Chapter 10 #3
“This,”—he turned, picked up a manila envelope from the hood of Raye’s car, came back to us and handed it to Raye—“I must advise in all good faith, and because I like moi angely, must stop.”
I got close to my bestie as Raye opened the envelope and pulled out a black-and-white ‘70s-style Gene Hackman movie surveillance photo.
Hmm.
It appeared the Phoenician Russian Mob was old school.
It was a picture of Joey and Gemma sitting in Joey’s car, doing surveillance, and I knew this because Joey had the Angels’ long-ass-lens telephoto camera, and Gemma was looking through binoculars.
My gaze shifted to Raye to see she was grimacing.
She knew about this, whatever it was.
And I knew what it was.
They were surveilling Knox’s family.
And they didn’t tell me.
“What’s going on?” I snapped.
She turned to me. “We’re giving you space to deal with the Knox thing.”
My voice was getting louder. “They’re getting close to those crazies?”
“Luna, we’re just getting the lay of the land,” Raye said in a calm down! voice.
But I was so far from calm, it wasn’t funny.
“Without me weighing in on this mission? Me, who knows more about it than all of you, maybe even all of the Nightingale guys, and by that I mean what it means to Knox?” I demanded.
“I see you two need to have a discussion,” Dimitri cut in.
“And I’ll give you something to think on as you do.
I’m glad we’re allies. It would weigh on my conscious to have to make a statement with any of you.
I sense you don’t want that either, therefore, God willing, we’ll stay allies.
That crew,”—he gestured to the photo in Raye’s hand, but he meant Rocco, Gypsy, et al. —“you must treat the same.”
His eyes fell on me and he kept going.
“Your man, this is his. You must let him handle it how he sees fit. You cannot get involved.”
I had a lot to say to this, starting with the fact Knox wasn’t my man, but Dimitri kept talking.
“If he wishes to pull in his comrades, that’s his choice. You continue to do what you’ve been doing. Helping him heal and providing love and support on the homefront.”
I took a lot from this too.
One, they were watching us.
Two, it appeared Dimitri wasn’t only old school, he was a throwback.
I mean, love and support on the homefront?
Blech.
“It works for you,” he went on in a serious voice that made me, already serious about what was happening, all the more serious.
“How this seems like a lark for you. Eight women bumbling around Phoenix, righting wrongs. It’s a good cover, when those who are paying close attention not only understand your commitment and how you make no moves unless they’re considered, but also you get results. ”
Okay, that felt nice, even if it was a compliment on our vigilante investigation style from a mobster.
“But, and do not take this as an insult, this is above your skill level. Do not engage in this. Wait. Watch. Learn. Am I being clear?”
Raye and I both nodded because for sure he was being clear.
He turned to me. “Gypsy has been in touch. She wants news of her brother.”
Gypsy had been in touch with Dimitri, who she knew could get in touch with me.
I’d think on that later.
For now…
Uh…
Was she high?
Did she think I was going to give that to her?
“Gypsy can go fuck herself,” I retorted.
His eyes flared with interest and his lips tipped up.
Then his eyes got sexy and he whispered “Ah, to find my own angel who would go to such lengths to stand by her man.”
It was the perfect opening to tell him Knox wasn’t my man, but again, he got there before me.
“I assume he’s recovering.”
I said nothing.
He kept smiling. “She wants to get a message to him.”
“She has his number,” I replied.
“I don’t think this message can go via text.”
“People talk on phones, Dimitri,” I pointed out.
“What he’s saying is, she wants a sit-down,” Raye butted in.
Oh.
Well then.
“I’m not Knox’s go-between,” I told Dimitri.
“If that woman wants to apologize to her brother for whatever went down a week ago, she needs to jump through whatever hoops Knox wants her to jump through. If she’s still bent on this path of recruiting him or punishing him, I’ll repeat, she can go fuck herself. ”
“I don’t think I’ll share this,” Dimitri mused. “I think I’ll just say you’re upset about what happened and perhaps she should give it some time for all parties to find some calm.”
The time I’d find some calm with Gypsy would be the year of our Lord 3026.
“Yeah, go with that,” I replied.
He smiled at me like I was hilarious then looked to Raye, and that smile died a quick death.
“Call off your Angels,” he ordered.
I tensed because Raye wasn’t one to be ordered, especially by bad guys, even if they were bad guy allies.
“We’ll discuss it,” Raye returned.
He held her gaze long, nerve-wracking moments before he said, “You’ve been smart so far, Garrett. Don’t blow it.”
