Chapter 24: The morning: Making plans

CHAPTER 24

MIKI

THE MORNING – MAKING PLANS

M ovement woke me as Eilidh slipped out of my arms.

"Sweetheart, where are you going?" I asked, trying to shake the last remnants of sleep as I sat up.

"For a pee!" she cried, giggling as she ran to the toilet.

My cock was already hard from having been pressed against her all night, and the sexy sound of her giggle went straight to my loins. Fuck!

Down, boy! Not here! I told it as I climbed out of bed and stretched.

When Eilidh returned, I grabbed her and gave her a long, lingering kiss. My cock might not be about to get any action, but my tongue hadn't got the memo.

A feminine chuckle alerted me to the fact we were no longer alone, and I reluctantly broke off the kiss. Vlad stood in the doorway with a young woman carrying a tray of food. He smirked at me as I helped Eilidh back onto the bed so she could eat her breakfast.

"I'll nip downstairs and get us something," Vlad told me.

"Can I get you anything, Eilidh?" he asked.

"No, thank you," she said, looking shocked that he bothered to ask her.

He nodded and turned to leave.

"Actually, a latte would be nice. If that's okay?" she called after him.

"No problem. I'll get you a strong one. You're going to need to develop a strong coffee habit if you are going to put up with Miki," he said, winking at her.

I huffed in annoyance as he left, but the grin she sent him secretly warmed me. In his own way, Vlad just let us know he expected her to stick around, and that he approved.

As his pakhan I didn't need his approval, he was loyal, and I knew he would follow me no matter what, even if he disagreed with me, but as a friend and someone I considered family, I enjoyed having his approval, nevertheless.

A few minutes later, the two uniformed officers who'd taken our statements stopped by again to check on Eilidh before they finished their shift and brought disturbing news. Martin Johnson's police warrant card was found partially burnt in the hallway of Eilidh's house. Other uniformed officers had gone to his home to question him, but he wasn't there, and he had failed to turn up at work this morning.

That cocky bastard had been the one who tried to kill my woman. And now he was on the run. Fuck, I should have given in to the urge to strangle him while I could.

Damn it to hell! Well, he'd get what was coming to him. I'd bloody well make sure of it!

It was early afternoon when the doctor discharged Eilidh from the hospital, and I took her back to my hotel.

We'd discussed it and she'd agreed staying with me was the best thing for her right now, especially with Johnson being missing.

That solved one of her issues. Next, we needed to tackle her lack of clothing.

She was wearing the pyjamas and slippers Vlad had bought at the hospital shop, but we needed to get her some proper clothes. Not that having my Little Miss Red naked and in my suite would be a problem for me, but I suspected it might be for her. So, I asked the receptionist to call a local department store and arrange for one of their personal shoppers to contact us.

As soon as we were in the suite, Eilidh turned on her phone and she saw all the missed calls and my voicemail. Her eyebrows raised in question as she listened to my frantic message.

"I'll explain after we eat," I told her.

As we ate the sandwiches I'd ordered from room service, the personal shopper called. I told her what was needed then sent her Eilidh's measurements and a picture.

"How am I going to pay for this?" my Little Miss Red asked, sounding worried when I finished explaining to the shopper what was required.

"You're not. I am," I told her as I took another bite.

"Erm, no. You can't buy me an entire wardrobe," Eilidh stated incredulously.

"Hmm hmm," I said around a mouth full of sandwich. Of course, I was buying them.

"Erm, no you can't," she said, sounding frustrated.

"Can and I will," I mumbled between bites, and tried to keep from smirking. God, she was sexy when she was all riled up.

Of course, she was sexy all the time, I thought as I took in how she sat glaring at me with her hands on her hips.

When I said nothing and just continued to finish my sandwich, she huffed out a breath.

"You're infuriating!"

With a wink, I grinned at her. I'd been told that a lot. Especially by my siblings. I was used to getting my way, so she'd need to get used to that.

"Okay, I tell you what. You can loan me the money until I get a payment through from the insurance company. Then I'm paying you back." She stated like it was a done deal.

Smiling in amusement, I let her think she'd won the argument.

