Chapter 3 | Katia
Katia
Istepped into Bloom Café a few minutes early and bought two black coffees.
I stopped by the stand to put some cream and sugar in mine before finding a table by the window.
Leo entered, his broad shoulders encased in a dark suit jacket although he didn’t wear a tie.
He wore sunglasses, which made him look mysterious, but quickly removed them to search the café.
I lifted my hand in a little wave, and his piercing blue eyes lasered in on me.
God, he’s so intense.
The words filtered through my head as he strode toward me.
I’d met many gruff, stoic men in my day, but Leo was on another level.
The man put the “brood” in brooding. I’d always felt terrible knowing how uncomfortable our meetings in the club made him, but we both understood they were the most inconspicuous place to meet to share confidential information.
But I couldn’t very well give a fake private dance at ten in the morning, and I hadn’t wanted to wait until evening, so here we were in the light of day.
Leo sat across from me, his stubble showing a few gray hairs, and I remember him telling me he’d just turned forty-two. His jaw seemed...firmer in the daylight, somehow, and his features just a bit more angular. For the first time, I noticed how long his eyelashes were.
In the light of day, Leo Stabler looked...different. More professional. Sexy.
“Am I late?” he asked, glancing at his phone before setting it face-down on the table. “Sorry.”
“No, you’re good. I got you black coffee, but there’s a stand over there if you want cream or sugar.”
“Black’s good.” He lifted the cup and took a sip. “So, this is what you look like when you’re not pretending to dance.”
Laughing, I nodded. “It was kind of refreshing to not have to wear two-inch heels. Those things kill my feet.”
He glanced under the table, noticing my practical sandals. “Those look comfortable.”
“And you seem more comfortable here than in the club,” I said, grinning. “I get it. You’re too refined for that place, although Michael and I do try our best to keep it classy.”
He studied me as he took another sip, and I cleared my throat to ease the tension.
“Thank you for meeting me,” I said, straightening in my chair. “I have a meeting with Michael at one o’clock today, and I want to show up with as much information as possible.”
Leo nodded. “Okay.”
I lowered my voice, although there were only three other patrons in the café, and none of them were close enough to hear us.
“I believe someone is trying to frame Michael by laundering money into his account. It would be the first step someone would try to get him thrown in prison for RICO charges.”
Leo’s eyebrows lifted. “What happened to make you believe this?”
“I discovered three recent transactions, both between ten and fifteen thousand dollars, from a bank called NYC Bank. I traced the routing number, but it turned out to be a SWIFT number registered to the Cayman Islands.”
He exhaled a slow breath as he pondered. “Do you use NY Bank as your main banking institution?”
I nodded.
“A good hacker would know that and do their best to create transactions from a bank that looks similar to throw you off.”
“Yes, I almost missed it,” I said, frowning at the fact it had taken me two days to notice. “I’m pretty good with stuff like this, but Alexis recently installed some new encrypted software and I just missed it.” I ran my hand through my hair. “I’m pissed at myself.”
“Hey,” he said, sliding his hand over the table and encircling my wrist. “You discovered it pretty quickly. And hackers these days are insanely efficient. You did a good job figuring it out so quickly.”
A feeling of warmth spread in my chest at his praise before he slowly pulled his hand away.
The skin on my wrist tingled, and I realized I’d enjoyed the feel of his rougher skin against mine.
Strange, since I’d rarely thought about being with anyone since I ended my sexual relationship with Michael years ago.
“The hacker who works for Oskar Poska is one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Leo said, referencing the local leader of the Russian bratva. “He and Alexis both have insane skills. I wish I could convince them both to work for the FBI.”
“Good luck with that.” I arched a brow. “Alexis is thriving as Michael’s Director of Digital Security, and you and I both know how hard it is to extricate someone from the bratva.
” I lowered my gaze as a vision of Elena’s face breezed through my mind, frozen in time as the teenager she was when she passed.
“Yes, we do,” Leo said quietly.
