She knew her superiors were as frustrated with her as she was with Borin, but there was no way she could ask him point blank. All she could do was pass on all intel, hoping that at some point she’d get lucky and he’d say something.
She also had another big problem: she was pregnant, and she didn’t know what to do. She knew Alexei didn’t have any children. What would he say if she told him? She was only four weeks along, but she knew that, at some point, she would have to tell him. She could get an abortion, but she knew that word would get back to him. She supposed she could tell him and see how he reacted. She wanted to keep the baby. If it was a boy, she would name him Gregg, her one and only true love, childish though it was. She didn’t want to be tied to Borin.
She looked at the clock and sighed heavily. He would be over shortly. She’d already bathed and perfumed up – he liked her squeaky clean. A fastidious man. It would be tricky, telling him she was pregnant. If he were to get angry, he could drop her and that would end the likelihood of her ever gathering any more intel.
Perhaps she would wait a while longer. she didn’t think she would start showing for a couple more months. She hoped. It was a delicate balance.
Kalvin and Mikey sat in Kalvin’s truck, waiting. They were on a job. He’d heard that the house had some huge TVs, really nice flat screens, and that the home owners weren’t around for a few days. Kalvin had let Mikey know, calling him on the burner phone, and he’d been hot to go for it.
He was worried. He’d heard Mikey bragging about Julia, that he’d kept her a couple days. He’d never done that before. He’d also let slip that he’d kept her handcuffed. Mikey was getting out of control. It wasn’t up to Kalvin to monitor Mikey, but letting him spiral wasn’t an option.
“Mikey, I wanted to talk to you, you know, about you and your ladies. Dude, I don’t care what you do, but I think maybe you might be going too far.”
Mikey looked at Kalvin. He smiled, but it didn’t go to his eyes. It was dark out, but the moon was shining on Mikey’s face. Kalvin knew Mikey was pissed, but he had to say it. He didn’t want to be an accessory to murder or a serial killer.
“Look, Mikey. I’ve known you all my life. You’re starting to escalate and I’m just worried you’ll get mixed up into something that you won’t be able to talk yourself out of. Your business is your business. I don’t want to overstep. Just sayin’.”
Mikey let out a long, low breath. He looked out the window at the house they were going to rob. He was quiet for a long moment. He didn’t look back at Kalvin. “I hear ya, yeah, I guess I might be a little over the line. You’ll not hear any more about it. Will that do?”
Kalvin knew better. Not hearing about it didn’t mean he’d stop, but he’d keep it quieter. Kalvin figured one of these days he’d see something in the newspapers about some poor girl gone missing or found dead. He’d done what he could.
“Okay, let’s go see what we can find,” Kalvin said, getting his mind back on business.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The outdoor oven was coming along nicely. Sayer had come by early to make a start. Pike had gathered in the supplies over several weeks, not wanting to spend a lot of money at one time. Though he was making it fine paycheck to paycheck, the modifications to the cabin and property were putting a strain on their wallets. Pike wanted to be cautious with their money and not overspend.
He and Margo footed most of the bills since, if nothing happened, they’d be the ones to profit. The thought of Margo made his heart skip. They’d become intimate over the last few weeks. He’d even gone so far as to move into her bedroom, the master suite. They were still a little shy, but it was building and becoming more powerful. He was also looking for an engagement ring.
He knew he was probably rushing it, but he thought perhaps he’d get the ring now and then, when he felt the time was right, ask her to marry him. He wasn’t in a hurry per se, but he did love her and wanted her to be his. He was old-fashioned that way.
He’d seen Joy’s smiles and had blushed badly. Sayer had slapped him on the back. “You two make a great team and an even better couple. I’m happy for you, man.”
Now he and Sayer were sitting in the camp chairs drinking beer. “I was trying to think about what we can do for perimeter early warning systems,” Pike said, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“Well, we can use fishing line with some kind of small explosive device but if a deer trips it, or you or Margo, that won’t be any fun. Plus, if a neighbor sets it off, then you might be looking at a lawsuit. But post-apocalyptic, all bets are off.” Sayer laughed, looking over at the women, who were working in the garden. He nodded at them. “They sure are working hard.”
“Yeah. Margo wants to get the garden ready for planting. Some of the seedlings are getting really big, so will need transplanting soon. It is really warming up this spring. I even had to shave my beard.” He laughed, his hand going to his freshly shaved face. “I also went dumpster diving and got quite a few windows that had been thrown out at a building site. They’re in the barn now. I’m planning on building Margo a greenhouse from them. The seedlings are starting to take over the house. I got a couple designs off the internet, so I’m just trying to figure out what is the best way to go.”
“Something simple and straightforward, I’d say. We can come up on the weekends to help weed and take care of it. You guys shouldn’t have it all on your shoulders,” Sayer suggested.
“Sounds good. She’s planning on a huge garden. I think we’ll be eating good. Especially if everything grows well,” Pike said, taking another sip.
They had started vegetable seeds in February and set them by the large living room window that caught the southern sun. It was usually Binx’s spot, but he’d been usurped by the metal shelving unit that held all the seedlings. They’d used the worm casting and the seedlings had shot up.
They carefully rolled the rack out on warm sunny days, like today. It was sixty-six out and quite pleasant. It had been a relatively mild winter, so they’d wanted to start as soon as possible. Both were excited, and measured the seedlings each morning.
“Well, this ain’t gettin' it done,” Sayer said, and got up and returned to the oven.
Pike went over to the garden. “What do you think, Joy? Think we can grow some veggies here?”
“I’d say. Between the chicken poo and those worms you planted last year, this soil is rich and should produce a bumper crop of whatever you decide to grow. I was telling Margo she might want to start another set of seeds, extend her growing season and get more out of this summer.”
“I think that’s a great idea. I had planned that I’d staggered the garden by three weeks, but I might as well start another set now. Once we’re finished out here, we’ll go in and start setting up more seeds. That rack is going to be almost impossible to move,” Margo laughed.
“Maybe I should get started on that greenhouse sooner than later,” Pike said, going over to kiss Margo on the cheek. “I’ll swing by the hardware store once we’re finished with the brick oven and pick up another rack. We can put them side by side.” He headed back to Sayer, who was mixing up more mortar.
Alexei Borin stood in front of the mirror, readjusting his tie. He was in a celebratory mood and smiled at his reflection, a smug, self-satisfied smile.
Dina watched his face closely from her vantage point on the bed. “Alexei, darling, you look as the cat does when he’s found a mouse.”