Leverage (36 page)

I squealed when I saw Conner bound out of the house. He hurdled over Nicole’s car seat and enveloped me into a tight embrace right there on the driveway. His entire body shook as he cried into my neck. It wasn’t the welcome I was expecting. In fact, I wasn’t expecting any welcome at all. I’d been shocked then relieved when Greg—without any preamble or speech about his gracious generosity—announced he was releasing me and Nicole. Even more surprising, he provided a car seat for Nicole, as well as a ride home.

Home.

It seemed an obscure memory, intangible and surreal, something I never truly thought I’d see again, especially after witnessing Katy’s torture. But for whatever reason, Greg had let us go. I knew down deep that Ty was responsible, that he’d swung a deal and agreed to do something, anything, in trade for our freedom. My heart broke knowing how far Greg would likely push him, how far he already had. I knew Tyler well, and, after being forced to kill, he probably thought he had nothing else to lose, that his soul was a lost cause, and if killing again was the price he had to pay to secure our freedom, then why the hell not?

While I was relieved beyond words to be free, I hated that it was at Ty’s expense. But at the very least, Conner was also free and relatively safe, though not exactly sound. I’d noticed the taped-up cast on his right arm and could feel it pressing into my back as he squeezed me tight. I released my grip around his waist and pushed against his shoulders. He finally loosened his hold and pulled back.

My fingers grazed over the bruises beneath both his eyes, the tiny stitched-up cracks above his now-crooked nose and along his chin, and the thin, scabbed-over cut that ran the length of his cheek. With a sigh, I gently lifted his casted arm in my hands.

I looked up. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”

Tears pooled in his bright green eyes, but he shook them away, and his expression turned hard. “You’ve nothing to apologize for, Mom. You’re not to blame.”

“I didn’t mean to bring this into our home, into our family.”

He stepped back, but held onto my hands. “Mom, stop, please. None of this is your fault. I know everything now. You don’t have to pretend or protect me from the truth anymore. I know who’s responsible for all this, what happened down in California, how you got there, and even what happened at home before
he
took you.”

I snatched my hands away and stepped back. The look in his eyes was cold and angry, and I felt instantly exposed, naked and vulnerable. I hugged my arms around my body.

“You don’t know anything, Conner. What happened back then…it was—”

“Ty’s fault,” he interrupted. “Everything was Ty’s fault—
is
his fault.”

“No, Conner, please—”

“Greg told me everything, and Maks Sidorov confirmed it. Even Tyler had enough sense not to deny it and the good grace to look ashamed, but that doesn’t absolve him.”

“Conner, I’m the
only
one who has the right to judge or absolve Ty, and I have. I’ve forgiven him. You might think you know what happened, what he did, but you don’t know why. You don’t know his heart, not like I do.”

“It doesn’t matter why, Mom, and I don’t give a shit about his black heart. It sucks what happened to his wife, but what he did afterwards to free his brother…” He shook his head. “That’s sick, Mom, and highly illegal. Ty belongs in prison.”

With a gasp, I threw him an outraged look then stomped back over to Nicole. I heaved her carrier up and stormed into the house. The living room was a wreck with stuff strewn all over. I saw the deep well where Roman had punched my head into the far wall. I realized then it wasn’t safe for us here, not with Greg still on the loose.

I turned to Conner when he walked in behind me. “We’re leaving,” I announced. “Gather whatever you want, but I’m calling a cab and we’re getting out of here. Now.”

With Nicole’s car seat still in hand, I moved down the hall into her not-quite-finished nursery. I put her down, released her from the restraints, and pulled her from the carrier before kicking it back out into the hall. Then I charged around the room.

“What are you doing?” Conner demanded from the doorway.

“I’m changing your sister then packing her things. I told you, we’re leaving.” I placed Nicole down onto the changing table and redressed her, casting the clothes Greg had supplied into the trashcan. After laying her safely in her crib, I began to gather her things.

Conner grabbed my arm. “And then what? We leave, go to a hotel? What then, Mom?”

I glared up at him, unable to respond, because I honestly had no idea what I should do. All I knew was, before I did anything else, I had to make us safe. After that, I figured I should contact the authorities. “I’ll call Maks. He’ll know what to do. He’ll help me get Ty back.”

“No, Mom, the only thing Maks is gonna do is arrest that sonofabitch.”

“What?” I shrieked. “Why? Ty hasn’t done anything except what he had to, to protect
us
, including you
and
your girlfriend.”

“Then where is she?” he voiced in concern. “Why hasn’t Greg released Katy?”

I pressed my mouth tight, unsure if I should arm my son with even more ammunition in his quest to see Ty incarcerated.

“Mom,” he pleaded. “What is it? Where’s Katy? Tell me!”

I glanced at Nicole. She’d fallen asleep in her crib. I motioned for Conner to follow me into my bedroom then sat him down next to me along the edge of my bed.

“Conner, honey, there’re things you don’t know. Katy is…involved somehow…with Greg. She even told him her child might be his.”

