Chapter 10

Laying the Queen of Hearts on top of the King of Spades, Ethan barely glanced up from his game of Solitaire when Johnny sat down across from him in the Haunted Star's office.

"Still not open for business I see." Johnny said, tucking his leather gloves into his jacket pocket and leaning across the desk to nab the flask lying next to Ethan's forearm.

"Nah, Tracy is still insisting that these ridiculous renovations are necessary." Ethan replied, tossing a red three down on a black four. "Personally I thought the Star looked good before. But you know how Tracy is once she gets an idea in her head, and hell…even Luke seems to think it's a good idea. So, in the meanwhile I'm surrounded by construction equipment and all kinds of noise at ungodly hours…what kind of maniac wants to start the day at 6am? I swear mate, if I never hear the sound of a drill again, it'll be too soon."

Johnny laughed, and then grimaced after taking a quick swig and recapping the flask. "Well, I did offer to help you find other accommodations. Why you want to live here is beyond me."

Ethan caught the flask mid-air as Johnny tossed it back to him, laid it back down before picking another card from the top of the deck and scanning the spread of cards before him.

"I happen to enjoy my cabin, thank you very much. Besides, it's actually quite swanky…Tracy had it remodeled a few years back when she and Luke were having a bit of a scrap. You remember, she tossed him out of the Quartermain mansion, and then moved in here herself, to make sure he was well and truly miserable."

"Hmmmm, and then they reconciled right, and took a trip to Paris if I'm not mistaken."

"Correct…dear old dad and my dear stepmother have been happily driving each other mad at the Quartermain mansion ever since. As the Star's Manager, I get first dibbs on the room...which has been great until recently…bloody right mess out there with all those exposed wires and equipment. But we both know you didn't come here to discuss what type of wood the new bar is gonna be made of, or my living accommodations."

"True enough. I came to talk to you about Kristina."

"I figured as much. I suppose I don't need to tell you that something is off about that bloke she introduced us to?" Ethan murmured, before tossing a black nine down over the ten of diamonds.

"Hardly. I don't trust him, and I know you were probably getting the same vibe that I was last night. He's trouble, and whatever it is that he's gotten her into, she's in it up to her pretty little neck." Johnny sighed and eyed Ethan speculatively. Anyone who didn't know him would think that he didn't give a damn about the topic they were discussing; Johnny knew better. "Did you notice how quick she was to stuff that manila envelope into her purse?"

"Hard not to notice; they were both lying through their teeth, but it's hard to tell about what exactly. Something was off with just about everything they said. Hard to pin it down, but I can tell you one thing. The Russian is bad news; I've know scam artists, gamblers, killers…you name it and I've come across it. This guy, he's not someone I'd wanna bump into in a dark alley." Ethan scowled at the cards, and began gathering and re-shuffling them.

Johnny scowled at him and kicked the desk. "Could you stop playing around with those and pay attention. What are we gonna do about this?"

Ethan glanced up and quirked an eyebrow, still shuffling the cards. "Do? Why would we do anything? If she needs help she can just run to daddy or Jason, hell…even Nikolas. Notice how she didn't ask for our help. Generally a good indication that it's not wanted."

"Don't try to feed me that crap. She's our friend, and you're just as worried as I am!"

Ethan scoffed. "No, you're her friend…I'm just your associate, remember."

"Don't be a jerk. Look, I don't know what happened between the two of your five years ago, and I've never asked-"

"Which I appreciate."

"However, that doesn't change the fact that you two were great friends for a really long time. Whatever it was can't have negated everything that came before."

Ethan said nothing, redistributing the cards across the table in front of him.

"Dammit Ethan! What the hell is wrong with you? She's in real trouble, and we both know it!" Johnny stood and reached down to snatch the cards from Ethan's hand, glaring at him

Ethan settled back in the desk chair, reached for the flask, took a quick sip, and then placed it in the drawer. "If you're that worried, make some inquires."

"I already have, I'd like you to do the same."

Ethan shrugged, "Sure mate. I'll make some calls this evening; it's no skin off my nose. However I doubt my associates would be running in the same circles as the likes of Aleksandr Sokolov…if that's his real name. Look Johnny, if you're that worried about her, you should talk to Jason. He can take the matter right off your hands. After all, he's her brother in law, and Sam won't want anything happening to her baby sister."

Johnny just stared down at his longtime friend and partner. "You expect me to believe this blasé attitude of yours? What the hell did happen back then, time was you'd have walked into all kinds of trouble for this girl."

"I'm not talking about that, so just don't worry about it; and you know me, I don't want anything bad to happen to her, but it's really none of my business."

Johnny shook his head and tossed the cards back down in front of Ethan. "When you're ready to stop being such an ass, let me know. Call me once you reach your 'associates' and let me know if anything turns up."

"Aye aye", Ethan said tossing a mock salute at Johnny as he exited the office. When the door slammed shut, Ethan closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation. Then he picked up his cell phone and hit redial.

"Hey mate. It's Ethan again; yeah I know I only called you a few hours ago, but just wanted to check with you and see if you'd run across any information on this Sokolov bastard yet. Goes by both Aleksandr and Sasha…no, like I said Aleksandr…A-L-E-K-S-A-N-D-R." he snapped, scowling down at the cards spread messily across the desk; he reached down, grabbed the King of Spades, and began ripping it into several pieces.

Just what has Krissy gotten herself into now…and why the bloody hell couldn't he make himself stay out of it?