A flash of movement warned me as Karagiani shifted his stance. I had no idea what I intended to do before, but he didn’t give me time to consider any of them. I twisted, caught his forearm as he went to seize me and pushed him past me.
Using his momentum, I pivoted on my heel. There was a stutter of disbelief on his face as he went past me. I didn't have to do another damn thing because Ezra was just on him. He pummeled Karagiani with a series of blows. His fists struck with meaty force and blood spattered me from a cut that opened on Karagiani’s face.
Ezra charged him in the middle and half-picked him up as he slammed him into a table. Something shattered and there was a crack in the wall. Fists clasped together Karagiani drove both down to hit Ezra in the back.
My baton was already out but I needn’t have bothered. Milo caught the next swing of Karagiani’s fists and he wrenched his left arm down and back. Ezra took advantage of the distraction and slammed his fist into the man’s stomach until he doubled over.
Then the bastard staggered Ezra with a blow from his foot right to the center of his chest. I half-caught him as he fell backwards and then slid around him and used the space to strike the baton against Karagiani’s knee as he pulled it back for another blow.
The head butt he gave Milo had no effect, he kept twisting Karagiani’s arm until the man actually let out a scream. Then he pushed it further. The sickening crack of bone echoed into the silence and Milo used the force and the pain to put Karagiani on his knees.
Ezra started forward again, blood in his eyes. Milo shook his head once, I put up an arm to block him. My purse was somewhere on the floor and I had the baton in my right hand.
“I want answers,” I said before Ezra could begin beating the man again. “We need them.”
“We need to secure him,” Milo said, not that he seemed to have any struggle keeping Karagiani on his knees. Pretty Boy’s expression arrested me, however, his glower at the man he held couldn’t shake the worry and the pain in his eyes whenever he glanced at Em…
Fuck. Em.
I pivoted to where she now stood. There was no hiding the violent trembling as she fumbled with what to do with her arms. I collapsed the baton and slid it into the inner pocket of my jacket.
“Em… come on, we’re gonna go get the Zip-ties.”
When I held out my hand, she gave me a shaky look. Her pupils were enormous. “I don’t want to run away…”
“You aren’t,” I promised her. “We’re going to do this together.” Right now, she needed to be the fuck away from Karagiani. She needed to catch her breath. We needed to secure the bastard.
I needed to send messages to the guys.
Em hesitated for only a second longer, then her hand was in mine.
“We’ll be right back. Ezra, close the door. Pretty Boy, you have him?”
“Yes.” He still lifted his chin to me, with a flick of a look at his sister. I ushered her along with me. Bodhi’s office was back this way and I knew exactly where he kept the restraints there.
I had my phone in my pocket, rather than my purse, and I pulled it out as I tugged Em into the office. Two quick texts, one to Bodhi and the other to Adam.
Karagiani worked for B. Sharpe. Em at the apt. Pretty Boy restraining him. Questioning imminent.
They both read the message almost immediately and Adam’s response was as colorful as I would have expected. Bodhi’s was far more succinct.
On my way!
Lowering the phone, I turned to Em. “You don’t have to spend another moment with him.”
“I love you,” she whispered. “But I can do this.”
Away from him, some of the color had come back to her face and her pupils weren’t quite so huge. The trembling was still right there. She was also still panting. My dislike for Karagiani had magnified a thousand times over.
“I need to do this, Lainey.” That I understood so much.
“Okay.” I squeezed her hand once then let her go. “Give me a sec.”
It didn’t even take me that long to find the zip-ties. They were stored in a credenza of all things. The drawers were neatly organized to include handcuffs, zip ties, and some kind of other flex tie. There were also a variety of gags. Then the drawer next to it had several lengths of rope.
Em let out a little laugh as I turned with the zip ties in hand. “You know, I’m just going to accept that Bodhi has those like I do the guys.”
I grinned. “We get all the toys and the fun.”
Real laughter escaped her and more color came back to her face. That was better. She didn’t hesitate to follow me back out to the living room where Karagiani was sweating and glaring.
He wasn’t begging or complaining either. Ezra and Milo seemed to be in the same positions as they had been before, but Karagiani seemed to be bleeding more. His jacket was open and his gun was no longer apparent in the shoulder holster.
Em followed in my wake and she stayed near me while Milo got Karagiani secured. I didn’t know if we were going to move him from here for the interrogation, but we would need to do something.
It irked me that this happened in Bodhi’s space. His home that he’d opened to all of us. I shifted my attention to Ezra. He leaned against a chair, his posture betraying more than his pained expression.
Karagiani had kicked him in the chest.
“I’m alright, Kotyonok,” he murmured as he caught my gaze. He flattened his hand as if to tell me to stay where I was. “Really. It hurt, knocked the air out of me, that’s all.”
I glared at Karagiani. So many questions burned on my tongue.
So. Many. Questions.
Pretty Boy swept me from head to toe with a look then he glanced past me to Em. He wanted to go to his sister. Wanted to comfort her. But he wouldn’t leave Karagiani unattended.
All we had to do now was wait. First Tally. Now this. As aggravating as this discovery was, I was glad to know it before Karagiani learned anything else about us. He worked for her uncle. No one decent could work for that man.
