Clinch (The Underground Book 2) (24 page)

Mikhail and Ivan knew nothing about the blood samples. Leo hadn’t mentioned it yet. He wanted more information about what Katie stumbled upon before he spoke up. Looked like he was out of time.

“You haven’t told them about the blood work,” Katie whispered.

“No. I will now.” There were probably a dozen things he would have to confess now. To Katie first and foremost.

“You know people,” she stated.

“Yeah.”

“Who did you call after you spoke to the kidnapper?”

“Someone who’s sending backup to help us.”

She pursed her lips and stared out the window.

He glanced at her and took her hand. “I’m sorry you got mixed up in this. It’s a long story. I can’t explain it all right now. But I need you to keep it to yourself for now, okay?”

“Sure.” She nodded.

Hopefully she understood the gravity of the situation.

“Are you undercover or something?”

“No. Not like that. I am who you think I am.” Could they have this discussion later?

Apparently not. “I’m not sure who I think you are, Leo. You jumped into action thirty minutes ago like you run the CIA. You know things. It’s obvious. You have connections. And a gun.”

He squeezed her hand. “Yeah. All true. But I’m not some trained member of the government. I’m not FBI.” He paused, glancing at her.

Her eyes were wide with distrust.

He couldn’t take it. He needed to give her something, no matter how small. “I’m an informant, Katie.”

“I see.”

Did she? He glanced at her again. She looked weary, but not as doubting, and she didn’t tug her hand out of his.

“I have a lot to explain. I owe you that. But let’s get through this first. We need to find Marshall, and then we’ll take the next step.”

“Do you think he’s in serious danger?”

“I don’t know.” He wasn’t going to lie to her. “But I’m not willing to risk your life to find out. Got it?”

She nodded. Thank God. If he had to argue with her all the way to the meeting point, he would arrive distracted. This wasn’t his scene. He was a gatherer of information. He heard things, saw things, told his contact. Moved on.

His phone rang. He glanced at it. “It’s my contact,” he told Katie. He picked up the phone and held it to his ear. “Katie’s with me,” he announced.

The man spoke fast in a soft voice. “The FBI has four men in place already. The cops have four also. SWAT. Looks like Boris and Erik are already there. They’re alone. There’s a man in a car behind them. Assuming it’s the hostage. The agents behind you will take up positions out of sight also.

“You leave Katie in the car a few blocks south of the meeting point. That way half a dozen people will be able to see her at all times. Casually approach Boris. Tell him you want Pierce out of the car and walking toward you before you hand him the blood.”

“Got it.” This was way above Leo’s pay grade. If the situation weren’t so serious, he would point that out.

“Send Pierce in the direction of your car. Is Katie clear she needs to keep quiet about whatever you’ve had to tell her?”

“She is.”

“Good. Obviously she knows you have a contact with the FBI now.”

“Yes. That’s all she knows.”

“Keep it that way for now.”

“Of course.”

“We don’t want anyone to know there are six agents in the area if it can be avoided. I don’t want them seen. If we have to blow a lot of covers, we’ll lose years of hard work tracking Yenin.”

“Any chance Yenin’s in the area, or at least someone a bit less idiotic than these two goons?” Leo asked.

“We’ve swept the entire area. Found nothing. I know it makes no sense, but that’s all the intel I have.”

“Something smells funny.”

“I hear you. If I could put another man in your place, I would.”

“Not asking you to.” He was doing this as much for Katie as himself.

“I know. But I wouldn’t be
asking
, either. I do not want Boris and Erik to know we’re there,” he repeated. “Top priority.”

“They couldn’t possibly have pulled this off alone. Yenin has to be behind it.”

“I agree. Maybe they just wanted the opportunity to talk. See if they could persuade you to come back into the fold.”

“And if that’s the case?”

“Not going to tell you what to do, man. You’re a friend now. Not just an informant. That’s your call.”

Leo blew out a breath. Something huge was about to go down, and he wished like hell he had a clue what it was.

“Ivan and Mikhail are meeting me south of the intersection in a few minutes. I’m almost there.”

“Figured you called them.”

“I’ll do my best to keep them out of the loop, but no promises. Katie’s life and the lives of my friends come first.”

“Understood.”

