Chapter 20
Sometimes you win, sometimes you show them it was beneficial to let you win.
— Dima’s secret thoughts
DIMA
I hadn’t planned on going to jail today, but there I was, doing it.
Hours prior
My first stop was to the sleep center.
Breaking into places during the middle of the day was slightly harder than at night due to the potential of being seen easier, but this was the part of Dallas that didn’t snitch on anyone.
So , instead of going through the back, I went through the front.
Though , I did have a ski mask on to protect my identity.
Once there, I hacked into their computer systems with hilarious ease and found the address for one Cornelius Stone , thirty-nine.
He lived in Irving with his wife, Jacinda Stone , who was also thirty-nine.
His emergency contact, however, wasn’t his wife at all, but a woman named Natasha Leo .
Interesting .
I wondered if this was a family member or an affair partner.
Either way, I was thinking Stone had his fingers in too many pots.
I’d spent the day trying to find information on him and had come up incredibly empty.
Like , no joke, there was no Stone anywhere on the internet. His name wasn’t even listed on the damn business page on their window cleaning business.
Though , I did notice that he had quite a few less than stellar reviews.
Apparently , it wasn’t only me that thought he’d done a horrible job cleaning windows. Who knew?
Yesterday , when I’d spoken to him in the parking lot, I hadn’t outright said that I was going to kill the man if he kept following my woman, but I’d made him think that there was a possibility.
I’d gotten very good at saying my words in such a way that I could never be incriminated in case there was a camera recording me.
But after what I’d heard last night from Keely , about how he’d been following her more than just at the pet store, I’d decided that a more in depth warning was necessary.
Hence me being at a doctor’s office in the middle of the day looking for the address of the man.
After acquiring that address, I locked back up and headed to Irving on my bike, making sure to go the speed limit so I wouldn’t be stopped before I accomplished what I’d set out to accomplish this morning.
The address took me to a place on the outskirts of Irving , closer to Plano .
The house was in a subdivision that was filled with people. Each house had a lot of decorations, signifying that they were well lived in, except for the creep’s house.
Stone’s place was barren.
It didn’t look like anyone lived there, let alone a married couple with cats.
Parking my bike across the street, I pulled off my helmet because it was well over ninety degrees out today, and then got off the bike.
Placing the helmet on the seat, I leaned up against the bike and crossed my legs out in front of me, doing nothing but watching for now.
I did pull my phone out and look up the property records, though.
After coming up empty on the name “ Cornelius Stone and Jacinda Stone ” I looked up the property address. Which netted me a completely different set of names. Natasha Leo and Jack Leo . Though ‘ Jack Leo ’ hadn’t been added to the property taxes until this year.
Interesting .
Were they newly married?
I kept snooping on my phone while also keeping an eye out on the house—there were no cars in the driveway, but that didn’t mean that no one was home—and found that ‘ Jack’s ’ business wasn’t created until this year, too.
Specifically two months ago.
More interesting.
A person running caught my attention, and I narrowed my eyes, realizing quickly that it was Jack / Cornelius .
He was shirtless, wearing nothing but running shorts and tennis shoes, and staring directly at me.
I narrowed my eyes.
Most normal people didn’t notice small details so far away.
Yet this man had noticed me.
He’d noticed the man in his yard behind me. He’d also noticed the dog that was coming out of the side yard to his right.
Yet his eyes stayed on the most dangerous threat to him—me.
Military , I decided.
He had to be ex-military.
But there was something else about him.
The two times I’d seen him previously, he’d been wearing dumpy clothes to hide his physique.
Why ?
What was the reason he was hiding that?
He certainly wasn’t hiding it now.
“ Hey , Jack ,” the neighbor behind me yelled as he came closer. “ How many miles did you put in today?”
Jack / Cornelius said, “ Oh , only a couple.”
He was lying.
I could tell by the way the man’s eyebrows shot up. “ Only a couple? You sick? You told me last week you usually do five to nine every day before you get your garage workout in.”
