Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
56
BRONWYN
We checked into a hotel under fake names, paying cash. I insisted on being the one to go up to the reception desk because my face was less well known, but my heart was racing so fast I thought I was going to have a heart attack. There are plenty of Russian mafia families in New York, many of them with connections to Spartak. After our loud confrontation with Konstantin at the club, there was a good chance people knew we were in the city. It would only take one waiter or valet parking attendant to recognize us and make a phone call, and we were dead. We spent the night in our room with the door bolted, tensing every time we heard footsteps in the hallway. By morning, we were frazzled wrecks.
Konstantin’s mansion was amazing, three stories high and built of huge slabs of cold gray stone, its doors flanked by massive pillars. We pulled up outside and got out, blinking in the sunlight. It was a beautifully clear morning, the sun sparkling off the snow. I’d put on the crisscross black dress and white jacket Rachel had given me, along with the emergency heels, even though they were hell on my legs: I needed every bit of confidence I could muster.
A bodyguard led us around to the back of the mansion and through a garden that wasn’t so much overgrown as taken over by nature. Trees had twisted together like battling serpents, plants climbed over crumbling brick walls and a huge, ivy-covered oak loomed over everything like a benevolent monster. In summer, it must have been alive with wildflowers, butterflies, maybe even rabbits. Even now, in winter, it was beautiful in a spooky kind of way.
The bodyguard led us to a Victorian glasshouse, the one part of the garden that had been restored, with fresh white paint and sparkling panes of glass. Inside, a wood-burning stove made it comfortably warm. A ginger cat was sprawled on the floor, bathing in the stove’s warmth and it gave us a glare for letting a draft in. Konstantin and his girlfriend were sitting at a circular, wrought-iron table and rose to greet us. “Hailey,” the girlfriend told me, shaking my hand. That confused me because her name on social media was Christina. Unless that crazy story Radimir told me is true?
We sat down. “Last night,” said Konstantin, “I neglected to congratulate you on your wedding.” He looked at me, then at Radimir. “You’ve clearly found someone very special.”
Radimir squeezed my hand. “I have.”
“You’ve given me something to think about.” Konstantin turned and looked at Hailey. She cocked her head and stared at him, but his face was inscrutable. Did he mean marriage? Was he serious, or just teasing her?
At that moment, one of Konstantin’s servants appeared with a tray of coffee and pastries. Konstantin looked up...but not before giving Hailey a tiny smile, as if to say, we’ll talk later. I poured myself a cup of coffee and just the smell of it was enough to kickstart my tired brain.
“Tell me what you need,” said Konstantin.
“Men,” said Radimir immediately. “At least thirty good men, with guns, to defend our territory and let us hit back. We didn’t want this war,” he leaned closer. “But with your manpower, we can win it.”
Konstantin poured himself a cup of coffee, then sat back in his chair, thinking. “If I help you, I’m going against The Eight.”
“You’re not known for following the rules,” pointed out Radimir.
“True. But there must be something in it for me. Something big. What are you offering?”
Radimir nodded. And then, to my horror, he turned to me. I’d just lifted my coffee cup to my mouth, and I stared at everyone, wide-eyed, over the rim. Yes, it was my plan, but… I stared at Konstantin. He was worth billions, he was one of the most powerful men in America. I was a bookworm who couldn’t even get her store to turn a profit. I can’t do this!
Radimir took my hand and squeezed again. I looked up, panicked…but when my gaze settled on those frozen-sky eyes, I went still. I’d never seen him looking more confident, more sure. He believed in me.
I glanced down at myself, at my new dress, shoes and purse. And made a decision. I glugged down about half my cup of coffee and the caffeine rose up to my brain and bellowed at it like a drill sergeant.
“Radimir explained your operations to me,” I began. “And it turns out, the needs of our families are almost exactly opposite. You import massive quantities of merchandise through the port here in New York. But you’ve saturated the market here. Meanwhile, we have a massive market, but we don’t have the same port access you do.” I leaned closer. “We can open up Chicago for you...and from there, the whole Midwest.”