Page 57 of Wrong Number. Right Don.
“I know.” I sigh. “But you can help me more by staying alive.”
“Look,” he says after a moment, “I’ve got some ideas.”
I raise a brow. “What kind of ideas?”
“We hit the ports,” he says. “Not the ships themselves, but the paperwork. I’ve got a guy who can get into their manifests. If Semion’s moving arms through the docks again, we’ll find out. Then we cut the flow. Quietly. Starve his supply. You said you don’t want blood. That’s how you hit him where it hurts without firing a shot.”
I stare at him, considering his plan for a moment. It’s actually much smarter than I expected. Maybe he’s finally learning to think with his brain and not his emotions.
“Get your guy on it,” I say. “And send Anton to trail his warehouse. No contact. I just want eyes.”
“What do we do about the guys? They’re getting impatient, and you know what happens then.”
I do, unfortunately. When our guys get impatient, they tend to be just as reckless as Sasha was. We need to get them undercontrol before they do something stupid that they can’t take back. I need to drop the hammer if I’m going to have any chance of keeping them in line.
“Let me worry about that,” I tell him. “For now, put all your energy into getting into Semion’s books. That’s how you can be the biggest help to me. And don’t get yourself hurt again.”
“I can’t make any promises,” he jokes half-heartedly, but it doesn’t quite land the way he means it to.
“I’m serious, Sasha,” I warn. “If you do anything to get yourself hurt again, I’ll kill you myself. I’ll consider it a direct threat to my authority.”
“Aw, come on,” he chides, hopping off the desk and clapping me on the shoulder. “If I knew you cared about me so much, I wouldn’t have done it at all.”
“You’re just lucky Nicole was here to save your sorry ass,” I remind him. “What would you have done if she hadn’t been here?”
“Probably bled out and died.” He shrugs, as if it’s nothing.
My jaw clenches and I’m about to retort when there’s a soft knock at the door. I nod, signaling him to open it.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Nicole stops when she sees Sasha standing there. “I didn’t mean to interrupt; I’m just looking for Sergei.”
I straighten instinctively, the tension melting away completely. It’s as if she sensed I needed her here to calm me down.
“You can come in, Nicole,” I call to her.
Sasha glances back at me; one look tells him to leave. I sit down behind my desk and wave Nicole in.
She steps in wearing a soft sweater over a short dress, her hair pulled back so her cheekbones stand out. Her face is free of makeup, yet she’s still one of the most stunning women I’ve ever met.
Sasha gives her a quick nod as he slips past her on his way out.
“We’ll talk more later,” he says, shooting me a pointed look.
When the door clicks shut behind him, the silence between us stretches.
Nicole takes a few tentative steps into the room, then stops, as if unsure of her place.
“Everything okay?” I ask, trying to keep the edge out of my voice.
She hesitates. “I really didn’t mean to interrupt anything,” she says nervously, wringing her hands. “I can come back later if you’re busy.”
“You’re not interrupting,” I say quickly. “You’re a welcome distraction.”
“I’m glad.” She smiles shyly. “Is everything okay?”
Her worried gaze tells me she genuinely wants to know. She cares.
“It’s been a rough day,” I tell her vaguely. “Work is just extra stressful right now.”
