Chapter 14 Nic #2
“I chased the money and got lucky,” Diesel continues. “Found one tiny thread to pull. That led to a shell company, then another. Then more. Different names, different countries, twenty different accounts tied to them.” He frowns. “It was… annoying.”
Of course he’d call a forensic deep dive into a Russian oligarch’s accounts annoying and not a clusterfuck.
“That ain’t some guy dabblin’ in crime, Diesel. I don’t even know if the club could hide a paper trail that well.”
“Morozov’s… organised, and he’s definitely not playing, but he’s also not making waves yet.
At least not ones I can find. He hides behind names and front companies, which keeps his hands clean, but I did link him to that building eventually.
” He sounds disgruntled about how long that took him. “It was buried deep, but it was there.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “Morozov ownin’ that buildin’ ain’t a shock.”
“No,” he agrees. “It’s not. It was a safe assumption considering what we knew. But that trail I followed gave me other… assets. I could only unravel a few, but I don’t like this, Nic. This guy is moving behind the scenes.”
That hits me like a punch. I assumed Morozov was a nobody. His name has never been mentioned in any part of Birmingham’s criminal underbelly. But Diesel’s right.
It also makes sense why, in that first call, Morozov said his name like it carried weight.
He thinks it does.
I don’t want to ask this, but I need to consider every angle. I exhale through my nose. “He Bratva?”
That tastes like fucking acid. Russian influence has spread further across all of Europe over the last few years, but it’s never touched my city. Not until Crank left the fucking door wide open for any bastard to step through.
Diesel stiffens, but he doesn’t answer right away.
I give him the moment he needs to think through his reply.
“He’s an oligarch pushing into our territory.
But Bratva? No. Pahkans don’t get their hands dirty, Nic.
They move pieces from a distance. Morozov’s not running a syndicate, but he might be trying to build one. ”
And that’s a huge fucking problem.
I stand there in silence, head bowed, my thoughts a fucking mess. Keeley’s entangled with this guy and he just became a lot more dangerous than I thought he was.
It doesn’t matter how big this guy’s balls are… his days are numbered.
And he’s not getting near her. Not now. Not fucking ever.
There’s another question pressing down on me. “Morozov’s playin’ his own game. He’s got money and means to move without help. So what the fuck did he need from Blade?”
Diesel’s eyes narrow, already running through possibilities. “I don’t know,” he admits finally. “Access? Networks? Maybe information?”
“Morozov could buy all of that,” I mutter, rolling theories through my head and coming up with nothing solid. “Keep lookin’. I wanna know what the hell he promised that fucker.”
He nods and pushes off the wall. The door clicks shut behind him and I take a breath. Then another.
Fucking brilliant. The last thing I need is some wannabe fuckhead playing mob boss. I need to cut him down and fast. Morozov doesn’t get to breathe free air while threatening Keeley’s freedom. But I need to do this carefully.
His set up is not rookie shit. Shell companies. Money routed through different fronts and hidden accounts.
Fuck. I scrub a hand down my face, and bury everything deep before I go back out to Keeley.
She’s sitting on the bench, her hands in her lap, shoulders tight. The tension drains out of me so fast my legs wobble. I wasn’t sure she’d still be here when I got back. I didn’t expect to feel so relieved she is.
Her head turns when she hears me and a faint frown pulls at her mouth, like she didn’t think I’d come back—even though I told her I would.
I crouch in front of her and my hands drift to her knees without thinking. Her gaze drags over me, measuring something I can’t see, but she doesn’t flinch or run.
“You okay?” she asks before I can.
I’m not.
But she doesn’t need this shit in her head. I can’t hand her more fear. So I nod. I keep Morozov as mine to deal with and let her keep breathing.
“Better now.” I rub her knee.
“We uh… kissed.”
My lips twitch despite everything. “We did. You good with that?”
Keeley lets out a quiet breath, almost a laugh. “It was a good kiss.” Her gaze flicks to my mouth, quick, as if she’s remembering the feel of me on her.
“Yeah? How good?”
She rolls her eyes, but there’s no heat in it, just amusement. “In my top ten, at least.”
Fuck, that mouth—I fucking love when she gives me that bite.
I keep my hand on her knee, brushing slow circles. “In that case, I’ll have to kiss you again, so I get better.”
The snort she makes is loud. “Don’t get cocky.”
“Not cocky,” I tell her. “Just tryin’ to impress you.” Her eyes snap to mine. There’s a flicker of confusion that tells me she’s not used to men being that direct. My smile drops. “Hey, if I’m movin’ too fast here, tell me.”
“One kiss isn’t moving fast, Nic.” Her voice dips. “I just… I don’t know what to do with any of this.”
Her uncertainty hits me in the chest. I don’t want her worrying about this.
“You don’t gotta do anythin’.” Her eyes find mine. No fear, just the weight of what happened pressing on her. “No expectations from me.”
She searches my face and I’m not sure if she’s waiting for the catch or the part where she thinks I’ll pull away. I don’t move. She doesn’t either. I can see that’s fighting against wanting this, trusting it, and trying not to get hurt.
“Come inside,” I say gently. “It’s goin’ cold and you need to eat.”
I stand and hold my hands out to her. She slips hers into mine and lets me pull her up. “You’re obsessed with my food intake.”
I am. I’m not even going to deny it.
I lean into her, noticing how small she is compared to me. I want to wrap my arms around her and block out the entire world. But I keep this light, easy, because right now, that’s what she needs. Not me being overbearing or intense. Not pushing or feeling pressured.
“I was,” I murmur, “but now, I’m obsessed with somethin’ else.”
Her. Fuck. I don’t even care that I sound gone for her. I am.
She blinks. “What?”
I grin. “Gettin’ into your top five.”
She laughs and I feel it all the way to my toes. “You’re ridiculous.”
I don’t deny that either. I am ridiculous. For her. For this. And I’ve never wanted to kiss someone more than I do her right now.
Yeah, I’m fucked, and I’m not even pissed about it.