Trouble in a Tight Dress (Six Points Security, #1) Page 18

  He stared at her, his lips pressed into a thin line, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. Warring emotions played over his face, and then he heaved out a heavy sigh and dragged a hand through his hair. “Fine. Have it your way. But we’re not doing a damn thing until we have every last detail nailed down.”

  “I’m okay with that.”

  He slanted a glance at Wade. “Make the damn calls. I don’t want anything left to chance. And Larissa, get me the contact information for the agents with files on Petrov.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  FOR THE NEXT WEEK, Nina spent most of her time working alongside Larissa in an effort to dig up more dirt on Ivan. They’d discovered another offshore bank account and real estate purchases through various shell companies in Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa. She’d always known Larissa was a gifted hacker, but after watching her this week, Nina had gained a whole new respect for her mentor.

  Homeland Security never returned Austin’s call, but Special Agent Meredith Cole of the FBI had shown an immediate interest. She’d reopened Ivan’s file and added the information they’d gathered, but it still wasn’t enough for a warrant or indictment. They needed hard evidence, something substantial, and there was only one way to obtain it.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Austin asked for what had to be the hundredth time. He radiated tension in the hotel suite they’d secured as a base of operations for the day. “Just say the word, and I’ll get you out of here. I’ve got connections to a safe house in Belize. We can be on a plane in less than—”

  “Austin.” Nina knew he meant well—she really did—but she was so stressed out it was starting to tick her off. “We’ve already talked this to death. You know as well as I do that this is the only way I’m going to get my life back.”

  His mouth tightened. “There’s one other way.”

  “I’m not killing my own brother.”

  “You wouldn’t be the one doing the killing. Besides, I doubt he shares the sentiment.”

  “That doesn’t mean I’m stooping to his level.” She glanced over at Ty, who sat at the desk by the sliding glass door. The rest of the guys were downstairs, staking out their positions. “Is everything set to record?”

  Ty nodded. “The app is programmed to start recording as soon as you dial. And if you keep him on the phone for more than thirty seconds, it’ll also track his location.”

  More determined than ever, Nina dialed her brother’s number, and Ivan picked up on the second ring.

  “Antonina, I’m glad you called.”

  “That’s a surprise, considering what your boys did to my roommate. And Austin’s truck.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but it sounds like a slur on my character. How could you accuse me of such things?” The note of humor in his voice, along with the fact he didn’t outright deny what he’d done, set Nina’s teeth on edge.

  She held back what she really wanted to say and went along with the script she’d committed to memory. “We need to talk.”

  “Yes, we do. Tell me where you are, and I’ll send my driver to pick you up—”

  “Nope, we’re doing this my way. I set the time and location, or we don’t talk at all.”

  The line went quiet for a second or two. When he finally spoke, his tone made it clear she’d pissed him off, which didn’t surprise her, considering how much he liked to be in charge. “You forget your place, Antonina. Such insolence comes with consequences. I’m sure you’d hate to see something unfortunate happen to one of your friends.”

  “If you keep threatening me, I’ll disappear, and you’ll never find me again.”

  There was a long stretch of silence, and for a few seconds she wondered if he’d hung up on her. She inwardly cringed, hoping she hadn’t pushed him too far for their plan to work.

  “What do you propose?” he finally said, his voice clipped with irritation.

  “The Donahue. It’s out by the airport. Do you know where it is?” They’d chosen the hotel because it was upscale, which Ivan would like, and also because it was a busy, public place, which made her feel safer.

  “Yes, I’m familiar with it. When do you wish to meet?”

  “Tonight, eight o’clock. There’s a bar inside where we can talk.”

  “That doesn’t allow me much time to prepare.”

  “That’s the point. You can bring one guard with you. If I see any more than that, I’ll be gone before you reach the door.”

  “Two guards,” he said, his voice harder than iron. “I need one to stay with my vehicle.”

