19. Sienna #2
She sits back on his lap, and the boss holds out his hand, as if offering the drinks like a distinguished gentleman.
I look to Nikolai, uncertain, and he picks up a glass and takes a sip. When I feel his boss’s gaze on me, I inhale a deep breath and follow his lead.
“I heard you killed some of my men last night. It’s been said it might have been to protect the package in question. I would hope your loyalty hasn’t shifted because of some pussy.” All of this is directed at Nikolai, in Russian .
I force my expression into one of confusion, pretending I don’t understand.
“You appointed me to keep it alive.” It. The word stings more than it should. “And I’ve done so. I expected your men to be more restrained.”
A sharp smile twists his boss’s features. “Well, it’s not like they’re not men I wasn’t willing to lose anyway. Just don’t get too comfortable with where you strike your fangs. I was lenient enough to take you in after The Lion’s fall, remember? Show some respect.”
Who are they referring to?
Nikolai nods. I’ve never seen him look so stiff, so … robotic.
His boss’s gaze roams over me suggestively, and he muses in English, “I really should have a taste before sending the parcel back to New York. She is rather divine to look at, isn’t she?”
A shudder runs through me, and my mouth turns dry.
“She’s returning to New York?” Nikolai asks.
My stomach sinks. Nikolai wouldn’t really let him touch me, would he? This is part of the act, right? Or am I the only fool here, exactly where they want me to be?
His boss assesses him carefully and then speaks in Russian again.
“Yes. I had a meeting with Luca Armani over the phone, and we’ve struck up an agreement.
You are to go with her to New York. Although I’d wanted to destroy them from the inside out, it turns out the Armanis and I might be able to uncover a business venture together. ”
“A business venture?” Nikolai’s eyebrows dip.
Then the man standing behind his boss speaks. “The Armanis run lucrative underground fight rings in New York. As you know, my father quite enjoys violence and profiting from it.”
“Think about it.” The boss quickly cuts in.
“Not just man fighting man. But man fighting beast.” Then he smiles, a gold tooth winking from behind his slightly parted lips.
“He’s only open to such negotiations if the woman is returned safely.
But you’re not to hand her over until we’ve finalized business. ”
Nikolai’s gaze narrows, and he’s careful with his words as he looks between his boss and the man standing behind him. “It leaves us in a compromising position. They’ll kill us once they have the girl.”
My stomach twists. Wait, is his boss basically sending him on a suicide mission?
His boss’s face twists in cruel satisfaction. “But you’re the great Udav . You can make anything happen, can’t you? I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
The man standing behind him then says, “We will succeed where The Lion failed.”
“ I will succeed where he failed,” his boss quickly corrects.
The man nods agreeably, sinking back from the conversation, though he seems to miss nothing.
Nikolai has no tells, but I can feel pure rage radiating from him. “Don’t you think they might see you as weak, hiding behind a messenger?” Nikolai says in Russian.
“How dare you!” his boss roars, surging to his feet and knocking the woman on his lap to the floor in the process.
The other two women scramble to the corners of the couch, cowering silently.
The men around us point their weapons at Nikolai, but he doesn’t even flinch.
He simply leans forward so he’s blocking me from the weapons.
None of this goes unnoticed by the man standing behind the boss.
That’s when the tiger lunges. The collar tightens at its throat, but it’s able to snag a guard by the leg and drag the man closer.
The guard screams, and when he goes to point the gun at the tiger’s head, the boss pulls out his own gun and shoots the guard.
He immediately goes limp, the spray of blood dark against the wall as the tiger pulls him in and mauls his dead body.
The smell of copper permeates the air, and my breath hitches. I’m barely aware of Nikolai further extending himself over me, as if in attempt to block my view.
Oh my God.
That man was just mauled by a fucking tiger.
The rest of the guards appear nervous, but none of them lower their weapons, which are still pointed in our direction.
“You seem protective of the woman,” the man behind the boss says, shocking my nervous system back to conversation. Don’t look in the corner , I tell myself as Nikolai maintains his protective position.
“I’m focused on keeping the package safe,” he tells the man, then turns to the boss, and says, “I’m simply surprised they’re open to negotiations after we kidnapped someone important to them.
