Hey Joj14 it took a while but here it is ;)
Also it's almost 6 am and I have yet to sleep. Good times!
Part 33
Gail sighed as two waiters tactfully entered the private room, one swept around the table collecting the empty plates as the second topped up water and wine into each of their glasses before both disappeared as silently as they had arrived.
"Well, perhaps now we can speak of some business matters as we wait for our desserts to arrive?" Damien said as he lifted his wine glass in Holly's direction.
Gail could feel the tension radiating from her girlfriend and slipped her hand over onto her thigh but the immediate tensing of the muscle under her hand made her withdraw before Holly slapped her hand away.
"You see Anan here has just returned from a meeting with an associate of mine and besides our business arrangements he has a very personal matter that needs to be dealt with." He continued explaining. "And given your work and how you seem to have picked sides already, a good thing in my opinion, a smart thing, I like it, and Bravo here has her life on you being on our side-"
"I'm not on any side." Holly cut in quickly as she struggled not to show how badly her hands were shaking.
Damien leaned in and eyed Holly closely before gesturing with his finger, indicating the table occupants. "You are here are you not?"
Anan cleared his throat as Damien continued to stare at Holly and he couldn't tell who that was making more nervous, Holly or Gail. He coughed and that drew Damien's attention. "She can be Switzerland." He offered with a shrug. "Neutral! Not for or against."
Damien scoffed and finished his wine.
Gail took a breath and reached across to place her hand over Holly's, grateful that her touch was allowed this time even if it was probably unwanted right now. "I thought this was going to be a social dinner, meaning no business."
Damien waved his hand in Gail's direction as he turned his eyes back to Holly. "My friend's judgement may be impaired by the fact you are currently warming her bed." He ignored the doctor's appalled expression and the bright shade of red colouring Gail's cheeks. "But that seems to be at odds with another colleague of mine who seems to believe you are working with detectives in this city to see myself behind bars."
Holly sagged backwards into her chair, her head shaking in denial as her chest tightened. This was exactly what she'd been afraid of. She glanced quickly at Gail before meeting Damien Wolf's gaze. "That's not true." She insisted. "I work as a senior pathologist with the city's forensic science department." She told him with a surprisingly steady voice.
"As true as that may be, you must also understand what can happen to people I cannot trust." He purposefully flicked his gaze to the side of Holly and back again. "As a…pathologist."
Holly paled.
Gail rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on Holly's hand. "Okay enough. Point made I think."
Anan just sat there looking from one to the other with the hint of a smile on his lips.
Damien studied the woman for a moment longer letting silence settle in the room like a thick blanket. He released her gaze only when the door opened and their desserts were delivered along with another few wine bottles that were left open in the centre of their table.
He adjusted the serviette in his lap and waited until they were once again left to their privacy. "So, Ms Stewart, on to more pleasant topics, what if I informed you that a body currently in your morgue is to be reclaimed, as it were."
Anan chuckled as Gail's eyes widened.
"That's not – you can't just –"
It was Damien's turn to chuckle as he held up a hand to ward off the doctor's panicked stuttering. "Legally. This time."
Holly flinched and eyed Gail quickly but the blonde looked as surprised as she felt. Struggling with her memories of the hours spent tied up and trapped with a hood covering her head she tried to keep her breathing steady and take the question at face value without thinking too much about why Damien Wolf would need to know this.
"You would have to provide proof as next of kin." She explained slowly. "As long as there wasn't any reason to hold on to the body then the relative would be responsible for removal to a funeral home, or the equivalent depending on religious beliefs and the deceased wishes."
Gail silently cheered her girlfriend for getting through that without throwing up considering how ill she was looking. "This is such delightful dinner conversation." She muttered and pushed the fancy looking dessert in front of her further towards the centre of the table having lost what was left of her appetite. "Think I'm done."
"More for me." Anan said happily claiming her plate and sliding it next to his own which he was halfway through finished with.
Damien nodded slightly having taken in Holly's comments. "And if the next of kin was not Canadian, would that complicate matters?"
Gail scowled still lost with the whole subject and wondering what was going on with Wolf that she wasn't aware of. She caught Anan's eyes and quirked an eyebrow at him as beside her Holly went into repatriation procedures.
Anan gave her a little head tilt as if she should already know but when she just stared blankly he swallowed his mouthful and answered softly as he reached for his wine glass. "Russians."
"Oh." Gail didn't like that answer at all. She felt her gut clench at the thought of the Russian's coming back to Toronto. After the blow up at the docks Damien had Anan deliver the fee for the packages that had been supplied to them. A good will gesture Damien had called it.
Gail hadn't seen the point, not with all of them dead. Easy enough then to say the cops had the money but Damien and his boss wanted to keep things with the Russians on good terms and that meant paying for the product they had in their possession.
