Chapter 14
Stash
“Stash. I didn’t expect to hear from you so early in the morning.” Hearing Sean’s gravelly voice meant I’d awakened him.
Good.
I’d given him the courtesy of handling the situation his way from the night before, the event enough of a mess that he’d need to be careful in disposing of the bodies. Especially without causing attention to the fact someone had been sent to kill him.
Assassinations were messy and, in this day and age, even in the bowels of New York, not a regular occurrence. Certainly not as decades before when the five families had been at war almost every day. Violence had kept the city on edge, gunfire a regular occurrence.
I’d read about the various syndicates before stepping foot in the Big Apple. The history lesson had been a way of discovering what had worked well and what couldn’t be repeated. Now, almost every member of the original powerful families was aging in prison or dead and buried.
Leaving a new crop of monsters dressed up in Armani to rule the streets. While the Bratva believed they were different, I’d already come to the conclusion that the only difference was nationality.
The craving for power and wealth was the same.
“A conversation was needed, Sean. You obviously have issues of control on your hands.”
“Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Except that I was directly involved in your business last night.”
“Yes, that is true and I’m glad you were there,” he said, chuckling as he did.
I heard a voice in the background, a young woman.
He might consider himself a family man, but he paid for and kept three different women on the side.
That disgusted me more than any bloodshed.
Maybe I was just old-fashioned in my way of handling women.
“Need I remind you that you placed yourself in that position? You could have walked away. My men were perfectly capable of protecting me.”
If he was trying to goad me, it wasn’t working. What it did tell me was that he’d been expecting a hit and having me placed in the middle was not what we’d agreed upon. The last thing that the Bratva needed was to be entrenched in someone else’s war. It was their fight. Not ours.
Our alliance was limited to aspects of business, not issuing death warrants.
“I find it interesting they weren’t guarding you as they should. Perhaps you aren’t as popular as you lead yourself to believe.”
His laugh was much more gregarious than I would have assumed possible.
He wasn’t taking the attempt seriously. Granted, enemies often tried to flex their muscles by taking out a leader to show off their power.
They rarely succeeded given the levels of protection centered around what Kazimir had coined the executive branch.
“And you and I both know we’re not in this game to be well liked. I will say, I appreciate you stepping in. You made it much easier to handle the aftermath.”
A ‘thank you’ was too much for him. Whatever. “Did you have your guest list scrutinized?”
“A cursory look. We have a few to doublecheck, but mostly regulars.”
“And the connection we discussed? Did you ascertain their nationality?”
“No identifying marks of any kind. We checked.”
I knew him well enough to know he’d go through his list with a fine-tooth comb. The only saving grace was that no one other than his men knew Saige had seen anything. Did I trust I’d hear the full truth from the man? Hell, no. My guess was they’d had a long-standing beef with the Armenians.
“Who was the fighter, Sean?”
“I already told you, a kid who worked for me and had sticky fingers.”
I thought about his answer again. “If I find out you lured the Armenians to your club on purpose by attacking one of their own—”
“I am many things, Stash, but not a liar. Not with you breaking the kid’s neck for me.” His interruption pissed me off.
“Then we will leave it that you had no idea there was a planned attack,” I gritted out, ensuring he knew I was angry. “The woman from last night.”
“Ah, yes. I heard she witnessed the entire attack.”
“You heard correctly.”
“And I assume you’re dealing with her.”
Dealing with. It was his way of suggesting I eliminate the witness. “I’m handling her. Do not lay a finger on her.”
“Fascinating, my friend. Finally, something cracking your thick armor.”
“You and I both know she was doing someone a favor. She’s not part of this life that we so enjoy living.”
“You mean thriving in.” When I didn’t honor his comment with one of my own, he chuckled again. “You know this girl?”
“I know of her. She is not to be touched. Do you understand me? I’m not budging on this.”
While keeping an eye on the Irish had been a decent excuse, I was growing sour on wasting my time dealing with their antics. However, a close watch would need to be kept on both them and the Armenians.
“Fine, Russian. She will be left safe. I assume she knows when to keep her mouth shut.”
“Of course, but what could she say? She had a hand in saving your life so you should be eternally grateful.”
“Well, then,” he mused. “That’s good to know. You have my word.”
