.

My little troublemaker had no idea how I had been looking forward to this next part of the plan. Even if it made me a terrible person, the idea of her hands on me made me crazy. We did need to go to this party. I didn’t lie about that. I’m not that much of a dick.

Dialing Maddox, I leaned against the balcony railing and looked over Bogotá. I wouldn’t say I liked the weather here. It was so fucking hot. Not to mention, I was practically desperate to ride my bike. I’d never gone this long without being riding.

It was time to run through the scenario with the president of the Brotherhood. While I’d been running around playing Bratva, Maddox cared for Helena at home while she recuperated. I wouldn’t begrudge him that, though. He had fought hard for it, and I’d volunteered for this assignment.

“Hey fucker,” Maddox said sleepily into the phone. The Iron Brotherhood operated most of its activities at night, so it made sense that I woke him, not that I gave a shit. “How are you?”

“Tired and hot. This weather sucks,” I griped. “But I found him.”

“You did? I knew you could do it. Maxim was obviously looking in the wrong place. Your brother may have a whole goddamn Bratva at his beck and call, but you’re better than all of them. I could have told him that. If you’re bitching about the weather, then I’ll bet you made it hurt. Is he dead, then? You can come home now, right?” Maddox’s voice was offhand.

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