Page 80 of Solemn Vow

“Jimmy.” Instant rage fills me. “What the hell, Jimmy!”

“Now. Now.” He pats my cheek then drags a chair over to me and sits backward on it, facing me.

“What am I doing here? Why did you do this?” I tug harder on the ropes. Raising my voice makes my head throb.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Marlena. You know how much I hate that shit.” He folds his arms over the back of the chair, resting his chin on them. “You thought you’d get the upper hand, but it doesn’t work that way, sweetheart.”

“What are you talking about?” He can’t know about our plans for what to do with that recording. He can’t even know I have it.

“Fine.” He shakes his head. “We’ll do this your way. Robby, go downstairs and shut the door on your way out.”

“Uncle Jimmy, c’mon, man. I don’t think you should do this. Mom’s gonna be home tomorrow. If she finds out about this, she’s gonna have my ass.”

I tilt my head to look over Jimmy’s shoulder. His nephew looks about eighteen. Robby shifts from one foot to the next, his hands fidgeting at his sides.

“You got your little nephew to help you? You want him to go to jail like you?” I notice the bruises on Robby’s forehead, and the thin white butterfly bandage on the bridge of his nose. “You had him in the car that rammed into us?” Jimmy’s lost his fucking mind.

“Don’t worry about Robby.” Jimmy twists around and jerks his hand at his nephew. “Just go, Robby. Don’t worry, she’ll be gone by tonight. Just get the hell out.”

He frowns but does as his uncle says, quietly shutting the door once he’s in the hall.

“I have another week to come up with the money, Jimmy,” I say when he swings his attention back to me.

“Oh, I have your money. That’s not the problem.” From his back pocket, he retrieves the envelope Diana had given me withmy payment for this morning. He tosses it to the bed and pulls out his phone. “The issue here is your fucking boyfriend didn’t keep his nose out of our business. And now he’s causing real problems for me.”

“Viktor isn’t doing anything to you.” I slowly twist my wrists, trying to loosen the rope.

Jimmy drops his chin. “No? So, he wasn’t at a meeting this afternoon with Michael telling him about my side hustle? That wasn’t him?” Spit gathers in the corner of his mouth.

“What? No.” Viktor said he’d wait for me. He’d promised.

“No?” His nostrils flare. “Well, you’re a fucking idiot then, because he sure as fuck was there. And he had a long ass meeting with Michael. Tell me what he was saying to him. Because going to him and tattling is a bitch move, even for a fucking Russian.”

“How do you know it had anything to do with you? The Petrovs have done business with Michael before.” It’s been a long time, and I have no idea what sort of business they’ve done, but I remember hearing their name well before I met Viktor.

“And it’s just a coincidence that you and I are in the middle of business and he goes to Michael?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Jimmy. Viktor has no reason to talk to Michael about you.” Unless he brought the recording on his own, but he swore he wouldn’t make a move without me. He promised.

“Hmm.” Jimmy pulls out a phone from behind him.

It’s my phone.

My throat closes shut.

“You’re not a good liar, Marlena. I remember that about you.” He points my phone at me while he says this. A few swipes and he has the phone open and shows me the recording app I used last night.

“Jimmy.” It’s a plea.

His thumb touches the screen.

“I found one, but it’s in fucking Los Angeles. I’m gonna need more cash upfront if you want me to go out there to get it and bring it back.” Jimmy’s voice comes through the phone, and I close my eyes to the fury blossoming in his.

“You see, I could have sworn I’d seen you last night. I wasn’t positive, cause you were all dressed up in that gown and it was dark in the back yard where you were talking with some other woman. But then I saw you get in the SUV with your boytoy and realized it had been you in the yard.”

“Jimmy.” I tug harder on my binds, but they won’t budge. My ankles are in no better shape. I’m going nowhere.

“Then I hear Viktor is meeting with Michael today. I figure one thing must have to do with the other.” He flips the phone around, tossing it from hand to hand. “So I figure I might not have as much time to get the cash I need as I thought. So I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

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