Page 79 of Sinner's Secret

Baz laughed. “Don’t worry, he brought pizza with him.”

“Excellent, where is it?”

Baz gestured at the kitchen area and she found a pizza with pepperoni and mushrooms waiting for her on the counter. There was also a couple of unopened bottles of water. She grabbed a piece and started eating.

“Any good?” Yvgeny asked.

“Shut up, I’m busy,” she said around a mouthful of food.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Several of Yvgeny’s businesses were broken into last night,” Baz said. “A couple of fires were set, a lot of stuff was destroyed, and two security guards were injured.”

“Most interesting were the men who were caught by police,” Yvgeny added. “Both were discovered dead of apparent drug overdoses while in custody.”

Nika stopped chewing for a second. “What?”

“I’ve been assured that their deaths will be investigated, but something tells me those investigations are going to go nowhere.”

“Your lieutenant has involved himself in the investigation. He claims to have evidence tying me and my businesses with the human trafficking investigation his people are conducting, and your kidnapping.”

She swallowed the last of her slice of pizza and took a swig of water before asking, “Are you involved in either one?”

Yvgeny sighed and looked insulted. “No, but I suspect someone is going to try to make it look like I am.”

“We need to find the people at the top of all this shit,” Baz said. “And I think I know who the weakest link is.”

“Really?” His cousin asked with way too much glee in his tone. “Who?”

Chapter Fourteen

“Lieutenant Thomas” Baz said. “He’s a little too enthusiastic and he jumps to conclusions too fast.”

“You can’t be serious.” Nika stared at him like he’d lost his mind.

“Let’s grab him and see what he knows,” Yvgeny suggested.

“Hold on,” Nika said, putting up one hand. “We’re not grabbing anyone, least of all my boss. We’ve got to do this in a way that will stand up in court.”

Yvgeny punched Baz’s shoulder. “This is what you get when you date cops. Your hands tied behind your back.”

“She has a point, Yvgeny. Whatever we do, it has to be done quietly.”

“Like those assholes who blew up my motel?” Yvgeny asked, turning to walk away a few steps. He turned and walked back. “That was my favorite place to get away from all of the chrome appliances and crystal chandeliers.” He stopped pacing to waggle his eyebrows at Nika. “I love to get dirty once in a while.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not a surprise.”

Baz shook his head and sighed. “Once we find out who ordered the destruction of your favorite place to go mud wrestling, you can carve out their liver if you want.”

Nika cleared her throat and looked at him sideways.

“You can question them to your heart’s content,” Baz rephrased. “Nicely, with comfy chairs and shit.”

“You’re funny, cousin.” Yvgeny snorted. “I will not use comfy chairs.”

The two men were quiet as she stared at a spot in the middle of the air, her thoughts moving almost too fast to comprehend. Several seconds went by before she spoke. “The hard part will be getting Thomas to come to us, or at least alone and in a setting we control.”

“You agree that he’s acting shady?”

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