34. Dimitri
34
Dimitri
T he sun is just beginning to rise over the distant horizon when Jacob finally arrives. The aromatic smell of coffee reaches my nostrils mere moments before a traveling cup appears in my vision. I accept it and take a big sip, savoring the way the warm, dark, rich flavor encases my grumpy and tired soul.
Jacob joins me on the bench with a cream-colored drink in his hands. I motion to it and ask, “What’s that?”
Jacob glances at his drink. “An iced pumpkin cream chai tea latte.”
“Iced?” I frown at it. “It’s cold out, Jacob.”
The man snorts before taking a sip of his girly drink. “Warmer here than back home.”
“How is the capital?”
The capital has never been my home. It’s not where I grew up, but I spent several years there before coming to Miami. For Jacob, though, it is home. His family is there. His entire life.
“Got out on the red eye in time to avoid a snowstorm blowing in.”
“I don’t miss that.”
Jacob chuckles. “Yeah, you’ve always had thin blood.” He then sighs and a foreboding cloud settles over us. “It’s a fucking shit show up there, man.”
“What’s going on?”
“Ford’s up in arms over Xiao’s death to start,” he explains. “He wanted him brought in alive to see if he could flip on the figure he’s taking orders from.”
Moments before Xiao fell overboard and was pulled under the waves where he subsequently drowned…from a knife to the throat, he revealed he was the man responsible for the human trafficking in Miami. But that he was also taking orders from someone above him.
“It’s not like I had any control over what that man does or what happened on his yacht.”
“I know that,” Jacob defends, having heard this before from me when it first happened. “Ford does too. But that doesn’t make him any less angry about it all. He’s not happy with this entire mission.”
“If he has a problem with the way things are going down here, he’s welcome to come down here and tell me himself,” I snap, feeling a tinge of guilt afterward when Jacob flinches as if I’m directing my words to him. “Sorry, Jacob. I’m just tired.”
“Has something else happened?”
I find myself at a crossroads, and it feels as though there’s no safe path to choose. Jacob has always been a good friend, and it seems wrong to keep such a significant moment in my life a secret from him. Yet, deep down, I know he wouldn’t understand. We were both trained to believe that crime is black and white, but since going undercover and learning about the politics of it all, I find it’s more shades of gray. And the scary part is…I like it. I’ve become more of myself since entering this world. I tried to fight it, tried to convince myself that what I was feeling was just a side effect of playing this role, and then I met Gabriella and her existence in my life only solidified the truth. I belong in this world.
“Dimitri.” Jacob eyes me, and I silently curse our identical training. He can tell when someone’s keeping something hidden. Just like I can. “What’s going on?”
Avoiding my old friend’s eyes, I stare at my coffee while I gather my thoughts. Since I’m not ready to share about Gabriella, I can at least share Sergei and my growing concerns. “It’s Sergei. He’s become more paranoid ever since Igor’s death.”
“Is he suspicious of you?”
I shake my head. “No, that’s not it. I think there’s something more he’s hiding.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Are you sure everything’s okay?”
I stand and toss my drink in the trash, keeping my back turned to Jacob until I have better control over my face and emotions. When I do, I look at my long-time friend and have never felt more far away from him. “I’ll be in touch again when I have something more.”