  “Why? Are you afraid I’ll have someone wire it to explode?”

  He hesitated before answering. “Let’s just say I’m cautious.”

  “Fine. Two guards, but only one comes inside with you.” It wasn’t much of a concession. They’d anticipated his demand to bring more than one guard, and it would probably make Ivan feel as though he was going into the meeting with a small victory. “Don’t be late. If you’re not there by five past eight, I’m leaving.”

  She ended the call before he could reply. Closing her eyes, she blew out a heavy breath, and only then did she notice her hands were shaking.

  “Damn, you’re good,” Ty said, and she opened her eyes to see him grinning right at her. “Can I bring you along the next time I buy a car?”

  She let out a small shaky laugh. “It’s not a done deal. Let’s see if he actually shows up.”

  “He’ll be there, even though he’s pissed about not being in charge.” A note of pride marked Austin’s voice in spite of his repeated concerns. He rested one hand on the small of her back, and the simple contact eased her nerves. “If you change your mind about any of this, just say the word and—”

  “We’re doing this. I want my life back, and this is the only way that doesn’t involve anyone dying or me going into hiding.” She flashed a smile that she hoped appeared more confident than how she felt inside. “Now let’s get started. He’ll be here soon, and we need to get ready.”

  Less than an hour later, Nina stood in the hotel lobby, her eyes glued to the revolving door.

  She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, already regretting her choice of heels. Unfortunately, they were the only shoes she owned that matched the black dress that boosted her confidence and made her feel powerful. After shifting her purse a little higher on her shoulder, she checked the time again. Ivan should arrive any minute, and then she’d be charged with the task of getting her own brother to incriminate himself.

  Thanks to Ty, she’d been fitted with recording devices, as well as GPS trackers in the event things somehow went south. She didn’t like to think about that scenario, but experience taught her it never hurt to be prepared for the worst.

  Impatient and edgy, she fiddled with her necklace while her eyes scanned the lobby, spotting Nate not far from the bar and Ryan by the elevators. Wade wasn’t anywhere in sight, but she knew he was lurking somewhere in the shadows. And there was Austin, sitting in the lounge by the reservation desk, pretending to read a newspaper. As though sensing her watching, his gaze caught hers, and she could practically feel the tension rolling off him.

  At last, a limousine pulled up to the no-waiting zone, and all of Nina’s senses went on high alert. The driver got out and opened the back door, but there were too many people milling about for her to see the passenger.

  Moments later, the revolving door slowly spun, and she caught sight of Ivan, looking all business in a finely-tailored black suit, crisp white shirt, a red power tie, and shoes so polished they were like mirrors. His short, dark hair was slicked back from his high forehead, his expression fierce and predatory.

  As he entered the crowded lobby, his eyes scanned the area, most likely searching for her.

  She coughed to get his attention.

  The smile he flashed didn’t come anywhere close to reaching his eyes. “Antonina, it’s good to see you again.”

  “I wish I could say the same t
hing.” She let him hug her, even though she felt the instinctual urge to recoil. “Come on; let’s get a table at the bar where we can talk privately.”

  “No.”

  His outright refusal caught her off guard. Dorcas’s ringtone sounded in her purse, but she ignored it. “Why not? If you think I’m leaving with you, you’re sadly mistaken.”

  His gaze slanted down to her purse, where her phone continued to ring. “Aren’t you going to answer your phone?”

  Something in his voice sent a chill down her spine. “What did you do?”

  He smirked. “Answer your phone, Antonina.”

  Fearing the worst, she accepted the call. “Dorcas?”

  “They said I can tell you that I’m safe and I haven’t been hurt.” On the surface, Dorcas sounded royally pissed off, but there was also a hint of fear in her voice that she’d never heard before.

  Nina’s heart leapt into her throat. She had so many questions, but before she could get the first one out, the call disconnected.

