I watch in horror as she comes running out of the hotel room, her coat draped over her arm, wearing something that looks an outfit one of the girls at Club Taboo would wear. I pound my fist off the desk, replaying last night in my mind. Everything seemed to be going so smooth until she took off. Little did I know it was because she had a dick appointment with one of my clients.
“I already pulled all the tape,” Fabian says. “The hotel security who were on scene know better than to run their mouths. For the sake of Jakub though we need to find those two and make sure they aren’t gonna talk.”
“If he so much as touched her I’m gonna fucking kill him myself,” I growl.
“From what I gathered, she saved his life. When the paramedics came in she was giving him CPR. He said his Rolex is missing and his wallet, but he’s not trying to press charges. He just wants this to go away.”
“I know a really easy way to make it go away,” I say, grabbing my pistol from the holster on my hip. “I’ll make that motherfucker go away forever for disgracing my woman.”
“Has he always been such a drama queen?” Rafal asks. “For fucks sake, you haven’t even talked to Mia since we were in high school. For all you know she doesn’t even like men. Maybe her and Janka are lesbian lovers just trying to get some money together so they can move out to the country and open up a pottery business.”
“That’s oddly specific, dude,” Fabian says, shaking his head.
“I wouldn’t mind being a fly on that wall.”
“You’re an asshole,” I shout. I grab my black hoodie off the back of my chair and zip it up. I check my wallet and my keys. “I’m sure this is just a big misunderstanding.”
It has to be. My Mia wouldn’t sleep with men for money. My Mia wouldn’t be running around the streets of Krakow dressed like a whore. My Mia certainly wouldn’t sleep with Jakub no matter what he offered her. He’s almost eighty years old, for fucks sake.
“From what I gather, nothing happened,” Fabian says. “At least that’s what Jakub wants us to believe. He says one minute him and Janka were having a couple drinks, and before his Viagra could even kick in, he was going into cardiac arrest.”
“Are you just telling me that to make me feel better?” I ask.
“I mean, consider it a late birthday present.” I’m not sure if he’s sugar coating things for me because he’s such a good friend or because he’s worried I’m going to lose my shit and go eliminate Jakub before he has a chance to even get out of the hospital, but I feel a little bit calmer.
“If that’s the case, these two were up to something a lot more elaborate than high paid escort shit.” Fabian grimaces and follows after me. “Janka’s not a stupid woman, even though she’s sleazy as fuck. I think she’s got some sort of blackmail shakedown going on.”
I feel better and worse at the same time.
Petty crime, I can deal with. She needed some cash. She latched on to a con artist. It’s not the most terrible type of shit I’ve ever dealt with.
“We need to make sure they’re both keeping their mouths shut, Serafin,” he says. “We can keep the hotel security quiet, but if the Policja want to get involved, I have a feeling a bunch of our clients are going to be pissed. I’m sure Jakub isn’t the first rich old man these two took for a ride.”
“I’ll fix it,” I say. “She’ll tell me everything. She’s my Mia. I’m sure this is just some big misunderstanding.”
“Her ex husband is a cop,” Fabian says, running his hands through his thick hair. I grab him by the arm, stopping him before he can go any further down the long dark hallway. “I’m sorry, man.”
That hurts my guts even worse than thinking about her being a sleazy prostitute or a blackmailer or even a fucking lesbian with Janka. Fabian knows it. Our relationship with the Policja is complicated. We might have them in our pocket, but they always want something in return that costs a lot more than what money can buy. I hate the idea of Mia getting tangled up in the middle of that.
“We need to get to her fast,” I say.
“We need to be very careful,” Fabian says under his breath. “You don’t know if she’s still tied up with something. What if she’s working with the law?”
“It’s me,” I say. “She would do anything for me. We’ve been through so much together. I know she’ll do whatever I say.”
We walk out to my black Jaguar, the engine already purring. I can’t help but think about how gorgeous Mia would look up against that buttery black leather, a cigarette hanging from her perfect pouty lips, her eyes lightning up as I push it over one hundred down the highway. Soon.
“I don’t want to be the one to do it, but you need a fucking reality check, man,” he says, slamming the door behind him.
“Excuse me?”
“You were high school sweethearts. The second shit went sideways she disappeared. She married a cop for fucks’ sake. She’s been back in the city for almost a year now, and you had no idea.”
“Nobody knows what really happened that night, Fabian. You know how much that woman cared about her dead beat family. Maybe they threatened them. Maybe she had to disappear.” I put my seatbelt on and Fabian eyes me suspiciously from the passenger seat. Rafal pulls up behind me in his Bentley.
“Don’t drive like an asshole,” he mumbles.
“Then don’t say asshole stuff.”
“She’s been my friend on social media for the last eight years. Never once did she ask about you, Serafin. Don’t you think if she was really
