Chapter 43
Mikhail
Drumming my fingers against the desk, I check the clock for the fifth time in the past ten minutes.
Cassandra left a little over an hour ago to head back to school, and the separation is already driving me mad.
She’ll only be gone a few hours, just heading back to take her final exam and pick up a few more things from her house, but after having her so close for the past two weeks, her absence feels like a personalized punishment.
I sent Ivan with her since I had a meeting I needed to attend, but now that it’s over, I’m thinking I might drive up to surprise her after her test. I’m so impressed that she’s finished all the classes for her degree, but I’ve always known she was more than capable.
I can’t wait to hold and kiss my little business graduate.
I’ve just about made up my mind to leave, grabbing my car keys from my desk drawer, when my phone vibrates with a text.
Unknown:
1 PM. Pacifica Hotel. Meet to discuss negotiations for your unhit arms warehouses. Don’t be late. -C
My hand shakes in anger as I read the veiled threat in the text. Fucking Cassio. The fucking nerve to declare an act of war like bombing my club, and then ask for negotiations just a few weeks later.
But I haven’t been able to catch the leak yet, and I’ve been through everyone’s fucking backgrounds, data, and history.
If I don’t go, it’s likely that another one of my properties will be targeted before I solve the issue, and this time it might be one that’s more heavily populated.
My entire Bratva is being fucked between a rock and a hard place.
I frown, texting my head of security to compile a team before checking the time once again. I have only forty minutes before the proposed meeting time. Andrei texts back immediately, making arrangements for the unfortunate confrontation.
There’s an unspoken rule in this world not to make a violent scene in a public place, so this meeting will likely only contain verbal warfare and crafted insults, but it’s always good to come prepared with a hit team in case things go... poorly.
Unfortunately, my girl will have to wait.
My body thrums with disappointment as I strap on my weapons.
Strolling into the bright lobby of the Pacifica Hotel, I take care to wrap my features into an empty, cold expression, void of all the unease that fills me.
The meeting is somewhat standard, and the bright, crowded building sets the perfect expectation for a cordial interaction.
Still, despite knowing all of that, I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.
I try to focus on the calming weight of my guns. The little harness strapped to my calf, the knives hidden within. Like usual, taking methodical stock of my weaponry clears my mind. With Andrei hovering behind me, I walk up to the hostess at the hotel restaurant and ask for our reservation.
“Oh, I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have any reservations here under those names.”
I freeze, snapping my full attention to the nervous woman in front of me. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m positive. I just double-checked.”
I glance at my watch. 1:07 PM. A snake of apprehension curls around my spine, hissing in dismay. I look over to Andrei, who’s already on his phone. When his eyes meet mine, I just know I’m not going to like what he’s going to tell me.
“The men just did a sweep. Not a single one of them in sight. They aren’t here.”
“Well, if they had us come here, then where the fuck are they?” I growl under my breath, scaring the poor hostess into a rushed jog back to her booth.
And then my phone vibrates.