Under the Skin (15 page)

“Suggests?” Jacobs repeated, his stare locking on Patrick. “It usually takes more than a suggestion to stake someone out that way.” Whatever the captain saw in Patrick’s gaze must have convinced him, because he nodded once and picked up his phone to dial an internal extension. “You’ve done some good work in a short time, Flaherty. Let’s hope your informant knows what he’s talking about. Nichols,” he barked into the phone. “Get a beat cop to trail this car. It could be a lead on Eddie’s killer.” He handed the phone to Patrick, who repeated the license plate number to the dispatcher.

“Thank you, sir,” Patrick said when he hung up. “I know you have no real reason to trust me on this, but I wouldn’t have brought it to you if I didn’t trust the information.”

Patrick returned to his desk, stomach churning as he considered all the implications of what he had done and what might come of it. If they couldn’t pin anything on Volkov with Alexei’s information, it would be harder for Patrick to get his captain to trust him the next time he asked for assistance, but he’d told Thames the truth. He trusted Alexei. If Alexei sent him the plate, it was because he felt sure it would help Patrick out. Now he had to wait and hope his trust wasn’t misplaced.

H
E
ONLY
had to wait until the next day.

Reba hung up her phone and grinned at Patrick. “Intake just called. They brought in a suspect in Eddie’s killing.” Her smile widened at Patrick’s eager expression. “Fyodor Volkov.”

“Yes!” Patrick said, his smile matching hers. “Did they find something?”

“Flaherty!”

Patrick turned at hearing the captain calling his name. “Sir?”

“Your tip panned out. I’m heading down to homicide to observe the interrogation. You’ve earned the right to watch as well if you want.”

“Yes, sir!” Patrick said, falling in step beside Captain Jacobs. “What happened? I take it they found something in Volkov’s car?”

“Patrol car stopped him for doing forty-five in a thirty zone.” Jacobs shook his head as they rode the elevator down to the interrogation rooms. “It’s nothing on its own, but when Volkov opened the glove compartment to pull out his registration, a handgun fell out. They searched the car after that and found a bag of heroin under the driver’s seat and a wallet under the carpet. It had a driver’s license issued to Ivan Polzin.” Patrick nodded in understanding—it was the name Eddie Stachowicz had used to infiltrate the Surovs. “The name didn’t mean anything to the beat cop, but he recognized Eddie from the picture and brought Volkov here,” the captain continued as the elevator door slid open and they walked down the hall to Interrogation. “Now the fun begins.”

Patrick hoped “fun” would be the word for it. They walked into the observation room, nodding to the officers who were already there. Fyodor Volkov sat on the other side of the one-way glass, looking far too grandfatherly for Patrick’s peace of mind. The man didn’t look like he could hurt a fly. Patrick knew appearances could be deceiving.

“He’s already lawyered up,” Chief of Police Martinez said as they came in. “I don’t expect to get anything out of him even once his lawyer gets here, but we’ve got enough to hold him, with the drugs and the unregistered gun. We’ll have to work harder to pin the murder on him, at least until ballistics can tell us if the gun is a match, but he won’t walk out of here regardless. With everything we have, he won’t get bail. He’s a flight risk, and he’s implicated in the murder of a cop.”

“Good,” Patrick said, knowing they’d think he was concerned about Eddie, and he was, but having Volkov off the streets eliminated one threat to Alexei as well.

“The beat cop mentioned him cursing someone named Konstantin before they read him his rights and he shut his trap,” Martinez went on. “Does that name mean anything to you?”

“His son,” Patrick replied.

“Chief, this is Detective Flaherty. One of his contacts put us on Volkov’s trail,” Jacobs explained. “I thought he might like to watch the interrogation.”

“Good work,” Martinez said, offering Patrick his hand. “Especially if this plays out the way it looks like it will. Bringing in Detective Stachowicz’s killer could be very good for your career.”

