Be Mine Forever (Brothers From Money #2) Read online

  She was just about to come out from behind the dumpster when she heard the back door opening and the sound of men’s voices. Thinking that they were looking for her, she crouched down and tried to quiet her breathing. But it soon became clear that they weren’t looking for her.

  “Brother, you know how Mr. Starikov feels about people who talk to the police. You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “I didn’t tell them anything.” The man whined. “I didn’t.”

  “We can’t take that chance. Mr. Starikov wonders why they let you go so fast. Maybe you gave them some good information and they were thankful.”

  “They let me go, because I refused to talk.” The other man continued to whine.

  “Brother, I wish I could help you out here, but Mr. Starikov wants to make sure everyone knows what happens to those who talk to the police. Now take this like a man, I’ll make sure your family is well care for.”

  The man was practically sobbing as he went down on his knees, Leslie was sure she knew what was coming, but couldn’t seem to look away. The other man stood behind the man kneeling on the pavement and fired two shots into his head as if it were nothing. Then he flipped the man over and fired twice more, right where his heart would have been.

  It was all she could do not to scream, instead she clamped her hand over her mouth and bit down on it. The man with the gun must have heard her make a noise because he was heading toward her, but the sound of sirens in the distance stopped him short. Just then the back door opened again and the other man from the table poked his head out.

  “We’ve got to go, the police are on the way. That American bitch’s friends must have called them. Let’s go, leave him, there isn’t much time.”

  “I heard something behind the trash can.” The man answered.

  “Leave, it. We have to go now. Mr. Starikov can’t be found here by the police.”

  The two men went back into the bar, leaving Leslie alone with the body of the man she had just been drinking with. She was so shocked she couldn’t move, her eyes glued to the body on the pavement, the blood beginning to pool around him. Minutes later she heard a car pull up and voices as the men got in, the car sped away just seconds before the police arrived.

  She knew that she was safe, but she couldn’t move, frozen in the spot where she’d crouched down when the men had come out of the back door. Finally able to tear her eyes away from the bloody mess that was once a human being, she plopped down on her butt, not caring what she was sitting in. Her entire body had begun to shake as the reality of what she’d just witnessed began to set in.

  Her mind told her to run, to get away from the entire situation. She’d just witnessed a mob hit and to make matter worse, she’d sat and drank with the men who had been behind it. Even if they thought she was still locked in the bathroom, they would come looking for her, assuming she’d talked to the police.

  As her heart rate began to slow and what was left of the alcohol finally burned away, she realized that she was in real trouble. The police would be looking for her, she was sure of that, her friends had called them concerned for her safety. When they found her and that body, it was clear that she would have to tell them everything and hope that they could keep her safe.

  Those thoughts were running though her head when the back door opened once again, but this time a bright light illuminated the body on the pavement and she could hear the officer draw his gun.

  She knew she had to speak up before she got shot, so gathering what strength she had left, she said. “I’m behind the dumpster, I’m not armed. I just saw that man get shot. The men who did this just left in a black car, headed south.”

  “Come out with your hands where I can see them.”

  She stumbled out from behind the dumpster, then promptly collapsed on the ground.

  Chapter 2

  When she awoke later, she was strapped to a stretcher inside an ambulance. It only took her a few seconds to remember where she was and what had happened. Her heart rate began to increase as the memories came flooding back, but before she could panic, Amanda squeezed her hand.

  “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe.” Amanda reassured her, still holding her hand.

  “Oh, Amanda. It was awful.....” She started to tell Amanda about what had happened, but the back of the ambulance opened and a man dressed in a rumpled suit poked his head in.

  “Ms. Turner, don’t say a word. For your friend’s safety, the less she knows the better. Ma'am, now that you see that Ms. Turner is okay, I’m going to ask you to let us get her to the hospital where we can guarantee her safety.”

  “Call me when you can. I’m really sorry about this.” Amanda was saying as the detective pushed her out of the ambulance.

  Leslie could do nothing more than nod at her as the doors to the ambulance closed and they were jerked by the forward motion as it sped away from the crime scene. Leslie took a deep breath then looked at the man who had seated himself next to her, trying to collect her thoughts.

  The man cleared his throat, then in a much softer voice than he’d used before, asked her how she was feeling. She took a second to think about that and realized that other than a terrible headache she didn’t feel hurt anywhere.

  “I’m fine other than a little headache.” She said, closing her eyes.

  “I hate to push you, but we need to know how much you saw tonight. Can you tell me what happened, from the beginning?”

  Leslie took another deep breath and told him everything that she could remember from the time they stepped into the tattoo parlor until she’d passed out on the sidewalk. He’d listened, never betraying a single emotion, but stopping her once to make a call to the hospital to order a secure room for her.

  Although her heart was beating fast and she felt like she needed to cry, she pressed on through the story until she reached the part where she’d passed out on the pavement. The detective remained silent for so long, she’d begun to wonder if he believed her. She was about to ask him who those people were when they arrived at the hospital.