This, per moi, was good advice, and I was glad Dimitri was on my side in this. After I gave Raye a piece of my mind, then held a grudge for the appointed bestest-besties-having-a-disagreement twenty-four hours, it would help me talk all the girls down from getting involved in this business.
Or…as I’d just found out, further involved.
Dimitri pushed away from Raye’s car, inviting, “Come to my restaurant. We’ll fill you with good Russian food and vodka. On the house.”
The only Russian food I’d ever eaten was beef stroganoff—that dish was delish—and it was rare I said no to good vodka, so I wanted to take him up on this offer.
I didn’t do that in the mo’, since he approached Raye, brushed his cheek to hers, did the same to me, and I was mesmerized by his continental flair (not to mention, his spicy, sexy cologne).
It seemed you could take the man out of the motherland, but not the motherland out of the man.
Raye and I watched him walk to the sedan, get in the back seat, and it purred away.
When it was out of sight, I turned to her.
And again, someone got there before me.
“You need to focus on figuring things out with Knox,” she defended before I accused.
I still accused.
“You did Angel business without me.”
“One of ours got shot,” she returned. “And you’ve been distracted.”
I threw an arm toward where Dimitri’s car disappeared. “Even the underboss of the Phoenician Russian Mob knows we should not be in this. And if you’d waited to talk about it until I could tell you what I knew, you would know how dangerous it was, and you’d know we should not be in this.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. It was just some surveillance.”
“You tell me how you’d feel if I rallied the Angels to do something without you knowing it was happening.”
“Maybe somewhat how I felt when I found out my best friend had a relationship and fell in love with a guy, and she never mentioned word one to me.”
Hang on…
“I thought you said you were okay with that,” I shot back.
“I thought I was, in the moment. Then I realized, for over a year, you lied to me. To all of us. I mean, you and Knox spent the last year plus bickering, shaking that up regularly with avoiding each other, and every time we called you on it, you said nothing was happening. You were just friends. When that was a direct lie, right to our faces.”
I hadn’t liked doing that.
But stupidly, I’d promised Knox.
She wasn’t done.
“And then I spent the last few days watching you lie to yourself. Newsflash, that wasn’t cool, and the current sitch is annoying because you’re just not clueing in to jack shit that you’re doing it, but you keep doing it, and if you’re not into it, it’s not fair to Knox.”
Hold up.
I was feeling bad because I had lied, and she was right, it wasn’t cool.
But…
Knox?
It wasn’t fair to Knox?
“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped.
“You’d know, if you’d clue in.”
I glared at her.
She glared back.
I broke our glaring contest.
“You don’t get what I don’t want to give you, Raye. As I don’t get what you don’t give me.”
“What have I ever held back from you?”
“I wouldn’t know, would I? All I know is, if that was your choice, I’d stand by it. You don’t owe me every thought, opinion and emotion, and I don’t owe that to you.”
She looked offended.
“That’s part of what sisterhood is all about,” I educated her.
“Of course. I wouldn’t know, since my little sister was murdered as a child. Though I should pay attention, because you’re such a great sister to yours.”
My head moved involuntarily, like I’d been slapped.
Raye’s face changed immediately because she knew she took that too far.
And she so did.
Way too far.
“Loon—”
“No,” I bit, taking a step away from her.
“I know what this is. I know Knox is your fiancé’s best friend.
I know you care about him. I know you worry about me, Cap, Knox, our entire posse, and how what’s going on with Knox and me will affect it.
I also know you and Cap are the honorary chiefs because you guys came first, and you started the Angels.
And usually, that works, because usually, you’ve got a huge heart and give a shit about everything, and that includes the big picture and all that makes it. ”
She opened her mouth.
But I was far from done.
“And now I know that you think I’m screwing that pooch with whatever is going on with Knox and me.
What I also know is, you haven’t taken a single second to ask how I am dealing with all of this.
How I’m confused and freaked and hurt and have been living an agony for over a goddamned year, being around the man I love who I cannot have.
You have never, not once since I met you, been all about you.
Except now, gravely unfortunately, when I need you to be even remotely about me. ”
With that, I turned and walked away.
“Loon!” she called.
But she knew me.
She’d lit the fuse, the explosive detonated, now she needed to give me time to deal with the fallout before we figured our shit out, because if she didn’t, she’d make it worse.
This meant she didn’t follow me.
I hit my car glad I was going to face Knox feeling exactly like he did.
Cranky as all fuck.
But at least then, hopefully, one of the looming problems in my life might have some clarification, or (God) closure.
A girl could hope.
Or brace.