“Just doing my job, Chief,” Patrick demurred. Until ballistics came back on the gun and they had a solid case, Patrick wouldn’t rest easy. Volkov wouldn’t roll readily, and Patrick wasn’t convinced Alexei wouldn’t still be dragged into it.

“We can’t start the interrogation until his lawyer gets here,” Chief Martinez said. “And I don’t expect him to say anything useful. The
vory
never do. Flaherty, do you know where to find the son?”

“I know some of his usual hangouts,” Patrick hedged.

“Bring him in for questioning. And anyone else from their organization you can find. If nothing else, he might be able to confirm or deny his father’s alibi, if the old man gives us anything,” Martinez ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Patrick said, hiding his panic at having to bring Alexei in for questioning if he happened to be with Konstantin. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Chapter 11

T
HE
thin spiral of cigarette smoke disappeared into the steamy atmosphere of the sauna as Alexei waited for Patrick to arrive. Word had spread quickly among the
vory v zakone
that Fyodor had been arrested for a cop’s murder, and Konstantin had been especially volatile, his moods swinging erratically between fear that the police would come after him next and boasting about his new role as head of the Volkov family. Alexei had been hard-pressed to dissuade his boss from provoking the rest of the
vory
by openly proclaiming himself in the role. That Patrick had asked to meet Alexei now argued that Konstantin’s fears might not be completely unwarranted. Not for the first time, Alexei rued the consequences of his uncontrolled actions the night he had met Patrick on the boat, actions that had driven the detective to accept the promotion that now put him directly at odds with Alexei’s role within the
vory
.

The door to the steam room opened, sending a waft of cooler air into the small chamber as Patrick entered, clad only in the towel wrapped low around his waist and the gold chain around his neck. Refusing to allow his eyes to linger, Alexei snapped his gaze instead to the only other occupant of the sauna, an older man who rose immediately at the unspoken command, scurrying out the door before it had closed behind Patrick. Only then did Alexei allow himself to appreciate the smooth, unblemished lines of his lover’s torso, the dusky areolae surrounding his nipples, the thin line of dark hair that trailed down below the dip of the towel. “Patya,” he said softly, the privacy of the empty room allowing him a liberty he would not otherwise risk.

Self-control already fragile simply because of the memories associated with this room and the reasons for his presence, Patrick felt himself waver even more at the sound of the diminutive on his lover’s lips. “You shouldn’t call me that here,” he forced himself to say even as his body reacted as it did every time the other man called him that, though he desperately wanted to hear it again, hoped he would hear it again after what he had to tell Alexei. “Especially not today.”

Sitting down on the bench across from the other man, Patrick took a deep breath, willing away the sexual tension that threatened to swamp his resolve, and explained why he was there. “The Chief of Police ordered me to bring Konstantin in for questioning in relation to his father’s arrest on drug possession, concealed weapon, and murder charges.” Getting Konstantin off the streets for whatever reason would be a second big blow to the organization, coming so soon on the heels of Fyodor’s arrest, although from what the chief had said, they weren’t trying to arrest Konstantin, just to get him to implicate his father. Patrick’s prime concern was Alexei. Unfortunately, his superiors wouldn’t see it that way. If they knew what he was doing, the risk he was taking that Alexei would betray him and warn Konstantin, he’d be out of a job, even if he didn’t find himself facing charges. He looked across the steamy space at the chiseled face that haunted his dreams and knew it was worth any risk. “I don’t see any way out of bringing him in, so you need to stay away from him tonight. I don’t want you to go down with him if it comes to that.”

Alexei dragged at his cigarette, buying himself a moment to think before answering. He recognized that Patrick was stretching the ethics of his position by offering the warning, surprised that the younger man would take such a risk for him, but perhaps he could turn the situation into a benefit for them both. “Konstantin is nothing,” he said slowly, watching Patrick’s face. “Small fish, hardly worth the hook. What if I could give you bigger fish instead?”