There was no way I would accept the money back, but she didn't need to know that right now. My woman was independent, so getting used to being looked after would take her some time. However, I intended to ensure that she was thoroughly looked after in every way so she would indeed get used to it.

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," I said before pulling her off her seat and on to my lap.

After a long and extremely enjoyable kiss, I stood up and set her on her feet.

As much as I wanted to continue kissing her, and a lot more, we had stuff to do before I could indulge myself.

My unruly cock jerked in protest, but I ignored him. There'd be time for him to have his fun later.

"Go call your insurance company and then we will talk about everything else," I said, patting her bum as she took her phone and headed to the sofa.

Looking over her shoulder, she threw me a saucy wink and emphasised her wiggle.

I laughed at her antics. It was good to hear the sound. I didn't laugh as much as I would like to these days because the pressures of my responsibilities weighed me down. Eilidh's mere presence lightened my world, and I loved her for it.

As Eilidh talked with her insurance company, I went to speak with Marko, who'd moved into the suite next door with Vlad and our other guys so I could be alone with Eilidh in ours.

A short while later, I returned to our rooms filled with anticipation. My plan was coming together, and it was time to involve my Little Miss Red.

She was just hanging up on a call when I entered.

"Did you get everything sorted out?" I asked.

"Yes, it will take a while for the claim to go through, but they didn't foresee any problems. I also called the bank. They will issue me with a new card and arrange for me to get some emergency cash," she said, smiling when I wrapped my arms around her.

"Good. Well, let me know if you need my help with anything," I said, leading her over to the sofa.

"It's time to talk, sweetheart."

Settling into the seat with my arm around her shoulders, I told Eilidh everything Marko had learned about Mathieson's involvement in human trafficking, and how he was the actual leader behind the Thomas gang.

That knowledge was as much of a shock to her as it had been for us.

We also discussed what she'd found and my belief that each of the corrupt bastards were keeping files on the others, as none of them really trusted each other. There was no loyalty between their kind, and that made them unpredictable, but it also meant they could be used against one another if needed. However, it looked like we'd be able to take all the bastards down together, and that was the plan.

The informant from the Thomas gang had told me their next batch of trafficked girls would be due in four days at an old factory in the Govan area of Glasgow. Some girls would be selected to remain in Scotland, and the others would be split up and sent elsewhere.

Apparently, during the handover, Mathieson himself would be there to inspect the cargo along with the four corrupt officers from the CID.

"Bloody pigs!" Eilidh exclaimed.

"I can't believe anyone could treat another human being like property to be bought and sold," she said, shaking her head in disgust.

"I agree."

"Do you think Martin will be there, even though he's in hiding now?" she asked.

"Yes, human trafficking was a lucrative business, and I doubt he will want to miss out on his share of the proceeds. Especially now that he's on the run and will probably need all the money he can get," I replied.

Even if Johnson was planning to leave the country, which I expected him to do, I imagined the cocky bastard would likely stick around to exploit one last opportunity to make some money.

My Cousin Viktor in New York had a friend who gave him the details of an Interpol officer who wasn't corrupt, and I intended to use him to create a sting operation. With Eilidh's colleagues taking part in the trafficking and hopefully Mathieson there too, they could all be caught in the one trap.

"And you trust this Interpol officer?" Eilidh asked, chewing on her lip.

"My cousin vouched for him, so yes, I do."

She nodded.

"So, the plan is to involve Interpol, get them to arrange a sting to intercept a human trafficking handover, and in the process, catch the Thomas gang, Mathieson, and Roy and the others red-handed?" Eilidh asked as she summarised things.

"Yes."

My sexy detective grinned.

"And on top of that, we get to stop a major human trafficking ring?" Eilidh asked, sounding impressed.

"We do," I confirmed, grinning back.

"Brilliant plan," she said, beaming at me, and I couldn't stop my chest from puffing up a bit at her approval.

Stopping a human trafficking gang was definitely a tremendous bonus. However, the icing on the cake was that by taking out one of Jim MacArthur's biggest rivals and thus removing a thorn from his side, he would owe me, and that would be a benefit during our future negotiations.

