OtherSide Of Fear (Outside The Ropes #3) (38 page)

I took a seat, pretending that I didn’t feel like crawling out of my skin. Every inch tingled with nerves, only made worse by Rusnak’s eyes that never seemed to leave me, but maybe that was paranoia.

I wasn’t imagining Alessandra’s smirk as she sat back with her cigarette, watching me.

“Well, if we’re all set then…Marat will take over for Ian’s role, but they’ve also picked up Kane and Lev, who are you going to replace them with?”

Gage scratched his chin, about to respond when Alessandra spoke up.

“Are we sure we should have this conversation with her present?” She pointed her cigarette at me. “She never wanted to be part of this before, and this may not be the best time to start including her.”

“The lady has a point.” Rusnak looked around the circle but then cracked a smile. “Although, Regan’s proven herself in the past. If Gage is willing to take the risk, this is his operation.”

One of the men grumbled something too low to hear and the other blew thick smoke into the air as he eyed Gage.

“You don’t even need to fucking mention it. I brought her. That’s enough.” He looked around the circle, challenging anyone to say otherwise, but they didn’t.

“Fine. But what about Cherry? She usually keeps the schedule tight.” Alessandra leaned forward, snapping her fingers. “She’s still going to be involved, right?”

“Before we plan this out, we need to square away the bigger problem. A chunk of the goods were taken when they dropped on the club,” Gage said.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ve got that covered, were getting it back. It’ll be there when it’s needed.” Gage and the two men looked towards Alessandra with shock, but she continued smoking like it was no big deal. “That’s on my end, and it’ll be taken care of. That’s all you need to know.”

“At the docks on Monday?” Gage questioned and she nodded. “We should push this back, with the feds around, we need to be cautious.”

“Always cautious boy.” The shorter man next to Gage laughed, rubbing his tattooed fingers over his chin.

“This is the perfect time. They have their bellies full with their latest takedown. Now’s the time for action.” Rusnak shifted his gaze from Gage to me. “He’s always so careful. But it’s what makes him good at this. It’s why he doesn’t fail. Isn’t that right?” But the edge in his voice didn’t sound like a compliment.

“That and his eye for detail.” The other mans voice was heavy with an accent as he tapped on the corner of his eye.

“We’ve got three key players missing, the plans have to change.” Gage shook his head, but I could see the wheels turning behind his eyes.

“Then change the plans. But the date stays the same. Do what has to be done.” Rusnak sat back with his drink, not leaving room for discussion on the topic.

Gage tapped on the table, “Yuri, you and Des will handle the drop in the north.”

“Only two?” Yuri, the one with the finger tattoo’s questioned.

“Why not your typical teams of three. If you’re short men, get your brother.”

Gage snapped his head to Alessandra. “No.”

“That’s not a bad idea. You could put him on the Costa shipment.”

Gage narrowed his eyes at Rusnak. “I said no. We’ll be fine without a third.”

“But think about it. He’s already running for Magnally, and part of that shipment goes to him anyways. Why let him be a mule for someone else when he could work for you?”

Gage’s fingers scraped ever so slightly against his pants leg at my side, his only tell that he was shook, otherwise his face was blank. But my heart was in overdrive.

“You’d think you’d want to help him out. He’s never going to pay off Salvo with as little as Magnally pays.”

The lines in Gage’s jaw were throbbing under his skin and I sat forward, intervening before he exploded.

“He said no. You said he’s good with details, so let him work it out.”

Rusnak sat back with his hands up and smile that was nowhere near innocent. “All right, Sweetheart. Just offering an idea.” Rusnak cocked his head to Gage. “Why don’t you think about it, and let me know the plan when you’ve got it figured out.”

Gage stood up. “I’ll do that. I’ll be in touch.” He extended his hand to me and nodded at the two men to our side, never looking back towards Alessandra or Anatoli.

We left the restaurant and waited for the Valet in a chilly silence. It wasn’t till we were in the car pulling away that Gage broke.

“I’m going to fucking kill Dexter, and then I’m going to take out each of those assholes. They’re all going to fucking pay for screwing with my family.”

