Page 52 of Miki

So, with torch gripped high in both hands ready to swing if necessary and heart thundering in my chest with nerves, I crept around the house, flicking on all the lights as I went and checking every possible hiding place.

When I was sure nobody was inside, I slumped against the kitchen counter and breathed a sigh of relief.

My hands shook and my stomach churned as I poured myself a shot of tequila. The burning liquid ran down my throat, its warmth soothing me and calming my nerves.

After another shot, I did as I’d said and made copies of my files and all the photographs I had taken. Then I emailed them to Miki.

We’d agreed to meet tomorrow night to discuss it all and anything else Marko found out in the meantime and make a plan about how best to move forward with things then.

After everything Miki had told me about Mathieson and his vendetta against Miki’s family, I empathised with him. Especially over the death of his sister, Krissa. That was bloody awful.

No wonder he was determined to bring Mathieson to justice. Miki had as much reason as I did, perhaps even more. I wasn’t sure we had the same thing in mind when we talked about justice though, but that was a problem to worry about another day.

Trudging upstairs, I changed into my pyjamas, and smiled at the memory of Miki thinking they were “cute.”

Weariness tugged at my eyes, making them droop. It was time to get some rest. Tomorrow I had to endure another excruciating day at work and yet again I needed to have my game face on and my wits about me.

Huffing, I pulled the covers over me and prayed this would all be over soon because I really wasn’t sure how much more of it I could take.

CHAPTER 18

MIKI

THE FOLLOWING DAY – SEXTING

Eilidh was true to her word and sent over her files as soon as she got home last night. And Marko and I had spent a few hours going through them.

The video surveillance from Mathieson’s office hadn’t yet provided us with anything useful. However, Marko had finally cracked the password to the hard drive we had copied, and we had unearthed some good stuff before we eventually fell asleep.

Despite the lack of hours in bed, I felt remarkably alert and cheery when I woke up. Partly because of the information we now had and partly at the prospect of seeing my Little Miss Red again tonight.

After a run, trip to the gym, shower, and breakfast, I reviewed everything again while Marko did some further digging into Mathieson’s financials.

It turned out that Mathieson didn’t just work for the Thomas gang as a defence lawyer; he helped run it! He and Gerry Thomas were partners. So, he wasn’t just a very successful but shady criminal defence lawyer; he was implicit in a prominent drugs and people trafficking empire.

What a fucker!

Of course, I couldn’t condemn him for dealing in drugs. After all, we dealt with drugs too; but at least we only dealt in Molly and coke now, and ours was quality stuff. The Thomas gang dealt in anything, and they didn’t care about quality.

Worse than that, they brought girls in from eastern Europe, and forced them to work in their massage parlours and whore houses or sold them on to others. They were a nasty bunch, and he was the head.

That certainly solved the mystery of how a criminal defence lawyer, albeit a corrupt one, could afford the money it took to finance the attacks against my family and the Polish Mafia over the last few years.

My eyes narrowed and my mouth pulled into an evil grin as I mulled over the start of an idea.

I placed a call to my Cousin Viktor in the US and then after a quick chat; I rang Jim MacArthur and told him what I needed.

While I waited for them to get back to me, I drank a cup of coffee and let myself daydream for a few minutes.

Eilidh’s face immediately came into my mind, and I smiled. I was so looking forward to seeing her again this evening.

Last night, we had made significant progress in our relationship, and I thought she’d started to trust me. I thoroughly enjoyed her company, and everything about her captivated me.

I’d been surprised she’d found Marko’s tracker, intrigued that she had discovered who I was, and bloody impressed that she got a tracker on me without me even suspecting it. Throw in her safe breaking skills and my Little Miss Red was one hell of a woman.

Eilidh’s commitment to her investigation, the thoroughness of her planning, and her ingenuity reminded me of, well, of me. She was the perfect match for me. Of course, I needed to convince her of that.

Checking my watch, I saw it was nearly time for her shift to be over.

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