After Interpol had caught the traffickers, they would investigate everyone involved further. Homes and offices would be searched, and all the other evidence of their crimes would be uncovered. Including the murder of Eilidh's dad and Timmy Neilson. Everyone involved would then go to jail for a very long time after that.

Or that's what I told Eilidh, anyway. What I didn't tell her was that they could all go to jail for all I cared except for Mathieson. He was mine.

Oh, and that bastard Johnson! I reminded myself. I wanted him too.

The exact details of how I would grab them were still being worked out, but basically I would do it during the chaos caused when Interpol arrived.

When summarised, the plan sounded simple. However, these things rarely were. Nevertheless, I'd do everything I could to ensure it was.

The two guys with us, Boris and Akim, who were tailing Mathieson, would continue to do so to ensure that he did indeed go to the handover. If he changed his mind, we would need to be ready to grab him elsewhere.

My best friend Luca was driving up from London to join us, so he could help.

At the time of the operation, Eilidh would stay here with Marko and me where we could ensure her safety. Vlad and Luca would go to the handover site and grab Mathieson and Johnson, and they would then take them directly back to London to be kept at the C until I got home.

Marko had already contacted the Interpol officer anonymously and started the ball rolling.

As Bratva, the least involvement we had, the better. However, like my father before me, I was aware of how much easier it was to let others do my dirty work and get rid of my enemies when possible. Especially when those enemies were people whose disappearance or murder would draw too much unwanted attention.

That was why getting Interpol to deal with this for us was an ideal solution.

My brother had also hacked the phones of Eilidh's colleagues, and Vlad had placed trackers on their cars so we could monitor them until the operation took place.

So, the plan had been set in motion and all that was left was to finalise the intricacies.

Once we'd finished discussing what was in place so far, Eilidh's questioning of the night before began. Just as I'd suspected it would.

My Little Miss Red had stood up part of the way through her interrogation and now paced the floor. The pinched expression and annoyance in her eyes told me she was not amused by my actions.

"So, you're telling me you have been tracking my car, watching my home and had men trailing my every move, since you came to my home the other night?" she asked when I'd answered all her questions.

Holding my hands up in a placating gesture, I shrugged.

"Well, yes. But in my defence, I needed to ensure your safety," I said with a sheepish grin.

"Harrumph!" was the only response as she continued her pacing again.

Eilidh's fists opened and closed at her sides, and she mumbled under her breath.

I opened my mouth to placate her further, but then thought better of it. Instead, I kept my lips clamped firmly shut and let her work through her feelings over my intrusion into her life in her own time.

After a while, Eilidh turned to me, narrowed her eyes, and glared, then resumed her pacing once more.

Oh dear.

She really was pissed.

Mentally crossing my fingers, I hoped my Little Miss Red would get over it soon and realise that if I hadn't taken such liberties, she'd be dead right now.

Just as I thought that, she stopped, took a deep breath, and turned to face me again.

"Miki, I'm not happy that you did that. I don't like you spying on me, but I guess I should be grateful that you did," she sighed heavily.

"Just promise me you won't do it again," she stated more firmly this time.

Standing, I walked towards her and took her into my arms.

"I can't promise you that and I will not apologise for it. Eilidh, you are important to me, and I will always do whatever it takes to keep you safe. You might not like that, but you need to accept it because that is how it is. My life is filled with danger and if you remain with me, then so will yours be, but trust me when I say I will die before I ever let anything happen to you," I told her truthfully.

Eilidh was in danger now, but she had to understand that being with me held an element of danger too, and so she would need to get used to being protected.

As she stared into my eyes, I held my breath and prayed she would accept my words.

I hadn't told her I was Bratva yet. That conversation was for another time, but she knew I was a criminal, and that life came with danger.

Eventually, she nodded her head, and I let out a relieved breath.

Thank god! We were one step closer to her, accepting me altogether.

Leaning down, I tilted her head up to me and captured her mouth. My 6 step plan to seduce my sexy detective was well under way and I would do everything I could to make sure step 6 came sooner rather than later.

Things were getting heated when Vlad came in and spoiled things as usual. That was becoming a habit, and I glared at him. He simply smirked and reminded me we had a meeting to get to.

Damn! Being a pakhan was a pain in the arse at times.