Which Gail wasn't that bothered about, it wasn't her money after all so what did she care if her boss paid the Russians their due or not.
With a tired sigh Gail stood up. "Well this has been fun." She said reaching for Holly's elbow and helping her to her feet as well. "But I've had about all I can stomach for one evening."
Damien narrowed his eyes at Gail but didn't respond for a moment letting them wait in tense silence before he inclined his head accepting Gail's decision to leave with Holly. He had the answer he was looking for anyway. He stood and smiled at the pair, restraining his desire to take Holly's hand just to see how his Bravo would react. "It has been a delight indeed."
Holly blinked taken aback by his casual demeanour. She still had no idea what to make of the man other than knowing he terrified her. Getting out of here was the best idea she'd heard since she'd first arrived at the restaurant. She wasn't sure what else was said but she was quickly ushered out of the room and back into the main part of the restaurant and then she was outside in the late evening glow being helped into her jacket.
"Well glad that's over, right?" Gail said trying to smile.
Holly fastened her jacket then turned to stare hard at Gail.
"I'll just…get the car." Gail muttered as she turned away from Holly to hand the ticket to the valet.
Left alone for a moment Holly tilted her head back and looked to the sky. She had no idea what to make of tonight or what further involvement with Gail would cost her. She'd stupidly believed only a few hours ago that she had sorted that out, and that she had dealt with the issue while still managing to keep her job.
Now she wasn't too sure.
If anyone in law enforcement, anyone from the media for that matter, had somehow witnessed her with Damien Wolf she'd kiss her career goodbye. All those years of hard work and tireless nights for nothing.
That, that was looking on the bright side of things because Damien Wolf had just made it crystal clear to her that if he thought she was working against him she'd end up dead, Gail too for that matter.
"You ready?" Gail asked quietly as Holly's SUV pulled up and the driver hurried over with the keys.
Holly bit her lip as she looked at Gail, really looked at her.
Gail for her part gave Holly all the time she needed. She could already feel her stomach dropping as tears gathered in Holly's eyes but she didn't dare look away.
Holly let out a little gasp as she tasted blood in her mouth. She still didn't know what to do. She knew what she should do, what she should have done long before now, but she still didn't know if she could.
She'd never doubted her own judgement before, not like this.
"I'm going to go home." She eventually told Gail as she blinked and a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks from behind her glasses. She waited for the blonde to nod before holding out her hand for the keys. "Alone. I just…I need some space."
Gail nodded sharply her eyes having already dropped. Of course Holly wanted to get away from her, who wouldn't after that dinner.
She passed the set of keys over and stood there on the sidewalk as Holly slowly got inside, gave her one last look, and then drove away.
"Miss?"
Gail snapped her head to the side to see the valet looking at her expectantly. "What?"
"Can I get you a cab?" He offered.
Gail stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets and scowled at him until he took a few steps back and left her alone.
xxxxx
Damien shook his head as the good doctor and Gail left.
"You were a bit hard on her don't you think?" Anan commented as he continued eating.
Damien shrugged feeling indifferent about it. "Maybe." He admitted but the woman was a clear distraction to the blonde and with Dieter pushing for Dr Stewart to be taken care of he might consider that reason enough for his little warning. "Maybe not. We shall see."
Just then the door opened inwards and Bear, Damien's personal bodyguard who had stood silently behind him all evening, pulled out his gun from its holster taking aim as a figure emerged into the room.
"I bring good stuff ja?" Kurt said as he held up a bottle of Whisky and shot glasses in his hands. He grinned at his boss as he sat in Gail's seat and distributed a large measure to each person, even Bear who ignored the glass and went back to his silent vigil.
Kurt swallowed down his first shot and then followed that by his second before the burn caused him to pause and shake it off. "Goods." He nodded happily with his choice of beverage. The others hadn't yet touched theirs but that was fine it was his bottle after all.
Anan watched Kurt eye the dessert he had procured from Gail and traded it for the now empty plate in front of him before tucking in. If Kurt was hungry he could go order his own.
Kurt snorted and took another drink. "So we work?" He asked looking to his boss.
Damien set his cutlery to the side and rested his arms on the table. "There is always work to do Kurt."
Anan licked his spoon. "We still have a few days before they get here." He reminded his boss.
"True but despite what Dr Stewart said I doubt very much that things will be as straight forward as she assumed." Damien explained.
"Ha, straight." Kurt said with a chuckle.
Anan sobered up thinking about his trip over to Russia. It hadn't gone smoothly then either. "You think they'll be trouble? The old man just wants his son's body back on home soil." Of course the head of the Russian mafia coming into their city was not to be underestimated, he was a very powerful man with contacts all over the world. But Anan had taken the money owed to them and conveyed Wolf's deepest condolences over what had transpired.
