Page 47 of Deadly Protector
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Dimitri nodded politely at the man as he approached the table. “Gareth.”
“Dimitri. Been a long time. Surprised to see you here.” Though he was in his fifties, maybe even sixties now, he was fit and definitely armed. And he’d been helping Irene run her show for close to forty years.
Dimitri shrugged, knowing anything he said would be a mistake now. He and Gareth weren’t friends, never had been. But they’d both run in similar circles a couple decades ago even with the age difference between them. Dimitri had gotten out of his illegal lifestyle, but Gareth would never quit working for Irene. He was loyal to the bone.
When Gareth turned toward Ryba there was more than a hint of derision on his face. “Your aunt is here. She wants to speak to you. Both of you,” he added to Dimitri.
Ah, hell.Yep, way more complicated. But Dimitri simply nodded and gave a subtle signal to Isa and Graysen that everything was fine as he slid out of the booth. He didn’t want them calling for backup. Yet.
Hopefully he wouldn’t need it.
“How’ve you been?” he asked Gareth, who led them toward the back of the establishment, in the direction of a darkened hallway. He’d done enough research that he knew Irene didn’t own this place. But people talked and she must have had eyes on her nephew, keeping tabs on him. She’d want to know why he was talking to Dimitri.
“Can’t complain. Last kid is finally graduating college this year.” He gave a small smile as they reached the exit door.
“Nice, congrats.” The conversation was all mundane and polite yet Dimitri knew that if the situation changed, Gareth would put a bullet in his head no problem.
Outside, the sun beat down on them, the thump of the music fading as the door clanged shut. Ryba had been very quiet as he walked, likely thinking of a way to spin this to his aunt.
And an SUV was waiting, an Escalade with tinted windows and flashy rims. Irene was no doubt inside.
“You know the drill. Phones and weapons,” Gareth said as they approached the vehicle. He paused, motioned for Dimitri to spread his arms.
“I’m armed,” he said. “Two weapons, left leg.”
Ryba looked at him, shocked.
Yeah, absolute dumbass.He should kill the guy and just rid the world of his stupidity.
Gareth was not shocked. He took the weapons and his cell phone, put them in a small cloth bag and motioned for them to get in the back seat. Dimitri was a little surprised Gareth hadn’t checked Ryba, but clearly he must not view him as a threat.
Inside, Irene was in the passenger seat and a man with dark sunglasses was driving. The driver didn’t turn toward them, but Irene did, smiling warmly at him. She’d always had a knack for that—a warm, easy greeting when he knew she was a shark who pounced at the mere scent of blood in the water. In her sixties, she looked to be maybe late forties. Her inky black hair was cut into a bob, highlighting her sharp cheekbones and full mouth. A beautiful woman, at any age. Her looks and charm had fooled a lot of men to their deaths—it was why she’d stayed alive and under the radar for so long.
“Dimitri Lenkov. It has been so long.”
He smiled back, even though tension balled tightly in his middle. “Irene, you’re looking lovely as ever.”
“Thank you. That’s always nice to hear.” She made a quick motion with her hand and her driver pulled out of the alley.
“Just speaking the truth,” Dimitri said, paying attention to the direction they headed. “You haven’t aged a day since I saw you last.”
She laughed then, a robust sound. “I always did like you. Now, why are you speaking with my idiot nephew?”
Ooooh.
Next to Dimitri, Ryba stiffened, but didn’t respond. Even so, Dimitri could practically feel the rage and humiliation dripping off him.
“Before you respond, I’d like to remind you that even though I like you, it won’t save you if you lie to me.” Her voice was neutral, calm. She hadn’t changed at all.
“He came to me with a business proposition. I turned him down.” He lifted a casual shoulder. It was the truth. He certainly wasn’t going to bring up anything to do with Zamira.
She turned slightly in her seat, finally looking at Ryba, annoyance clear in her pale blue eyes. “You weren’t very subtle when asking around about Dimitri.” She made a tsking sound as she shook her head.
“I was working on something big. I wanted to have all the details ironed out before I brought it to you, that’s all. I wasn’t going behind your back.” There was a hint of desperation in his tone.
Eyebrow raised, Irene looked at Dimitri.
