The Mistaken (27 page)

“Ty, I need you to be completely honest and tell me
what’s going on. Why are you so upset? What did your brother say to
you?”

He was reluctant to share, but my expression warned
him that I was about to get difficult if he didn’t. He threw me a
sideways glance and groaned.

“Nick hasn’t had any luck with his associates yet.
They’re being belligerent, and Nick is frustrated,” he explained
without really telling me much.

“Who are these associates of his, anyway? What kind
of control do they have over him?”

He paused, searching for the right words. “Well,
these people, they’re not just some neighborhood street thugs as I
implied. They’re actually highly organized, more like a family than
a gang, and I’ve had a run-in or two with them over the last few
years trying to extricate my brother from their control. When I
told you I’d received a beating from them, I failed to mention that
I injured one of their men. Apparently, a lost man is a great
expense, or so Nick’s boss explained to him. Guess it was his way
of saying I was lucky to come out of it alive. Nick stepped in for
me, I’m sure, said something to get them off my back, but you can’t
cross these people without expecting to somehow pay for it in the
future, at their convenience, of course. I’m sure they think I owe
them big time, just for letting me live.

“As an organization, they have their hand in just
about everything: protection, prostitution, extortion, drugs,
gambling. You name it, they deal in it. And to make matters even
worse, they have their other hand deep in the pockets of some very
wealthy, powerful men, and not just in San Francisco, either, but
the entire state, the whole west coast, plus New York, Chicago,
Miami, even overseas. They have considerable influence.”

I stared at him, my eyes narrowing in concentration.
My mouth fell open of its own accord, and I sucked in a long
breath.

“Wait a second. Are you telling me you owe your debt
to the mob?”

“Yes. The Russian syndicate, to be exact. And I have
to find a way to repay them...without using you to do so, as I
promised them.”

“Great. That’s just perfect. And what was supposed
to happen after you traded me in?” I asked though I was frightened
by whatever answer I might receive.

Ty took a deep breath and released a groan. “Erin,
not you,” he corrected, avoiding my question.

“Ty, please. Just tell me.”

“Hannah, it won’t do you any good to—”

I pounded my hand against the window. “Tell me,
godammit. You owe me that much!”

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed,
apprehension tightening his expression. “Okay, okay. You’re right,
but…just try to stay calm, all right?”

“Fine. Whatever. Just tell me.”

“Well, their cartel brings people into the country
illegally. They smuggle in a lot of Russians, Ukrainians, Eastern
Europeans, that sort. Many of them can’t pay the entire price of
admission, so to speak, so they’re indentured into positions such
as cooks, gardeners, nannies, whatever is needed.” Ty hesitated and
glanced over at me, which made me even more nervous.

“Human trafficking. I get it. I’ve seen it on the
news. Keep going.”

“Well, some of the women are indentured
into…brothels and similar positions.”

“What do you mean? Like sex slaves?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

I realized that this might be my fate and my body
shook in abject horror. Bile rose up into my throat.

“Am I to be sold this way?” I asked.

“Yes, I’m sorry, but…as far as they’re concerned,
you already have been.”

Chapter
Twenty
-
Six

Tyler

I knew I probably shouldn’t have told Hannah the
entire truth, but I felt she deserved to know what we were up
against. But perhaps brutal honesty was another mistake on my part,
because she started to cry as she stared out the windshield. She
sucked in her breath in gulping sobs, hyperventilating.

“Hannah, please relax. I won’t let anything happen
to you. You’re safe. They won’t get to you.” I reiterated my
promise, though to be honest, my confidence was not as firm as I
would have liked.

Her hands trembled as she raised them to her
face.

“Calm down. You have nothing to worry about, I
swear.”

“Pull over,” she said breathlessly. She pulled at
the handle, trying to open the door as I sped down the highway. The
locks popped up automatically. One more pull and the door would
open.

“Hannah, stop!” I grabbed her wrist to prevent her
from tumbling out.

“Pull over! Stop the car, stop the car!” she
screamed, banging on the window and clawing at the handle.

