Chapter 23 Cracks in the Foundation
COLLIN'S POV
I sat in my office at the law firm staring at the stack of files on my desk. Each one represented a problem that needed to be dealt with and the problems were piling up faster than I could handle them.
The Volkov operation was supposed to be running smoothly but lately everything felt like it was falling apart.
My secretary knocked on the door and came in without waiting for me to answer. "Mr Volkov is here to see you," she said nervously.
I felt my jaw tighten. Dimitri showing up unannounced was never a good sign. "Send him in."
Dimitri walked in a minute later looking as cold and dangerous as always. He did not sit down just stood in front of my desk with his arms crossed.
"We have a problem," he said.
"What kind of problem?" I asked and tried to keep my voice calm.
"The shipment that was supposed to arrive last week never showed up," Dimitri said. "Someone intercepted it before it reached our warehouse."
I felt my stomach drop.
That shipment was worth millions and losing it would put us way behind schedule. "How did that happen? We had security on it the whole time."
"Someone knew the route," Dimitri said. "Someone on the inside must have talked."
"That is impossible," I said. "Everyone who knows about the routes has too much to lose to betray us."
"Then explain how a rival gang knew exactly where to hit us," Dimitri said and his voice was hard. "This is the third shipment we have lost in two months Collin. The organization is not happy."
I stood up and walked to the window. This was really bad. If the organization thought I could not handle my territory they would replace me or worse.
"Do we know which gang hit us?" I asked.
"We have some ideas," Dimitri said. "There is a biker gang that has been causing problems lately. They have been hitting our operations and asking questions about our business."
"What biker gang?" I asked even though I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
"They call themselves the Serpents," Dimitri said. "Led by some guy named Jason Cross."
I turned around sharply. "Jason Cross? Are you sure?"
"Positive," Dimitri said. "Why? Do you know him?"
I did know him. He was the brother of the guy who had tried to steal from us last year. The guy whose death I had helped cover up but Dimitri did not need to know about that connection.
"I have heard the name," I said carefully. "He has been on my radar for a while."
"Well he needs to be dealt with," Dimitri said. "And soon. The organization wants this problem taken care of before we lose any more product."
"I will handle it," I said.
"You better," Dimitri said. "Because if you cannot control your territory then we will find someone who can."
He left and I sat back down at my desk.
Jason Cross was becoming a bigger problem than I had anticipated. First, he showed up at my wedding. Then he started hitting our shipments. Now Dimitri was breathing down my neck about it.
I needed to figure out what Cross wanted and how to stop him before he cost me everything. I pulled out my phone and called one of my guys.
"I need information on Jason Cross," I said when he answered.
"Everything you can find. Where he goes, who he talks to. What he eats for breakfast, I want to know every detail of his life."
"Yes sir," the guy said. "I will get right on it."
I hung up and rubbed my temples. Between Caitlyn and her attitude problem and Jason Cross and his attacks on my business, I felt like I was being pulled in too many directions at once. Something had to give soon.
My phone rang and I answered it. It was one of the corrupt cops on my payroll.
"We have a situation," he said. "That detective who has been asking questions about you? Rourke? He just filed for a warrant to search some of your properties."
"What properties?" I demanded.
"The warehouse on Fifth Street and the office building downtown," he said. "He is claiming he has evidence of money laundering."
I felt rage building in my chest. Rourke had been a thorn in my side for years but I had always managed to stay one step ahead of him. If he got those warrants approved he might actually find something that could hurt me.
"Can you stop the warrants?" I asked.
"I am trying," the cop said. "But Rourke went to a judge who is not on our payroll. It might go through."
"Then make sure there is nothing to find," I said. "Clean out those locations before he gets there."
"Already on it," he said and hung up.
I threw my phone down on the desk and wanted to break something.
Everything was falling apart at once and I needed to regain control. I needed to stop Jason Cross. I needed to deal with Detective Rourke. I needed to make sure Caitlyn stayed in line.
There was another knock on my door and my partner from the firm came in. He looked stressed.
"We need to talk about the Martinez case," he said. "The client is getting nervous about all the attention we have been getting from law enforcement."
"Tell Martinez that everything is under control," I said even though it was not.
"Is it under control?" my partner asked. "Because from where I am sitting it looks like everything is about to blow up in our faces."
"It will be fine," I said firmly. "I have dealt with worse than this."
But as he left I wondered if that was actually true. This felt different than other times when I had been under pressure. This felt like the walls were closing in from all sides and I was running out of options.
I thought about Caitlyn and the way she had said teaching was the only thing that made her happy. That comment had been bothering me all day. Was she unhappy? Did she suspect something about my business? Or was she just being emotional because of the pregnancy?
I could not afford to have her asking questions or causing problems right now. I needed her to be focused on the baby and stay out of my way. Maybe I should increase the surveillance on her. Make sure she was not talking to anyone she should not be talking to.
My phone buzzed with a text from one of my guys watching the house.
"Mrs Hayes just left to go to the grocery store. Should I follow?"
"Yes," I texted back. "And report if she talks to anyone."
I needed to know what Caitlyn was doing at all times. I needed to make sure she was not a liability, because right now I could not afford any more problems.
Jason Cross was already causing enough trouble. If he were somehow connected to Caitlyn that would be a disaster
But how would he even know about her? Unless he had been at the wedding that day. Unless he had seen her.