Part 33 (1/2)

”You cared for her. Any outsider could see that.”

He nods, but his eyes are distant. He moves his gaze to the street. ”I did everything and anything I could to gain Viktor's trust. Even going so far as doin' his dirty work with the thugs who came to those girls thinkin' they were for sale.”

My eyes narrow as my thought processes. ”Thinking? That's what they were for.”

”Sure, but each girl sold over the last six months is safe. With me being there, and Viktor being an idiot, each time a girl was sold, we were waitin' to nab both the buyer and who he'd plan on takin'.”

”s.h.i.+t.” I hadn't thought of that. ”So, you have a few of these men...”

”Can't talk about it, Max.”

”Got it,” I answer in understanding. ”Where's Viktor?” I ask next. ”You got him?”

His face goes dim. All jokes and smiles aside, he answers, ”No. He's gone. We've got his girls, though, and we've got Anna. I don't expect he's gonna sit in his hole for long before he surfaces and tries to find her.”

”No, probably not,” I voice my concern.

”Sean Miles is tracking him now. Last I heard, he fled back to Russia.”

”Sean?”

”Charlie to you,” he states, as if talking about the weather.

”Charlie?” I ask. ”As in Charlie Charlie? Charlie Benaim?”

”Yes. He got there way before I did. I was there for Casey, nothing more. When Hoss dodged all Em's complaints and the local PD had washed their hands and given it to us, I went in. At first, I wasn't even privy to Charlie's role, but I knew he was someone. He's after Viktor. Has been for a f.u.c.k of a long time. Almost had him, but Casey came into play.”

”Motherf.u.c.k, I had no idea.”

”That's his job,” he replies.

”How's Anna? She safe?”

Nodding again, he replies, ”Yeah. She'll be safe as long as she does what we tell her. Creed's done. Those men are either scattered or facing long sentencing thanks to her and Viktor's other women.”

”Get them all out?”

”We think so, but there's more still at play in other places we don't know about yet. If anyone will get 'em, though, it'll be Sean.”

After sitting in stilted silence together for a moment, Cilas breaks it first. ”It was hard as f.u.c.k not to tell you who I was when you were there. I knew what you were up to,” he tells me. ”We had a lock on your friend Aimes from the get-go. He's a good guy, but f.u.c.k if he doesn't have an exasperating urgency and temper to go with it. We tried to make contact with him and we actually did at one time, but he didn't fall for our bait and told the decoy to f.u.c.k off.”

”That sounds about right.” I smile.

”I didn't want to leave Creed when I did, but your friend didn't give me a choice. It was important he didn't blow this s.h.i.+t wider than he was already planning.”

”Aimes doesn't do anything half-a.s.s.”

Cilas turns to look at me again. ”Figured that out when he made his calls to every person he thought owed him a favor. It was painfully obvious Aimes has friends in many places some he probably has no clue are law enforcement of varying kinds. He's so f.u.c.kin' c.o.c.ky. When word hit us that he was going in as Dextor Ahrens, we worked fast trying to clear the name so Viktor wouldn't catch on. Jesus Christ, it was close.”

He's pegged my friend to his exact likeness. Aimes is c.o.c.ky and he does have a f.u.c.k of a lot of friends, and in many places. In his line of work, it's understandable. ”I'll tell him you said thanks.”

Cilas gives me a look much like the one I remember him using at Creed. ”Yeah, do that. You can thank him for being a distraction. Once his men were set, the Feds were more than ready and in place when he finally started storming in.”

”It's how he works. Always goin' in blazin'.”

”How's Casey?” he asks, turning around and facing me.

”She's really good. She misses you,” I tell him and watch him sit back in his chair. His look is one I can't place. Confusion, maybe. ”She's gettin' the help she needs to deal with everything she went through. I can tell you, you're part of that process.”

When he speaks, I realize it's a look of utter defeat. ”Maybe it's best to let her keep thinking I'm a monster.”

”She doesn't think that. Not sure she ever did. She cared for you, believe it or not. You and Anna both.”

”I did everything I could to keep her safe,” he admits, sounding as if it wasn't enough. ”And I'll do everything I can to keep Anna safe, as well.”

The way Anna's name comes fluently from his mouth causes me to pause. My eyes widen a bit and he catches it, smiling shortly.

”You care about her,” I observe.

”She was a very big part of the reason I did some of the things I had to do while in there.”

”Will you see her again?”

Cilas shakes his head, thinking he's not giving anything away, but I know what a man looks like when they're protecting someone they love. And his look is much of the same. ”I'll watch her.”

”Casey will want to thank you herself,” I point out. ”Will you let her do that?”

”Casey,” he starts then stops. His face changes to an absolute serious expression and when he collects himself, he continues on. ”When I got word things were starting to play out, I made her follow me around,” he says with a look masked in guilt. ”She probably saw s.h.i.+t she'll never forget because of me. I took her from her room and made her help me with the girls. I knew she was probably scared, but I couldn't leave her alone. Those men...” He stops, regroups again, and finishes. ”I don't believe there was a woman there who deserved what was happening to them, but it was worse for her. Casey's just a kid.”

I try to rea.s.sure him, but by the looks of him, he's not going to be swayed. ”Thank you for doing all you did for her.”

”Is she around now?”

Shaking my head with regret, I look to my watch and explain, ”She's with my parents. Not sure when she'll be back.”

Again we both sit in silence while looking out into the front yard. Our new neighbors sit on their front porch, watching their two small kids ride their bikes just like Marie and I used to do.

”Why'd Em go to Creed that night?” he asks with heavy reflection. ”How'd she know what was happening?”

This is something Emma and I have already gone round and round about. I give him the simple answer. ”She doesn't f.u.c.kin' listen to a d.a.m.n thing I say.”

He laughs, but it's not sincere. ”That's the reason?”

”Yes,” I state plainly and as fact. ”Hoss called her several times that evening, telling her Casey was in danger. She couldn't get a hold of me with all the s.h.i.+t goin' down, so when he called her and told her I was hurt, she panicked. He grabbed her before she had a chance to check on me or see Casey.”

”Your woman's probably the reason they didn't hurt Casey,” he replies. ”If Casey would've been all Hoss had to avenge Hangar with, she wouldn't still be there. Em put herself in the way of that.”