NoWayOut

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Warning

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No Way Out

Nia K. Foxx

This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Published by

After Dark Press, LLC

Copyright
©2012 by Nia K. Foxx

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Printed in the Unites States of America

Chapter One

It could be
worse;
she surmised peeking over
the narrow ledge to the expensive granite paved walk several feet below. From the adjacent window she could hear Enrique Cortez and Alexi “The Bull” Habalov in a heated discussion. It was the
ir loud voices which first alerted her
to their approach, and
forced
Tiffany to take the only escape route available out the third story window of Alexi’s Bel Air mansion.

“I told you ther
e was something fishy about the
guy when you wanted to bring him on board,” Enrique practically yelled, his heavy Cuban accent reminding her of Ricky Ricardo. Yet, unlike Ricky this man was completely dangerous.

“Now you want to insul
t my intelligence by telling me
all of our rece
nt bad luck is just coincidence?
He’s got to be a Fed.”

“You’re
wrong;
I’ve known him since before my immigration to this country. His connections extend to the highest levels of government back home which is why I wanted to cut him in
on the action. He’s brought
some major deals to the table and I know there’s more in our future. As for our unfortunate transactions lately I agree there must be a leak somewhere. Trust me I’ll find out who and deal with the problem swiftly.”

A knot formed in Tiffany’s throat at the venom in her employer
’s voice. She didn’t doubt
he would make good on his threat. Her journalistic and survivalist instincts warred briefly before the potential threat to her safe
ty won out. She’d suspected
their recent illegal activities went far above the two men’s capabilities, but it wasn’t
confirmed until that moment
. If only they’d mentioned a name. A name would put an end to the dual life she’d led these past five months posing as one of
The Bull’s
housekeepers.

It hadn’t been easy getting the job. Hell, the man had a more thorough background check than the Pentagon. Thank
fully, she was prepared and
had put all her ducks in a row by developing an iron clad cover as a down on her luck woman just looking to make her mother’s final days in an Alzheimer’s community as comfortable as possible. She knew the assignment would be a dangerous one, but had taken it on with all the enthusiasm of on investigative reporter committed to getting her story and exposing some dangerous criminals. Tiffany just praye
d
it wasn’t her obituary that would get her notoriety. The more she learned about Alexi’s activities the more on edge she was becoming about the
potential danger or her assignment
. She’d learned that drug trafficking and money laundering were but a few of his in
volvements and was certain illegal arms’ trafficking
wasn’t a far reach.

Escape
, her brain urgently reminded her.

She could only hope
the surveillance device picked up on the men’s conversation from its haphazard placement between
two
books on a shelf. If luck we
re on her side she’d be out of T
he Bull’s house by the end of the week with enough information to topple his and Cortez’s entire empire. The men were a cancer on the city, and although she knew this wouldn’t stop the flow of drugs she hoped it would
put some key players out of circulation
. Most of the drugs peddled in Los Angeles could be linked back to one of the two mobsters. While the police and local officials chose to take the war on drugs to the streets by target
ing corner pushers she knew only
attack
s
at the source
s
would begin to make a difference. For every small time drug dealer locked
away two more popped up in their
place more ruthless than the last. Turf wars were a direct result of the newbies exerting dominance of their recently acquired territory.

In the end junkies,
their families
, and innocent people caught in the crossfire of drug disputes
were made to suffer. She’d
seen enough lives destroyed in her day to be fed up and willing to do her part
. Some might say it was a fruitless crusade, and they were probably right, but as her old grampy would say ‘if you weren’t part of the s
olution, etc, etc.’ T
he very idea of abandoning her efforts left a
n
ache in her
soul, but story or not things were just getting too heated for her to stick around much longer. She couldn’t help anyone if she were dead. Her last few updates to her editor resulted
in the “bad luck”
Enrique
mentioned earlier
and nearly ended in his premature arrest. A
s far as she was concerned it
was the third and final accident. She purposefully missed her last c
heck in with Steve for fear
the bit of information she’d gathered on the shipment of drugs would land in the DEA’s hands, again. As much as she wanted to see Enrique behind bars she knew Alexi couldn’t be allowed to walk away. It had to be both of them. Once this assignment was all done Steve would have a lot explaining to do, the leaks to the Fed’s was no accident, of that she was certain.

