Moth(55)

With a watchful guard on the upstairs bedroom door, I unzip the bag and reach inside to pull out the small safe. It’s a standard issue box, but it’s going to take some tools to get into. It’s a good thing I’m trained in such operations.

I take it into the kitchen and start opening drawers trying to find two objects tiny enough to infiltrate the locking mechanism. After I have something I think will work, I put my ear close to the hole and begin the tedious task of fishing around.

That’s when I hear the floor creaking behind me. I turn to see her standing halfway down the stairs. Her worried stare lets me know I’m in deep shit.

I stand up straight, in all my naked glory, and prepare to be ordered away. I’ve snooped and ruined the trust she has for me. I’ve damaged the relationship and there’s no going back from it.

She saunters into the room and takes the box away from me. “Next time ask.”

I keep my arms folded. “You won’t tell me everything and I’m scared shitless for you. Put yourself in my shoes. What would you do?”

She shrugs, but it’s obvious she’s not forgiving. “Probably the same, but that’s beside the fact.”

It’s very hard to focus when she’s still in nothing but a lace thong. I don’t even remember her putting them on so it must have just occurred. “I’m sorry. It’s just, well you’re obviously hiding something from me. I think I’ve proven my loyalty. What’s in the box? Is this the reason people are coming after you? Did you steal something of importance?”

She’s frowning and shaking her head while keeping a tight hold on the safe. “It’s my dad’s ashes, and a few other precious heirlooms. It’s all I have left of them so I didn’t want to leave it behind.”

My stomach knots up and I’m torn between believing her or calling her out. “Seriously?”

“Yes. My dad was involved with the wrong people. He thought he was doing the right thing for our family. He brought us to America to have a better life, but the people he worked for sent him to an early grave. I didn’t have the money for a proper funeral when I was a teenager. His ashes were all I managed to get back.” As she speaks I can hear the sadness radiating off her words. At least some of this story is true and I feel terrible for causing her to question whether she can trust me or not. I’m unable to consider this could be her best fabrication yet, because she’s sincere. The pain she suffered is showing in the way she’s holding her body. I feel sad for her, so I take a step closer and open my arms as a peace offering.

“I’m so sorry, Nina. I shouldn’t have snooped.”

She falls against me, a few sniffles still escaping her. “It’s okay. I can’t imagine what you must be thinking. I didn’t steal anything. They’re after me because of what I know. They’re after me because I want to end them and everything they represent.”

“Who? What are you talking about?”

She leads me over to the couch and we sit down facing one another. Nina wipes her tears away, sits the safe down on the table beside her, and takes a deep breath before continuing. “The less you know the safer you’ll be, but it’s only fair you know a little bit of why I need to lay low. The people I’m working for, the ones at the pharmaceutical company, they’re not just scientists looking to manufacture medicine to help people. They’re working to develop a synthetic strain of illegal narcotics that will lead them to take all control over distribution throughout the world. They’ll have the benefit of mass production with enough impact to ship it all around without detection from dogs and other border protocols.”

This is the breakthrough I’ve been working for, but the news of her being involved is just as shocking. I want to fetch my phone and let the guys know we’re on the right track, but it’s not the time to break this woman down worse than I already have. I’m decent enough to know she needs time to figure what to do next. Her life is in danger because she’s tried to stop these people. It’s up to me to protect her by any means possible, even if it requires me to continue being Monty Theroit for a little while longer. “How? How did you find this out?”

“My brother was one of the people who helped them get the business moved to Richmond. He was their employee. The man he worked for wanted to be able to manufacture his heroin in every country without the fear of it being seized, so they created the company as a front and opened facilities in several other countries, as well as the one in Richmond. They produce enough legal medications to make it look legit. Once it happens there’s no telling what will happen. No one knows any better.”

I want to tell her we’ve been trying to figure out how Alizar has been doing this for years, and now she’s helping us get closer to this guy. I want to smile, because I know I can nail that motherf*cker to his casket and bury his ass, but I can’t lead on that I’m excited. “What happened to your dad?”

“My dad is the reason Nico got into this mess in the first place. We came to the states in the nineties. My dad worked several jobs to put a roof over our heads and food on the table. When his mother became ill most of his money went to her healthcare. After she died he became an alcoholic. He couldn’t take it anymore. All that remained of him was this shell no one could seem to get through. He shot himself when I was fifteen years old. Nico and I were put into foster care. I was taken in and adopted by a nice family, but he bounced around from place to place. By the time he became of age he was in a gang and committing crimes like crazy. I could see him going down the same path as my father.” She’s starting to lose it. I take her hand as she continues explaining. “He went to jail a couple of times, and while he was inside he got connected with a more notorious group of individuals. When he was released he went to work for them, smuggling and distributing in Richmond. We lost touch for a long time after that. I continued on to college and managed to get a good job. Two years ago I came to visit him from Washington, D.C. He told me he was in trouble and if anything happened to him it had something to do with the company he worked for. That’s what brought me to Virginia.”