Chapter 6
Dmitri
My assistant is more than pretty and competent.
She’s essential. The hinge everything turns on.
Taking notes during meetings, drafting documents, filing, organizing, strategy. She can do it all, and she’s allowed me to make some big moves lately. Cara’s also been able to clear up my schedule and take some weight off my shoulders, so I can focus on more important things.
She’s probably one of the best decisions that I’ve made business-wise, and I’m about to really put her to the test. No more hiding things about my businesses or tiptoeing around the details. If she’s going to help me get things done, everything needs to come to light.
Well, almost everything.
I can’t trust anyone a hundred percent.
“Where are we going, sir?” Cara asks as we walk out of the office building and over to a black SUV.
One of my drivers, Arman, opens the back door for us and nods to me, his face remaining still and stony. He could get punched in the face, and his expression still wouldn’t move. He’s a soldier, a loyal one.
“A meeting,” I tell her as I step to the side to let her in first. My hand brushes her lower back before I can stop it.
I shouldn’t touch her at all. It’s too risky. I was seconds away from kissing her the other night before my phone interrupted us. For once, her purely professional demeanor slipped for a second, and I saw the desire in her eyes.
She wants me. The attraction is there.
Cara takes a seat on the far-left side, pressing her thighs together and resting her hands in her lap over her black skirt.
I sit down on the right side, my eyes roaming over the soft skin of her bare thighs. I’ve noticed that she’s been dressing differently lately. Deliberately. Teasing the line between work appropriate and not.
As long as people show up and do their damn job, I don’t really care what they wear, but I can’t help but wonder if her choice of attire is purposeful or not. Is she dressing up for me or someone else?
I saw her laughing with the security guard downstairs. My fists clench at the memory. I doubt the asshole was that funny.
“Who are we meeting?” Cara asks once Arman gets in his seat and pulls away from the sidewalk.
I keep my eyes forward. “Someone who has an outstanding invoice to pay.”
Cara remains quiet after that. She’ll get answers to all the questions that she has when we arrive at our destination.
As Arman takes us out of the heart of downtown Las Vegas, I slowly curl and uncurl my fingers, tension working its way up my spine. I don’t know how well this meeting will go, but if Rafael is smart, he’ll pay up and save his own skin.
Chic stores and modern office buildings eventually fade away into a rundown area full of warehouses and abandoned lots. Traffic diminishes significantly, and there’s barely anyone in sight by the time Arman parks in the back lot of one of the old warehouses.
“Come on,” I tell Cara before getting out of the car.
Cara meets me at the hood, her eyes sweeping around to scan the area. She tenses up when another black SUV of mine pulls into the lot and three men exit the vehicle to walk around the warehouse. She’s about to see what the job really entails.
My eyes meet hers. “It’s just another kind of business meeting.”
Cara breathes in deeply through her nose and nods as she straightens her shoulders. “Yes, sir.”
I turn back around and approach the rusted door leading into the warehouse. Its hinges squeak as I pull it open. Every sound echoes as we enter, our footsteps thumping across the cavernous, nearly empty space.
Only broken crates, old machinery, shattered glass, and dusty work helmets remain. My buyer, Rafael, stands in the middle of the warehouse, fidgeting with the duffel bag in his hand. At least he brought something that could have money in it.
“You’ve been dodging my calls for two weeks, Rafael. You know that I don’t like being ignored.” I adjust my cuffs as I close the distance.
Sweat shines on Rafael’s round face, his white t-shirt and black leather jacket stretching around his stout body. He swallows hard as I approach, his muscles growing tense.
“I’ve been…busy,” Rafael replies.
I motion for Cara to stay behind while I walk closer to Rafael, frustration already burning beneath my skin. This son of a bitch doesn’t have my money.
“We’ve done business together half a dozen times now.
I came to trust you. I trusted you so much that I gave you an entire shipment of the finest product in this city without demanding full payment upfront for once.
I believed you when you said that you would pay me the rest in the next two weeks,” I tell him firmly. “That was four fucking weeks ago.”
Rafael stiffens. “Business has been slow. Tourism is way down. My guys haven’t been able to sell it all yet!”
“I trusted you. That was my mistake.”
“I have almost half of what I owe you right here. I can get the rest soon,” Rafael assures me as he tosses the duffel bag toward me.
I look down as the bag lands at my feet. It appears far too light. “And wait another month for the last bit? No, you’ll get me the rest tonight or our business together is done.”
“Please, Dmitri,” Rafael begs me as he puts his hands together. “Just give me more time! A week! That’s all I need!”
I draw in a sharp breath through my nose, my fingers curling tight and firm. “Cara, Mr. Navaro has owed me two hundred thousand dollars for a month now. Should I give him more time?”
Rafael’s wide eyes dart to Cara, desperation written all over his face.
I look over my shoulder at my beautiful assistant to see her staring back at Rafael, an unreadable expression on her face.
She finally shakes her head before turning to me. “No, you shouldn’t. You’ve given him ample time to pay you back or at least come up with a payment plan.”
“I agree,” I tell her.
“Wait! Take my car!” Rafael blurts out as he digs his car keys out of his pocket and holds them out to me with a shaky hand. “It’s worth at least fifteen thousand! With the cash that’s ninety-five K!”
I glance at the emblem on the keys and scoff. “A Nissan? Really?”
Rafael looks at Cara. “Tell him it’s worth it! Please! You have to talk some sense into him!”
