11. Rafi
11
RAFI
T he weight of the city presses down on me as I lean against the hood of my car, scanning the dimly lit street in front of me. The roar of passing traffic feels distant, a background hum to the storm brewing in my head. I’ve been chasing shadows for days now, pulling threads that lead nowhere, but the image of Maxine seated next to Igor Aslanov at the fight club still burns in my mind. That look in her eyes—haunted, distant—it’s enough to drive me forward. So is my sister in law Mia’s plight to find her sister. So is my need to prove myself worthy of this life to my brothers.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, already knowing who it’s from. Leo, my tech guy. He’s been working overtime to help me piece this puzzle together, but I don’t know how much I can trust him when he keeps insisting on wearing those ridiculously oversized tinted glasses.
“What have you got for me?” I ask, getting straight to the point as I answer.
I’ve been back to the club three nights in a row, hoping to run into Tayana, but she’s vanished—like a ghost haunting the edges of my life. Her friend Cassie is just as elusive, making it even harder to find a way in. The lack of contact is getting under my skin, so I had Leo dig deeper, running a more thorough background check to get me her contact details. Turns out, that’s easier said than done.
Leo’s voice crackles over the line. “I’ve run down every lead I could get my hands on. That’s a very private family you’re tracking. Most of the information led to dead ends, and I couldn’t get a bead on Igor Aslanov.”
I’m no stranger to the Bratva’s operations. The Gatti family has run parallel to their world for years, often crossing paths when business or blood demanded it. But my focus has always been elsewhere—until now. Now, every resource at my disposal is zeroed in on the Russian syndicate, and I’m determined to find out where Maxine fits into their tangled web.
“ You couldn’t find anything?”I ask him, my voice incredulous. “The fucking feds come to you when they want information; how could you not find anything?”
“That family is airtight,” he tells me. And all I know is that I’m screwed; if Leo can’t get me the information I need, no-one can. “Your best bet is Tayana Kamarov.”
“You’ve already said that. Give me a location, Leo. Where can I find her?”I don’t feel it’s prudent to tell him that I fucked her up against a vanity in a public restroom before she became a ghost.
Leo snorts and sighs before I hear the tapping of his fingers against his keyboard through the phone line. I roll my eyes. Sometimes I wonder if he’s worth the trouble. The tapping means there’s got to be something. Turns out, there is. And it’s music to my ears.
“You didn’t get this from me,” he says, after a short silence. “I mean it, Rafi. If this comes back to me, I lose a valuable source.”
The asshole had information and was sitting on it the whole time. I’ll definitely be ripping into him the next time I see him.
“It didn’t come from you,” I guarantee him. “I don’t even know you.”Just to show him how committed I am to keeping his secret.
“By all accounts, she’s estranged from her father and keeps her distance from the family business. But she does have some interests in her own underground organization.”
My eyebrows rise of their own accord. “Her own criminal enterprise?”
“Depends who you ask. Apparently, she runs an underground shelter for trafficking victims. Word is, she’s been working against organized crime in secret for years.”
The irony isn’t lost on me. The daughter of one of the most powerful crime lords in the world, fighting to dismantle the same machine that made her. It’s bold. Dangerous. And if the rumors are true, it makes her the perfect link to Maxine.
“Where do I find her?”I ask. “Other than at Obsidian.”
“She’s careful,” Leo replies. “Doesn’t stay in one place too long. But I tracked her to an office in the east end. And only because they recently moved. That’s your best shot. Otherwise, I have nothing else.”
I’m already moving, tossing my phone onto the passenger seat as I slide behind the wheel. The engine roars to life, and I’m on the road before Leo can say anything else. The east end is a place where desperation clings to the air like smog, a world away from the glitz and decadence of Obsidian. If Tayana’s operating an underground network, she’s not just hiding. She’s taking a stand. A dangerous one.
By the time I pull up to the address Leo provides, the sun is dipping below the horizon, casting the neighborhood in shadows. The building is unassuming, old, rundown brick and mortar with barred windows and a faded sign that reads ‘Thimbles I think I can take them both, but I haven’t come here today to create problems for anyone, so I try for the polite way.
“I’m here to meet with Tayana Kamarov.”
The guards are unmoving, their behemoth frames obstructing my view behind the sliding glass door.
“You have an appointment?” one asks.
I consider lying. I do. But then, I don’t. I don’t know why.
“I don’t,” I admit, and his thick arms immediately cross over each other against his chest as he looks at me defiantly, wordlessly telling him there’s no way I’m getting through him today. “Tell her it’s Rafi Gatti-she’ll want to see me.”