Yep , definitely lying.
He didn’t want me knowing how much he worked out.
“ Plus , you left at like o’dark-thirty. There’s no way you only did two if you’re just now getting back. That was an hour and a half ago.” The helpful neighbor kept talking.
My brows rose as a small smile lit my lips.
More than interesting at this point.
This guy had to be a cop.
It was good that I’d found that out.
I would’ve hated to have killed a cop and not known it.
Assaulting him was probably off the table now, too.
“ Thanks , Jim ,” Jack / Cornelius said.
When he got closer to me, he slipped his t-shirt on over his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “ What are you doing here?”
“ Why are you stalking my woman?” I asked bluntly. “ She told me last night that you showed up at her job and tried to corner her multiple times. And then yesterday you were following her at the pet store to the point where she felt threatened and had to call me because she was so scared. Oh , and let’s not forget you watched us have sex while you half-assed cleaned her apartment windows. And what’s your real name, anyway? I can’t keep calling you Jack / Cornelius in my head.”
“ Oh , I thought you weren’t actually cleaning windows?” helpful Jim cut in. “ Your partner told me last week that y’all were investigating an organized crime family. And , just for your information, it’s Jack right now. His wife’s name is Natasha .”
Oh , shit.
Mic drop.
I could see that ol’ Jack wanted to curse.
“ But your partner got really mad and left you because you got rid of all her cats,” he drawled. “ I saw her leaving two nights ago angry as hell. She threw you under the bus, partner.”
My lips twitched.
Obviously , Jack hadn’t made any friends, while the partner, Natasha Leo , did.
“ How about you tell me what it is you’re investigating,” I suggested.
Instead of doing that, Jack left, heading toward his house.
Jim came up to me as soon as Jack was all the way inside.
“ Natasha’s been an FBI agent for as long as I can remember her living here. That’s why her house is so bare. She lives here, but she’s gone a lot. The neighbors all take turns mowing her lawn in the summer. She’s a good neighbor to have, always makes sure to take care of us. And those cats that she had, they’re all really well taken care of. Her friend takes care of them when she’s gone, practically lives there. Not saying that I agree with breeding cats or anything when there are so many cats at the animal shelters, but I can’t really comment on someone’s way of making money, you know?” Helpful Jim supplied as he came to stand next to me. “ She was so mad. Those cats were her livelihood. She said that she didn’t want to be in the FBI anymore and wanted to permanently take care of the cats. I don’t blame her. World’s a pretty bad place.”
“ What else do you know, Jim ?” I asked, amused.
“ I know that when she left, it was a spectacle. She was threatening her new ‘husband,’ which really isn’t a husband. Apparently they were working a job together here, and Jack , whose real name is Chester Brown , needed a cover. They came up with Jack Leo ,” he said. “ Natasha’s real name is Natasha Leo . Jack’s real name is Chester Brown . Though , he has about a hundred aliases that he uses.”
I nodded, hoping he’d keep going.
“ They were coming here to help with an organized crime case that local agents couldn’t crack. Chester Brown moved into Natasha Leo’s place, and everything went south. They fought loudly every day about those cats. Apparently , Chester is allergic to them. Then one day Natasha gets home and they’re all just gone. That’s when World War Three happened. She went off. Threatened to kick him out and do all kinds of things. Then more official looking people showed up, and Natasha marched out with a packed bag and a mean scowl on her face. She looked so damn mad. Haven’t seen her since,” Jim supplied.
Goddamn , I’d be pissed as hell, too.
Natasha had a real good reason to be mad.
“ How’d the news article come out?” I wondered.
“ Our neighbor down the street,” he pointed two houses down. “ Works for the Dallas Mirror . She heard everything and wrote it, leaving out the bit about them being FBI agents so she couldn’t be sued.”
“ Well , I officially think that he’s an asshole,” I admitted.
And I did.
