Page 36 of Ten

“Is that Chess?” Savannah asked and leaned back in her chair for a better look through the glass wall. “It is her!”

Through the glass, our gazes met. Chess Mendoza shot me a look of sympathy, and I mirrored her expression. Here we were, two women dragged right back into the bullshit of the men who had ruined our lives.

“Why would they bring her in?” Savannah wondered aloud.

“She was in a relationship with Kiki’s partner, Adrian.” I kept everything else I had learned about Adrian from Kostya to myself. Those were details I wasn’t going to share with anyone. “Adrian went missing after Kiki went to prison. They probably think she knows where Adrian is, and if he’s somewhere local, they probably think he’s helping Kiki.”

“Do you think he is?” Eloise asked, suddenly alert.

“No.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I have it on good authority.” What was I supposed to say? That a Russian mafia cleaner who I was pretty sure used to be a spy had told me so while sitting in the kitchen of my boyfriend who had been convicted of killing Kiki and Adrian’s partner in crime?

“Wait. Seriously?” Savannah seemed startled by that information. “Is he...? Is this Adrian guy the father of her daughter?”

“Yes.” That was all I was going to say about that.

“Let’s not talk about Adrian or Chess once the interview starts,” Eloise coached. “This is new information to me, and I don’t want us stumbling into something we aren’t prepared for yet.”

I appreciated her use of we when discussing this mess. It made me feel less alone and like I had a team helping me through it.

But I would have felt much better with Ten sitting right here holding my hand.

He had wanted to come, but Kostya had forbidden it. The mysterious Russian had been at Ten’s door super early with updates on the search for Kiki and a set of rules about Ten’s involvement. As much as I wanted Ten with me, I understood why Kostya had his rules. He wanted to keep Ten out of trouble and in the good graces of his parole officer. Ten was too close to the finish line to fuck it up now.

The door opened, and a stream of law enforcement agents entered the room. The Texas Rangers in their starched white shirts and khaki pants led the way. It seemed as if they were going to be running the show this morning.

Eloise and the lead Ranger discussed the rules of the meeting. She was more aggressive than normal, but I understood she was showing them we weren’t going to be fucked around here. Even at the risk of being uncooperative, she would protect me with the full might of her bar license.

“Miss Jackson, I’m sorry to have dragged you in here today,” Major Whitmore apologized. “I’m sure you don’t want to be here anymore than we do.”

“Not particularly,” I agreed, “but I’ll do what I can to help you catch Kiki and put him back in prison where he belongs.”

“Do you have any idea where he might go to hide? Is there somewhere near here? A place where he used to spend time before he was arrested?”

“I’ve thought about that all night and all morning. The places he used to haunt are all public spots. He’s not going to pop up in Houston without being spotted and reported. He’s a psycho, but he’s not completely stupid.”

The major hummed in agreement. “And what about friends? Adrian Umansky maybe?”

“I doubt that very much.”

“Why?”

“Adrian disappeared after Kiki went to prison, and as far I know, he went back to Russia.”

“Yeah, that’s the rumor we’ve heard as well,” the major confirmed. “What about family?”

“No family. His mother died a few months after he was convicted.” I hadn’t gone to her funeral either. Not that she would have wanted me there. The last time we had been in the same room together she had slapped me across the face and called me aputa.

“And no friends on the outside?’

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “When he was arrested and all the details of what he had done came out, he lost all of his connections. That’s why they had him in a special segregated unit when he was awaiting trial. They were worried the cartel would take him out before they could get him into a courtroom.” I nervously touched my ear. “I mean, you already know that, obviously.”

“Yes, but it’s always good to have confirmation.” The major glanced at his colleague and then back at me. “I’m going to be frank, Miss Jackson. We believe that you are in grave danger. We can’t prove it yet but we feel strongly that Kiki had outside help orchestrating his escape. He may not have those old underworld ties anymore, but he has some lowlife friends helping him. It’s possible that he also may have been extorting corrections officers on his unit.”

“I figured,” I said, the reality of my situation settling in my chest. The heavy weight of the invisible target on my back made it hard to breathe. “Do you think...?” I stopped myself. Was I really going to ask this? I could practically hear Ten shouting at me not to even think about it. But I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t offer and Kiki killed more people. “Do you think using me as bait would help?”

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