  They were greeted by an armed guard who blocked any view of the stretcher as it was wheeled into the emergency room then brought to a private room. Inside there was a nurse waiting for her, who helped her move to the bed, then ushered the paramedics out. The nurse explained that a doctor would be in shortly, but that she would stay with them if Leslie wanted her to.

  “No, I’ll be fine with the detective. I’m sorry I don’t remember your name.”

  “Detective Feynman. Thank you nurse.”

  Once the nurse was out of the room, Leslie looked to detective Feynman for information. “I know you probably have a lot of questions and I will do my best to answer them.”

  Leslie only nodded her head, hoping he would take the lead, which he did. “The men you met in the bar tonight are part of the Russian mafia, in fact Mr. Starikov is about a high as you can get here in Vegas.”

  He gave her a minute for that to set in. “What you witnessed tonight was a hit, ordered directly by Starikov, performed by one of his top men. It was not only a warning to anyone else who talked to the police, but a test of his men’s dedication. Starikov ordered that man to kill his own brother.”

  Leslie took a minute to absorb that. “You mean he killed his own brother? That’s brutal.” She said, her stomach suddenly feeling sick.

  “I’m glad you recognize that fact. I don’t think Starikov had any plans to leave you there at that bar last night, but your girlfriends were able to give a good enough description of the men in that bar to get a squad car dispatched out there. They probably saved your life.”

  There were still things she didn’t understand, but before she could frame a question, the doctor came into the room, the nurse following him. Detective Feynman excused himself and left the room while the doctor looked her over, finally declaring her only to be suffering from a mild case of shock and a hangover.

  “As far as I’m concerned a few more hours of fluids and you�
�ll be good as new. I can release you any time after that.” He said, making notes on her chart, then leaving the room.

  The nurse had brought a pair of scrubs for her to change into, since she would be going home and her dress was nothing more than tatters at this point. She helped her change, knowing that she would feel better in clean clothes, then let the detective back into the room.

  Once he was settled in the only chair in the room, he said. “I know this is a lot to take, but we have some decisions to make. I hope it’s become obvious to you that when you leave here those men are going to be looking for you. We can guarantee your safety, but we’ll want you to testify against Starikov.”

  She had known that this was coming, any rational person could see the outcome of the situation. She was going to be put into the witness protection program, whether she liked it or not. “I guess I really have no choice. If they find me I’m dead.”

  “That’s about the size of it.” He said, waiting for her absorb it.

  “Will I get to see my family?”

  “I was counting on you to be reasonable about this, so I’ve already set things in motion. You’re parents are being brought to a secure location. I’m afraid their safety is a bit of a concern at this point as well.”

  That news hit Leslie like a bomb, not only had she ruined her life, but now her parents were in danger as well. Seeing her reaction to his words, he quickly tried to reassure her. “They live all the way across the country, right now Starikov is still trying to figure out who you are. It will take them time to track your credit card.”

  “So what is the plan?” She asked, resigned to her fate.

  “We’re going to get you out of Vegas as fast as we can. We’ll leave directly from the hospital and drive across the country and meet your parents at a secure location in New York. I’ve already sent people to your apartment in California to pack your personal belongs and settle your lease. I’m sorry but you won’t be able to go back there, it’s going to be the first place they’ll look for you.”

  “So a long car trip to an unknown destination with a bunch of men I don’t know. Sounds like a good time. What about my job? I can’t just not show up. There are people depending on me.”

  “I’ve taken care of that already, I made a few phone calls, and smoothed the way. They only know as much as they need to know, but rest assured, everyone understands that you had no choice.”

  Leslie was stunned, her entire life had just been wiped out in a matter of hours. Her friends and job gone, she would have laughed, but was afraid the detective would think she’d lost it. She wasn’t sure she hadn’t.

  “Whatever you say. But for right now I’m going to sleep, maybe when I wake up this will seem more real.”

  “It’s going to take a bit to sort out the details to get you out of here, so you should have time to get a good nap in. One more thing before I go, as of right now, you are no longer Leslie Turner. You are now Leslie Morgan, we’ve left your first name the same, seems to cause less confusion.”

  “Thank you detective.”

  She awoke hours later to a knock on the door, she struggled to the surface to see a woman enter her room. She was immediately on guard, knowing how dangerous her situation was. “It’s okay. Detective Feynman sent me, he thought you might feel better with a woman in the group.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief, then took another look at the woman, who was clearly carrying a weapon under her jacket. “I’m a Federal Marshall, we’ve been given the responsibly for both transporting you and keeping you safe until this is over.” She said, handing her a bundle of clothes.

  Leslie looked at the clothes, relieved to see that they were in her size. At five foot three, with generous curves, people often assumed she was a much bigger size than 12, she had a closet full of such clothes her family had given her as gifts.