“Gotta go.” Leo ended the call, set his phone in his lap, and grabbed Katie’s hand again. “So sorry. Never meant for any of this to happen.”

“I know.” She squeezed his hand back. “You didn’t ask me to run to that back room and look at your friend six months ago. I made that choice. In fact, I wouldn’t have been there at all if it hadn’t been for Marshall. Let’s blame him.” She tried to sound lighter. He’d give her that.

He shot her a half smile. “He may have started it, but I should have walked away that night and never looked back. Instead, I stuck around. Put you in danger. Put your crazy ex in danger.”

She shrugged. “Marshall makes his own problems. And I would have hunted you down if you hadn’t come to me after that night.”

Shocked, he pulled the car over next to Ivan’s and met her gaze. Her face was flushed. She would have pursued him? Months ago? A smile spread across his lips, and he leaned over and kissed her. It was quick, but he made his point.

“Not a word about my involvement with the FBI to the guys.”

“Got it.”

Ivan opened the passenger door. “Move over to my car. Leave yours here.” He glanced at the back of the car. “How can you stand such a small piece of shit,” he teased.

Leo unbuckled and got out. “Hey, don’t diss the TA. I’m fond of her.” He took Katie’s hand as they made their way to the dark green Buick Lucerne.

“Yeah. Yeah,” Ivan said as he returned to behind the wheel of his sedan. “We all know how you feel about that hunk of metal. You probably sleep in her.”

Katie giggled, a relief as she slid in behind Ivan with Leo at her side.

Leo knew Ivan was kidding. The man had a hard-on for the Trans Am. He just wouldn’t admit he was jealous. “You think this daddy vehicle is the better deal?” he teased, nodding at Mikhail in the front passenger seat.

“Daddy vehicle, my ass.” Ivan twisted around to face Leo behind him. “Never get pulled over driving this. I can tell you that.”

This was true. Leo had no argument for that.

They were only a few blocks away.

Ivan sobered and spoke again. “What are we up against here?”

“The short version is that Katie took blood samples from Mikhail Saturday morning and Dmitry six months ago.” He glanced at Mikhail. “Both samples are unusual. She drew blood from me also to compare.”

“Unusual how?” Mikhail asked.

“Long story. She can explain later. The point is someone stole the spare samples from her clinic. No idea who. But Boris and Erik have a hard-on for it. So, they kidnapped Pierce and want to trade him for the samples.” Leo pulled three vials out of his pocket and held them up.

Ivan cocked his head to one side. “If someone stole the vials, what are you trading?”

Leo grinned. “Three vials Katie drew from me about fifteen minutes ago.” He shrugged. “How the hell will those imbeciles know the difference under the L?”

Mikhail lifted both eye brows. “Good point. Can’t wait to hear more about this. But Katie could take more blood samples from any of us at any time. What good does it do to steal them?”

Leo cringed. “No idea. Gotta admit I’m worried. This could be a trap.”

“You think Anton’s in the area?” Ivan asked.

Leo shrugged. “If Anton really wanted to get his hands on us, why send Boris and Erik? Those goons would never pull off something like this on their own.”

Mikhail spoke next. “Maybe this has nothing to do with our ability to get more samples and everything to do with Anton wanting his own set.”

Leo groaned and rolled his neck. “Yep. That’s it. Shit. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“What?” Katie asked. “I’m not following.”

Ivan jumped in. “The man has sent us to his personal physician for physicals every year near this time. He doesn’t have us this year. If there’s something wonky in our blood, maybe he likes to follow up on it.”

Mikhail’s head dropped. “Jesus. All these years…”

Leo glanced at his watch. “We’ll have to continue this discussion later. Let’s get going.” He nodded toward the road.

Mikhail glanced back at Katie. “Hunch down on the floor there. I don’t want Boris to know you’re with us. No idea what this fucker is up to, but if he thinks he’s here to make a trade for you, he’s mistaken.”

Leo realized the importance of that plan. If he and the other two fighters showed up seemingly alone, outnumbering Boris and Erik, they stood a better chance of getting the upper hand. If Boris and Erik didn’t seem to care about the whereabouts of Katie, then she wasn’t their goal.

Katie stared at Mikhail for a few seconds. “How the hell are you able to sit up, let alone walk, with cracked ribs?”

