Black On Black (Quentin Black Mystery #3) by JC Andrijeski Read Free Book Online Page B

really thinks Black is running some kind of contract with that group out of Russia. Her full lips pursed. But why the hell would he do that? He’s had that Moscow network under surveillance for years...
    I felt her dismiss the possibility again seconds later.
    ... He wouldn’t work for Lucky. Not for any reason. And why would Lucky care about Miriam? Or about Black himself for that matter, assuming Lucky’s using her to get to him? Black’s rich but he would barely register to someone like Lucky...
    That time, I had to bite my lip to remain silent.
    I looked back at Dex.
    “Just look into it, will you?” I turned to stare at Kiko. “One of you. Look into it...   please. I’m telling you, he’s working for Lucky and he’s in over his head.”
    Dex shook his head, his brown eyes even more skeptical.
    When I pressed my lips together, struggling to control my temper, he laid a hand on the table, an obvious calming gesture that really didn’t help.
    “Look,” Dex said, taking a deep breath before talking lower. “You’ll get no argument from either of us that Lucky and his private army of butchers out of Moscow are some scary-ass motherfuckers. But truthfully, doc, if Lucky and his ilk wanted Black dead...   boss’d more than likely be dead already. I know you think we’re so stupid we don’t understand that, but believe me...   we do. Black’s good. He’s really fucking good. Which means he’s also good enough to know when he’s out-gunned. He’s always been pretty careful to keep us well away from organized crime, particularly at the level of that group. That’s been true of anything within our direct operating scope, and even with his humanitarian work, where he’s crossed paths with them in minor ways but never in a way that would truly threaten them...”
    I was already shaking my head.
    “I know all that,” I said.
    “Then what, doc? What are you saying right now?”
    “They don’t want him dead. They’re trying to, I don’t know...” I fought with how much to say, waving a hand vaguely over my plate. “...recruit him. They want him to work for them. Full time. This contract is just an excuse... a way to keep him close and probably test him until they can win him over all the way.”
    When I looked up, Dex’s eyes had narrowed.
    “Why the hell would they want that?” he said, his voice openly skeptical. “Black’s not a trafficker. He’s about as far from a trafficker as a person could get.”
    “I don’t know,” I lied. “But I know I’m right. Black hasn’t admitted that part to me, but he hasn’t denied it, either.”
    “If Black tells you so much,” Dex said. “Why do you need us at all, doc?”
    I didn’t have to read him that time, either.
    Dex’s voice made it crystal clear he thought I was lying.
    My jaw hardened to stone. I started to answer but Kiko held up a hand between us as if to head off the explosion, glaring at Dex.
    “Stop needling her, Dex,” she said to the broad-shouldered man, her voice an open warning. “I mean it. You’re just pissing her off. Black’s not going to thank you for it.”
    When Dex frowned, but seemed to acknowledge her words, she turned to me.
    “Look, doc...   there’s only so much we can do.” Her almond-shaped eyes grew serious. “You can think it’s stupid if you want, but Black has strict protocols around when he goes dark like this. We can’t go against those...   not without a really damned good reason. Dex is being an ass about it, but what he’s trying to tell you...” She glared at the big ex-soldier, who rolled his eyes. “...Is that you’ve probably got more power in this situation than we do.”
    “And then some,” Dex seconded, grunting.
    “You’ve got a personal relationship with him, Miriam,” Kiko said, her voice softer. “Ours is strictly professional. Moreover, you may have noticed, but he demands military-strict chain of command with all of us when it comes to how he’s set up his company.