Guard (The Underground Book 3) (22 page)

“So you heard her scream?”

Mikhail nodded. “Oh, I heard her all right.”

Shooting every bullet that would come out of that gun
. Haley shuddered against him. What if she’d shot him that day? It could have happened. She’d been scared out of her mind. She would have shot anyone. And she did, until the bullets ran out.

“My God.” Belinda put a hand over her chest.

“Let’s talk about something more uplifting. I’m so tired of that subject. I’m trying to put my life back together now. Move on. It takes me two steps backward every time I repeat the incident. If you’re hell-bent on covering this story, we’ll talk about it more later, but let’s spend this evening on cheerier subjects.”

“Of course.” Belinda reached for her glass and took a long drink. “You’re right.” She stared at the glass.

“About what?” Haley asked.

“This is definitely more than a one-bottle night.”

Haley smiled. “Told you.”

∙
•
∙

Mikhail was proud of her. She’d given Belinda the perfect amount of details, hadn’t freaked out telling her, and then steered the conversation in another direction. Even if that direction was toward him. It was to be expected, especially now that he knew Haley didn’t date much. Or ever.

How long ago was it she dated Brad? And what happened with that?

He found himself worrying far too much about some ex-boyfriend of hers. What did it matter? She was his now. It was ridiculous for him to feel the urge to hunt down every man who’d ever touched her and make sure they each knew she was his now. Irrational and insane. But that’s how possessive he felt toward her.

He drank his beer, not paying close attention to what the women were saying for a few minutes, until he was drawn back in by the mention of his name.

Belinda was looking at him. Her dark eyes twinkled. She tossed her thick black hair over her shoulder. It would be tough to see if she was blushing or not because her skin was a beautiful olive color typical of Italians, which he presumed her to be. “You two seem quite close considering you’ve only been seeing each other a few weeks.”

“Well,” Haley responded, “he hasn’t left since I met him.”

“Hasn’t left? Ever?” Belinda grinned. “I see. No wonder.” She took another drink, tucking her feet up under her in a similar way Haley always did. “What is this, love at first sight?” she teased.

“Something like that,” Mikhail said. “It’s impossible not to fall for her. She’s amazing. I stayed to help her feel safe at first, but she grew on me.”

Haley punched him playfully in the side. “Liar. You were possessed by aliens the day I met you, and you have been ever since.”

“Aliens?” He chuckled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means they took over your brain and caused you to think I’m some sort of goddess. You’ve been under their spell the entire time I’ve known you.”

He frowned at her now. “Spell? Baby, this is no spell. You
are
some sort of goddess.” Did she not think she was good enough for him? That was insane. If anyone wasn’t good enough, it was him. Not her.

Haley’s face turned red, and she licked her lips before sucking the lower one in between her teeth and then instantly dropping it when he lifted a brow. Her pulse raced. He felt it where he held her hand against his thigh.

He lowered his face toward hers and kissed her. “Don’t sell yourself short. Please.”

She nodded.

“I think I’m going to swoon like they did in those old romance novels,” Belinda said. “You guys are too cute.”

They turned the subject to Belinda’s work. She insisted she intended to start interviewing homeless people Monday morning.

“I haven’t even returned to work yet,” Haley said. “You can’t go out alone to do something like this.”

“She’s not kidding, Belinda. It’s not an option.”

Belinda grinned. “Maybe I need a bodyguard.”

“You’re gonna need ten of them if you intend to stick your nose into this project,” Haley said.

“This is the biggest story I’ve ever landed, Haley. I’m not about to turn it down.”

They all stared at each other for several seconds. Finally Haley blew out a breath. “Fine. I’ll go with you.”

Mikhail stiffened. “You most certainly will not. Neither of you. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Haley twisted to face him. “So you’re saying feeding the homeless is ridiculous?”

“While there’s a killer on the loose, yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“I’ve been off work for a month, Mikhail. I can’t hide forever. It’s time for me to go back. I already mentioned to Terrance I’d be there Monday morning.”

“Be where? The shelter? That’s not the same thing as wandering the streets.” She didn’t really think he would consent to letting her hand out food in the dark, did she?