Mikhail winked. “Hardly noticing them at all. I’m fine.”

Katie rolled her eyes as she crawled down behind the front seat. She put her small hand on Leo’s and tugged. “Do
not
get yourself killed.”

“I won’t.” He smiled as they came to a stop and then yanked his face back up and schooled his expression.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the three musketeers.” Boris chuckled from his spot where he casually leaned against the car behind him. “Or should I say ‘defectors.’ I should have known you’d call in your buddies.” He made no mention of Katie and didn’t even glance past Leo to look at Ivan’s car.

Good. At least this wasn’t about her.

Leo glanced at the man struggling in the back seat of Boris’s beat-up dark brown Chevy. Had Boris picked it up at a junk yard?

Marshall’s eyes were wider than saucers. His mouth was behind a strip of duct tape, and it appeared his hands were tied behind his back. Leo hoped the guy’s feet were free. He might need him to run.

“What’s this all about, Boris?” Mikhail asked.

Erik fidgeted next to Boris, his hands wrapped around a gun he had no business holding. Erik was short. Maybe five six. And pale. His blond hair was also pale. And he was currently fidgeting like a scared little girl.

Leo eyed the Ruger casually hanging in front of Boris, glad he had his Springfield in the back of his jeans. He knew Mikhail and Ivan would also be packing somewhere on their bodies.

“I want those blood samples.” Boris narrowed his gaze. His face was hard, his brown eyes darting around. He was a few inches taller than Erik, but no less nervous.

“And I have them.” Leo patted his pocket. “How about you let Marshall go, and then we talk.”

Boris chuckled sardonically. “How about you hand over the samples, and
then
we talk.”

Leo shook his head. “Can’t do it. Yenin didn’t train me to be stupid, Boris. And I’ve known him far longer than you.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Erik said.

Leo dramatically yanked his gaze toward Erik. “Oh, he speaks. I thought maybe you were the silent partner.” Leo had been around these two for years. Why the hell Yenin had employed them for so long was beyond him. They were imbeciles.

Mikhail rocked back and forth on his feet as though this were a casual meeting between friends. Leo figured the man had to be in pain, like Katie suggested, but he faked it well. “What are you planning to
do
with this blood, assholes?”

Boris nailed him with a stare. “Who invited you?”

“Look, you fuckup, if you wanted three vials of blood so badly, I assume you know one of them is mine. I think that entitles me to be present for the handoff. Now answer my goddamn question. What the hell use is it to you? Or should I say your boss?”

“Not a clue. My job was to retrieve the samples, not to analyze them,” Boris shot back.

Ivan spoke again. “So you’re saying Yenin told you to kidnap an innocent man and use him to trade for some blood samples? You do realize how ludicrous that is, right?”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Ivan? Do you have to speak in riddles?” Erik asked.

Ivan lifted his brows. “Trying to understand is all. I mean, let’s be reasonable here. Yenin has been taking blood out of our veins for years. No idea why, but the man should be able to bathe in it he has so much. What the fuck would he need another vial for?”

Leo winced. That was the big question. Had Yenin been studying their blood samples all these years? Did the man have anything to do with the oddities present?

“Like I said—”

Leo cut him off. “Has anyone thought this through completely? Because you do realize that at least Mikhail and I are standing right here. If we wanted to have a doctor draw more blood samples, all we’d have to do is roll up our sleeves. So, again I have to ask, what the
fuck
is the blood for, you piece of shit?”

Boris opened his mouth and then closed it. He stared at each of them hard for several moments. Clearly, he had no idea what the samples were for.

“Tell me,” Leo continued, “where did you pick Pierce up?”

Boris chuckled, his demeanor changing. “Oh that was easy. Your woman’s place of employment is hopping on Sunday afternoons when it’s closed. A regular revolving door.”

“What does that mean?” Leo narrowed his gaze. He’d like to leap forward and grab the mother fucker around the throat.

“Someone else broke in before us. Door was open. Too bad we couldn’t get into the locked room in the back. Assume that’s where she keeps the important stuff. Clever, that woman. Wish you had brought her. I was looking forward to seeing her up close and personal. All those lush curves…”

Leo’s blood boiled. He tried to control himself. “Marshall,” he redirected, “where did you get him?”