Chapter 6 – Danil
“Nikolai,” I uttered, offering a handshake as he approached my desk.
“Danil Yezhov,” he announced, a grin on his face as he took my hand in a firm handshake.
“What brings you by today? My surprise is justified, you’ll agree,” I said as I sat, and he did the same across the desk.
It wasn’t public knowledge that, three years ago, Nikolai Romanov had pulled out of the German drug syndicate he had been a part of for decades. The story Klaus and the rest of the group told was that Nikolai decided to become a dormant partner.
“Well, yes,” he answered, looking around my office. “Everything looks the same here.”
I would’ve mentioned that I couldn’t say the same about his hair, which had now gone salt and pepper, but I held back. It wasn’t uncommon; he was in his early fifties. “Hm.”
“I have a business proposition for you. I couldn’t share it over the phone; that’s why I came all the way here.”
“I won’t be wrong to assume you’re about to tell me, would I?”
He chuckled before answering, “It’s a loan-sharking business.”
“Loans? You could have reached out to any of my brothers whose warehouses are closer to you. Why did you have to come to me? Loan-sharking isn’t geographically-sensitive; you know that.”
“Of course, I know it’s not. I have my sources, and they tell me loans and drugs are your specializations, while your brothers have others. That makes you my surest bet.”
“We all do the same business, sometimes together,” I hedged.
“I know,” he answered, chuckling. He sat up with his elbow on the desk.
“You must have heard of the new casino these Singaporean guys opened uptown. It has a different underground casino where high rollers gamble higher stakes. Landed properties. Luxury cars. These guys are either too rich to care about the money or too stupid to know when to stop. And that’s where my business proposition comes in. ”
“Offering them loans to gamble with?”
“Yes, but not just loans. They’re too desperate to think twice about interest rates.
We can set it as high as we want. They’ll keep borrowing until they hit rock bottom in the games.
But there’s more. They sometimes hold underground auctions.
Guys who have won valuables often sell them at much lower prices just to get cash quickly.
We buy them and sell them at market value outside.
I’ve done my research and I have a foolproof plan. What’s left is the core—the money.”
I nodded, and he continued.
“Just weekends. Your men could handle things there; I know you have more than enough business to deal with everywhere else.”
“Gamblers make up a relatively high percentage of my loan-sharking clientele. I understand that they are easy. But I’m not positive about getting involved with the auction. It’ll amount to unwanted stress and risk; it’s not worth my resources.”
“We’ll be getting crazy turnovers on these properties, Danil,” he pointed out.
“Imagine getting a vintage car at this auction. The price would be ridiculously low, true. But extra expenses will come from moving the car, deactivating whatever tracking mechanism it’s equipped with, and possibly altering its appearance a bit.
Then there is the high chance of not getting market-price offers because it’s not just a second-hand vehicle.
What if it’s a painting or any other niche item?
Then I have to source buyers; I don’t do that. ”
“You’re right. What do you say we go into the loan-sharking and just observe the auction landscape, then?” he asked, his fingers on his mustache.
“What do you get out of it?”
“A cut in the interest. 50%,” he revealed. “But there’s another major issue to discuss. Logistics. Moving millions of dollars isn’t regular fund traffic. It might not go smoothly if we don’t have some legal personnel on our side.”
“I have people for that. Consider it sorted,” I told him. “35%.”
“Let’s make it 45.”
“We won’t be sharing risks and input equally, Nikolai,” I clarified.
“40%,” he conceded.
“We have a deal. My men will get the paperwork across to you before the end of the day.”
“Perfect. We should have everything in place before the weekend. There’s no reason for us not to kickstart on Friday. By Saturday, they start putting it in their backup plans.”
“I’ll be there on Friday, being the first day. I might be there on Sunday, too. I’m getting married on Saturday.”
“You’re getting married?!” he exclaimed, his grin spreading. “One wouldn’t expect you to be so casual about it, though. Whoever was able to steal your heart and make you think of marriage must be so special. Congratulations. Bring out the freaking invite!”
“There will be no ceremony, just the marriage itself.”
“Oh, private as always. Send my greetings to your bride.”
The thought of Katria’s reaction to a client’s marriage greetings made me chuckle.
“Sure. Thanks.”
***
“One more thing, Danil,” Eduard uttered, making me turn toward him.
I was about to leave his warehouse on Thursday evening after working out the strategy I needed his input for.