“Both. I work at the shelter during the day and hand out supplies in the evening. I’m sure many people wonder where I’ve been. They count on me. I could be their only real meal the entire day.”

Belinda clapped her hands together once. “It’s settled then. I’ll go out with you Monday night. It’s much better for me anyway since these people trust you. They’re more likely to speak to me if I’m with you.” Belinda reached for another cracker and placed a slice of cheese on it before grabbing an olive and popping it into her mouth.

Mikhail groaned, leaning his head back and rolling his neck against the couch.
No fucking way
. “Ladies. You’re both certifiable. No one’s going to approve this plan.”

Belinda chuckled. “By no one, you mean
you
?”

Haley opened her mouth to answer, but Mikhail set a hand on her thigh and squeezed. Hard. He addressed Belinda, “I can see the curiosity in your eyes, and I know you’re a journalist, but you have to realize this is sensitive information that can’t be leaked. If you want to discuss it with Haley, it has to be off the record. You can’t run this story, Belinda. It’s not safe. For anyone.”

Belinda’s eyes widened, and she licked her lips as she nodded. “Okay.”

Mikhail released the pressure on Haley’s thigh, smoothing his palm back and forth before glancing at her and nodding.

“When Mikhail says no one will approve the idea of you interviewing anyone on the street, he means the FBI.”

“What? What’s the FBI got to do with this?”

Haley hated getting so in depth, but it was Mikhail’s fault for wording his sentence like he had. “They’re keeping an eye on me,” she added with a shrug. “Apparently they tend to do that when someone’s kidnapped.” She had no idea if that was true or not, but it sounded good.

And Belinda bought it. “Yeah. I can see that. But if they’re watching you, aren’t you about the safest person alive?”

“I wish.”

Mikhail leaned his forehead against hers. “You are.” He turned to Belinda. “Let me make a few calls. I’ll see what I can do. But I don’t like this idea, and I’m not promising anything.” In reality, it would never happen, but he wanted the women to change the subject, so he pretended to go along with it to that small extent.

“Perfect. Thank you,” Belinda said. She unfolded her legs from under her and stood. “We need more wine.”

Before the evening ended, all three of them had consumed most of the food. Haley and Belinda had downed plenty of the wine too. Though surprisingly, Haley didn’t feel the least bit tipsy. Considering she had lost weight and not eaten enough in almost a month, she was shocked.

But then again, they’d stuffed their faces and sipped the wine over the course of several hours.

She shoved the last of the evidence into the trash can as the front door opened behind her.

“How long ago did you date Brad?” Mikhail asked less than two seconds after shutting the front door. He’d escorted Belinda downstairs and arranged for someone to take her home. She’d come on the L, but she sure wasn’t leaving late at night in the same fashion, especially not after spending the evening with Haley.

Anyone could be watching her leave. It made Haley feel guilty about having her over in the first place. On the flip side, however, if the two of them hadn’t met up tonight, Belinda would have wandered the streets looking for her story Monday night none the wiser.

Haley remembered his question and giggled. “You held that question on the tip of your tongue the entire evening, didn’t you?” She was putting lids on the containers of leftover food at the table.

“Yes.”

“I don’t see why since you didn’t care to hide your need to know how many men I’d slept with before you.”

“I was trying not to pry.” He stalked toward her.

She chuckled again. “Riiight. And it wasn’t prying to demand to know how many men I slept with? I thought Belinda was going to have a coronary.”

“Belinda thought I was the bomb from the moment she got here. She’s at least as submissive as you, baby. If not more so. She was on the edge of her seat the entire night, wishing she were mine.” He stepped behind her, pried her hands off the containers, and gathered them in one of his. With one hand around her waist and the other holding both her wrists between her breasts, he nosed her hair out of the way and kissed her shoulder.

Haley gasped. How did he so quickly and easily bring her to her knees? “Did you think she was attractive?” She wished she could take the question back the second it left her lips.

“Who?” he teased.

“Ha ha.”

He chuckled against her neck, nibbling a path toward her ear. When his lips landed on the sensitive lobe, he whispered. “Can’t even describe her now that she’s gone.”

“Liar.”

He smiled against her. “Baby, stop it. She’s not you. I’m so fucking into you, I can’t even think straight.”

“Maybe you
should
hook her up with one of your friends.”

He chuckled again. “If it makes you feel better, I will. Especially if she thinks she’s going to hit the streets naïvely interviewing the homeless. I can’t handle two women at once. I need to speak to Taylor, but I can’t imagine the FBI permitting this. They’re trying to keep the story as hushed as possible. Allowing a reporter to get involved could jeopardize the entire operation.”

“Why? I mean people have a right to know they’re in danger. They need to be aware of their surroundings so they don’t end up getting kidnapped also.”

“You have a point, but digging around any deeper could lead to disaster for the dozens of agents undercover working this case. If the media catches a whiff of anything having to do with blood samples, track marks, or secret injections, who knows what Yenin will do in retaliation.

“It’s a balancing act. Like I’ve said before, now that we have you, we’re playing a little game. FBI versus Russian Mafia. If Yenin thinks the FBI is digging too deep or getting too close, he could pull his operation and move it elsewhere, setting the investigation back months. That’s the last thing we want.”

“All the more reason to let Belinda go with me Monday night. I can control what she reports. If we let her dig into this on her own, who knows what she might dig up?” Haley smiled up at him.

“Fine. I’ll talk to Leo and Taylor. But she can’t report anything until she’s spoken with Taylor.”

“And pick one of your friends to go with us,” she reminded him.

“Okay. I’ll call Ivan.”

“Uh, no. Not Ivan. Anyone but Ivan.”

“Why not?” He pulled back to gaze into her eyes as she twisted her neck to look at him.

She narrowed her gaze. “Are you blind?”

“Blind about what?” His hand released her wrists and flattened on her chest, inching up to her throat. The way he held her there made her knees weak.

She set her hands on his other arm, curling her fingers around his muscles. “He’s totally into Alena.”

“Alena? My sister? No way.”

She rolled her eyes. “Dude, you
are
blind.”

He sobered. “What makes you say that?”

She shrugged. “Forget I said anything. Just pick another friend. Sergei or Nikolav. They’re both sexy and hot. She’ll like either.”

“You think my friends are sexy and hot?”

She wiggled around to face him and slapped a hand against his chest. “You know what I mean.”

“No, really. Enlighten me.” He smiled.

She tossed his own words back at him. “I don’t know. I can’t even describe them now that they aren’t in the room.”

He chuckled. “Fine. Touché. Now answer my question. How long ago did you go out with this Brad character?”

“Two years ago.”

“Two years? How long did you date him?”

“A few times. He wasn’t my type.”

Mikhail stared at her lips. “What
is
your type?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Apparently the MMA-fighting, Russian kind.”

He grinned. “Good answer. And before that?”

“Before what?”

“Before Brad.”

She shook her head and leaned into him until her lips were a breath away. “Can’t remember.”

“Right. You’ve slept with a whopping two men, and you can’t remember when. Sure.”

“You want to make a list of your conquests, names and dates?”

He sobered. “Touché again. I won’t ask another question.”

“It was more like an interrogation than a question, and I think your chest is pumped up knowing how many people mattered to me before you. The answer is none. So stop it. You’re the only one I’ve ever been into like this.”

“Into?” He grinned. “It’s usually
me
in
you
, if I recall. My fingers, my tongue, my cock…” He hauled her closer and took her lips in a gentle kiss. “But I’m glad. I can’t say I’ve only been with two women, nor can I say it’s been two years since the last one. But it’s been a while, and I’m humbled you’ve given me this piece of you. I know it’s a big deal for you to get involved with someone, and I promise not to take it for granted.”

Her heart pounded as she stared at him. Was he really as good as he seemed?

The vibration of a phone in Mikhail’s pocket caused them to step back.

“It’s like one in the morning. Who would be calling?” she asked, though she hated to ponder the possibilities.

∙
•
∙

Mikhail stuffed his hand in his jeans and pulled out his phone. He tapped the screen and spoke, “Leo.”