Beyond Cover: Chapter 5

Last chapter, Dwayne and Emily began looking into Gustav’s murder. Dwayne asked another mobster but drew out few answers. Meanwhile, a mobster named Kazimir approached Emily with the news that his and Gustav’s boss, Ruslan Archangelsky, wanted to meet with them. Kaz also warns her that if Dwayne doesn’t control his temper, he could be next. Let’s jump into the meeting…

January 29, 2016

Friday

“We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” Emily asked. She looked over at Dwayne as he parked the car and sighed.

“We were at the murder scene of Ruslan’s fence. Ruslan is a crew boss. He wants answers. So, yeah, we probably are,” he replied.

Emily swallowed her reluctance about going into the Garnet Lounge. On the outside, it appeared to be nothing other than another upper-class bar with the brick exterior painted black and a red neon sign above the doors. Like many social clubs where mobsters discreetly conducted their business, few people would guess what truly happened within.

Anxiety rose in her chest. Dwayne still hadn’t told her everything about his previous meeting at Club Euphoria. Nor had she confronted him with the fact Kaz had told her. Yet he couldn’t hide it all; the accelerated chain smoking, his edge of temper ever closer to detonating, followed up by Gustav’s murder. Emily had suspected they were on the brink of being assassinated. But it would have been nice to have a partner more forthcoming about the truth even Oliver couldn’t deny. There came a time when being overprotective became a shelter that blinded them both from the approaching danger.

And Emily had survived too much already to die at the hands of reckless and greedy men. She and Dwayne had to make this meeting work to their advantage. No other option remained.

“Well, let’s not be late, then,” she said. She checked her wig and makeup in the mirror to ensure nothing was out of place. Kira Maslow. Jewel thief. Fearless. Bold. Not afraid of these silly mobsters and their games. Not bothered by their petty grievances. Whatever Gustav had gotten himself into, Kira and her father knew nothing of it. Yet hey had to prove it.

She stepped out of the car and scanned the parking lot. Her heart raced. That street where Gustav took his last breath had seemed safe, too. Quiet. The openness of the parking lot became a stark reminder of how vulnerable she and Dwayne were as they crossed it. The hum of passing cars broke the silence. A transit bus stopped about halfway down the block. Emily inhaled sharply. She looked over her shoulder. When no one entered the parking lot behind them, she glanced back to the doors. Snow crunched beneath her boots. She hardly felt the biting cold at her face. The rush of adrenaline and anxiety fought the chill.

“I don’t want to let you in first,” Dwayne said softly. “But I’m worried if I go in first, they’ll think we’re expecting an ambush and be on edge.”

“And if you do go in first, they may be expecting one,” Emily replied. “I’ll go. This place looks expensive. I doubt Ruslan will want that kind of clean up in his lounge. He probably has other places more suitable for assassinations.”

Dwayne opened the door for her. “We can only hope, kiddo.”

Emily took one last deep breath, held her head up high as Kira would, and stepped inside. She shook snow from her fur coat on the entry mat and wiped her boots off. Her eyes scanned the room. Walls as black as the exterior. The bar counter, red and black marble that sat atop black wood cabinets. Dim orb lights hung in a line above the gleaming counter. Bottles of various alcohols lined the black wood shelves behind the bar. Red velvet stools sat along the outside of the bar. Matching leather booths lined the walls. Black wood tables and black leather chairs took up the remaining floor space, save for a dance floor.

Two men sat at a booth at the back of the room, one of them facing the doors. They both stood and began crossing the black tile floor when Dwayne stepped in after her. Emily put on her best smile for the tall, blond white man who approached her first. His hazel eyes cut through her, relentlessly seeking answers while he straightened his black suit jacket and glared down at her. A stern, clean shaven jaw line remained tense. Meeting his gaze nearly stole her breath as though frigid winter air could form icicles within her lungs. Kaz stepped up beside him.

Fear crept in, making her skin crawl. But Emily refused to show it. Kira would stand proud against anyone. Even a ruthless mobster.

“You must be Ruslan Archangelsky,” Emily said, calm and still somehow collected. She clasped her hands to keep him from noticing the slight tremble.

“Yes,” Ruslan said. His eyes flickered up to Dwayne and glared. “You two have some explaining to do. Come.”

He turned in a swift motion and gestured for Emily and Dwayne to follow. Taking a step behind him and his compatriot felt like walking further into the shadows while she didn’t know what waited within.

Only when she quietly followed Ruslan did she take notice of Kazimir Brusilov. Curly black hair, falling almost to his shoulders. More slender than Ruslan, though with more tattoos. A pensive expression filling his blue eyes. He wore a gray button-up shirt beneath a black leather jacket, paired with black suit pants. Both men had guns holstered to their waists. They said nothing to each other.

Emily glanced over at Dwayne. His lips pursed in a straight line. His hands at his sides clenched into fists. His dark eyes, brimming with a mix of worry and rage.

Ruslan led them to the back hallway, then down some stairs. Emily felt her stomach drop. What part of his business did he conduct down here?

She reluctantly took a few steps down, then paused when she heard silence behind her. When she glanced back, Dwayne had froze at the top of the staircase. His silhouette filled the door frame. Broad, tall, overwhelming to most. But his eyes met hers briefly, with a flash of fear and worry, as though contemplating whether to flee or proceed before he began moving again. Reassured by his heavy footsteps behind her, Emily took a deep breath and continued descending into the basement.

