Page 83 of The Brigadier

I knew a hell of a lot about New York. Streets, venues. Where the police stations were located, but this area of Hell’s Kitchen surprised me. I guessed that meant Sonya had been chased to somewhere close. Still, I didn’t like the area and had no intention of staying here long.

“This is a dump,” Maxim said.

“Yeah, well. There are several areas in this great city people would think that about,” I told him.

“Did you see the rats back there in the alley?” The powerful Russian seemed so shocked.

Danny grinned as he drummed his fingers on the door. “He’s delicate.”

“I’m going to punch you. Then I’m going to introduce you to some rats,” Maxim snarled. He was damn good at making the noise too.

“Just remember, we won’t be here for long.” As the driver slowed, I noticed the buildings. They were quaint enough, not broken down as one might expect.

“What do you want to do with the girl when you’re done?”

I threw Danny a look as my driver parked on the curb. “Remind her to keep her mouth shut and take her where she wants to go. I’m not into taking a hostage at this point.”

Hell, I was truly more of a traditional businessman, not a ruthless killer.

There was no need to wait until Danny climbed out, opening the door. I was tired of protocols at this point. Besides, I wasn’t king of anything. Just an ordinary man.

Yeah, right.

“You sure about that? She might be working for someone,” Danny reminded me.

I resisted rolling my eyes. The man had always been the voice of reason and there were times he’d been the only one to keep me grounded. Hell, he’d reminded me more than once that my position as Brigadier wasn’t like the old days with the main responsibility of such a prestigious position.

Brutal.

Unforgiving.

Bloody.

He’d also saved my life more than once when life had reverted back to the old days.

“Keep something in mind,” I told him. “If she does lead us to someone who’s pressuring her, that could be beneficial. Never look a gift horse in the mouth.” I could tell my men were staring at each other or me in the rearview mirror. I was more philosophical than normal. Maybe I had changed under Chantel’s influence.

The drive continued, my driver finally slowing down near a section of old businesses that had likely been around for a couple hundred years.

“Which building?” Maxim asked when he flanked my side.

I glanced at the text and sighed. “That one. The little china shop.”

“Why a china shop?”

That was likely a private joke, or something Tanner knew would keep the girl from throwing a tantrum. “To be cute perhaps.” I had a bad feeling, which usually meant something was wrong. It was possible the girl had foiled him. As we stepped out, my men checking the area briefly, I scanned the streets. To me, the area seemed way too quiet for the time of day, traffic light. That was far too troubling. I wasn’t the kind of man to enjoy walking into uncertain circumstances.

“I don’t like this,” Danny said. “I don’t think we should go in. Maybe you should call Tanner.”

“Why bother? However, keep your ear to the ground and as soon as we walk in, pay close attention to everyone inside and anyone scrambling to get the hell out.”

Maxim sighed. “You sure this isn’t a setup?”

Chuckling, I headed for the quaintly decorated front door, taking a second to peer inside. “I’m not certain of anything at this point.”

That didn’t bode well for my life or my business.

Or the regime.