“Have you done any checks on your soon-to-be bride?” he inquired. “Friends? Relatives?”
“Yes. Her foster parents. Colleagues at work. Nothing stands out. Why do you ask?”
“See anything about her friend who recently got married?”
“No,” I answered. “A threat?”
“Not at all. She has a close friend. Been friends for years. She got married quite unexpectedly, and they’ve mostly shared correspondence since then. That friend is Marielle,” he explained, a hint of a smile brightening up his face.
“Your wife?” I asked, unable to keep the shock away from my voice.
He nodded.
“She heard me talking to my men about the Kyle Wolfe situation and asked if the daughter I was talking about was Katria. She wanted to meet her immediately, but I explained the risk involved in Katria’s movement before the marriage.
Since then, she’s been jumping around the house; she can’t wait to see her on Saturday. ”
“She can come see her. I owe her that much.”
“She understands, and she’s okay with spending some time with her after the wedding.
And she has nothing against you, I told you.
She knows you were looking out for me. It’s not like you accused her or continued treating her with suspicion.
On the contrary, you’re one of her least disliked brothers. ”
“Least disliked….”
“Oh, she doesn’t always like me, too,” he remarked, smiling.
She did that.
“She could come over before the wedding. As long as they don’t step out of her room, it’s fine. Seeing her friend could make her feel less furious; it might make her less likely to stab me,” I remarked.
“Marielle said she’s a force of nature,” he disclosed.
“Undiluted truth, I tell you,” I uttered, chuckling.
“The circumstances aren’t exactly endearing,” he mentioned, his hand landing on my shoulder in a pat, “for either of you. I’m proud of you, Danil.”
“Been hearing that a lot lately.”
“From who? Your dry cleaner?”
“Matvey.”
“Now, that’s remarkable,” he said, nodding. “Till Saturday, then.”
“Till Saturday,” I repeated as one of his men came out of the warehouse entrance door we stood beside.
I went to my car, and Eduard went into his.
It was just 11 p.m., and he was already heading to his estate—toward his wife. The same person who used to make late nights at work less appealing, as he had said.
As Luka steered the car away from the borders of Eduard’s warehouse, I wondered what it would feel like to rush home to my wife. If that was, by any miracle, possible.
Finding my feet planted back in reality, I asked Luka, “What’s the current situation with the factions snooping around Sivella Holdings?”
“They’re not relenting in their efforts, Boss. Especially the Orsinov faction. They’ve been asking more people about the company and Kat’s location.”
“They have no chance of knowing where she is,” I pointed out.
“Sure, Boss. But if they hold on to any loose ends to tie you to her sudden disappearance, it won’t be long before you figure it out. We’ve gotten rid of all loose ends, but we keep sweeping again to tighten things up,” he explained.
“Good. They can’t know she’s anywhere around me until after the wedding, at least. The Orsinov faction will do anything to have some leverage or power over us,” I told him. “And I don’t need to tell you that no harm can come near Katria. She’s under my protection now.”
“Of course, Boss,” he affirmed, glancing at me through the rear-view mirror with a brief smile.
“Good.”
***
We’re getting married tomorrow.
The one thought was what I kept repeating in my head to resist walking over to the monitors to watch her.
I had been busy with my tight work schedule lately, but that wasn’t why I hadn’t set foot in Katria’s room since the morning I made her sign the marriage papers. Her explosive anger toward me wasn’t notable enough to keep me away, either.
I stayed away from her for the mere fact that I couldn’t risk losing my control.
I had only been in the same space as her twice, and I touched her on both occasions.
I knew I couldn’t avoid being around her, especially after our wedding, but the few days of abstinence from her presence were needed for me to regain my bearings.
As I went through the documents on my table, my mind became more restless for another reason. I didn’t know what it was, but my instincts told me something was wrong. I wasn’t psychic or anything, but my instincts were rarely wrong. My brothers knew it, and my men could attest to it.
But this might just be because of the big step I’m about to take tomorrow.
It’s all happening too quickly; that’s probably why it feels like a danger alert.
I concluded that the feeling would pass on its own. When I still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong after a few minutes, I dropped the papers and dialed Luka’s number.
Maybe something is really wrong.
“Boss,” Luka’s voice sounded through the phone.
“Where are you?”
“In the gardens, Boss. Should I come up?”