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person riding in his front seat.
The young man who came around the front of the truck surprised me. The Latino boy
wore a stark white wife-beater and low slung jeans and held tight to his waistband. There was no
missing the dark black gang insignia tattooed across his neck.
Kostya mumbled something to Ivan who grunted. Curious, I glanced at him but Ivan
shook his head. Whatever the story, I wasn t getting it tonight.
Out on the sidewalk, I fought the urge to run into the house and frantically search for
Ruby. Dimitri and the young man joined us. Kostya hung back, his shoulders pressed against the
driver's door as he watched the street like some kind of sentry guard.
"Johnny says he saw Ruby and Andrei here earlier." Dimitri gripped the young man's
shoulder tightly. The high-school aged kid winced. "Apparently, the Hermanos have a flop house
a few streets over. Johnny supplies the place with stolen booze and drugs to keep the whores
happy." Dimitri's gaze fell on me. "He says your sister went there looking for work."
My stomach lurched painfully. Ruby a prostitute? As if sensing my horror, Ivan gently
rubbed the small of my back. Compassion flashed across his harsh face.
"She didn't stay," Johnny said, his voice low and soft. "When she realized who the house
belonged to, she ran. I was worried she was going to get hit by a car or something so I followed
her back here. She was in a bad way. I tried to get her to come with me but she was really
confused and asking for a guy named Aaron."
"No, it's Erin. That's me."
"Oh." He looked a bit sheepish. "Well I tried to help her but then her boyfriend came
back and I realized who he was so I got the hell out of there. I was going to tell my crew I'd
Andrei." Johnny hesitated. "But then I heard that Dimitri and his crew were looking for the
girlfriend and I thought maybe she'd be safer with him than out here with a big fucking target on
her back."
His kindness surprised me. "Why did you want to help her?"
Johnny lowered his gaze. His jaw tightened. "I've got a sister."
I understood then. Looking to Ivan, I asked, "Can we go in now?"
"Hey, man," Johnny addressed Dimitri, "that place is packed with tweakers. They're all
fucked out of their heads. You don't want to just go busting in there. One of those methheads
might think you're a cop and pop your Russian ass."
"Then maybe I should send you through the door first." Dimitri pulled a flashlight from
one back pocket. I spotted the outline of a pistol under his thin jacket. He glanced at Johnny and
pointed at the truck. "Go. Now."
The kid nodded but I had a feeling he was going to run the second Dimitri's back was
turned. With Dimitri leading the way and Ivan two steps behind, I followed the pair into the
house. Once inside, the overpowering stench hit me. The putrid mix smelled of piss and so much
more. I put a hand to my mouth and tried not to gag. How the hell could Ruby stand a place like
this?
My eyes widened as Dimitri's flashlight beam bounced around the cramped rooms of the
small house. There were bodies littering couches and the floor. A television blared a late show,
the crowd's applause deafening as it ricocheted off the walls. Two faces turned our way but the
two men seemed unable to focus. Their bleary-eyed gazes turned back to the television.
In the kitchen, one man was slumped over a table. A stark naked woman stood in front of
the fridge and scribbled aimlessly on the once-white surface with a black marker. She mumbled
incoherently. I couldn't drag my gaze away from the bizarre markings she'd placed on her bare
skin.
Ivan grasped my hand and tugged me along. He brought a finger to his mouth, urging me
to be quiet and keep moving forward. Dimitri popped into one bedroom but came out quickly.
Shaking his head, he pointed to another door. This one Ivan opened. I peered around his brawny
arm and discovered Ruby.
"Oh god!" Terrified by the sight of my sister sprawled on the floor, I squeezed by Ivan
and into the room. I started to kneel next to her but Ivan grasped me by the waist and lifted me
up. He used his shoe to kick aside the dirty syringe I hadn't seen.
With an admonishing frown, he whispered, "Careful!"
"Sorry." Glancing around, I found a clean spot to kneel and gently rolled Ruby onto her
side. Vomit smeared her face and speckled her hair. Urine soaked the carpet and her dirty
clothing. Her cold, clammy skin scared me. I tried to find her pulse but my fingers slipped in the
sweaty grime coating her skin. I bent my face and pressed my ear to her chest. Her fast, weak
heartbeat filled me with hope. "She's still alive! Call 9-1-1!"
"No." Ivan denied my request. "There isn't enough time."
I sat back on my heels as Ivan crouched down and scooped Ruby into his arms. "But we
passed a fire station "
Ivan shot me a look and I finally understood. Our arrival to this house wouldn't have gone
unnoticed in this neighborhood. We were sitting ducks.
"Erin. Go!"
I jumped to my feet and ran to the front door. Ivan, his arms burdened with my sister's
unconscious body, shadowed me to the front door. Dimitri followed us onto the sidewalk. He
cursed loudly upon realizing Johnny had fled while were inside.
Ivan growled at Dimitri in Russian but whatever Dimitri snarled back shut Ivan right up.
Not wanting to get involved in their squabble, I rushed to the SUV and jumped into the middle
seat. I grabbed Ruby's shoulders and dragged her onto my lap with Ivan's help. He slipped onto
the other end of the bench seat and draped her legs across his.
"Seatbelt, Erin." Even with chaos swirling around us, Ivan's sole concern was my safety. I
quickly grabbed my belt and jammed it into place.
Kostya didn't even need to be told what to do. He buckled up and punched the gas. We
screeched out of there like a bat out of hell. Dimitri's truck followed close behind but I couldn't
think about the risk of the Hermanos or Albanians catching up with us now.
My fingertips drifted to Ruby's neck. I found her pulse and kept my fingers there. The
fast blips reassured me. This wasn't the first time she'd overdosed but I'd never seen one this bad.
It occurred to me that I had no idea what she'd taken or how much. I prayed the emergency room
staff would be able to save her.
"Look at me, angel moy." Ivan's stern voice infiltrated my fearful thoughts. He reached
over and touched my face. The searing sweep of his fingertips reassured me. "It's going to be
okay."
Because Ivan said it, I believed it.
* * *
The sun had just started to peek over the horizon when Ivan made his way out of the
hospital to a bench near the smoking area. He fished his phone from his pocket and started
making phone calls. There was no way he'd make it into the gym at his usual early hour. He'd
rely on the other trainers to open up and get his fighters moving through their morning routines.
As he was finishing up his conversation with Paco, Ivan spotted Dimitri crossing the
parking lot. His old friend carried two cups of coffee and a bright yellow bag stamped with the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]