But I also found that I felt a whole lot more.
Why was Keely being targeted, though?
Were other agents following around Brecken , and my sisters?
My mind was reeling when I said, “ Hey , Jim . I have to make a few phone calls. I’ll be right back.”
Jim went back to watering his plants, and I walked a little farther down the road to stand near a couple of trees that were offering up shade.
My call went to Shasha first, and to say that he was pissed would be an understatement.
“ Everyone else has bodyguards,” he said. “ Keely is the only one that doesn’t.”
He was right.
“ Fuck ,” I sighed. “ I’ll get her one ASAP . She’s gonna fuckin’ love that.”
“ See if one of the Truth Tellers wants to do it. She’s friends with them…” I missed what else he was saying because there were multiple cars rolling up the road. “ Fuck .”
“ What ?” Shasha asked.
“ I’m gonna need you to put a Truth Teller on Keely . And keep an eye on her,” I said. “ She’s at the office today with Copper , so you can probably just give him a call.”
“ What are you saying?” Shasha asked. “ Are there cops there?”
“ Yep ,” I confirmed.
“ I’ll pull your location and get you a lawyer out there in a bit. Don’t say anything,” Shasha ordered.
I rolled my eyes. “ I’m not stupid, Shasha .”
“ No , you’re not. But you also get a little defensive when your girl is brought into the mix,” he explained.
He did have a point.
“ Well ,” I sighed. “ I guess you’re right.”
I walked back over to Jim after I hung up and said, “ Hey , Jim .”
Jim looked up.
“ Could you possibly hold my phone and keys for a bit? Until I can come pick them up a little later?” I asked, getting the feeling that I could trust this man with just about anything.
Especially if he didn’t like ol’ Jack /not Jack .
“ Sure ,” he frowned, then saw all the cars barreling down the street. “ I’ll put your bike in the garage.”
“ Thanks , Jim ,” I said as I handed him my phone and keys. “ If my girl calls, tell her that she needs to call Shasha .”
“ What’s your girl’s name?” he asked.
“ Keely ,” I answered.
“ Okay .” He took the phone and the keys and put them into his pocket.
No questions.
Yeah , I needed to tell Shasha about this old man.
Maybe he could be useful.
With my pockets a lot lighter, I went back to my lean against the bike, knowing what was about to come.
It didn’t take long.
As soon as his backup had arrived, Cheesy Chester came back out of his place, clothed in his ridiculously oversized getup, and watched the show.
“ Dima Semyonov ?” the first man to reach me asked.
He was clothed in a FBI windbreaker, and looked like the quintessential FBI guy off of every movie ever.
“ Are you Dima Semyonov ?” he asked again, clearly impatient with me.
I didn’t say a thing.
“ You’re under arrest,” he stated.
My brows rose.
“ For what?” Jim asked for me.
Damn , I knew that I’d liked the guy.
“ Sir , we’re going to have to ask you to go inside,” the FBI guy’s partner, this one at least dressed a little bit more professionally, said.
“ I think the fuck not,” Jim disagreed. “ I’m not done watering my plants. I have a routine. And this is a free country. I can be outside if I want to be outside.”
“ You’re interrupting a federal investigation,” FBI guy number three barked as he came out from behind his car, as if he’d been worried that I was going to attack him at any moment.
FBI guys number four, five, and six all stayed back and watched, ready to lend a hand if needed.
“ Actually , I’m watering my plants, not interrupting an investigation.” He paused. “ But , just sayin’, investigation doesn’t mean arrest. You have to have probable cause for an arrest.”
“ There was,” FBI number one disagreed. “ This man was harassing a federal agent.”
“ When ?” Jim asked. “ Because , just sayin’, if you say it happened here, it didn’t. Because I have cameras all around this house and in my yard since that motherfucker,” he pointed across the road, “moved in. I think if anyone is going to get arrested, it should be that man for dumping cats. It’s a class A misdemeanor in Texas . For a man that calls himself the ‘law’ he should really be following it.”
