Shiver (Unbreakable Bonds 1)

Swearing loudly to himself in the empty car, Lucas pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1 as instructed, giving their details to the operator. It was likely cops were already racing to their location considering the way they’d already torn through the city, but he was sure at least one of the men in the overturned car was going to need an ambulance.Chapter 14Lucas followed Andrei through the penthouse as he made his rounds, checking to make sure that no one had intruded while they were out. The younger man movements were tense and hurried, as if he were struggling to keep his mind on the task at hand. And all too soon, he reached the last room—Lucas’s bedroom. All the locks were still set. Nothing was out of place. They were safe but Andrei didn’t looked relaxed. He looked…haunted.

After dropping down on the small sofa in the sitting area of the bedroom, Lucas untied his dress shoes, removing them and his socks. The night was gone. The black skies just past his wide windows were giving way to a deep slate gray of the coming dawn. They spent two hours at the crash site, answering questions and watching three bleeding men get pulled from the car and loaded in a pair of ambulances. Then Lucas, Andrei, Hollis were shuffled off to the police station where they were met by Sarah for another three hours of questions. Lucas didn’t want to think about the legal tap dancing/bullshitting that had been done by both Sarah and Hollis, but they were released at last. Lucas would be stunned if Hollis still had a job this morning.

But through it all, he couldn’t pull his mind from Andrei. Something was tearing him apart. Before the EMTs had arrived, Hollis had flashed the IDs of the three men who’d shot at Lucas. He’d not recognized them, but he’d seen a subtle shift in Andrei’s jaw, the tiniest flicker in his eyes before Andrei denied recognizing them.

“You lied to Banner,” he stated as Andrei moved to leave the master bedroom. The man stopped but didn’t turn around to face Lucas so he continued talking. “You recognized those men. Why?”

Andrei lowered his head and turned slightly. “I wanted to talk to Rowe first. I don’t want you pulled into this. Or the cops.”

“Were you involved in something illegal?”

Andrei grunted. “Briefly.”

“Rowe know?”

“Yes.”

“Drugs?”

“No,” Andrei growled, his hand clenching at his side.

“Prostitutes?”

Andrei swung around to glare at Lucas as the man reclined on the sofa, staring at him. “Is that really what you think of me?”

“No, but you’re not volunteering information so I’m left to guess worst-case scenarios until you finally tell me. Were you an enforcer for a loan shark?”

“No! Fuck! Maybe it’s none of your business.”

Lucas lifted one eyebrow at Andrei’s outburst, patiently waiting for the man to speak. Andrei was right that his past wasn’t his business but he didn’t care. He wanted to know. He wanted to know everything about Andrei, and that included his past.

Andrei tried to shove both hands through his hair, but the tux jacket restricted his movement so he roughly stripped it off and tossed it over the back of a chair. He forced himself to take a deep breath that he released noisily through his nose. “Illegal fights,” he snapped as if he couldn’t hold back the words any longer. “I fought on the amateur circuit, trying to get my professional break into MMA, but it’s fucking expensive. I used to pad my income by participating in illegal underground fights in the city. A few months before my injury, John—the driver of the car—started appearing at the fights. The other guy, Matt, I heard about from some people I’m still in contact with. He was in the backseat.”

“Organizers?”

“Fighters.” Andrei frowned and shook his head. “I didn’t recognize the third, but looking at the build and scarring, I’d easily wager he’s a fighter too.”

Lucas nodded. It made sense now. The men he’d encountered in that damned alley the previous week had been too skilled to be just a handful of street thugs. They’d blocked blows and used moves that most people wouldn’t have been able to. Lucas had thought that maybe this asshole had recruited a few guys from the local dojos as muscle, but if he had access to the underground fights in Cincinnati, then this was fucking bigger than he’d thought.

With his hands shoved in his pockets, Andrei wandered over to the wall of windows and stared at the city skyline glowing before him. His shoulders were stiff and tense while his face was pulled into a grimace. Old memories and new fears mixing together.

“How is this bastard getting all these fighters working for him? Money?”

“Isn’t that how you buy anyone?” Andrei asked. Bitterness twisted in his words, leaving Lucas aching to go to him, but he remained where he was sitting on the sofa, letting the words pour out of Andrei as if he were purging an old poison. “A lot of money changes hands at these things. Bets are placed. The winning fighter gets a cut, but then you can also bet. Even on your own fight. Some fight for the rush, but most…most are desperate for cash. And if you’re not careful, you can wrack up some sizable losses with the house.” Andrei turned his head slightly, but Lucas got the impression the man was looking at Lucas’s reflection in the window. “The bastard after you likely holds markers on these guys. They kill you and he forgets their debts.”