HIS ANGER FILLED THE CAB OF THE SUV, leaving me cold, my thoughts frozen as his threat blew around in my brain.

“What do you think they meant? What has Dexter done?” I hadn’t talked to Dexter since I returned; I thought to avoid making it harder when disappeared.

“I think it’s pretty fucking clear what they meant. Dexter’s got himself in debt with some bad people, and the little fucker thinks running for Magnally will get him out.” His hands re-gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. “Anatoli thinks he can use that. He probably set that shit up. Now he wants me to bring him in. Just another thing linking me with them.”

I rubbed my temples, trying to process. “But why would Dexter do that? After everything?”

Gage was staring straight ahead at the traffic around us, his voice low. “I don’t know for sure, but I can guess.” He glanced at me, and I glimpsed the heaviness of his thoughts darkening his gaze. “After you left, I cut him off.”

The way he spoke sent a chill through me, down to my toes, and I twisted in my seat to face him. “Like, you haven’t talked to him at all?”

He stretched his jaw as he shook his head slow and then stretched his neck just as slow, taking his time to respond, “I stopped funding him. I’d been giving him money every month, sometimes more, for bills, school, whatever he said he needed.” The tension settled back on his shoulders, and he was clenching his jaw again. “I fucking knew he was still gambling, but I gave him the money anyways. I wanted to keep him from owing the wrong people, and I didn’t want his family to go without. But when he let you just walk away, and then I couldn’t find you anywhere.” He flicked his eyes over me. “I punished him for it. I know it was my fucking fault you left, but I took it out on everyone else. And I left him dry when he was used to living a certain way.”

I slid my hand to his leg and gripped his thigh, aiming to give comfort as much as take comfort. I didn’t want him to be angry over me anymore.

He didn’t respond to my touch but kept his hands gripped on the steering wheel, knuckles whiter than ever, and the lines of his forearms stood out as his muscles strained.

“So what does this mean for us? Does it change anything?”

“I don’t know.” Then he jerked his head to me and grabbed my hand on his leg, keeping me in place. “I mean no, it doesn’t. But it might take more time, I need to talk to Dexter.”

He sighed, a sigh I knew well. A sigh that meant he was trying to think and wasn’t clear on anything. A sigh that usually meant my questions weren’t welcomed right now.

“All right. Talk to Dexter, find out what’s going on with him, and then we can adjust whatever needs to be adjusted.” I nodded, trying to quiet my own thoughts that warned me it wouldn’t be that simple.

He glanced at me before training his eyes back on the road to make a left turn at an intersection. “I will.”

Before the silence could settle and my doubts begin to rise, Gage slid his hand behind my head and leaned across the console to place a kiss on my forehead. Then he cast his lips down and pecked my lips. He pulled back just as suddenly as he had started, and I was left blinking at him for a moment.

“I love you. This will work out. We’ll figure it out.” He laced his fingers with mine and held my hand between us on the center console. Then he glanced at me with a hesitant smile. “Don’t doubt us, okay? That’s what they want, to put pressure on us. They want to keep us in line and always second guessing ourselves.”

It’s like he read my mind, speaking to the fears that were creeping in. I gripped his hand tighter and nodded, knowing he was right about them, but hoping he was right about us.

The light was on in the hall, it streaked into the dark room, but that’s not what woke me up. Gage’s voice from down the hall did. He wasn’t yelling, but he was forceful.

“—that’s the deal. You want my help, you fucking come here and earn it.”

I slid out of the bed and walked down the hall to his office.

“A few days. That’s all it’ll take, but you need to listen and do what I say— Fuck him, I’ll deal with him. He’ll let you because he’ll want you in on this.”

I turned the corner to the office, pushing the door open to see in. Gage was sitting behind the computer, focused on the screen.

“That would have been good to think of before, but it’s too late now. Maybe now you’ll fucking learn. So you’re either doing this or you’re not, which is it?” Gage looked up then, seeing me in the doorway. He inflated as he inhaled and then stuck up one finger, signaling me to wait. “Okay.” He clicked the computer mouse on something. “It’s all set up. Now don’t fuck this up, I’m counting on you.”

He hung up the phone and tossed it onto his desk. He looked up at me and slide his chair back to give me room between him and the desk.