A smaller bar lined the back wall. Tables and chairs had been set in the middle of the room. Dimmer lights cast shadows against the walls. The faint scent of cigarette smoke lingered. Some artwork hung around them, mostly city skylines and pictures of fancy cars.

“My fence is dead,” Ruslan said, circling around behind the bar. He pulled out a glass and a bottle of vodka. “I would like some answers.”

Emily approached the bar and sat at a stool. “I am afraid we have few answers for you. We were meeting him to buy some diamonds he needed to get rid of. Hot from a heist, he said. Upon meeting him at one of his safe houses, someone shot him from afar and someone else took the diamonds and ran.”

Ruslan poured some vodka into his glass. “How am I to know you had nothing with it? And that you don’t have the diamonds because you had them stolen? I can’t say this looks good for you.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t,” Emily replied. She threw locks of dark hair over her shoulder. “We liked Gustav. He was good for business. My father and I also lose many connections and deals and access to jobs with his death. I would not sacrifice that for a short term gain. We make far more then those diamonds are worth with him alive.”

Dwayne leaned on the bar without sitting, a hand to his chin. Kaz remained behind them. Likely guarding the door, Emily guessed.

“Good for business,” Ruslan said quietly, his Russian accent heavy. He ran a hand through his thick hair and sighed. “Yes, he was. I guarantee I lose far more than you with his death. Who was there? Who took the diamonds and ran?”

He glared at Dwayne, who cleared his throat.

“The thief wore all black and covered his face,” Dwayne said. “I chased him, but couldn’t catch him. I’d say he was about six-feet tall, skinny. That’s about all I can tell you. He was agile. Gone with the wind.”

“Police are saying a sniper did it. One of my guys on the force gave me a copy of the evidence file. Miraculously, there were no cameras around,” Ruslan said with a sip of his vodka. His glass clinked quietly on the marble counter when he put it down. It echoed through the strained quiet.

“Good old Gustav,” Dwayne said. “Never liked a camera on him. Listen, sir, Gustav was also a friend to us. And I know in this life, it can be your friends who turn on you. Trust me, I know. But he never gave us any trouble. And there’s no way we’d be where we are without him. You just don’t replace guys like him.”

“But thanks to somebody out there, I must,” Ruslan said. His jaw tensed. He exhaled with a huff. “All this babble about friends. I need proof that you two did not have him killed. Otherwise, it will be you next.”

“I understand,” Emily said. “We got robbed too. I also want to find who is behind this. Nobody kills my friend, robs me, and gets away with it. I can assure you of that.”

Ruslan gazed at her for a moment and raised an eyebrow. “If that’s the case, then you better prove it to be true. From where I stand, you two look guilty.”

Dread pooled in her stomach once more.

“The only thing that is keeping you alive right now,” Ruslan continued. “Is that it appears you tried to save him after he was shot. Is this true?”

Emily sighed. “I did. He was dead by the time I got to him. I’m sorry.”

As his eyes fluttered closed, Ruslan looked down. His hands gripped the edge of the counter.

Emily and Dwayne exchanged a curious look. She had suspected someone might have had the safe house watched. It appeared her hunch had been correct.

“If you cannot prove your innocence right now, then help me find who did it,” Ruslan said. “You worked with Gustav, now you work for me until this is resolved. Understood?”

She felt her heart race, certain that a mobster’s murder investigation would vary greatly from a police procedure. An eye for an eye, in this world. Gustav’s killer would face his own mortality sooner than later. Emily wanted nothing to do with that.

“On one condition,” Dwayne said. His hard expression stared down Ruslan, who turned to him.

“And what would that be?” Ruslan asked.

“When we find out who killed Gustav, you make sure those sons of bitches above you know my daughter and I aren’t cops. I’m real fucking tired of these accusations. I won’t stand for it,” Dwayne said. His hand balled into a tight fist atop the counter. “You get answers. We get credibility.”

Ruslan scoffed. “You think you are in a place to make a deal with me? Are you for real?”

“Real as can be, man,” Dwayne replied. “I have no problem helping you find Gustav’s killer. I love vengeance. Give it to me. Think of it less as a deal, and more so as payment for a job. You know how it goes. Having a proper reputation is as good as gold, right?”

“You want a reputation?” Ruslan remarked. “You are fucking crazy, that’s yours. And somehow, your daughter’s has been immaculate until right now.”

“Fucking crazy?” Dwayne snapped. He slammed his fist on the counter. The thud echoed through the basement.

Emily’s hand snapped up to Dwayne’s shoulder immediately. Her stern voice cut the tension. “Father, calm. Now is not the time. These men just lost a friend and a colleague. We did not come to start a fight.”

Ruslan’s angry gaze flickered between them both.

“Indeed,” he said. “I appreciate your understanding, Ms. Maslow. I wish your father could extend the same. Your attitude, Mr. Maslow, will get you killed. Consider this your fair warning that when you work for me, we do not go flying off rails and throwing chairs. We speak as gentlemen — and ladies — and do not act as feral animals. That makes you a liability.”

Dwayne took a deep breath. His fists remained clenched tightly. “Fine.”

Ruslan shook his head and took another sip of vodka. “You have balls, asking that deal of me, though. You presume I have pull with the higher ups.”

“Maybe not so much pull as it is influence,” Emily said with a smile. “We only ask for a good word to be put in once your are confident in our credibility. That is all. In return, we find who killed our friend. A transaction of trust.”

Silence fell as Ruslan contemplated and sipped his vodka. He glanced to Kaz. Then he returned his gaze to Dwayne and Emily.

“Very well. Don’t make me regret this. Or the next bullets are for you.”

Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash