3. Chapter Three
Chapter Three
There was absolutely nothing better than riding my bike down the streets of New Orleans. Although I was not looking forward to this particular meeting, I knew it had to be done. I was iffy about the information I uncovered when I found out who this dude’s significant other was.
She was the former Assistant District Attorney of Baltimore, Maryland. She used to send motherfuckers like me to jail on the regular. To hear she was now involved with the Russian Bratva made me leery.
I slowed through the French Quarter, dodging the crowd as I headed to the address. It was swarming with people, both locals and tourists. I parked my bike on the sidewalk, daring anyone to come near it, then shuffled to the door. I knocked and waited. I was five minutes early, but with a meeting as important as this one, the fucker would already be here.
While I waited for someone to answer the door, I took a step back to read the store front window.
Haven Richardson, Esquire
Specializing in Criminal Law.
Inquire inside or call 504-867-5309
I committed the number and name to memory because one never knew when a lawyer with ties to the Bratva would come in handy. I’d have to call Loki to get his thoughts on this one since we were looking for a new club lawyer.
The door swung open, and a burly man with deep, dark, and assessing eyes greeted me. His lips set in a thin line like this was the last place he wanted to be. I imagined that he rarely needed the gun strapped to his side, with hands that looked like he was a giant.
I eyed him, assessing him, just like he was doing me.
“Lev, vpusti yego Let him in.” a voice from the back of the space said.
I stepped cautiously over the threshold, my hand cradling the gun at my hip, as the giant, Lev, stepped out of my way. I didn’t know these bitches, and I didn’t trust them.
The door closed and locked behind me. The clack of heels and the scruff of dress shoes on the hard floor and into the center of the room pulled my attention away from Lev.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” said a tall, beautiful, dark-skinned woman with fucking curves and tits for days to the man standing before me.
She wore a fitted white suit jacket over a silk black buttoned-down shirt, skin-tight white slacks—stopping just above her ankles and revealing a small silver anklet—and black heeled sandals. Damn, she had a body on her. A fuckable one too. I’d definitely take her for a spin, even if she was a lawyer who used to put men like me in prison for fun.
She wrapped her arms around the guy’s neck and gave him a kiss that was a little too intimate in front of guests. I watched as his hands cupped her beautiful ass. I couldn’t deny the stir in my groin.
Hell, I wonder if they are willing to do a threesome.
A grunt from Lev pulled my attention away from the couple and to the glaring asshole. His look said, ‘he could possibly beat my ass right now.’ I smirked at him because that would be a challenge I wouldn’t mind.
“I’ll see you later,” the man promised in a thick Russian accent.
He couldn’t be anyone other than Alexei Volkov. The man I was eager to meet and find out what the hell he was doing here. He had long brownish-blond hair that I could see was tied back at the nape of his neck. He was tall and lean, but deceptively so. His broad shoulders told me that there was hidden strength there. Volkov was dressed impeccably in a white suit with a black shirt underneath and no tie, just like his lawyer girlfriend, but there was a coldness to him. A look behind his dark eyes that said he’d killed before. I should know because I saw the same look every time I looked in the mirror.
“Okay,” she murmured and wiped the red lipstick from his lips with her thumb, then turned on those fuck-me heels she had on and swayed past me. Before she pulled the door open, she called out over her shoulder. “Be good, Lev.”
The big man nodded and grunted at her, then she was gone. I stared at the door for a long time before Volkov drew my attention back to him by offering me a seat.
“She’s beautiful I know.” He shrugged like it was a burden. “Which is why I would and have killed for her,” Volkov confessed.
“ Very beautiful,” I answered, folding my arms over my chest, fully aware that his statement was meant to be a threat. “I can see why you would.”
Although I couldn’t fathom being in love with someone so much that I lost myself, I could see Volkov’s point. The woman was his.
“Shall we get started?” I asked, taking a seat on the couch, which I thought was a waiting area.
The place didn’t look like any lawyer’s office I’d ever been in. I thought I was sitting in someone’s home living room. An area rug under my feet matched the gray couch and armchair with navy blue throw pillows. And the painting hanging on the dark gray slate wall behind it looked like some authentic shit that should be hanging in a museum somewhere. And the lights in the place looked like they belonged in some high-end luxury suite.
There were several rooms behind closed doors that I thought were offices. The front desk was located on the opposite wall, where the secretary sat and greeted clients. A navy-blue backsplash was behind the desk with ‘Haven Richardson’s Law Offices’ written in ornate silver lettering. That was the only section of the place that blared ‘attorney offices.’
In all, the place was comforting and inviting. Maybe that was why Loki let Volkov choose the meeting place. I’d rather be somewhere neutral, but I ain’t the boss.
“Yes, let’s. I’m anxious to get this done and back to Haven,” Volkov answered as I pulled my attention away from the room and focused on him.
“This is what the Sinners propose. You operate in our territory, and we turn a blind eye to your flesh trafficking for one hundred kilos of cocaine a month.” I couldn’t help the sneer on my lips at the flesh peddling these fuckers were known for.
