Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 92549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
His tone was flat, but there was weight behind it.
I clenched my jaw. “This was personal, not business,” I said. “But I apologize for not informing you the moment I landed.”
“That is no excuse. I want an answer. Why didn’t you?”
“Like I said, it was personal. It didn’t involve the family business.”
I hadn’t meant for my irritation to bleed into my voice. I needed to tread carefully. I needed his help. Gregor was usually willing to assist his cousins. Usually. But if he decided I was more trouble than I was worth…
His annoyance was palpable. “I decide what does and doesn’t involve the family business, not you.”
Ignoring Gregor had been a bad fucking idea.
Other Russians whispered that his wife had made him soft.
I knew better.
Gregor hadn’t lost his edge. He waited. He watched. He learned.
Then, when you least expected it, he struck with a ferocity that could make the devil himself take a step back.
I exhaled, bracing myself. “My wife died because of this bastard.”
A beat of silence. Then, flatly, Gregor said, “Ya znayu. Moi soboleznovaniya.” His condolences.
He didn’t mean it. We both knew it.
He was the one who had told me Veronika was making a fool of me, fucking other men behind my back. I had known she was cheating. I just hadn’t realized how blatantly obvious she had been about it.
“She was killed by Solovyov,” I finished.
“Of course she was,” Gregor said coldly. “She had been fucking him for months.”
His words sliced deep, but I didn’t react.
Gregor continued. “Why would a domestic issue between your wife and her lover warrant you coming into my territory without permission.”
In the background, a distinctly feminine voice murmured something teasing. “You’re kind of hot when you get all angry and demanding.”
Gregor must have covered the phone because the line went dead silent. Then, muffled laughter.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. For fuck’s sake.
Gregor was back. “Govorí.” Speak.
I didn’t hesitate. “Veronika stole money from Solovyov. She gave it to her sister. Marina took the money and ran to the States.”
Gregor exhaled sharply through his nose. “So then pay her fucking debt and end this bullshit with Solovyov.” His voice turned lethal.
Tension thrummed through my body.
I really should have called him sooner.
But now, it was too late to fix that mistake.
Now, I just had to survive it.
“It wasn’t about the fucking money,” I spit out, instantly regretting my tone. I may have been one of the biggest, baddest motherfuckers in Russia, and when it came to hand-to-hand combat, I could probably kick my cousin’s ass. This wasn’t about our strength; it was about our positions and the respect they demanded.
“The money was just over nine hundred thousand rubles, barely ten thousand US dollars. There has to be something else that Solovyov wants back. Badly enough to kill.”
Gregor cursed under his breath. “So now your problem is my problem, is that it?”
“I’m certain there’s something in the bag that Veronika gave to Marina. There’s no way for me to know what it is until I get my hands on it.”
“What do you need?” Gregor asked with a frustrated sigh.
My shoulders instantly relaxed. “The bag is in a locker at a storage company close to Penn Station. I need to make sure Solovyov’s men aren’t staking it out.”
“Consider it done,” Gregor said. “But there are stipulations.”
“I’m listening,” I said, regaining the respectful tone that Gregor’s position earned him.
“Whatever is in the bag is mine. I don’t give a shit about the money, but there is clearly some intel there that you will give me. I will decide how to handle it.”
“Yes, boss,” I said. It was a completely reasonable term. Under different circumstances, I may have tried to argue, but that bag wasn’t the prize I was after.
All I wanted was the girl.
“Also—”
Fuck, here it came.
“Any negotiating with Solovyov will be handled by me. As far as you are concerned, your main objective now is just protecting the sister. I will call you when we have the locker facility secured.”
“Yes, boss.”
“And cousin,” Gregor said, before I could hang up the phone. “If you ever pull this shit again, I will put you down like a rabid fucking dog.”
“Understood.”
That could have gone so much worse.
I didn’t appreciate being threatened by my own cousin. It was exactly why I hadn’t brought him in on this sooner. It wasn’t just about Marina, though if I were being honest, it was mostly about Marina.
The rumors in Russia weren’t kind to Gregor. They said his wife had made him weak. His brother, too. And then there was their sister, who had married Mikhail, an honorable and loyal soldier for the Ivanovs, but a man with no family name or connections.
Gregor had become a liability. I hadn’t been willing to risk him fucking everything up.
And then there was Solovyov.
I didn’t know his plan, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was already moving in on Gregor’s territory. The Russian government was squeezing tighter, making business harder. The more they cracked down, the less profitable it became. And as profits dwindled, the idea of staying in the motherland grew less and less appealing.