He'd also been careful not to get into how many of their own team had died as well that night.
Not when he was surrounded by armed men, an angry father who had lost his favourite son, and a brother whose anger wanted only revenge.
He had been in no position but to agree with anything the old man had wanted and if that meant opening their city to them in order for them to claim Mikka's body and return him for burial in their own country, then that's exactly what he would do. What his boss had told him to do.
Damien sighed and threw his head back as he downed the shot of Whisky in front of him. "If that was all then I would believe you. Perhaps." He said watching as Kurt refilled his glass. He lifted it and saluted both Kurt and Anan before drinking it down once more.
Unfortunately for Damien and maybe even Toronto, Mikka Kutzkov was next in line to take over from his father and with him dead there was no telling what would happen to the organisation and if the elder Kutzkov would be able to keep control while mourning the loss of his son. Or if Bogdan Kutzkov, Mikka's younger brother, would wrestle control away from his father and set out to get revenge for his brother's death.
It was often best to prepare for the worst, Damien thought, it was a tried a true method that had gotten him this far in life. And he liked his traditions.
No one except Bear reacted when Gail slammed the door open and dropped into the last remaining seat, the one Holly had been sat in not too long before.
"Another friend, good. We all drink!" Kurt said as he filled an empty glass and offered it to the blonde. "To Bravo's pretty lady!" He cheered before throw back his own drink.
Gail swallowed hers down with a shake of her head then swiped the bottle out of Kurt's hand and drank straight from the source.
"Hey!" Kurt shouted. "My bottle."
Gail ignored her friend as she eventually pulled the bottle from her lips and coughed a little at the burn in her throat. She glared at Anan who looked on amused by her actions. "You're an asshole." She said pointing at him with her finger before quickly turning her glare onto her boss. "And you! You're an even bigger one. Both of you, assholes!"
Kurt chuckled deciding to leave his bottle in his friend's hands for now. She obviously needed its solace more than he did.
"Did she take a cab home?" Anan had to ask Gail as his eyes twinkled, it had been a long time since he had last seen her looking this pissed about anything, and even those times, it was never over a woman. Or man for that matter. Not even her brother's harassment had bothered her this much by the look on her face.
"Fuck you." Gail snarled at him. "And she drove herself home if you must know." She said as she poured another shot of Whisky for herself and pretended not to see Kurt stealing the bottle back from her when she set it down. Didn't matter, it was almost empty anyway and besides, there was plenty more out front.
And Anita was still working out there too. She still liked Gail even if Holly couldn't have gotten away from her any quicker than she had.
Gail wasn't stupid either, she saw the look in the woman's eyes when she'd come back inside alone.
She glared at Wolf. "Happy?"
Damien gave Gail a curious look. "This life is not for the faint of heart." He explained. "It is better to know now is it not?"
"Allein ist besser als mit Schlechten im Verein: mit Guten im Verein, ist besser als allein." Kurt muttered with a nod of agreement.
Gail smacked Kurt on the head and took back the bottle. "Shut the fuck up and give me that."
She could have sex tonight if she wanted to, she didn't need Holly for that. "Right!" She muttered to herself and downed what was left in the bottle before handing it back to Kurt who gazed at it sadly.
She rolled her eyes at him and stood not sure why she'd come back inside anymore. "Well the night is still young, I'm still young, and you all can go to Hell." She proclaimed before turning and stalking out of the room.
Damien stared at the closed door for a moment then turned his eyes on Anan. "Make sure she doesn't do anything too stupid."
Anan nodded and stood before following after Gail.
Left alone Kurt eyed Damien closely, old enough to remember the bad times in Germany when it struggled with the Russian's. "We go war now?"
"Let's hope not." Damien replied diplomatically.
Kurt snorted and reached over for Bear's untouched drink. "Let's hope not." He mockingly repeated before knocking back the Whisky in the glass and setting the empty glass onto the table upside down. "Or it all goes to fucked." He replied. The Russian's might not be as strong as they once were but their ruthlessness was still unbound.
"Indeed." Damien answered feeling uncertain about Dr Stewart but for now he would leave Gail to deal with her. With Dieter still posing a problem to him and the Russian's about to invade his city he had more than enough to deal with.
He lifted his shot glass to Kurt who grinned and pulled a small flask from his jacket and quickly filled the glass with an amber liquid. "You no tell Bravo. Private stash." He winked at his boss and topped up his own glass before lifting it and knocking it against Damien's glass.
"To Switzerland, may we all live in peace." Damien said as he saluted Kurt and drank.
Kurt frowned then shrugged and drank. "Switzerland!"
xxxxx
AN/
Lack of Golly I know, but you get plot instead, sorry.
Thanks for reading!