“Was that Dexter calling you back?” I took a guess as I walked in front of him and sat on the edge of the desk.

He nodded and rolled forward, wrapping his hands around my waist. He looked up at me from where he sat, something in his gaze, something dark that I could fall into. “He’s going to come help with the shipment.”

I tensed. “Really? But, I thought—are we not going to give that information?” I couldn’t even say the words FBI, it gripped my stomach to even think about it.

He dropped his head, and I wanted to reach out and slip my fingers into his hair, but I sat still, waiting on his answer.

“We will.” He looked up at me and then rose to his feet, stepping close. His hands pulled me into him. “Call him today. Set it up. We’ll give the information about all the drop offs, the names, locations, everything. Dexter won’t be near any of it, he’ll be here with us.”

“And what about Leona and Felix? If Dexter owes money to some dangerous people—”

“She’s back in Baltimore visiting with family, for now. By time they get back, he will have paid.”

“So our plans aren’t changing?”

“Set up the meeting. Hopefully what we say will help Ian too. And after everything, we disappear.”

My hands were shaking as I placed them on his chest, but I was unable to still the vibration. “Shouldn’t we wait for the meeting? It could be dangerous for you to go back to them after. I thought we were giving the information and leaving right away.”

“Babe.” He gripped my shoulders. “It’s probably going to take more than one meeting for him to get the information he needs, the evidence he needs. We have to give them time to set things up. It’s all a risk, but the plans are flexible. We need to be ready for whatever might happen.” His eyes searched mine. “Are you ready for this?”

I nodded, breathless. I had to be ready. This was what I wanted, what I started. He was doing this for me. “I’ll call.”

“Use this phone.” He reached past me and opened a drawer to my side, pulling out a flip phone. He pressed a few buttons and after a moment he handed it to me, its screen lit up.

“I’ll go get the number.” My blood ran cold as I stepped away from him, back to our bedroom to get Anthony’s card.

“It’s ringing.” I picked up the phone from the table.

“Answer it.” Gage pulled me back against his chest, arms wrapped around me on the couch.

I pressed the accept button and held the phone to my ear.

“We’ll meet at the Dollhouse at four.”

“The Dollhouse?” I turned to read Gage’s face. That wasn’t one of the places we had said earlier today when I first spoke to Anthony.

Gage’s face hardened, and he shook his head.

“That place is still a crime scene, it’s closed since the bust.” And that was the truth. “We can’t meet there.”

“I know it’s closed. But they’re done their investigation, it’ll be private.”

“There’s no one there anymore?” I questioned so Gage would know.

“It’s empty and remote. No one will see us.”

“It would be private. At four today?” I kept my eyes on Gage and he nodded.

“Yes. Will you be there?”

“We will.”

“We? No, I’m not meeting with Gage. I’ll only do this if it’s just you.”

The pressure in my chest was building. I pushed away from Gage and rose to my feet, unable to stay still. “What? Who are you to make these demands? You either want the information we can give or you don’t.”

“Considering the last time I saw you, you threatened me with him, I’m taking precautions.” He kept his voice calm. “I’m taking a risk here Regan, and I’m not even sure you have information beyond what I already know anymore.”

“I’m taking a risk too—” Gage grabbed the phone from me and put it on speaker.

“I know. And I want to keep this safe for both of us. I still want to help you. Please, this once, meet me alone. We can set something else up with him after today.”

“He can give more information than me.”

Anthony sighed. “Then lets set up a real meeting. But you asked for this to stay unofficial, private. If you want it to be just me, I need it to be just you, for now.”

Gage stood stone faced and arms crossed, but he nodded.

“All right. I’ll see you then,” I conceded.

Gage pressed the end call button, staring at the screen for a moment before he looked up at me. “You’re not going alone.”

“I thought you told me to agree?”

“I did, but I’m not letting you go alone. I’ll be there, he just won’t know it.” Gage and I both looked at the clock; it was a little past three. “Bastard didn’t give us much time.”

I dropped Gage off on the opposite side of the woods that backed up to the club, and then I drove slow to a side street where I could park and walk up on the club myself. I didn’t want my car to be seen in the parking lot.