  “Change of plans.” Her brother slid the phone from her grip and dropped it into a nearby planter. He leaned close, his breath warm against her ear as he murmured, “If you wish to see your friend alive, you’ll do exactly as I say.”

  Panic slammed her heart against her ribcage. “There are people all over this hotel watching me. They won’t let me leave with you.”

  Ivan laughed, but the sound lacked humor. “Do you actually think they have a say in the matter?”

  She opened her mouth, but her words were drowned out by the sudden shriek of the fire alarm. In the blink of an eye, the lobby filled with people, some from the bar and others streaming from the stairwell, all rushing for the exit. Ivan grabbed her upper arm and led her toward the door, his steely grip digging into her skin.

  “You don’t want anything to happen to your friend, do you?” he said when she stopped just shy of the doors.

  She hesitated, her gaze searching the lobby for Austin, but with so many people filling the already-crowded room, it was impossible to find him. Someone bumped her from behind, and she staggered another couple of steps closer to the revolving door.

  The last thing she wanted to do was leave, but she couldn’t think of any other alternatives. If she didn’t go with Ivan, Dorcas was as good as dead. She couldn’t live with that on her conscience.

  “If I go with you, I want your personal guarantee that you’ll immediately release Dorcas, unharmed.”

  “You have my word.”

  “Is your word any good?”

  “Of course it is.” He had the audacity to look offended.

  Out of options and out of time, she fell in step beside him. A slice of fear went through her as she walked into the warm night air. The sleek black limousine idled in the no-waiting zone, and Ivan led her straight toward it. At their approach, the driver stepped out and opened one of the rear doors, and Nina’s pulse jumped at the sight of Dorcas in the rear-facing seat, flanked by two huge scary-looking guys in suits.

  As they got into the car, the door on the opposite side opened, and one of the men grabbed Dorcas and shoved her out of the limo.

  “Ow! You son of a bitch. Didn’t your mother ever tell you—”

  The rest of Dorcas’s tirade was cut off by the slamming of the door.

  “Happy?” Ivan asked.

  Nina couldn’t do anything but nod as relief went through her. No matter what happened from this point forward, at least her friend was safe. Now all she had to do was figure a way out of this mess, which was most likely easier said than done.

  Ivan nodded to one of the men, who tapped the glass that separated them from the driver. As the limo pulled away, she caught a glimpse of Austin forcing his way through the crowd, concern and frustration etched on his face as he searched for her.

  “WHERE THE HELL DID they go?” Austin craned his neck to see over the sea of people milling about outside the building. The flashing red lights from the nearby fire truck made it harder to pick out faces in the crowd. Even worse, there was too much background noise to hear anything from Nina’s listening devices.

  Damn it. He knew this plan was a bad idea, but would anyone listen to him? Now his woman was missing and he had no idea where her asshole brother had taken her.

  “Ryan found her phone in a planter,” Nate said as he came up alongside him. His eyes scanned the crowd, his hands on his hips, his lips pressed in a grim line. “Why would she voluntarily leave with him like that?”

  “I don’t know, but she must have had a good reason.”

  From his left, he heard a woman’s voice shout his name. Austin turned in time to see Dorcas rushing in his direction. Her clothes were disheveled, her hair a bit mussed, and anxiety was plain on her face.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, confused. One of his best men had escorted her to Miami and was supposed to provide protection until it was safe for her to return. “Where’s Reyes?”

  “We got ambushed at a rest stop on I-95. The last time I saw him, he was tied up in a hotel room. They said they wouldn’t hurt him if I did what they said. I’m fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.”

  “Sorry, I’m just—” Worried. Pissed off. Scared to death. The barrage of emotions knocked him off-kilter. Ruthlessly, he pushed them aside so he could concentrate on what mattered most: getting Nina back safely. “I’m glad you’re okay. Do you know where Ivan took Nina?”

  Dorcas shook her head. “His guys didn’t talk much when I was around. The only time they ever said anything directly to me was when they called Nina and ordered me to tell her that I hadn’t been harmed.”