Volkov smirked. The man was so cool it seemed as if nothing could rattle him, but it was fun as hell to try.
“Women are good money.” He shrugged. “But that’s not the type of business I’m in. Strip clubs to launder money, among other things. So, I’m sorry to disappoint you but, no flesh trafficking.”
He pulled a cigarette and a lighter out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket. After he lit it, the smoke swirled into the air before he took a long drag and blew out the smoke.
I studied him. I didn’t know a Russian who didn’t operate in flesh trafficking. Volkov was surprising.
“When you have a beautiful woman on your arm with a moral compass, what do you do?”
I didn’t know what he meant, but I figured he’d softened a little for his woman.
I shrugged. “Well, at any rate, we stay out of your business, and you stay out of ours. Strip clubs, among other things for one hundred kilos a month. I think that’s a fair trade,” I said, quirking my eyebrow questioningly.
If he disagreed with what the Sinners proposed, then he could go fuck himself.
“This is acceptable,” Volkov stated, his eyes fixed on mine as if he were waiting for me to renege on the deal.
Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t. Loki made it clear that this deal had to be made. I wasn’t going to fuck it up just because I didn’t trust the Russians.
I nodded, then Volkov pushed up from his seat. I held up my hand to stop his progress. There was one more thing I wanted. Something I knew would piss Volkov and the behemoth, Lev, who stood behind me lurking, off. But I had to take advantage of the situation.
I’d ask Loki for forgiveness later because I was about to jump over his head. My lips twisted into a cynical smile.
“Just one more thing, and then I’d say we have ourselves a deal.”
“Oh?” he asked, standing at his full height, a cold expression settled on his face. “And what might that be?”
“Her,” I answered.
I knew I didn’t have to elaborate; he knew who I was talking about. Lev was there in two steps before Volkov grunted, stopping his assault. My hand was already at my hip, ready to pull my gun.
“Fuck you,” Volkov replied, and I threw my head back and laughed. It was clear he thought that I wanted his woman. Even though I wanted to fuck her, again, Sinners didn’t deal in flesh.
“Sinners are looking for a new club lawyer, who’s better than a fucking lawyer with connection to the Bratva,” I explained.
Volkov’s eyes narrowed on me as he mulled over what I said. “I’ll ask her, but it’s her decision, and her answer is not contingent upon our negotiations.”
I huffed with a flash of humor in my eyes. “Fine. You have a deal. Give us a call when she makes her decision.”
I stand and make my way to the door with two sets of eyes bored down to my soul.
“It was nice, Volkov,” I yelled over my shoulder before the door shut behind me.
The sun was bright in the sky, and it seemed to me that even more people crowded the streets of the French Quarter.
I trekked to my bike and threw my leg over the seat.
“Oh, excuse me.” A sweet voice came from behind me as the back of my bike was bumped. “I’m so sorry.”
I turned to see who it was, and my breath left my body as our eyes caught one another and held for a few seconds too long. But it was all the time I needed to take her in. She was fucking beautiful.
She had smooth brown skin. And her wavy hair, which was pulled back in a low ponytail, fell just down her back. And she had a fucking body to die for from what I could see, as she and her friends giggled, stepping around my bike and onto the sidewalk.
I adjusted my dick, the thing instantly perking up and taking notice of her delicious tattoos. I wanted to lick and leave love bites on her so everyone could see I’d been there. That she belonged to me.
The thought jerked me from my thoughts. What the fuck? Where the hell did that come from? I didn’t even know this beauty in front of me with an infectious smile.
I cleared my throat, coming to my senses, because the thoughts running through my head for this stranger were just…stupid.
“No problem. Y’all be careful now.” I smiled, then fired up my bike.
I wasn’t one for showing off or peacocking, but an overwhelming sense of posturing for her came over me. I let my baby’s pipes do their thing and slowly pulled away from the sidewalk.
I walked my bike into traffic, keeping my eye on them as they giggled and whispered about me. The one who caught my eye never left mine, and one of her friends wasn’t shy about pointing. When I could move better into the traffic, I took off, but I could see in my side mirrors they watched me until they ducked down an alley. I tried to get one more look at her, but three men in tailored suits, who followed behind them, blocked my view.
I smirked at the interaction, then headed to my destination.
The first thing Remy and I needed to do was find my mother’s boyfriend. That fucker didn’t know what he’d stepped into by stealing from the Sinners right under our noses. He probably thought he’d masterminded the biggest heist in the fucking world. But what he actually did was put himself on our radar. I never gave a fuck about any of my mother’s boyfriends before. This one just became a lot more interesting.
It was time to talk to our mama.
I pulled into LeBlanc’s Gator Tours and drove around the back to park my bike. Remy should’ve been meeting with the employees who helped us ship our guns out by now.
I let him handle all of that because Remy had a way with people. Most of them were scared shitless of him. The fact that the fucker from this morning was willing to go along with our mama’s boyfriend’s harebrained plan, Remy would take it personally.
That meant extra grunting and sneering at the poor fuckers. But I didn’t pity them one bit. We’d have to make an example out of Matt to let everyone know not to fuck with us.
