He threw open the door before Timur could even reach for the doorknob. “Everything, Timur, and fast.”
That was Fyodor, no fucking around. Timur looked past him to see Gorya shaking his head, annoyed that Fyodor had broken protocol and opened the door, possibly exposing himself to a sniper’s shot.
Timur sighed. “You can’t do this bullshit every time you’re worried about Evangeline, Fyodor. I can’t be in two places at one time. You want me interrogating a prisoner, then you have to cooperate with Gorya or Kye or Rodion.” He gestured to the man standing just to Fyodor’s left. “Or Vitaly. If someone shoots you, Evangeline is going to be a widow.”
“No one’s going to shoot me. You’ve got so many patrols roaming these grounds, we can’t keep any other animals around,” Fyodor said. “Tell us.”
Timur gave him all the information he’d gotten from the messenger. “I’ve got his phone. We should be able to go through the texts and find out the motel where the team is staying. We need the information immediately, Vitaly. Everything you can get. I want names, if possible, the address, when they got into town, what weapons they have.”
Vitaly took the phone. “You got it.”
Fyodor reached for his phone. The first call was to his cousin Mitya. Mitya had nearly died protecting both Fyodor and Evangeline. He had been voted in to take over a crime lord’s territory. Patrizio Amodeo had put out the hit on Evangeline, and now Mitya was wearing Amodeo’s ring and commanding his men. Mitya was Lazar’s son, and Sevastyan was Rolan’s son. Sevastyan was responsible for Mitya’s protection now. More than anything, Lazar and Rolan wanted the two dead. They had to be warned.
He set up a meeting with Drake Donovan and all of their trusted allies, promising first that they would deal with the hit squad. They couldn’t have those men sneaking behind their backs while they readied themselves for war. They also needed the women safe, and that meant Evangeline would have to turn her beloved bakery over to someone else for a time. Timur made it abundantly clear that Ashe would be going with Evangeline. Fyodor protested.
“You said yourself you can’t tell what’s the truth. She led them straight here.”
“She’s my leopard’s mate,” Timur argued patiently when he didn’t feel patient at all. “She’s mine, Fyodor. Mine. She’ll be your sister-in-law, so shut the fuck up and deal with it.”
“We may all end up dead with a viper right in the heart of our nest,” Fyodor groused, but he didn’t protest again.
Still, Timur knew that meant Fyodor would be questioning Ashe himself and it probably wouldn’t be pretty. He’d stick close just in case. His brother was very protective of Evangeline and Timur couldn’t blame him.
“I’ve got everything we need to get these fuckers,” Vitaly said.6THERE was a certain smell to law enforcement, as if they rubbed shoulders during their morning meetings or all inhaled the same closed-in air. Maybe it was just a look about them in spite of their plain clothes. Ashe didn’t know exactly, but her father had taught her at an early age to be observant and to use every sense she had. She’d inhaled the scent of officers and smelled that same faint scent on plainclothesmen. Now, she was certain, there was a convention for undercover cops being held right in the bakery.
Evangeline obviously knew a few of them and she handled them exactly as she did every other customer. She smiled and chatted with them while she worked as fast and efficiently as ever. She seemed to pick up names fast and she retained them. By the afternoon, Ashe was certain Evangeline could charm the birds out of the trees. She certainly had the policemen enamored of her.
There was one called Jeff Meyers who flirted outrageously with Evangeline. Ashe studied him while she drew a shot for his drink. He wasn’t joking like some of the others. He definitely had a thing for her boss. While Jeff flirted with Evangeline, his partner, Ray Harding, tried doing the same with her.
Ashe had been programmed at an early age by her father to be careful around any law enforcement. She’d never understood why, but it made her leery. Right now, with so many on- and off-duty police in the bakery, she was on edge. She exchanged a quick, concerned glance with Evangeline. What were they all doing there? They knew Fyodor had an office there, but if they were watching the bakery, they would have known he wasn’t there.
Evangeline shrugged, telling Ashe that customers were just that and it was good for business. Even if Fyodor came in, he hadn’t done anything to warrant an arrest. But what about Timur? Anxiety gripped her. She was fairly certain Timur did a lot of things to warrant his arrest. He might be doing something right that very minute and every one of the police officers knew about it. She didn’t because she never carried a cell phone.