I slammed on the brakes and swerved to the shoulder
as I held on to her wrist. She escaped my grasp when I shifted into
neutral. Cars blew by with their horns blaring, veering to avoid
hitting us from behind or swiping us from the side. Hannah managed
to get her door open and tried to scramble out, but her shoulder
got caught in the harness of her seatbelt and she landed on her
hands and knees. She climbed quickly to her feet and sprinted
away.

“Hannah! Stop!”

As the car rolled forward, I pulled up on the
parking break then dashed out to chase her down. I caught her from
behind, around the waist, thirty yards or so from the car, and
pulled her off her feet. She flailed about frantically and clipped
me on the cheekbone with her elbow. Momentarily stunned, I dropped
her to the ground. She landed on her rear and skittered away
backwards, crying out.

“Stay away from me, you sick bastard!” Hannah’s eyes
were filled with fear as she looked up at me from the ground.

I raised my hands up. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I
won’t touch you, I promise. Just stop, Hannah, please.” I stopped
moving toward her and bent down onto my knees.

She crab-walked even farther away.

“I’m sorry, Hannah, okay? Just stop.” I stood, my
hands raised high, and backed up until she finally ceased moving
away from me. I lowered myself to my knees again and called out to
her. “It’s okay, Hannah. Nothing will happen to you, I swear.
Please, just calm down for one minute.”

“You bastard! How could you do such a thing? It’s
inhuman!”

“Please, Hannah, cars are slowing down. People are
watching us from the roadway. This is dangerous. We need to get
back in the car.”

I looked repeatedly over my shoulder at the passing
cars, worried that one of them might be Alexi’s henchman. When one
slowed down and turned off onto the shoulder, I stood up and walked
toward Hannah, still on her backside with her hands propped behind
her.

She kicked dirt and pebbles at me as I came closer.
“Get away from me, you monster!”

“Hannah, we have to go. This isn’t safe,” I urged,
my hand outstretched. I glanced back at the car now stopped just a
few yards ahead of Hannah’s BMW.

“Your lovely Jill would be so fucking proud of
you!”

At the mention of Jill’s name, rage filtered through
me, and I snapped. I was on her in an instant, pulling her to her
feet by her elbows, dragging her face to within an inch of my own.
I gave her a sharp jolt.

“I would think knowing personally what a dangerous
monster I really am would keep you from further pissing me off! Now
get back into the goddamn car!”

Her eyes were wide with fear, but her lips were
pressed together in anger. We stared each other in the eye for
several moments before I released her and stepped back.

Sweat slicked my forehead, and my hands shook at my
sides. I moved away and held out my arm, directing Hannah back to
the car. She glared at me and brushed by without saying another
word. I followed closely behind her, motioning to our audience that
everything was fine. A man and a woman sat inside, their eyes
bewildered and glued to my face. I’m sure my expression was enough
to keep them inside their vehicle, but I didn’t want to test the
point. I feared they might have the urge to call the state patrol.
Hannah and I got back into the car and I pulled onto the highway.
We drove in silence for a good twenty minutes.

“We’re stopping as soon as I can find a motel and
store,” I announced.

She didn’t respond. She sat in stony silence, never
even glancing my way. I was relieved when the Columbia River Gorge
rose up before us ninety minutes later. Biggs, Oregon, a town so
small it was hardly worth a blip on the map, rose up on the far
side of a windswept bridge. I pulled into a motel parking lot
heavily populated with semi-trucks. I stopped in front of the
office, keeping the car and Hannah within sight as I checked in.
The desk clerk stood up straight and pulled a burning cigarette
from between his lips. He waved his hand in front of his face to
clear the smoke and smiled a yellow-toothed greeting.

“Evenin’,” he said. “What can I do for ya?”

“One room, two beds, if you have it.”

He shook his head and the long thread of ashes at
the end of his cigarette dropped onto the counter. “Sorry, buddy,
only got a single queen left.” He swept the ashes away onto the
floor then tipped his chin toward the front door. “There’s an event
across the river tomorrow at the museum, and them windsurfers got
some kinda’ race or somethin'. We’re almost full up.”

