Page 51 of Deadly Protector
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Dimitri’s door chime sounded and he jerked up, saw the time. Five a.m. His place had a security gate. No one should have been ringing the bell.
“Dimitri?” Zamira rasped out, rolling over on her pillow. “What is that?”
He grabbed his phone, pulled up the security app—Gareth, Irene’s guy, was at his front door. “Get dressed now. Irene’s guy is here. I can’t know for sure but he’s going to make me go with him.” Ignoring her gasp, he looked at all the other cameras, doing a quick sweep. No one else appeared on any of the feeds. Okay, that was good. Irene hadn’t sent a team to kill him. There was no reason she should, but it eased some of his tension.
Zamira sprang out of bed, still looking half-awake as she stumbled to tug on a pair of shorts from the floor, then a T-shirt.
The chime sounded again.
Damn it.
Dimitri tugged on jeans and a T-shirt, grabbed his burner phone, put it into his front pocket, then shoved his real phone down his pants. “I don’t know exactly how this is going to play out. But I’ve been in this situation before. He’s likely going to grab me, take me with him because the job is happening sometime today. In the past I would get pulled into jobs and have all my communication cut off without warning. It’s a way to eliminate people calling the cops.” Or a backup crew to rip off the original crew, but he wasn’t going to get into all that. The details weren’t important.
Zamira’s eyes were wide now, her breathing unsteady. “What do I do?”
“You’re going to hide in the guest closet,” he said as he went to one of his drawers, pulled out a small pistol. “I’m not planning on letting Gareth in here and I’m going to set the alarm when I leave. But you’ll stay in hiding until Lyosha gets here,” he said as he handed the weapon to her. “You’ll stay put.”
“Lyosha?” She shifted slightly on her feet, looking dazed.
He hated that he had to go over this so fast. Hadn’t expected this to happen today. He’d just met with Irene yesterday afternoon. She was moving way too fast for something like this, but he should have been better prepared. That was on him. “Call him now. And if anyone but me or Lyosha opens that closet door, shoot.”
Eyes wide, she nodded and raced to the guest room as he made his way to the front door.
The chime went off again right as he yanked it open. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Give me your phone.” Gareth’s voice was cold, emotionless.
Yeah, this was what he’d been worried would happen. Dimitri yanked out his burner phone, slapped it in Gareth’s outstretched hand and started to step back inside.
“Nope. We’re leaving now.” He moved forward, as if to stop him.
Dimitri moved fast, slamming him face first against the brick of the entryway, and yanking his arm behind his back. “I’m getting my fucking shoes on,” he growled. “And coffee, since you couldn’t see fit to call me first.”
Gareth let out a low growl. “Shoes are fine. No coffee. You’ve got two minutes.”
He let him go and slammed the door in his face. Then he raced back to the guest room. “It’s me.”
Zamira opened the closet door, her eyes still wide, but she looked more awake now. “I talked to Lyosha. He’s on his way here.”
“Good. Go with him and stay safe.”
“You’re the one who needs to be safe,” she said, the words a clear order.
“I will.” He kissed her quickly, because he couldn’t not.
Then he ran back to his office, grabbed shoes and his already packed bag of tools and clothing appropriate for break-ins.
Before he opened his front door, he set his alarm, then stepped out to a scowling Gareth.
The man started to reach for his bag but Dimitri shook his head. “You break any of my tools, you buy ’em.” He might be here against his will, but he couldn’t appear as if he was anyone other than he truly was. And he didn’t let people push him around.
At least he knew that Lyosha was on his way to pick up Zamira. And that she was armed in case anything happened beforehand.
Gareth looked through his bag, feeling the lining carefully, then said, “Spread your arms out. You know the drill.”
Rolling his eyes, he did as ordered and was glad that Gareth avoided his crotch—where he’d tucked his phone.
