[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
move her car somewhere nearby. Hopefully the shock of coming back to the bakery to
find it gone would burn the lesson into her brain. Not only was she risking losing her car
to theft but there was always the possibility someone dangerous could take her keys.
Considering she had an address tag dangling from the chain, it wouldn't be hard for a
criminal to find her home. She'd be totally vulnerable then.
He had to slide her seat back as far as it would go but his knees were still bent
uncomfortably in the compact front seat. When he fired up the ignition, his gaze jumped
to the gas gauge and the flashing empty symbol. No gas and keys in the ignition?
His irritation eased as he considered the stressful hell Benny had been living the last
few days. Forgetting her keys and neglecting to gas up were symptoms of a broader issue.
She was trying to do too much by herself. She needed to learn to rely on other people for
help. She needed to grow comfortable asking him for help, even with something as small
as gassing up her car.
Rather than prank her by moving the car, he buckled the seatbelt, backed out of the
space and drove to the closest gas station. After filling up, he made his way to the full-
service car wash his buddy Alexei owned. He ignored the surprised looks as he climbed
out of the front seat of the tiny car. Inside the small lobby, he bought a package that
included a full detail. He sat in a corner seat, pulled out his phone and answered emails
and texts from the office manager and the supervisor at Front Door while he waited.
Gaze down, he kept his ears open and listened to the conversations swirling around
him. He heard two men, their heads close together, whispering about something that
sounded suspiciously like a human trafficking operation. It wouldn't be the first time he'd
heard of such a thing. No place was immune from that kind of horror.
In this area, those operations were run mostly by a handful of Asian gangs and a
contingent out of Central America who brought in young girls and boys for the most vile
of purposes. No Russian with half a brain would touch that dirty action. One whiff of
trafficking and the frightening side of Nikolai would rear its ugly head. It was a side of
Nikolai no man ever wanted to see.
Dimitri pretended to be busy but listened intently. Even though the details bandied
back and forth made his stomach pitch, he kept his focus on the two men. These were the
things Nikolai would want to hear. The large and growing Russian immigrant population
was terribly vulnerable to trafficking, especially the desperate young women who
dreamed of a new life here.
As the two men headed for the door, Dimitri became aware of a young man talking
quickly into his phone. His Spanish skills weren't good enough for him to catch every
word but he was able to understand enough of it. When he heard the Hermanos
mentioned, he held his breath. Even though Johnny was on his shit list, he wanted to
keep him from getting hurt.
"Dimitri?" Alexei waved him over. "Your girlfriend's car is ready."
He hadn't mentioned it was Benny's car but Alexei didn't need to be told. In the
same way his relationship with Benny had spread through her bakery, it would have
started the rounds among his circle of friends, too.
Tucking away what he'd overheard while eavesdropping, he joined Alexei at the
counter and followed him onto the sidewalk. Alexei handed over Benny's keys. "Your
girlfriend's car insurance is about to expire. My boys noticed it when they were wiping
down the glove box."
Not surprised that she'd overlooked that detail, he thanked Alexei and climbed into
the gleaming car. He considered driving it straight back to the bakery but his discussion
with Benny kept going round and round in his head. He decided it was time he and
Johnny had a little talk.
Pulling into the driveway at her house, he noticed the overgrown grass and the
messy flower beds. Everything needed a good pressure washing. If she was really serious
about selling, all these little things would have to be taken care of to ensure she got a
good price and made a positive impression on buyers. He made a mental list of all the
things he would need to tackle in the next week or two to help her get ready.
He used her keys to get into the house. It was quiet inside. Uncertain whether
Johnny was armed, he cleared his throat and shouted, "Johnny! It's Dimitri! You here?"
While he waited for an answer, he made his way into the living room. He spotted
the stack of envelopes on the coffee table. He shouldn't snoop but that didn't stop him
from thumbing through the late notices, credit card and loan statements there. He could
only imagine the kind of gut-gnawing stress this was causing Benny. To come home
every day and see this huge stack of reminders? She was lucky not to have cracked by
now.
"Johnny!" Dimitri moved to the foot of the stairs and shouted up to the second floor.
"You awake?" He paused and heard nothing. "Johnny, I'm coming up. We need to talk."
Upstairs, he pushed open the doors, standing to the side just in case Johnny did
something stupid, and searched for the right room. He found a bathroom first and then
an empty bedroom, probably the one their grandmother had used when she'd been alive.