Despite himself, Patrick was intrigued. He knew most of the other officers in the Organized Crime squad considered him a rookie still, despite the tip that had led to Fyodor’s arrest. This could well be his chance to prove that lead was no fluke. “I’m listening,” he encouraged, the cop taking over from the lover. This was not at all the reaction he’d expected from the Russian. Anger, yes, recriminations, maybe, but not essentially an offer to help in exchange for Konstantin’s freedom. He would wonder later why Alexei wanted to protect Konstantin, but for now, he needed to see what his lover could offer.

“
Vory
usually avoid involvement in drugs.” Alexei stopped himself from rubbing the bullet scar on his shoulder, proof of the danger Konstantin had brought down by encroaching on the existing distribution channels. “Is best for all if it does not continue. What if I could get you ones who are selling these drugs? Would that be enough to let Konstantin go free?”

“Can you?” Patrick asked. “Safely?” He didn’t add that he would only agree to this if it wouldn’t come back to hurt Alexei. He could see that the other man’s wounds had healed. He didn’t want to see any more, especially not if he was even indirectly responsible for putting them there.

Taking a final pull at his cigarette, Alexei nodded. “Konstantin leaves in hour to pick up shipment.” He gave Patrick the address of the warehouse near the docks where he would be driving them to meet the Chechen dealers.

Mind racing with all the details of setting up a sting that quickly, Patrick rose and headed for the door. Turning back at the last minute, he met Alexei’s eyes. “Keep him out of sight if you can. I’ll do what I can to keep my team focused on the sellers, but if he makes a scene, I won’t have a choice, since my superiors want to question him anyway.” He hoped Alexei understood that while he would do his best, he wouldn’t jeopardize his position on the force for Konstantin, regardless of what he was willing to do for Alexei himself.

“Leave Konstantin to me,” Alexei agreed. His eyes roamed over Patrick’s body one more time, though he knew they didn’t have time for what either of them wanted. “Perhaps we can meet here afterward,” he added softly.

Patrick froze, hand on the door handle. Never before had Alexei asked for a meeting. All the lust he’d been suppressing by force of will alone came rushing back, leaving him trembling as he fought the desire to forget everything but this incredible, contradictory man and the unprecedented things he did to Patrick’s mind and heart. “I don’t know how long it will take me at the precinct, but I’ll come as soon as I can,” he promised, unable to stop himself from crossing back to his lover’s side for a quick kiss before leaving.

Keeping an eye on the pebbled glass of the door, Alexei caught Patrick’s wrist and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss, his tongue sliding past Patrick’s startled lips to drink possessively of the younger man’s sweetness. Just as quickly, he drew away, before he was tempted to pull Patrick down against him and be damned to Konstantin and the Chechen drug dealers and everyone but the man in his arms. “After,” he confirmed, setting Patrick free. “I will wait.”

Patrick groaned as Alexei took possession of his mouth and then let him go. He cursed the sense of duty that drove him toward the door and his clothes and police headquarters when all he wanted to do was strip away the two towels and ravish Alexei properly. It seemed this was a day for firsts in more ways than one. Not daring to look back for fear that even his sense of duty wouldn’t stand up to the temptation Alexei represented, Patrick pushed through the door and back into the cooler air of the locker room. He dressed quickly, waiting only until he was in his car to start making the necessary calls to set up the sting.

P
ATRICK
stood outside the door to the sauna, debating whether to go inside. He knew Alexei was waiting for him, though it had been hours since the sting ended. Hours since he had seen Alexei holding another man. That sight had stolen all the satisfaction he’d felt at nabbing the band of Chechens and their contraband. It had taken him some time, as he’d predicted, to finish the paperwork associated with the arrests, but longer still to come to terms with what he’d seen. He had considered not coming back to the gym, but in the end, he had decided to trust Alexei. It had hurt to see his lover’s arms around another man, but maybe there was an explanation. Unfortunately, none of the ones he could come up with were good ones. He hadn’t been able to see Alexei’s face, but he’d seen the other Russian’s. Patrick knew that expression. He saw it on his own face each time he looked in the mirror with Alexei on his mind.