I balled my hand into a fist. Hannah would no doubt
believe I somehow plotted against her. I turned my head and spied
her through the glass. Her eyes were trained on me in concentrated
focus. Keeping my emotions in check, I doled out some cash and slid
it across the scarred countertop.

“Whatever. The farthest room available then. Ground
floor.”

“I need a credit card for the security deposit.”

I tossed Hannah’s card across the desk. “Here, but
don’t run it through until I see you in the morning.”

He nodded and passed me the paperwork to sign before
handing me a key. I drove around to the room, relieved to see that
it was not easily visible from the highway a hundred yards away. I
opened the door and waited for Hannah to enter first, calculating
her inevitable reaction.

She stopped short and whipped around to face me.
“One bed? Really?” she said with her teeth clenched together.

“Sorry, it’s all they had.” I threw the bag of food
on the table. “Don’t worry. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

I didn’t imagine for one minute that I would be
sleeping at all, let alone on the floor, but I needed to reassure
her I wouldn’t be the big, bad monster again. She turned away in a
huff and settled on the edge of the bed, her knees twitching back
and forth.

“I’m going to walk over to the market across the
road,” I said. “I’ll pick up stuff to eat for tonight and something
for the morning. Is there anything in particular you’d like?”

Though I was trying my damnedest to be polite, she
just shook her head, not even bothering to look my way. That
irritated me, probably because I needed a drink, but still, she
could have at least acknowledged my effort.

“
Fine,” I said. “Keep the door
locked, your ass inside, and don’t do anything stupid.
Understood?”

I said this as much as a warning as to get under her
skin. She snapped her head toward me and threw me a scathing look.
I grinned and turned away, slamming the door closed behind me.

I breathed in deeply on my way to the market in an
effort to cool my simmering temper. God, but she had a way of
getting to me. I berated myself, knowing it was my own fault. I had
put her in the position of having to defend herself. What else
could I expect?

“I am such an ass,” I said aloud as I entered the
store, caught up in my own thoughts.

A woman chuckled as she passed by on her way out. I
glanced at her over my shoulder, embarrassed. She turned and walked
backwards away from me with a flirtatious smile spread across her
face. I ducked in and behind the store shelves to avoid her
lingering stare.

I moved around the store and selected an array of
snacks to share with Hannah. The sale of hard alcohol in Oregon was
strictly controlled by the government. Luckily, the one store in
town was licensed to sell. I perused the liquor, selecting what I
knew would get me through the night while not altering my mood too
much. Tequila was definitely out, so I chose vodka and a six-pack
of beer to chase it down. I paid for my purchases with Hannah’s
cash. On the way back to the room, I dialed Nick’s cell to see if
he had made any progress. The call was picked up after only one
ring.

“Tyler, my friend, we have all been waiting
anxiously for you to call.”

I stopped dead in my tracks just outside the motel
room door, my heart lodged high up in my throat.

“Alexi? What the hell are you doing with Nick’s
phone? Where’s my brother?”

“Oh, why the rush? It has been longer than expected
since we last spoke, has it not?” he asked, his meaning
implicit.

“Where’s Nick?”

“Ah, not to worry. He is out with some of my boys,
handling a few errands. You know how it is, do you not?”

“No, actually, I don’t. Why do you have his
phone?”

As Alexi laughed, I pictured the same pompous grin
he always wore. Hannah poked her head out from behind the window
curtains and looked at me questioningly. She opened the door with
the same expression. I walked through with my finger pressed to my
lips, requesting silence.

“Tyler, as you may already know, Nick has been
trying quite valiantly to arbitrate our deal, the one we shook
hands on weeks ago, the same one I told you could
not
be
renegotiated.” Agitation crept into his usually calm voice. “You
know Dmitri has promised the merchandise to a very important
client, one who has already paid us, and rather handsomely. I was
quite pleased to see Nick return, but disappointed when he said you
were…delayed. You could have easily delivered the girl by now, yet
you make us all wait in anticipation.” He paused and sighed
impatiently. “So I feel you might need some…reinforcement, so to
speak, to compel you to complete our transaction.”