She took a deep breath. The short distance to the nearest patio seemed like a thousand mile trek across the narrow ledge. Tiffany hoped the landing was as sturdy as it looked. She pressed her backside firmly against the brick exterior. Fingers slipped between grooves of cold stones gripping them for dear life. She was less afraid of the fall
, which would probably leave her with minor injuries
, and far more concerned with being caught by one of Alexi’s guards. She did a mental headshake at the irony of her situation.
Guests could be heard in the backyard enjoying one of her employers many weekend parties. W
hile the evening
’
s festivities roared on in full swing severa
l yards away she was in a rather precarious situation which could result in an unpleasant evening for her
.

Alexi was a walking mafia cliché. He believed in living the fast life to the fullest and his appetites were gluttonous to say the least, from his numerous cars to the string of girlfriends who didn’t seem to mind being one of many in his harem. Tiffany’s only relief was that no guests would be allowed on the eastern side of the mansion where Alexi’s private quarters were housed. The area was normally heavily patrolled, but with the extra bodies to keep an eye on she knew the watch wouldn
’t be as concentrated
. With all the people in his employ the
re were only a small number
Alexi trusted to guard his estate and his life. His paranoia would be her salvation, yet she wasn’t foolish enough to allow herself to become too relaxed
,
expedience was of the utmost importance.

Edging her petite five-foot five-inch frame along the side of the house Tiffany was grateful when she finally came in contact with the balcony of Alexi’s VIP guest room. For several seconds she listened for the sound of voices or movement before taking a chance to climb over the balcony’s railing.

She exhaled deeply, sagging against the wall in relief. Just a few more inches and she could slip from the shadows, through the open doors, into the
room
.
She’d wait there until the coast was clear even if it meant all night.

“Quite an unorthodox mode of entry don’t you think?” The baritone voice greeted her before its owner stepped into view.

Tiffany’s heart thudded with renewed fear laced adrenaline. She opened her mouth to speak but the words would not form. What could she say? She was busted. Her
vocal cord were further impaired
by the man who belonged to the deep tone. He was a veritable giant. Granted she just hit the “average” mark for a woman’s height but the man had to be over six foot three, and his shoulders seemed as broad as he was tall. Casually dressed in a black sports blazer and matching slacks
he
looked as if he’d stepped out of an issue of Gentleman’s Quarterly. She felt a modicum of relief at realizing he wasn’t one of Alexi’s henchmen.

“You’re not exactly what I was expecting from Alexi tonight, but perhaps being in the US has broadened his appetites.”

Tiffany
blinked at his remark. What did he mean?

It was obvious from h
is thickly laced
English accent he and Alexi were country men. Funny how his accent was downright sexy where Alexi’s put her on edge
. She wouldn’t call him handsome, not in the traditional sense of the word. His face looked too harsh. Silver, intelligent eyes
were deep
set beneath a furrowed brow. His nose was long but slightly crooked, as if it had been broken on more than one occasion. His lips held the promise of being full, but were strained in a taut line as he concentrated on her face while she sized him up. Straight,
obsidian was the perfect length
for a woman to rub her fingers through.

“I think you have me mistaken for someone else. I’m Mr. Habalov’s housekeeper.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to the party and see to his other guests.”
As far as lies went it should have been very believable. Her plans were quickly changing
. Her narrow escape, Alexi and Enrique’s ominous conversation, Steve’s obvious betrayal and good old fashion common sense merged to formulate a consensus. There was no way she’d
stay another night in the
house, not now.
She thought about the surveillance piece transmitting to the micro recorder in her first floor room. Normally any device she planted would
be later
retrieved as she went about her cleaning duties. Unfortunately there’d be no time for it. If they found the one device it wouldn’t matter because she’d be far gone by the time it was discovered. There was just one obstacle standing in her way, and what a formidable one he would be.

“But you have yet to see to my extensive needs.”

“As I said before, you have me mistaken fo
r someone else. I’m certain whomever
Mr. Habalov has appointed to you tonight will be up shortly.”

“Then it seems I will need to turn her away.”