Conner jumped up. “What? No way. That’s a lie. You’re lying. Why would you say that?” He began to pace around the room.

I closed the bedroom door to a crack then turned back to my son. “I’m sorry, Conner, but Katy helped Greg kidnap me, and I was forced to deliver your sister without the benefit of a hospital. We both could’ve died, and she helped put me there. When I tried to escape, I caught her with Greg. He called her Katya, not Katy, berated her for getting pregnant. He forced her to watch over me, but she couldn’t handle it when I went into labor. That was the last time I saw her…until…” I stopped, unable to go on.

Truth was, I didn’t know what had happened to Katy. But Conner stood stock still in front of me, waiting, his eyes pleading with me to share what I knew. Her child could be his. I didn’t have the right to deny him. Good or bad, he deserved to know, and sugarcoating it wouldn’t make it any easier to swallow.

“Conner, you know what this whole thing is all about, don’t you?”

He nodded. “It’s about Greg forcing Ty to kill for him. I’ve seen his plan.”

“Yes, but Greg needed us to pull it off. Ty will do anything to protect us, including you. But he’d do just about anything not to have to kill again, like he was forced to do to save
me
back in San Francisco. Greg knew this and wanted Ty to prove he would do
as
commanded
when
commanded. So he tested Tyler, made him choose to kill the man who murdered his brother to save me from being tortured, waterboarded. Greg forced Ty to watch as his men poured water down
my
throat. Only thing is, it wasn’t me; it was Katy, but Ty didn’t know that, because Greg had her head covered with a wet towel, and I was nearby screaming for him to stop. Greg told Ty it was me, and Ty heard me screaming. He killed a man to save me, Conner. He didn’t want to, but in the end, he did it. He saved Katy, and possibly your child, and sacrificed his own soul, not to mention his freedom, to do it.”

Conner stared at me, stunned into silence. He settled back along the edge of the bed and gaped off into the distance. I sat beside him, took his hand in mine, called out his name, but he didn’t seem to hear me. I feared I’d gone too far, said too much. After all, he cared for Katy, even if he didn’t trust her. But more than anything, he’d fallen in love with the idea of his own child, of becoming a father, even though it scared the daylights out of him. He’d already come to love that baby. And now, not only had I taken that possibility away from him, he had to wonder what had happened to Katy, and I couldn’t tell him, because I had no clue.

“Do you think she’s okay, Mom? Katy?” he asked, still staring off into space. “I mean, Greg killed Leo, and the night he died, Leo warned me to watch my back. Obviously, he couldn’t go through with whatever Greg had planned. So he killed him. Why wouldn’t he do the same to Katy, especially if he thought she’d betrayed him with me? Maybe that wasn’t part of his plan. Maybe he dealt with Katy like he did Leo. Maybe she’s dead.” He looked up at me. “Do you think she’s dead, Mom? Do you think Greg killed her?”

“Oh, sweetie, I don’t know. I pray he didn’t, but I just don’t know. We have to go to the FBI and tell them what we do know. We have to tell Maks. He can help. I know he can.”

Conner closed his eyes and tipped his head back then stood with his back to me. “It’s too late. I already went to Maks earlier. I told him about Greg’s plan for Ty. I know what Ty’s gonna do, who he’s gonna kill, when and where, and I shared that information with Maks.” He slowly turned and faced me.

“You did what?” I asked as panic began to set in.

“We came up with a plan. The FBI is finally gonna get Ty for all the shit he’s done. He’s going to prison, Mom. Maybe not for what he did to you, but he’ll rot just the same for what he’s about to do for Greg. I’m sorry, but…there’s nothing you can do about that now.”

It was my turn to be stunned, but only for a moment. Then I sprang into action.

“The hell there isn’t,” I seethed and went back into the kitchen where earlier I’d spotted my purse on the counter. I pulled out my phone, but it had been days since I’d charged it last, and the battery was hopelessly dead. All I needed were my contacts, so I plugged it in and waited for it to charge just enough. In the mean time, I needed to find Ty before he fell into the FBI’s trap.

I turned to Conner, leaning against the doorframe. “Where is he going?” I demanded. “Where is Ty supposed to kill Greg’s first target? And who is it?”

“Mom—”

“You tell me this instant! I will not have the man I love, the father of that baby girl in there,
your
sister, kill on the behest of a gangster, only to be hauled off to prison for protecting his family! Ty is a good man, caught in an impossible situation. He’s suffered for years for what he’s done, and neither you nor the FBI has the right to entrap him for a crime he’s being forced to commit. That man would gladly lay down his life for you or me or his daughter, whom he hasn’t even had the chance to meet yet, by the way. So you tell me, young man, where is Tyler going?”

Conner hesitated for a moment longer then finally relented. “Portland. He’s going to Portland, to River View Cemetery. There’s a funeral there tomorrow at one. Only thing I can figure is, Greg set it up so this guy he wants killed would be there. Wouldn’t surprise me if he had someone killed just for that reason alone. How else could he possibly know about a funeral that far ahead—” He stopped and looked off. His face twisted a little, as if he were in pain. “Oh my God,” he whispered.