  That explained why Nina had gone with her brother without putting up a fight.

  Nate’s features hardened as he put two fingers beneath Dorcas’s chin and tipped her head up into the light. “They hit you.”

  “Only once, after I clawed one of the guys who dragged me into a van.” She pulled her head away. “It’s okay. I took better hits from my sisters when I was a kid.”

  Her answer didn’t seem to appease Nate, who looked as though he was about to blow a gasket.

  “Did you see Nina before they let you go?” Austin asked.

  “Yeah, but only for a second, and we didn’t get to talk.”

  “How did she look?”

  “How do you think she looked? She just got coerced into going God-knows-where with her psycho brother.” She cursed under her breath. “I’m sorry. That was out of line. It’s just...I don’t know...”

  “I know. I’m worried about her too.”

  At last, the fire alarm went silent, and an audible sigh went through the crowd. The red lights on the fire truck switched off as people started to file back into the building.

  “So what do we do now?” Dorcas asked.

  “Track Nina’s GPS. Hopefully, we’ll find her before Ivan realizes she’s wearing a wire.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  AS THE LIMOUSINE CRUISED down the expressway, Nina glared darts at her brother, who’d snatched her purse and was rooting through its contents. At the moment, she was too mad to be scared, but she expected that to change once the adrenaline wore off.

  “You won’t need this.” He rolled down the window and tossed out the tube of lipstick that was actually a listening device. “Or this.”

  Out flew the GPS tracker disguised as mascara.

  “Why don’t you throw out the whole damn purse while you’re at it?”

  “That won’t be necessary.” He handed her the bag. “I only wanted to ensure no one could eavesdrop or track our movements.”

  Nina bit back a sigh of relief, thankful that Ivan had stopped searching after he found the devices in her purse. If he’d searched her as well, he might have found the additional recorder and the GPS tracker taped to the underside of her shoe. When Ty had given her the extra gadgets, she’d thought he was just being paranoid, but now she thanked her lucky stars that Austin’s brother had planned for the worst-case scenario.

  “Y
ou owe me a phone, by the way. Two, if you count the one I lost when your minions kidnapped me.” Nina crossed her arms as she stared at the scenery zipping by. From what she could tell, they were heading to the west side of town, but she wasn’t familiar with that area. “Where are we going anyway?”

  “You’ll see when we get there.”

  Okay, that sounded fairly cryptic. Resigned to her fate—at least for the time being—she slumped against the seat. For now, her only option was to put on a brave face, continue with her plan, and hope Austin found her before anything awful happened.

  The limo exited the expressway, and after another twenty minutes and a lot of twists and turns, it pulled up to a wrought-iron gate. The armed guard at the booth gave them a nod, and then the gate slowly rolled open. Once they were through, it rolled shut behind them. To Nina, it felt like the slam of a prison door.

  A light rain began to fall as the limo turned onto the brick circular drive and stopped in front of the house. The place was huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked an immaculate yard. The driver got out and opened the back door, and Ivan ushered Nina inside.

  The interior of the house reminded Nina of her childhood, most likely because Ivan had decorated it in a similar style as their parents’ home in San Francisco, with dark wood floors, bold colors on the walls, and lots of expensive artwork. She recognized a few of the paintings, in particular the one of a uniformed soldier on horseback charging into battle. Back home, it had been behind her father’s desk, but now it hung over the fireplace mantel. It gave her the impression that Ivan had been in Orlando awhile and wasn’t planning to leave anytime soon.

  “It’s not often that I entertain.” Ivan crossed to the mahogany bar their father had always kept stocked with premium liquor. “But tonight is a special occasion. What would you like to drink?”

  “Do you know how to make a piña colada?”

  Shock registered on his face for a split second and then his nose wrinkled with disdain. He’d always been a bit of a snob. “No.”