Page 27 of Miki

“Shit!” Vlad said, voicing my thoughts.

Aw hell. It was true. There on the screen was my Little Miss Red, wearing a police uniform!

That sexy little kisser was a cop?

I couldn’t believe it.

No other woman made my body react the way she did. I bit back the bitter sting of utter disappointment. Getting involved with a cop was not on my to-do list, not now, not ever. In my line of business, it was a dangerous move. Cops were the enemy. Okay, some, the bent ones, were useful obviously and you might do business with them, but you didn’t fuck them.

Any idea I had of fooling around with Little Miss Red while I was here in Glasgow was out of the question now. Damn it.

Fuck my life!

“So, what do you think a detective constable was doing breaking into Aiden Mathieson’s office?” Marko asked.

“No idea. I guess that is another question for Little Miss Red to answer when I visit her tonight,” I stated in response.

“You’re still going?” he asked incredulously.

“Hell yeah,” I replied.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Vlad questioned me, the look on his face showing he thought I was making a big mistake.

“She still has information which could be of use to us. We don’t know why she was there, but her actions were not normal for a detective. So, either she was looking into Mathieson unofficially, or she’s a bent cop. Whichever it is, the little siren was there illegally, just like us. It can’t hurt to ask what she knows. She doesn’t know who I am, and I’ll keep my balaclava on to ensure it remains that way,” I replied.

“She’s police. It’s too big a risk,” Marko argued.

“What’s she going to do, arrest me and risk me telling her secret? No, it won’t be an issue. Getting her to share any information might be, however, but it’s worth a shot,” I told him, making it clear I’d made up my mind.

“If you say so,” Marko mumbled unhappily.

Anger filled me, and narrowing my eyes, I shot him one of my death stares. He was becoming as annoying as Ash.

It was rare for me to have to justify myself as Pakhan. My argument was the truth. I wanted to know what she had on Mathieson and if it was of any use to us.

And you need to see her again! A little voice in my head said, but I refused to acknowledge its presence. No good would come of thinking such thoughts. My visit was business. Purely business!

CHAPTER 11

EILIDH

THAT NIGHT – GETTING MORE EVIDENCE

When I arrived at Roy’s house, I handed Aunt Maisie the bottle of gin. It was only 8 p.m. but I could smell from her breath that she had already started drinking. There wasn’t much left in the wine bottle sitting on the kitchen worktop, it looked like she’d had at least three glasses before I’d arrived.

Good. The sooner she got drunk, the sooner I could have a good look around.

“Thanks, honey,” she said, smiling at me when I topped up her glass.

She quickly grabbed it and took several large gulps, and I realised her drinking had got worse lately.

Aunt Maisie was usually a happy drunk, but as I watched her dish out our dinner, I couldn’t help noticing that she seemed more subdued than normal. Observing her closely, I wondered if she knew about Roy or suspected his criminal activities. Could that be the cause of her drinking? It was certainly a possibility.

Roy had never been short of money over the years, but Maisie had received a large inheritance from her dad when he passed away. Any large purchases were always explained away as coming from that source. However, what if that was not the case? Then Maisie would surely have at least wondered where Roy got the money. Right?

Was she suspicious? Or totally oblivious? Or worse, was she, in fact, aware and complicit in his actions?

Staring intensely at her, I twisted my lips as I pondered the situation.

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