I met his eyes again and found myself comforted by the compassion in them.
“My offer still stands if you ever want to talk about your sister with me,” he said. “Losing my mom hit my dad and me hard, so unfortunately, I understand a bit about grief.”
My nostrils flared as I struggled with emotion. “Thank you,” I whispered, willing the tears away as I composed myself.
“There are steps that will come next if Oskar’s hacker is trying to frame Michael for money laundering and build a RICO case,” Leo said, steering the conversation back to business.
“Okay,” I said with a nod. “Hit me with it.”
“They’re going to try and connect the deposits to something illegal. Weapons, drugs, etcetera. Are you aware of anything suspicious in Michael’s dealings that could indicate something like this?”
I pursed my lips as I contemplated. “Two boats have shown up in New Jersey with unregistered guns over the past few months. Michael thought it was weird, but they were both claimed by upstate New York gun store owners who claimed there was a paperwork error.”
“I remember those instances,” Leo said, rubbing his chin. “Those could’ve been tests, and could eventually be tied back to these deposits.”
“Shit,” I whispered, grimacing.
“After they tie the money to illegal dealings, they’ll make anonymous tips to federal agencies like FinCEN which will trigger an FBI investigation.”
“Would you be assigned to that?”
Leo sighed. “I don’t know. We were surprised with a new boss this morning, and he’s not a fan of agents who play nicely with organizations like Michael’s.”
“Did your old boss know about your...arrangement?”
Squinting one eye, Leo pondered. “He didn’t ask questions, and that worked for both of us.”
“And the new boss will ask lots of questions, I’m assuming?”
“Yeah.” Leo fiddled with his coffee cup as he sighed. “I think so.”
Swallowing thickly, I tilted my head. “What comes after the investigation?”
Those blue eyes met mine, filled with trepidation. “They look for the easiest person to break. The one they can pin everything on so that person will turn and implicate Michael. Then, they’ll put him in prison for life.”
I inhaled a shaky breath. “The investigators will come after me. And if I don’t turn on Michael, I’ll go to prison instead.”
Leo nodded, concern lacing his features.
Sitting back, my cheeks puffed as I slowly exhaled. “Well, I guess I knew that working for Michael could eventually have consequences. I just never imagined it would actually happen.”
Leo’s eyes darted between mine as the heaviness of the situation buzzed between us.
“I’ll do my best to help you,” he finally said.
“Good, because I’m not letting these bastards take me or Michael down without a fight.” Anger surged deep in my gut. “How the fuck do I fight this?”
“The best scenario would be approaching the hacker and seeing if we can turn him. If he comes to our side, we can turn the tables and have him help us prosecute the people he works for.”
My eyes narrowed. “Has your office figured out who Oskar’s hacker is?”
“No. He’s good at hiding, but my motivation to track him down has just intensified even more.”
“What if we locate him but he won’t turn?” I asked, dread filling my tone.
Leo sighed. “Then, we’ll fight fire with fire and have Alexis create a laundering scheme of her own for Oskar and his top soldiers. They’re not going to want to go to prison, and they might give up if it becomes too messy.”
My fingers fidgeted atop the table as I contemplated.
“That may be true, but there’s a wildcard we’re not considering.
There are rumors that Marco Nunez is in New York.
Michael hasn’t been able to confirm it, but from what I’ve heard, Marco won’t give a shit if he burns the entire bratva down.
They say he has no loyalty and no conscience. ”
“Then, if we have to, we’ll take him down too.”
He spoke with such confidence that my lips curved as I studied him.
“Wow. You really do want to help me. I’m.
..” I hesitated, searching for the right word, “...grateful, Leo, but I don’t want you to lose your job.
I worry that this is going to put you in a bad position, especially with your new boss.
I know I’m not someone who...” I circled my hand, “runs in your sphere, and I would understand if you decide this is too far over the line for you to be involved.”
He lasered into me with that searing gaze again, and I felt my breath hitch as I stared into his eyes.