The stench of pot wafting from the door on his left confirmed it was Johnny's before
he even opened the door. He glanced inside and experienced a rush of disgust at the pig
sty Johnny called a room. There were piles of dirty clothes and stacks of cups and empty
liquor bottles on the desk and the massive speakers. In the center of the bed, still fully
clothed, sprawled Johnny. He snored loudly, probably sleeping off a hangover.
Dimitri stood at the side of Johnny's bed and nudged the arm hanging over the side
with his boot. "Hey! Johnny! Wake up!"
The kid's eyes snapped open. A split-second later, he bolted upright and swung a
pistol toward Dimitri. Acting on instinct, Dimitri slapped away the hand and gripped
Johnny's wrist hard enough to make him cry out. He stripped the gun from Johnny's
hands and elbowed him in the chest, throwing him back on the bed.
Johnny groaned and rubbed his chest. "What the fuck are you doing, man?"
Dimitri glared at him and rendered the weapon safe, popping out the magazine and
clearing the round sitting in the chamber. "What the fuck am I doing? What are you
doing? You could have shot me!"
"You're trespassing! It would have been my right!"
"And what if I'd been your sister? Huh? What if she'd been in here trying to wake
you up and you'd shot her? What then, Johnny?"
The dumb kid didn't have an answer for that one. Dimitri tucked the pistol into the
back of his jeans and pocketed the single round and magazine. "I've been shouting
downstairs for you."
Johnny sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his bloodshot
eyes. "What the hell are you doing here, Dimitri? You can't just come inside my house."
"I can do whatever the hell I want, Johnny. Get dressed! You've got work to do."
"You think that just because you're fucking Benny you can come into my crib and
tell me what to do? She's the one sucking your dick. Order her around, not me."
Dimitri took a menacing step toward him and pointed his finger in his face. "If I
hear you disrespect your sister like that one more time, I'm going to knock your teeth
down your throat. You should want to protect her reputation, not cut her down in front
of other people!"
Johnny dropped his head with shame. He was smart enough not to push it. Dimitri
wasn't joking. One more ugly remark about Benny and Johnny was going to need a
dentist.
"What do you want, Dimitri?"
"I want you to get dressed and mow the yard. Weed those flower beds."
Johnny stared up at him as if he were the stupidest man in the world. "Why?"
Dimitri sputtered with frustration. "Because this is your home and you should take
some pride in it. You want to sell this house and get your money? Then get out there and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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move her car somewhere nearby. Hopefully the shock of coming back to the bakery to
find it gone would burn the lesson into her brain. Not only was she risking losing her car
to theft but there was always the possibility someone dangerous could take her keys.
Considering she had an address tag dangling from the chain, it wouldn't be hard for a
criminal to find her home. She'd be totally vulnerable then.
He had to slide her seat back as far as it would go but his knees were still bent
uncomfortably in the compact front seat. When he fired up the ignition, his gaze jumped
to the gas gauge and the flashing empty symbol. No gas and keys in the ignition?
His irritation eased as he considered the stressful hell Benny had been living the last
few days. Forgetting her keys and neglecting to gas up were symptoms of a broader issue.
She was trying to do too much by herself. She needed to learn to rely on other people for
help. She needed to grow comfortable asking him for help, even with something as small
as gassing up her car.
Rather than prank her by moving the car, he buckled the seatbelt, backed out of the
space and drove to the closest gas station. After filling up, he made his way to the full-
service car wash his buddy Alexei owned. He ignored the surprised looks as he climbed
out of the front seat of the tiny car. Inside the small lobby, he bought a package that
included a full detail. He sat in a corner seat, pulled out his phone and answered emails
and texts from the office manager and the supervisor at Front Door while he waited.
Gaze down, he kept his ears open and listened to the conversations swirling around
him. He heard two men, their heads close together, whispering about something that
sounded suspiciously like a human trafficking operation. It wouldn't be the first time he'd
heard of such a thing. No place was immune from that kind of horror.
In this area, those operations were run mostly by a handful of Asian gangs and a
contingent out of Central America who brought in young girls and boys for the most vile
of purposes. No Russian with half a brain would touch that dirty action. One whiff of
trafficking and the frightening side of Nikolai would rear its ugly head. It was a side of
Nikolai no man ever wanted to see.
Dimitri pretended to be busy but listened intently. Even though the details bandied
back and forth made his stomach pitch, he kept his focus on the two men. These were the
things Nikolai would want to hear. The large and growing Russian immigrant population
was terribly vulnerable to trafficking, especially the desperate young women who
dreamed of a new life here.
