32
The port
ALEKSA
We had been at the port gathering information for two hours.
Fortunately, I saw one of our agents in the operation. That would make our task much easier. Andrey was in a foul mood; he hadn’t spoken to me since we got in the car, and if I tried to talk to him, he gave me his total indifference.
When the homicide detective that Romeo had on his payroll saw me, I gestured for him to step away from the others. He responded with a hand signal and a nod that I easily interpreted.
He was asking for five minutes and for me to go to the area with the container boxes, where we would have enough privacy to keep away from prying eyes and ears.
Segarra had been working for us for a couple of years, he never caused any trouble, was a discreet guy who wasn”t a blabbermouth, and liked money and the small luxuries that a cop”s salary wouldn’t cover.
As soon as we met up, he was nervous. It wasn”t usual for us to show up in the middle of a police operation. Normally, we were much more discreet. The problem was that we didn’t have time.
He confronted me, raising his voice over mine. I didn’t like it, I told him to tone it down, but he didn’t, too agitated thinking we could be seen together.
I grabbed him by the lapels and pushed him against the metal sheet of a container, forcing him to calm down. His face turned red and my palms were sweating. I glared at him with annoyance as he squirmed uncomfortably.
Andrey”s phone rang, the Russian didn’t intervene for a single moment, it was clear he wanted nothing to do with me or mine. If it had been up to him, he wouldn’t even have come.
He pulled out his phone, answered, and stepped aside leaving us alone. It must have been Koroleva asking him how things were going.
”Let go of me, damn it!” Segarra spat. ”I”ll lose my job. If they see me with you, I”m finished, they”ll know I”m a snitch.”
”Because you are one,” I growled, ”but we”re just as interested as you are in not getting caught, so do us a favor and behave.”
I clenched my fists and let him go. He shook out the invisible wrinkles my fingers should have left on him.
”Who the hell is that?” He nodded towards the Russian.
”We”ve adopted him.”
”A bit too big, isn”t he?”
”We like them big in the organization. Forget about him and tell me what you”ve got.”
”You already know, a dead body and a suicide note. Same as when you called me.”
”Does it fit? What did the coroner say?” Segarra shrugged.
”Death by asphyxiation, pending the autopsy. We”re waiting for the judge for the removal. Plus, whether it fits or not, the commissioner isn”t keen on stirring unnecessary crap. You know him.”
”I”m asking for your opinion, not some guy about to retire,” I reluctantly reproached.
”It stinks pretty bad. The reasons he gives in the letter are too weak. Though there was a box of pills on the table.”
”What pills?”
”Mentium. Ring any bells?” He raised his eyebrows. I muttered under my breath.
”They”re trying to pin the dead guy on us...”
”On you?”
”Yeah. My boss married the owner of that pharmaceutical company.” Segarra let out a whistle.
”Not good. I warn you, I don”t want to get splattered...”
”Don”t worry, you won”t. We”re after the bastard who”s messing with the formula, someone”s playing a risky game with Nikita Koroleva.”
Andrey reappeared in front of us. The first thing he did was charge at me like a bull and land a punch in my abdomen that knocked the wind out of me, all the while ranting in Russian.
”What the hell?!” I tried to restrain him, but he was unhinged. My shoe soles skidded on the concrete like a damn figure skater.
Segarra tried to intervene to get the mastodon off me and got headbutted in the nose. The cop let go immediately.
It gave me the seconds I needed to get on the defensive.
”What the hell is wrong with you, you damn Russian piece of shit?!”
”You”re a son of a bitch!” he roared, lunging at me again. ”You nearly got her killed because of you!” He lunged at my abdomen again.
This time I was ready to surprise him with a sweep that made him fall backwards onto the ground, with a dull thud that made me grimace. I didn”t wait to see if his head cracked like a melon. I threw myself onto his body to pin him down, to make sure he didn”t move and gave me answers.
”What are you talking about?!” I roared, trying to understand his rage.
”What do you think? Your damn mother?!” he exclaimed, struggling.
Segarra came over and helped me restrain him, his nose bleeding.
”Stay calm!” he shouted. ”This place is swarming with cops; you can”t go crazy unless you want to end up in jail.”
”Was it Romeo? His father? Or one of those snakes they make me share a nest with?” Andrey kept asking questions I didn”t understand.
”Do you want to explain?”
”They shot at Nikita!” I felt the blood drain from my face and my fingers stiffen.
”How?!”
”You heard me. Thanks to you spilling the beans, one of your team tried to kill her. I just need to know who, because I swear they won”t try again.”
”That”s impossible.”
”Tell that to Bugatti. Koroleva says she”s been followed since she left the estate. She was alone, and the only one who saw her leave the house was your boss. They shot at her several times.”
”I”m telling you it”s impossible! It wasn”t us. Romeo doesn”t want her dead! He just wants to prove to her that he”s not behind the Mentium thing, nothing more.”
”By shooting her?!”
”Do you want to listen to me, your stubborn bastard? I”ve already told you no, it wasn”t him.”
”Then it must have been Massimo.” The thought of Romeo”s father shooting at his daughter-in-law made me grit my teeth. I didn”t know who it could have been, but what I was sure of was that my boss was going to crush whoever tried to off his wife.
”Where”s your boss?” I asked nervously. Romeo would go through the roof if I didn”t inform him of something like this.
”What”s it to you? I”ve sent my guys to protect her.”
”Tell me!”
”And shit.” Deep down, it didn”t matter that he didn”t want to tell me. If she left home with one of Romeo”s vehicles, she was located.
”Can you handle him?” I asked Segarra. ”I need to make an urgent call.”
The cop pulled out a Taser and aimed it at Andrey”s neck, who snorted.
”This is going to cost Capulet some extra cash,” he muttered. Then he stared fixedly at the Russian. ”If you move, I”ll fry you,” he threatened.
I dialed Romeo”s number, it took several minutes for him to answer.
”What”s up?! I”m at the circuit with Adriano, I hope this is urgent.”
”It is. Someone tried to kill your wife, and we don”t know who.”