Chapter 44
Chapter
Forty-Four
Alexei
“What's taking her so long?" Isla says from next to me, her knee bouncing nervously. I take another sip of my drink and say nothing. She's right that it shouldn't take this long to make a simple phone call.
With every minute, my suspicions grow that Angie has done something other than what I've asked her to do. That she's been in the back room making this call for that long doesn't make sense.
When Angie calls, you answer. Even Chet knows this.
I'm not expecting anything from her but to play the middle man. Still that means I am at least expecting a response to my offer. But there is something tense in the air and I don't like the minutes that tick by as we wait.
The longer this takes the more likely it is that Angie is doing something, Chet is doing something, or alarmingly, both of them are doing something.
Angie's security staff eye us off and talk into their radios, watching us like they're reporting on our movements.
I know exactly what that looks like and so does Isla.
That's why her hand starts to inch towards her belt where she keeps her gun.
With my eyes, I warn her away. Her gut tells her that something is off.
Mine says the same thing. But starting a fight here won't achieve anything.
I find myself even more tense when I finally see Angie walk out of the back room. I tense my jaw to hide my anticipation but I'm sure I fail, just as I'm sure that something isn't right here.
"It's done," Angie says.
"Did you speak to Chet?" I ask.
"I delivered your message."
My eyes narrow on her. Her body language gives nothing away. Still, I don't trust her. Isla presents a hard front too but I can feel her eyes burning in the back of my head in warning.
"Why does that not sound like the same thing?" I say, raising my brow.
"I delivered your message, Rushkoff. Take peace in that," Angie says. She walks away, going about her business. "Feel free to fuck off or stay for a drink. I'll give you the choice." A saccharine smile coats her mouth.
Before I can stop it, Isla reaches out and grabs Angie's arm, causing an alarming amount of people in the bar to draw weapons and aim.
"You did something," Isla accuses.
"Isla let her go," I say, breath hitching as I watch the people who have their guns trained on my best friend. To my surprise, Angie waves them off.
"Did you speak to Chet?"
"I did what you paid me to do."
Isla throws Angie's arm away in anger. "You either spoke to him or not, he either responded or he didn't. Stop being so fucking cryptic."
"I spoke to Chet. I delivered your message. I didn't give him the chance to respond."
I stand out of the booth and come closer to her, watching her men as they keep their hands ready. "What does that mean?"
"I was paid to deliver your message. I did that. But I let him know also that you'd never get the chance to act upon it."
My heart races as I come to terms with the fact that we're in the middle of a life or death situation right now.
The way Angie's men inch for their guns and the way she acts so cryptic with me is off-putting.
Isla and I are alone here and I can't shake the feeling that we'll be fighting our way out.
"And why is that?"
Angie runs her tongue over her teeth.
"You did something. What did you do?" Isla accuses again, getting into Angie's face.
"If we're speaking freely," Angie says, shrugging Isla off her. "It's you that's done something. It's been entertaining to watch these two fuck around the past year but you're taking it entirely too far now."
Isla shakes her head. It's not often I see her lose her cool but we both know how much we have riding on this plan, just for Angie to meddle her nose in it and fuck it up.
"You're a neutral party, that's none of your fucking business."
Angie gets up in Isla's face. "You shouldn't fuck around when it comes to Chet, that's in my best interest too."
"So you did do something," Isla says, pushing back just as hard into Angie's face as was done to her.
"I am a neutral party. I don't have loyalties or alliances, but I do have a sense of self preservation.
And Chet taking over this territory will end me.
I can't let that happen. So I can't allow you to weaken the DeMarcos by handing Sage over to Chet.
You never said I couldn't relay your message to them as well. "
Isla's shoulders drop and she rolls her eyes. I feel my body relax at that, too.
"You told Sage?" Isla scoffs. She looks back at me and smirks.
I feel a smile forming as well. We might just get out of this unscathed after all.
"I told her father," Angie says, and it's like both Isla and I turn in slow motion to stare at her in disbelief just as she adds the final nail. "Everything."
Oh, fuck.
I hear the roar of high-powered car engines coming closer from the distance. More than one. My eyes go to the door, fixated on what I can hear outside and what I expect is going to come rushing through at any second, angling for my head.
"Angie… what exactly did Chet say when you told him he wouldn't get to accept my deal?"
Angie gulps, looking nervous for the first time since we started here.
"He asked where you were. I said here."
I feel my heart plummet to the floor as tingles spread all over my body. No amount of deep breathing is going to stop what is about to happen or my wish that it wasn't. This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I walked in here today.
"Alexei-"
"I know," I respond to Isla.
She comes closer to me and frantically whispers. "We have to assume Dimitri is coming for you-"
"And that Chet-"
Car tires screech outside as a car comes to an abrupt halt. My face hardens, and I move to the door, ready to confront Dimitri DeMarco about what the fuck it is he thinks he knows before he and Angie in their misinformation get us all killed.
"Alexei, no," Isla says, grabbing my arm.
The door slams open and Dimitri storms in, cane gone, eyes frantically searching the bar.
I shrug Isla off just as he spots me.
"You," he says, accusatory finger pointing my way. He looks murderous and half dressed like he came here in a huff at the last minutes notice. The fact he's come alone tells me he acted hastily and that I'm likely on my own here against him. Given what's coming, that might be better.
Isla tries to block me with her body but I shove her aside and warn her to stay away.
"Fucking Rushkoffs, even after all this time you're trying to take everything from my family."
"Your daughter murdered my brother, you know."
"And you murdered one of my brothers."
It's probably not the best time to point out that I was aiming at Sage when I fired that gun.
Dimitri paces around the tables in the bar and I do the same in order to maintain the distance between us.
I'm not sure what I'm trying to achieve here.
I just know that after everything I've done I can't actually kill Sage's father.
Injuring him is probably out of the question.
Talking sense into him is a pipe-dream. And I'm out of options.
"You're dead this time, Rushkoff. Truce or not," he says.
"Alright old man," I say. "Let's see what you got."
He's the first to pull his gun.