As the two men headed for the door, Dimitri became aware of a young man talking
quickly into his phone. His Spanish skills weren't good enough for him to catch every
word but he was able to understand enough of it. When he heard the Hermanos
mentioned, he held his breath. Even though Johnny was on his shit list, he wanted to
keep him from getting hurt.
"Dimitri?" Alexei waved him over. "Your girlfriend's car is ready."
He hadn't mentioned it was Benny's car but Alexei didn't need to be told. In the
same way his relationship with Benny had spread through her bakery, it would have
started the rounds among his circle of friends, too.
Tucking away what he'd overheard while eavesdropping, he joined Alexei at the
counter and followed him onto the sidewalk. Alexei handed over Benny's keys. "Your
girlfriend's car insurance is about to expire. My boys noticed it when they were wiping
down the glove box."
Not surprised that she'd overlooked that detail, he thanked Alexei and climbed into
the gleaming car. He considered driving it straight back to the bakery but his discussion
with Benny kept going round and round in his head. He decided it was time he and
Johnny had a little talk.
Pulling into the driveway at her house, he noticed the overgrown grass and the
messy flower beds. Everything needed a good pressure washing. If she was really serious
about selling, all these little things would have to be taken care of to ensure she got a
good price and made a positive impression on buyers. He made a mental list of all the
things he would need to tackle in the next week or two to help her get ready.
He used her keys to get into the house. It was quiet inside. Uncertain whether
Johnny was armed, he cleared his throat and shouted, "Johnny! It's Dimitri! You here?"
While he waited for an answer, he made his way into the living room. He spotted
the stack of envelopes on the coffee table. He shouldn't snoop but that didn't stop him
from thumbing through the late notices, credit card and loan statements there. He could
only imagine the kind of gut-gnawing stress this was causing Benny. To come home
every day and see this huge stack of reminders? She was lucky not to have cracked by
now.
"Johnny!" Dimitri moved to the foot of the stairs and shouted up to the second floor.
"You awake?" He paused and heard nothing. "Johnny, I'm coming up. We need to talk."
Upstairs, he pushed open the doors, standing to the side just in case Johnny did
something stupid, and searched for the right room. He found a bathroom first and then
an empty bedroom, probably the one their grandmother had used when she'd been alive.
The stench of pot wafting from the door on his left confirmed it was Johnny's before
he even opened the door. He glanced inside and experienced a rush of disgust at the pig
sty Johnny called a room. There were piles of dirty clothes and stacks of cups and empty
liquor bottles on the desk and the massive speakers. In the center of the bed, still fully
clothed, sprawled Johnny. He snored loudly, probably sleeping off a hangover.
Dimitri stood at the side of Johnny's bed and nudged the arm hanging over the side
with his boot. "Hey! Johnny! Wake up!"
The kid's eyes snapped open. A split-second later, he bolted upright and swung a
pistol toward Dimitri. Acting on instinct, Dimitri slapped away the hand and gripped
Johnny's wrist hard enough to make him cry out. He stripped the gun from Johnny's
hands and elbowed him in the chest, throwing him back on the bed.
Johnny groaned and rubbed his chest. "What the fuck are you doing, man?"
Dimitri glared at him and rendered the weapon safe, popping out the magazine and
clearing the round sitting in the chamber. "What the fuck am I doing? What are you
doing? You could have shot me!"
"You're trespassing! It would have been my right!"
"And what if I'd been your sister? Huh? What if she'd been in here trying to wake
you up and you'd shot her? What then, Johnny?"
The dumb kid didn't have an answer for that one. Dimitri tucked the pistol into the
back of his jeans and pocketed the single round and magazine. "I've been shouting
downstairs for you."
Johnny sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He rubbed his bloodshot
eyes. "What the hell are you doing here, Dimitri? You can't just come inside my house."
"I can do whatever the hell I want, Johnny. Get dressed! You've got work to do."
"You think that just because you're fucking Benny you can come into my crib and
tell me what to do? She's the one sucking your dick. Order her around, not me."
Dimitri took a menacing step toward him and pointed his finger in his face. "If I
hear you disrespect your sister like that one more time, I'm going to knock your teeth
down your throat. You should want to protect her reputation, not cut her down in front
of other people!"
Johnny dropped his head with shame. He was smart enough not to push it. Dimitri
wasn't joking. One more ugly remark about Benny and Johnny was going to need a
dentist.
"What do you want, Dimitri?"
"I want you to get dressed and mow the yard. Weed those flower beds."
Johnny stared up at him as if he were the stupidest man in the world. "Why?"
Dimitri sputtered with frustration. "Because this is your home and you should take
some pride in it. You want to sell this house and get your money? Then get out there and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]