But if there’s room to gain operations in New York from this, then I’ll figure out how to keep the woman as leverage until we get what we want. ”
How the fuck are they talking normally when a tiger is chomping down on a man a few feet away?
I swallow hard, finding my determination. I need to act unaffected by it too, so I take control of my adrenaline-fueled body. If I’m weak, if I shake, they’ll see it. I can’t be next on the menu.
The boss smiles, as if impressed with Nikolai.
“It’s been a while since someone’s talked back to me.
Well, anyone who’s made it through the sentence.
Let me teach you something, Udav . When I want to make deals with others, it’s not a matter of negotiation, but rather a mutual understanding that if they don’t do what I want, I’ll ruin everything they love. ”
My heart sinks, and a chill runs over me as his dark, greedy eyes creep toward me. “Luca Armani would much prefer a meeting in Italy with one of his men, Lorenzo Moretti, speaking on his behalf. I will not do things on his terms.”
My heart stops. Lily. She’s been living with Lorenzo in Italy. Is she okay? Are they in danger? What the fuck started this war in the first place?
His boss continues. “Besides, Luca Armani’s family is based in New York. I want to go where the man’s weakness is. A man can be easily persuaded when his family’s safety is in question.”
He leers at me again. “So, perhaps a little damage to the package won’t be an issue.”
“I can assure you, the goods are not up to your standards,” Nikolai says as he casually leans over to pick up the glass of vodka.
A pang of hurt strikes at the reference to me being inadequate, and I don’t know if it’s because of how good he is at acting in front of his boss or because maybe the real act was at the manor.
The men surrounding us seem unsure but put away their weapons since the boss’s tone has changed.
His boss goes to speak, but a woman’s shrill, “Viktor!” booms up the staircase.
We all turn to find a five-foot-five, strikingly beautiful woman who looks to be in her mid-twenties, pouting with disapproval at the boss.
Her dark brown eyes seem almost black with fury, matching her black lipstick and winged eyeliner. Her long, thick hair frames her face, and she offers an unhinged smile as she pulls out a switchblade.
“Tiarna, my dearest daughter,” the boss says, raising his hand as if in welcome. “Let’s not be rash with weapons now. ”
Tiarna. That was the name of the woman Nikolai was texting.
Is this his lover?
“Don’t you dearest daughter me. You gutted Katya’s fucking boyfriend, you asshole.”
The boss exhales an exaggerated sigh as she storms toward him.
“Is it so bad to disapprove of your younger sister’s boyfriend?
” When the woman lunges for him, one of his guards grabs her from behind.
She plunges the knife into his leg, but the moment he tries to use force on her, the man in charge bellows, “Don’t touch her! ”
He then looks to Nikolai, exasperated. “Daughters are my greatest failings. They’re such emotional little creatures.”
The man who seems like the boss’s advisor steps forward. “It will take some time dealing with my sister. You leave today, Udav . Wait for your next order.”
Sister?
Nikolai grabs my hand, ignoring the woman who easily pushes her way through the burly men, now that they’re too afraid to touch her. She gives me a curious look, then bites back tears as she charges her father. Fuck me. That woman is on a war path, and I find myself silently rooting for her.
I don’t have the courage to look back as Nikolai tugs me down the stairs. This is how his boss operates—without mercy. Viktor is someone who would gun down one of his own men to offer as a snack for his exotic pet. This is the world Nikolai is a part of and what he warned me about.
Nikolai leads us through the crowd that has begun to clog the entrance, fighting to finding our way to the door.
The moment fresh air hits my face, I yank my hand out of his grip. “What the fuck is happening?”
“Not here,” he grits as he pushes me toward the car, the security guard watching on.
I roll out of his grip. “No, you answer me now! What the fuck is happening? And what do you mean I’m ‘not up to his standards’? How could you be so cruel?”
I knew Nikolai was a monster. A murderer. That he’s indifferent to anything that doesn’t serve him. But had that woman not interrupted, would he have handed me over without batting an eye?
“What’s in all of this for you?” I demand, my chest rising and falling with my rapid breaths.
His glare is cutting as he says, “I follow orders. There’s nothing more than that. Never has been.”
My stomach sinks, hating how his words slice at my heart—when they shouldn’t impact it whatsoever.
“Now, get in the car if you want to see your friends again.”