Legend & Lace

15. This Is What Happens When You Have Connections With The Russian Mafia

Chapter 15

This Is What Happens When You Have Connections With The Russian Mafia

"What are you doing?" I asked Drake, who was sitting beside me in the backseat of our SUV.  I was leaning forward, watching the video feeds from inside Petya Volkov's house on Kenna's laptop, the house itself just down the street from where we were parked. 

"Nothing," Drake grinned as his thumb made tiny circles on the back of my hand. 

"You are doing something.  You keep staring at me when you're supposed to be watching what's going on."

"Nothing's going on, Hattie.  Vince isn't even due to be there for another hour."

"Yes, and we're breaking into the place before he does, we've just got to figure out which way is best."

"How about the front door?"

I turned and gave him a blank look.  Drake smile widened as he leaned forward to kiss me soundly.

"Hey, you guys have had enough of that," Cruz complained.  "And here I thought you two couldn't get any worse."

"That was when you knew them and the sex fest hadn't started yet," Kenna laughed, switching vantage points on the house.  "But I think Drake's right.  Maybe the front door wouldn't be such a bad idea as long as they actually let you in to see Volkov...and never mind."

One of Volkov's men had moved to the door without going out.  It was almost like he was speaking to someone through a mic in his sleeve the way he lifted his wrist to his mouth.  And with that movement, his suit jacket shifted open, revealing the gun he had holstered at his waist.  Volkov's men were always armed and prepared.

"Usually no one watches the eastern side of the house seeing as there's only one window on the ground floor, which is usually left unlocked.  Petya's known for it.  It's one of his signatures, daring someone to come into his office, which is what it opens to."

"Well, if he's still alive, he must not have that many people willing to sneak through that window."  She quickly switched to the camera outside on the eastern side.  Cars were parked in a line, none of them occupied, and no one else was around. 

"No, he doesn't," I confirmed, looking toward the house itself.  "What do you think?  Should I go in now or...?"

"Later," Cruz said before cursing and shifting down in his seat.  "I thought they weren't supposed to be here for another hour?"

Two cars passed us by, slowly rolling to a stop in front of Volkov's house.  It took a moment before someone opened the back door to the second car and Vince Peters himself stepped out.  Another man got out the other side, a back briefcase in hand.  As we all looked back and forth between the camera feeds of the men inside the house getting ready and Vince and the other man walking up the steps to the front door, the anticipation built to a new high.

"You've got the sound working on that, right?" Drake asked Kenna. 

She nodded, sneering in Vince's direction.  "Yeah.  I had to go through the laptop that's in the office, so let's hope that's where they end up."

"They will," I assured her.  "That's the only place Vince does his business at home.  He's got grandkids who come over all the time.  His daughter Katerina refuses to let them be over there otherwise."

Drake looked over at me with an eyebrow raised.  "He's got grandkids?"

I nodded.  "Emmy's never told you about Katerina?  She calls here the Russian Mafia Princess, which is totally what she is.  Even though she's been married for more than ten years now, she still hits on John whenever they see each other.  I was with them the first time.  Em threatened to rip Katerina's red painted nails right off and shove them in her eyes if she laid a hand on John again.  Petya offered her a place in his inner circle right there on the spot...after he finished laughing, of course.  Katerina approved of her, too.  They actually became pretty good friends after that."