Ol ’ Jim was right.
It was illegal in Texas and was considered animal cruelty.
Since I’d joined the military, I’d spent a lot of my spare time studying up on the laws, knowing that eventually I’d get out and need to know them if I was going to work with Shasha full-time.
Plus , having a really good memory, I could remember most if not all of them.
Hell , if I really wanted to, I could probably go pass the bar right now.
Speaking of bar…
“ And how do you know that?” FBI guy number two asked.
“ I’m a lawyer,” Jim said, rolling his eyes. “ Retired , but still. I could get this one out of a murder charge right now if he decided to fuck you up.”
Again , had I said how much I liked Jim ?
“ Sir …”
“ You’re under arrest,” Chester Brown growled. “ Let me see your hands.”
I gave them to him, and he roughly yanked my arms behind my back.
I allowed it, of course, because if ol’ Jim really did have cameras, I wanted to make sure that it looked really good if this went any further.
“ Oh , boy,” Jim cooed. “ I’m going to represent this man, and when I do, I’m going to have that badge you’ve abused for the last few months.”
FBI agent number one shifted on his feet. “ Um , Chester . I don’t know if you know this or not, but you can’t hurt him.”
I rolled my eyes as Chester tightened the cuffs so tight that it started digging into my skin.
I allowed it, though, because I knew I’d be getting some good photos of his abuse later.
Another car pulled up, and Shasha’s lawyer got out of the car, heading toward us with an authoritative stride that demanded attention.
She walked right in between all the FBI agents and stopped with her arms crossed over her chest.
“ Hey , Daddy .” She smiled at Jim .
Jim grinned. “ Hey , baby girl.”
“ Oh , fuck,” I heard one of the mutters start. “ That’s Jim Canadew if that’s actually his daughter.”
“ Let me introduce myself,” my super scary lawyer said. “ My name is Malone Canadew . I’m Jim Canadew’s ”—she dipped her chin toward her old man—“daughter. What are the terms of Mr . Semyonov’s arrest?”
“ Harassment of a federal agent,” Chester declared, his eyes hard.
“ And you have proof of this harassment?” she asked.
“ He was at my house, lady,” Chester argued.
“ Actually ,” Jim interrupted, “he was at my house. He’s parked in front of my house, are you blind?”
Chester’s chest puffed up. “ That’s not what was happening and you know it.”
“ Prove it, cat hater,” Jim refuted.
Chester rolled his eyes and yanked me forward.
“ Did you see what I just did, Daddy ?” Malone sounded so pleased.
“ Sure did, baby girl.” Jim went back to watering his plants. “ Go get ’em, tiger.”
Malone walked back to her car, a fancy sporty number that fit her well.
“ What precinct are you taking him to, fellas?” she asked the group of FBI agents.
“ None of your business,” Chester muttered.
“ Oh , boy.” Jim laughed softly to himself. “ This’ll be fun.”
I was driven around a lot, in what I thought might be an attempt to shake my lawyer.
In the end, it didn’t happen, and we ended up in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
My wrists were aching, but I didn’t let on that I was hurting.
This wasn’t a marked vehicle, so I doubted that there would be any cameras in here.
The FBI agent driving me, number two in particular, hastily got off at an exit when he became impatient in the traffic.
“ I hate Dallas ,” he muttered to his partner.
“ Can’t wait until I get to go back to Colorado ,” number one admitted.
The agent came to a stop at the light behind a few other cars, then started doing something on his phone.
The light turned green, and traffic started moving again, but the dumbass breaking the law on his phone didn’t notice.
“ The light is green. You can go,” I couldn’t stop myself from saying.
The cop from the front seat didn’t like that.
“ I didn’t ask you for your input, Semyonov .”
I smiled as I saw my lawyer pull up beside us and snapped a few photos of the imbecile on his phone, breaking the law. “ No , you sure didn’t.”