heard baseball bats were involved.”
“Forensics thinks it was two people who went after Nikolai.”
“Do Gregor and Piotr have alibis?”
“Yes, but we’re working on seeing how airtight they are.”
“What I wanted to talk to you about was the man who helped me. His name is—”
“Ralph Brooks. Yeah, we know.”
“I’m afraid that Gregor and Piotr will find him and kill him. He hurt them badly. Not to mention what this Vadim could do to him. What does Vadim do for a living?”
“Steals, murders, rapes,” Drake said. “I don’t have any proof, but that’s what his street rep is.”
“I thought he worked for Oksana.”
“Not officially. It’s not like he files tax forms. But yeah, your old boyfriend’s mother has been known to throw him a job now and then. You mentioned in your report that they said they were under her orders to kidnap you. Oksana and her boys are denying everything.”
Pam drank. “Oksana said as much.”
“What?” Drake said
Pam looked at her glass. This stuff seemed more potent than normal vodka, but it was smooth. “Oksana came to the hospital yesterday.”
“She did?”
“She said that she didn’t know why these men were claiming they work for her, because they don’t. She looked around my office, booked a Reiki appointment, and left.”
“What did she do to the Feng Shui of the room?”
“Do you even know what that means?” Pam tilted her head at him.
“Just a Wikipedia definition.”
“Doesn’t anyone do their own research anymore?”
Drake took a long swallow of vodka and stuffed a cracker topped with caviar in his mouth. He shrugged and muttered something that sounded like, “I don’t know.”
“Anyway, I diffused some cypress essential oil, and that purified the space.”
He snickered. “I don’t believe in that mystic crap.”
She blinked her eyes at him.
“Did the room get a little colder to you?” he said with a nervous laugh. “No offense. Look, I did do some research. On you, mostly. With your smarts and degrees, you could be at a high-priced hospital pulling down major bucks. Or being a private counselor to Madame Fifi or something.”
“I don’t want to help the Madame Fifis of the world. There are plenty of people who can help them.” Pam traced the rim of her glass with her finger. When she looked up at him, she saw her own reflection in his sunglasses. She looked a little red in the face and disheveled. Putting the glass of vodka down, Pam folded her hands primly in front of her. “Why aren’t you one of Oksana’s thugs? You certainly grew up with them.”
“Actually, Piotr and Gregor are a lot younger than me.”
“You know what I mean,” Pam said.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not Russian.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“It was for most of my childhood. I know most kids at some point wish they were adopted. It was my favorite fantasy. My parents were a horror show. My father drank himself into a stupor before deciding to go for a swim in Harding Harbor. Nikolai took me under his wing. I would have done anything for him.”
“What happened?”
Drake finished his vodka and poured some more. He tried to top off her glass, but she held her hand over it and shook her head.
“Lightweight.”
“I have to drive home. You can collapse here.”
“You can collapse here with me.”
Pam licked her dry lips and nibbled on a cracker to give her something to do. That was a tempting offer, even if it was most likely the vodka talking. She just had to make sure the alcohol wouldn’t also answer him. “So you would have done anything for Nikolai. What did he ask you to do that you couldn’t do?”
Drake shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. Just the opposite. After Dad’s death, and a good few years before, my mom’s oblivion of choice was crack. It was more important to her than anything.”
“Oh, Drake.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”
“What a train wreck,
“Forensics thinks it was two people who went after Nikolai.”
“Do Gregor and Piotr have alibis?”
“Yes, but we’re working on seeing how airtight they are.”
“What I wanted to talk to you about was the man who helped me. His name is—”
“Ralph Brooks. Yeah, we know.”
“I’m afraid that Gregor and Piotr will find him and kill him. He hurt them badly. Not to mention what this Vadim could do to him. What does Vadim do for a living?”
“Steals, murders, rapes,” Drake said. “I don’t have any proof, but that’s what his street rep is.”
“I thought he worked for Oksana.”
“Not officially. It’s not like he files tax forms. But yeah, your old boyfriend’s mother has been known to throw him a job now and then. You mentioned in your report that they said they were under her orders to kidnap you. Oksana and her boys are denying everything.”
Pam drank. “Oksana said as much.”
“What?” Drake said
Pam looked at her glass. This stuff seemed more potent than normal vodka, but it was smooth. “Oksana came to the hospital yesterday.”
“She did?”
“She said that she didn’t know why these men were claiming they work for her, because they don’t. She looked around my office, booked a Reiki appointment, and left.”
“What did she do to the Feng Shui of the room?”
“Do you even know what that means?” Pam tilted her head at him.
“Just a Wikipedia definition.”
“Doesn’t anyone do their own research anymore?”
Drake took a long swallow of vodka and stuffed a cracker topped with caviar in his mouth. He shrugged and muttered something that sounded like, “I don’t know.”
“Anyway, I diffused some cypress essential oil, and that purified the space.”
He snickered. “I don’t believe in that mystic crap.”
She blinked her eyes at him.
“Did the room get a little colder to you?” he said with a nervous laugh. “No offense. Look, I did do some research. On you, mostly. With your smarts and degrees, you could be at a high-priced hospital pulling down major bucks. Or being a private counselor to Madame Fifi or something.”
“I don’t want to help the Madame Fifis of the world. There are plenty of people who can help them.” Pam traced the rim of her glass with her finger. When she looked up at him, she saw her own reflection in his sunglasses. She looked a little red in the face and disheveled. Putting the glass of vodka down, Pam folded her hands primly in front of her. “Why aren’t you one of Oksana’s thugs? You certainly grew up with them.”
“Actually, Piotr and Gregor are a lot younger than me.”
“You know what I mean,” Pam said.
“If you haven’t noticed, I’m not Russian.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“It was for most of my childhood. I know most kids at some point wish they were adopted. It was my favorite fantasy. My parents were a horror show. My father drank himself into a stupor before deciding to go for a swim in Harding Harbor. Nikolai took me under his wing. I would have done anything for him.”
“What happened?”
Drake finished his vodka and poured some more. He tried to top off her glass, but she held her hand over it and shook her head.
“Lightweight.”
“I have to drive home. You can collapse here.”
“You can collapse here with me.”
Pam licked her dry lips and nibbled on a cracker to give her something to do. That was a tempting offer, even if it was most likely the vodka talking. She just had to make sure the alcohol wouldn’t also answer him. “So you would have done anything for Nikolai. What did he ask you to do that you couldn’t do?”
Drake shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. Just the opposite. After Dad’s death, and a good few years before, my mom’s oblivion of choice was crack. It was more important to her than anything.”
“Oh, Drake.” She put her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry. That’s awful.”
“What a train wreck,
Similar Books