My temper snaps. I step toward Rafael so quickly and so aggressively that he stumbles back and falls on his ass. “What did you say?”
Rafael tries to scramble away, but I grab him by the front of his shirt and jerk him toward me. “Just give me some more time! You know that I’m good for it!”
“No, I don’t,” I snap at him. “I’m done waiting for my money. I’m not doing it anymore.”
Mercy is not something I’m capable of giving him or anyone ever. In this line of work, examples must be made, or else you’ll look weak. That’s when people think they can walk all over you.
Failures have severe consequences in my world. The men who do business with me know that from the start. Most are smart enough to honor our agreements.
Rafael grabs at my hand, trying to pry it off, but it doesn’t budge. “I’ll try for the end of this week! I’ll sell something! I’ll figure it out!”
I laugh and shake my head. “No. You’ll get me my money tonight, and if you don’t show up where I tell you to at the time that I tell you to, I’ll send my men after you. You know how that’ll end.”
Rafael grunts in pain as I tug on his shirt harder, making the fabric dig into his neck. “Tonight? That’s insane!”
“Cara, what do you think Rafael can get done in eight hours?” I ask her as my narrowed eyes burn into Rafael’s scared gaze.
“He could sell his car. If he finds the right buyer, they’ll give him cash the same day after inspecting it, which will barely be a drop in the bucket if there’s only eighty thousand in the bag,” Cara states.
“Or he can stop being lazy and move the product you sold him or return it before you decide to add on interest.”
I look back at Rafael as a smirk crosses my face. She’s full of surprises. “You’ll get me the rest of my money or give me back my product by midnight.”
“That’s a lot of work to do in a limited amount of time,” he complains.
Lazy bastard. Cara sensed that immediately. The cocaine is long gone, and probably not to customers. She’s right, I should start piling on interest.
“I’ll give you some motivation,” I tell him before slamming my right fist against his jaw, snapping his head to the side.
Rafael cries out in pain, but I don’t let him fall over. I drag him upright and hit him again, harder.
My knuckles split. His face swells. Blood hits the concrete. I don’t stop until he understands.
Rafael gasps as blood splatters on the floor, staining his lips and teeth. His face is already starting to swell where I’ve struck him, his left eye nearly swollen shut already.
I release his shirt, sending him sprawling onto his back. “Midnight. Come back here with the rest of the cash that you owe me and not a dollar less or the product you allegedly haven’t been able to sell.”
Rafael rolls onto his side and curls up, spitting blood onto the floor with a pained shudder and a weak groan.
I turn around and walk toward Cara, whose eyes are glued to Rafael. “Got anything to say about what you’ve seen today, milaya?”
Cara shifts her attention to me and shakes her head. “No, sir.”
“Good girl.”
I walk past her out of the warehouse, hearing Rafael groan in pain behind me. Hopefully, I got my message through and gave him some motivation.
Cara and I get back into the SUV just as my other men return from their posted stations around the perimeter of the warehouse. I didn’t think I would need them, but you can never be too careful in my line of work.
“Back to the office, Arman,” I tell my driver before looking over at Cara. “You didn’t flinch. Why is that?”
Cara fidgets with the end of her skirt before glancing at my busted knuckles, then meeting my gaze. “Oh, well, um, an old boyfriend of mine from a few years ago used to deal.”
The girl with the strict parents was involved with a criminal boyfriend. I suppose it’s not uncommon for suffocated children to lash out. She can certainly do better than a measly drug dealer, though.
“What happened to him?” I ask, already having a good guess of where he’s at right now.
Cara shrugs as she lowers her eyes. “He was an angry asshole. He started lashing out at me, and it got to a point where I knew that I needed to leave before things got worse. Last time I checked, he had been locked up on a distribution charge.”
A lot of people in the game get caught and thrown in prison, and plenty of them re-offend once they’re released. Only the smart ones are able to get out without catching a charge or getting shot for some sort of unpaid debt.
“He would’ve dragged you down with him. People like that always do,” I tell her. “You were smart to get out while you still could.”
“I’m also not fazed because I trust you,” Cara says. “You’re not going to get caught, so I won’t get caught as an accessory.”
A faint smile forms on my face as I peer out of the window, watching the sketchy warehouse area gradually fade away. “You’re right. I won’t get caught, especially not with your continued help.”
“So, you really think I did…good today?” Cara asks me.
My eyes snap to hers as her question spurs a spark of heat within me. “You did.”
Good girl. Why the fuck did I even say those words to her? The phrase just rolled off my tongue. And based on the way Cara is smiling with pride, I think she enjoys being praised.
I imagine her kneeling. Waiting for more praise. Only mine.
“When we get back to the office, I’ll tend to your knuckles,” she says, snapping me out of my daydream. “I think there’s a first aid kit in the break room.”
I glance down at my hand, seeing the blood and wounds on my split knuckles. I don’t even notice them or the sting anymore, so I’m surprised that she hasn’t already forgotten about the minor abrasions. “Spasibo. Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” Cara replies, her voice bordering on a purr. Or maybe she just naturally sounds alluring.
Whatever the case, any mention of her pleasure heats me up in a way that’s dangerous. The last person I need to get tangled up with is my assistant, the person who keeps my life from falling apart.
Besides, if Annika’s father found out that his daughter isn’t the center of my universe, the alliance would go up in smoke.
I don’t make reckless decisions.
And wanting Cara would be reckless.