“Let’s hope so, Sean. Don’t cross me on this. If you do, I’ll be on the opposite end of how your life is handled.”
I didn’t wait for his reply. While he’d been in New York his entire life and had a huge network of friends in the upper echelons, he knew what the Bratva was capable of, including destroying his kingdom.
One brick at a time.
Her presence was stronger than before, not only because of what we’d shared but also the scent of our sex painting her skin. I turned to face her, studying her pensive face. “How much did you overhear?”
“Enough to know you bargained for my life.” Saige stood at the end of the hallway as if fearful to come any closer.
She had the same robe on as the night before, her long hair framing her face.
It was very early, the sun barely peeking over the horizon and in the limited light, her beauty was even more ethereal.
“Would you prefer I toss you to the lions?”
“You know, I can take care of myself.”
The woman was extremely intelligent, enough to know what men like Sean and his men were capable of. Perhaps the shock of the night before had been waylaid based on our carnal activity. I shoved my phone into my trousers and grabbed the jacket from where I’d tossed it last night.
She had her arms folded, the defense mechanism from the night before almost in place. “Who was that?”
“The owner of the club you were at.”
“I assume he’s not just a club owner.”
After yanking on the jacket, I moved closer. At least she didn’t take a step away. “You would assume correctly. He’s a man of power, Saige. That’s all you need to know.”
“Not Bratva.”
While she’d been sleeping, I’d laid awake studying her in her slumber. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent the night with a woman. Long enough I’d forgotten how comforting being near a warm body could be.
I’d also realized that in my lust-filled haze, I’d done her a disservice of telling her more about me than she should have learned. No matter what she might be thinking, and I remained uncertain of what that was, she wasn’t cut out to be a part of the Bratva in any capacity.
Cutting ties completely was in our best interest, but I also couldn’t afford to have her slip completely from my fingers. That meant keeping her close enough to maintain an eye on her safety and her behavior.
Did I believe she was working with the Armenians? It was doubtful, but having her work with me was a perfect way of keeping an eye on her whereabouts and her friends. All while I confirmed who’d been the actual target.
Several scenarios continually played out in my mind.
“But equally dangerous,” she added. She wasn’t exactly fishing. More like accepting a healthy dose of concern.
“Yes, very dangerous.”
“Like you,” she said while looking away briefly. “What did he say?”
“I assure you that he will honor my request. He won’t like what happens if he doesn’t. You’re free to live your life.” As much as I craved touching her all over again, the door needed to be shut.
Permanently.
I headed to the door.
“Are you certain I’ll be safe?” She was suddenly right behind me.
This wasn’t anything I was used to dealing with. “Yes, you’ll be fine. Like I said, he wouldn’t be so stupid.”
“But last night you said the bastards who tried to kill me would come looking for you.”
“Last night you wanted me out of your life,” I reminded her while tipping my head. If she only had any idea how difficult it was for me keeping my hands off her.
Keeping her safe was the least of my reasons why.
I wasn’t the kind of man to feel much of anything at this point in my life, but last night had been different.
An awakening in a way that was implausible and for a man of the Bratva, unwanted.
But damn it, just seeing the uncertainty in her eyes was enough to push me to an entirely different edge.
“You’re confusing. You kidnap then toss me aside.”
“You’re in your own apartment, Saige. I only ensured you didn’t put yourself further into harm’s way. Don’t worry. I’ll expect to see you at the office in a couple hours. Business as usual.”
Immediately, her facial expression changed, her eyes that had been swimming in desire only seconds before now hardened by the ice running through her veins. There was no point in trying to help her understand that shutting her down… shutting us down was returning her life back to her.
I was definitely no good for her.
Hell, I was no good for anyone.
“Just so you are aware, I’m going to run a full dossier on your background. Am I to assume you have nothing to hide from me?” I could tell the moment I admitted what had to be done, I’d severed the close emotional tie we’d both felt.
Did I feel like an asshole doing so? Yes, but business was business. It was the reason I was still alive.
“You’re a bastard, Mr. Chertov. Just like what I said yesterday. A heartless bastard but that’s fine. Better I know now. Right?” She took a giant step away from me, ensuring I couldn’t reach out and touch her.