A muscle clenched in his jaw, and I had to stop myself from shivering.
Was he like this in bed? Laser-focused on his lover until she fell apart from the intensity of his caresses?
A wet heat surged in my core, and for the first time in years, I felt something I thought long-dead. ..
Desire.
As a woman who’d worked in strip clubs for years, and the sister of a teenage girl who’d died from sex trafficking, I’d always had a hard time feeling desire for men.
I was inherently distrustful of them, and the handful of men I’d slept with had been in my inner circle.
Those relationships had offered me comfort, but I’d never crossed the chasm to anything deeper.
With Michael, I’d felt attraction, but he was also safe because I knew his heart belonged to someone else.
When we became intimate, I’d finally entered a time in my life where things were stable, and I felt I could allow some small moments of pleasure.
I hadn’t wanted his heart. I’d just wanted to know what it felt like to be in a trusting sexual relationship, if only for a while.
But now, I was sitting across from the most intense man I’d ever met, and my body was shifting into overdrive. Heat spread across my skin, intensifying between my legs, and I licked my lips to rid them of their sudden dryness.
Leo’s gaze dropped to my lips, and my breath hitched.
“Katia?”
His deep voice rang in my ears, the tiny hairs on my skin prickling at his low rumble. Confused at my body’s reaction, I cleared my throat.
“Sorry, I spaced out there,” I said, shaking my head to clear it.
“I was just saying that I don’t mind helping you. In fact, it will keep me in the loop, and I like knowing what’s going on in your world.”
“As opposed to your world. I guess you would see us as separate, in a way. The justice fighter helping out the former stripper mafia accountant.”
His features fell. “I didn’t mean it disrespectfully—”
“I know,” I said, reaching over and covering his hand with mine. “I’m teasing you. Does anyone ever tease you, Leo?”
“I’m pretty serious,” he muttered. “Maybe too much so, but when you deal with serious shit like we’re discussing, it just comes naturally.”
I drew back my hand and nodded. “I know. This is serious. I’m going to talk to Michael today, and I also want to talk to Alexis. Maybe she can help me track Oskar’s hacker down.”
A look of warning crossed his face. “Don’t put yourself in danger, Katia. I can investigate for you when I’m not on duty. I’ll be happy to use my nights to track the hacker down. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
My heart squeezed at his admission. “That’s very noble, and I appreciate it, but I’ve never been very good at letting men do things that I know I can do myself.”
Admiration entered his gaze. “I understand, but you can’t fix this if you’re dead.”
Breathing a laugh, I leaned forward. “An astute observation from my very serious FBI agent. I’ll stay safe. Can I keep texting you with updates and questions?”
“Yes. As you’re aware, the number you have is my personal phone, not my work phone. I want you to keep me in the loop.”
“Yes, sir,” I said with a mock salute.
Something flared in his eyes, causing the flush to return to my skin. Oh, yes. Mr. Serious FBI Agent had enjoyed hearing those words from me. Interesting.
“I really appreciate your help, Leo,” I said, my tone becoming softer. “Thank you.”
“Of course. Text me an update once you speak to Michael.”
My lips twitched at his commanding tone, and I nodded.
Rising, he pulled out his wallet and I held up my hand. “The least I can do is buy you a coffee. Please, Leo.”
He smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling and making him look incredibly sexy. “Thank you. Text me later. See ya.”
He pivoted and strode out of the café, his frame broad as he exited through the doorframe. Swallowing thickly, I took a moment to digest the past few minutes.
Leo’s insights would help during my meeting with Michael later, and I felt more confident having him on my side.
What I hadn’t expected was my body’s reaction to him. My eyes narrowed as I contemplated my frazzled nerves and the heat that still pulsed over my skin.
“What the fuck, Katia?” I murmured to myself, taking a sip of coffee as I glanced out the window.
Unfortunately, the sidewalk held no answers, so I finished my coffee and headed to the club, ready to speak to Michael.