I walked down a path that opened into a building that enabled us to cast boats into the bayou. My brother and I had a sweet ass set up, if I do say so myself.
I pushed the door open, and Remy already had his gaze stuck on Matt.
Remy caught my eye and nodded. I cleared my throat so I could say what we found out. “I’m sure my brother has informed you all that we recently had some guns stolen from our latest shipment. The last hands that touched those guns were the people in this room.”
Everyone began murmuring, but my eye was on Matt, who was a fidgety motherfucker.
“You all know the first thing my brother and I said to you was that we expect loyalty to us above everything else. The money is good, and you do your job discreetly. We didn’t think that was too much to ask. Matt, won’t you come up here for a minute.”
He shook his head.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying like hell to ward off the headache this bitch was trying to give me.
“Get your ass over here,” Remy growled, then was on Matt before anyone could blink with a punch to the face.
The guy would’ve crumbled to the ground if not for Remy grabbing him by his shirt and holding him up.
“Now, Matt, tell everyone what happened. And don’t leave anything out,” I said calmly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt sputtered. “I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“This is true, but you know who did. You know whose idea it was, and you didn’t come to me nor Remy. Why?”
He stopped struggling, eyes blown wide with surprise that we knew what happened and that he wasn’t involved.
“How?” he asked. “How did you know that?”
“Answer the question, Matt. Why didn’t you come to us?” I asked him again through clenched teeth. This guy was working my nerves, and my patience was wearing thin.
“He said he’d kill me if I said anything. He’d kill me and Taylor,” Matt whimpered. His eye was beginning to swell shut.
“Motherfucker, I’ll kill you!” I yelled, my hand going straight to my gun before tucking it under his chin.
No one moved to help him. They just stood back and watched wide-eyed and surprised.
Matt swallowed. “He said he would kill me, and I didn’t know what to do.” Tears trailed down his face. “I told him I didn’t want any part of it. I didn’t want to betray you.”
“But you do realize that by not telling us, you risk starting a fucking war if our client doesn’t get their guns.” I turned to the five or so guys we had left. “Let this be a lesson to you not to fuck with the Sinners.”
Remy let Matt fall to his knees. I placed the barrel of my gun to his forehead and pulled the trigger. Matt slumped to the floor.
“You two take him to the boat and head to the west end of the property. The gators there hadn’t been fed yet.”
They dragged Matt out of the building. I turned to the others. “Get three crates ready to ship out to our clients.”
Remy sidled next to me and watched our employees scramble to do what we asked.
“How did the meeting go?” Remy grumbled as we stood in the room for a few moments before returning to the main building.
We would open in a few hours, and I wanted the body gone and the guns shipped before then.
“It was interesting. This guy, Volkov, is wily. Smart as fuck,” I told my brother as we settled into the office we shared and closed the door.
We had the entire building soundproofed, and every twenty minutes, a scan for listening devices was done in every building that Clayton ‘Wires’ Ward, a prospect for the club, had set up. We couldn’t be too careful. This place was our sanctuary when we weren’t on the water. The cobalt blue walls, a bookshelf with random books we both collected over the years, florescent lighting, and a bay window that looked out over the main dock let in natural light.
When we were younger, it was nothing for us to go missing for days out in the bayou. Now that we were older, just having a quiet place to think and talk did it for us. Especially when Remy came back from the military.
“So, no problems?” Remy asked, sitting behind his desk, opposite wall of me. “I hate those trafficking fuckers.”
I shook my head. “No, not this guy. He wants to open a few strip clubs. And get this shit.” I shook my head, still not believing it. “His girl is a criminal lawyer. I threw her in the deal.”
“For a club lawyer?” Remy asked, folding his hands behind the back of his head, locking his finger.
“Yeah. One hundred kilos every month and her to operate in our city.”
“I know he’s not just throwing up strip clubs everywhere,” Remy said, leaning his elbows on top of his desk.
“Nah. I’m sure he’s up to other shit, but I told him if he stayed out of Sinners’ business, then we’d stay out of his.”
Remy nodded. “The last thing we need is Russian fuckers sticking their noses in our shit.”
“Right.” I pulled up the schedule for the first tour of the day. “You call Loki about Mama’s boyfriend?”
“Yup. For the most part, he’s gonna let us handle it since it’s family business, but he called Church for bright and early tomorrow morning.”
I huffed out a breath. “Damn, I hate the fucking early ones. Means I gotta be up at the crack ass of dawn.”
Remy chuckled. “Price for being VP, little brother.”
I rolled my eyes but smirked.
It had been a long time since my brother laughed, and it wasn’t a frequent occurrence when he did. It was nice to see, although I wished he would talk to me about what happened.
“Yeah, well, it has its perks.”
“Like all the ass you can handle? The club whores flock to your ass.”
“Jealous bro?” I leaned forward, mirroring his posture.
“Hell no,” he claimed and shrugged “I get the ones you don’t want.”
There was a mischievous gleam in Remy’s eyes that made me believe him. He was content with where he was right now, and I just wanted him to be okay. Now, we could focus on our mama and her shitty ass taste in men.