He frowns, and something flickers in his eyes, before he throws a nod in his friend’s direction and the other man walks away before he scans a finger on an access pad and gains entry through the sliding door. Mr. Thick Muscles steps into the center of the doorway, obstructing my path. It dawns on me that the glass is one-way, leaving me unable to see anything beyond it.
It's a few minutes before the guard comes back, and to my surprise, he indicates for me to follow him, which I do. We meander down a long hallway until we get to a door that he pushes open. He growls - literally growls in warning - before he shoves me into the room and disappears behind the closed door. I don’t even have a chance to respond to him manhandling me before I realize I’m in an office, and Tayana is standing near the far wall, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, clipboard in hand. Even in the middle of my interruption, she carries herself with a quiet confidence, her movements efficient, purposeful as she sets the clipboard down slowly and looks at me.
Her expression is hard, her body tense, as though she’s preparing for war. She doesn’t look away, though. Instead, she steps toward me, her gaze sharp and unyielding.
For a moment, I’m rooted in place, observing her. She’s stripped of the usual armor—no makeup, no flashy dress, no wall of bodyguards to buffer her presence. Yet she’s still undeniably her, a fierce, uncontainable fire radiating from every inch of her as she closes the distance between us.
“So, you’re a love ‘em and leave ‘em type of girl, then.”I try for amused, but she’s not impressed and doesn’t crack a smile.
“So, you finally found me,”she responds.
“You have no idea how hard that was,” I tell her.
“There’s a reason for that.”
“What are you hiding from, Tayana Kamarov? Or more precisely, who ?”
“Don’t mistake my allowing you in here for anything more than an obligation to squash the bug you’ve become,” she says, her words cutting through the charged air like a whip.
My eyebrows rise at her blunt hostility. Point taken. She’s made it abundantly clear where I stand in this dynamic. Even after I fucked her raw and silly.
“What are you doing here?” she demands, her voice low enough not to echo but firm enough to leave no doubt about her displeasure.
“I might ask you the same question,” I reply smoothly, keeping my tone calm, measured. My eyes drift around the room, deliberately casual, taking in my surroundings. I know it’s a cocky move, but I can’t help it. Something about her brings out the smart-ass in me.
Her eyes narrow, suspicion flickering in their depths. “Dare I say that’s none of your business!” she snaps. “What do you want from me?”
I let my gaze fall back to her, studying her intently. She’s a beautiful little spitfire, and I can admit it. It’s not often that someone catches my attention and holds it, but this woman… she’s a rare exception.
“You keep disappearing on me.”
“Usually, that means a person’s not interested . Know what that is, Rafi, or do you need me to spell it out for you?”
“You wound me.” I place a hand on my heart, feigning injury, just for the sake of it. Just to be more of a smart ass.
“You’re crossing into dangerous territory now, Gatti.” It’s a warning more than anything else. “You shouldn’t be here.”
It irritates me that she’s put up a boulder between us and is now calling me by my surname.“I shouldn’t be many things. And yet, here I am.”
“What do you want?” She shoots me a bored look, a far cry from the lust-filled one she directed my way a few days ago.
“I need some information,” I say finally, my voice steady. The tension in her posture eases slightly, a flicker of curiosity crossing her face as my intentions come into focus. But the reprieve is short-lived. Her expression hardens again, irritation replacing curiosity.
“Do I look like I’m in the business of selling information?” she counters, crossing her arms.
“Just hear me out,” I urge, taking a small step closer. “You should know I’m not leaving until we have this conversation and I get what I want.”
“Oh, so you didn’t get what you want the other night?” Now it’s her turn to play the smart ass. She stares at me, the battle waging visibly behind her eyes. For a moment, I’m not sure whether she’ll throw me out or relent. Then she exhales a sharp sigh, her shoulders dropping slightly as if signaling a reluctant truce.
“Fine. Tell me what you’re after. But I can’t promise you anything.”Her eyes flick toward the door, the subtle gesture betraying her wariness. Whatever lies beyond it clearly weighs on her mind.
I lean against the edge of the nearest table, folding my arms. “I’m looking for someone,” I say, keeping my tone even. “And you’re the only one who might know where I need to look.”
Her lips press into a thin line as she considers my words. “What makes you think I can help?” she asks, her tone sharp.
“Maybe you can. Maybe you can’t. You can at least try.”
She steps up to me, her eyes guarded, the flicker of unspoken questions playing across her face. Then, in an instant, realization dawns, and it’s as if a lightbulb flickers to life, the weight of understanding settling over her.
“How did you even find me?”
“That’s not important.”
“Isn’t it? I beg to differ,” she argues, letting the weight of her words hang between us. For a brief moment, something flickers in her eyes—a mixture of intrigue and defiance. Then she squares her shoulders, her expression hardening once more. “You’ve got two minutes. Start talking.”