“What? What is it?” I asked.

“Katy. She’s from Portland. Said her dad was some big deal down there, big boss man she called him. She also referred to herself as Daddy’s little girl, so obviously, he loves her.” Conner paused for a moment. “Greg’s after some big shot in the Russian Mafia, someone from Portland. He mentioned that specifically to me and Ty; and it was on that itinerary I stole and turned over to Maks. He set this whole thing up. What if it’s Katy’s father he’s after?”

He raised his hands to his head.

“Oh my God, Mom, what if it’s Katy’s funeral?”

Conner’s fears were well-founded. Greg was entirely capable of killing to suit his needs, even someone he might care about. I prayed my son’s hunch about Katy was wrong, but the pieces were fitting together far too easily for it to be coincidence. With a quick check on Nicole, I returned to the kitchen, powered up my phone, and hit Maks Sidorov’s number in my contacts. It rang only once.

“Mrs. Karras?” Maks answered, oddly nonplussed.

I sighed in relief regardless. “Yes, Maks, thank God you answered.”

“Where are you, Mrs. Karras? Are you all right?” he asked, his tone off somehow.

“Yes, I’m okay. It’s hard to believe, but…I’m home, though I don’t feel safe here.”

“That’s understandable. How can I help?” He sounded too cool, too calm.

“I think you know, Maks. Are you on your way down to Portland? You’re going to stop Ty, right? You’re not going to let him go through with Greg’s plan, are you?”

“Mrs. Karras, slow down, please. What is it you think I know?”

“Conner told me everything, about Greg’s plan, about Ty. He said he had an interesting conversation with you about what happened years ago, that you believe Ty is guilty of some crime against me. Is that true, Maks? Have you two concocted some scheme to entrap Tyler so the FBI can send him to prison? For crimes he didn’t commit?”

Maks snorted. “That’s debatable, and also beside the point. Your son and husband spent some rather difficult time with Grigory Dmitriev. Conner learned a great deal about Ty’s past and how you two first got involved. I had nothing to do with that. When he asked, I only corroborated what I knew as fact.”

“I think it was more than that, Mr. Sidorov. I think you’re filling his head with things you know nothing about. What is this plan you hatched to catch Ty?”

“That wasn’t me, Mrs. Karras; that was Conner. He was justifiably upset and, I must say, acting quite erratically. He demanded I act on the information he was providing. He detailed Dmitriev’s plan and suggested I be present when your husband attempts to carry out the first assassination. I agreed simply to placate your son and move on the situation. The FBI has no intention of permitting your husband to commit any crime.”

“What
is
the FBI’s intention then? You’re going to intervene, aren’t you, save my husband before Greg destroys him?”

“Yes, Mrs. Karras, in fact, I’m on my way as we speak.”

“And you’ll have a team there, right? Because Greg is constantly surrounded by an army of thugs, as I’m sure his target is. I don’t want Ty caught in the middle of a gang war.”

Maks sighed impatiently. “It will be taken care of, I assure you, but there might be a way in which you can help.”

“Anything, just name it.”

“If you were there in protective custody, Ty would see for himself that his family is safe, that he doesn’t need to go through with Dmitriev’s plan.”

“But Greg might kill Ty if he thinks he’s not cooperating. He’ll be a sitting duck!”

“Not with my team there. We just need to have your entire family all in one place, so we can finally accomplish what we attempted a few days ago—get your family into witness protection. You’ll never be safe out on your own. You all need to come in together, and with you and your children there to prove his family is now safely in our custody, Ty will abandon whatever deal he made with Greg. It’s the only way to get him to lay down his weapon before he does something he regrets. But regardless of his motives, Mrs. Karras, if your husband kills, he will be subject to the law.”

I closed my eyes to keep the tears at bay. I knew what Maks said was true, and once the deed was done, there would be very little he could do to protect Ty.

“You want us all there?” I asked.

“Yes. I understand you delivered your baby while in Dmitriev’s custody.”

“Yes, Nicole, she’s home with me and Conner. I need a pediatrician to look her over.”

“Sorry you had to go through that in such a difficult situation. We’ll help in any way we can. Unfortunately, we still have your vehicle in impound, so I’ll send a car over.”

My head told me to jump at his offer, but my gut told me otherwise. I found it hard to trust anyone anymore. I couldn’t put my children’s fate in anyone’s hands but my own.

“That’s not necessary, Maks. Plus, I’d rather not wait. Conner can drive us.”

“All right. He knows where to go. Just call me when you cross the river. Oh and, Mrs. Karras? There’s no reason to tell Conner what we just discussed. It’s probably not a good idea to upset him when he has a long drive ahead of him. He’s agitated enough.”

“Um, okay,” I replied, but intuition screamed that something was off. “I should go; I need to pack. We’ll leave early in the morning.” I took a deep breath. “I need to know we can straighten this whole thing out, Maks, that Ty will be able to come home with us.”

“I guarantee, Mrs. Karras, when this is all over, everyone will be exactly where they’re supposed to be.”