  Climbing out of bed, she felt faint for just a moment but quickly recovered. The IV had been removed at some time earlier that day, she had a vague memory of a nurse removing it. Her headache was gone, but her stomach was growling fiercely. It was actually a reassuring feeling, a bit of normal in a world turned upside down.

  “The car is waiting outside, stocked up with enough food to last us until we reach New York. I’ll leave you alone to change, just knock on the door when you’re ready. I put in stuff for a shower too, take your time.” She said, slipping out the door.

  Leslie took her time, showering off the dirt and grime from the night before, she had no idea what time it was, there were no windows in her room. When she finally knocked on the door, she was whisked through the halls, a wall of bodies protecting her from sight. Once in the SUV, they hit the road, not even pausing on the way out of town.

  She discovered it was late afternoon, she’d slept most of the day. After she’d eaten, she sat in silence trying to absorb what was happening to her. It was definitely beginning to feel real, speeding along the highway, with four Federal Marshals certainly helped it become real.

  “So where do I go from here.” She finally asked, tired of her own thoughts.

  “Once we get to New York, you’ll be put in a safe house until you can talk to the prosecutor and give your official statement. I’m afraid it’s going to be a long process, you stumbled into a mess last night. We’ve been trying to bust Starikov for years but never had enough evidence to get him on anything.”

  “Now I hold the key to putting him in jail. All I have to do is testify, if I stay alive.”

  “We’ll keep you safe, if you just listen to us. It will take us a couple of days to get to New York, time to digest all this. Your parents will be there waiting for you.”

  It helped to know that her parents would be in New York, she felt lost without the ties that had always bound her to life. At least that one tie would still be there, if only for a short while. She knew that contact with her parents would be limited and this might be the last time she got to see them for a long time.

  The rest of the trip went by in a blur of fast food, cheap motels, and long naps in the car. She assumed she was suffering from a type of depression but didn’t really care, she needed time to come to grips with her new life of running. She hadn’t even dared to think about the actual trial. Testifying against those men would be beyond frightening, scarier than anything she’d ever done in her life.

  When they reached New York, her parents were there to greet her as she came off the elevator into the secure building they would be staying in for the next few days. The marshals had explained that there was everything they could possibly need in the building so there was no need to go outside, eliminating the need for a guard.

  “Darling, how are you?” Her mother said, enveloping her in a big hug. “I can’t believe this has happened. What kind of country do we live in?”

  Leslie sobbed in her mother’s arms for a few minutes, then dried her eyes and looked at them both. “I’m so sorry, you’ve been sucked into this too.”

  “All we care about is that you’re safe. We’ll just take this one day at a time, we’ll stay with you as long as they’ll let us. But they do seem to think the time might come that we’ll be in danger.”

  “But, we’ve got a plan and the marshals approve, and are in fact helping us put it together. So we’ll be perfectly safe.” Her father added.

  “Where are you going?” Leslie asked, suddenly feeling all alone again.

  “Well, we’ve always wanted to go on that extended vacation to Europe. We were in the process of finalizing our plans, so we’ll just move the dates up and disappear into the countryside of Italy, France, and maybe even Switzerland.”

  Leslie was still feeling guilty for involving her parents in this mess, but they would certainly be safe half way across the world. “When do you leave?” She said, putting on her best face.

  “Well, we’ll wait until you feel strong enough to be on your own, but the marshals think we should go soon.” Her mother said, rubbing her back in the gentle circles that always calmed her d
own. “You’ll see, when this is all over, we’ll laugh about it.”

  She knew her mother was putting on a brave face for her, the concern was clear in her eyes, so she too put on a happy face and tried to calm herself. Her parents had been wanting to take this vacation for years and she was happy for them.

  Silence had descended in the room, but was soon broken by the Federal Marshals coming noisily in the door. “Okay the prosecutor wants to see you tomorrow morning first thing, then she wants you moved again.” One of them said, obviously taking the lead.

  Leslie hadn’t seen him before, but could tell that he was a man who was used to people doing what he said. “I’m Michael Simmons. I’ll be your handler for the duration of your time in witness protection. Anything you need, call me first. We’ll have to spend some time working on your new identity, at this point in time we haven’t got a placement ready for you yet.”

  “What about my parents? Can they stay with me?”

  “They can stay with you until you’re moved again, but then it’s time for them to go on their extended vacation to Europe.” He said, sitting down with them.

  They’d spent the next few hours going over the plans that had already been set in motion. Her parents could be on a plane in only a few hours, then they would lose themselves in the countryside outside of Rome. From there they would move several times over the months they were gone, only returning when things had been settled and Starikov was in prison for good.

  In the meantime, they would stay with Leslie through all the interviews she would have to endure while the Attorney General built a case against the mob boss. Sometimes she wondered if she was in a bad movie, gangsters and guns and murder were just not something she faced in her life normally.

  They did meet with the prosecutors, many of them, what Michael had made sound like a single interview turned into several long grueling days of telling her story over and over. The one benefit was that the more she told it, the less traumatic it became. By the end she was able to recite the entire night without a single tear.