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I know the only way to settle this is face-to-face. Alexander is a weak, psychopathic asshole, but he is dangerous nonetheless and I definitely want to make it clear to him that under no circumstances will we be giving him back the woman he kidnapped for his human trafficking business. I sneer at the thought of how disgusting he is.
“I will come and fetch you at six,” Paval says. “We’re all going.”
“I’ll be ready. Ivan, you will stay here with Jennifer.”
Paval downs the last of his drink. “I have to go.” He stands and walks out without another word. I stare at Ivan.
“Ivan, if anything happens to her, I will have you skinned alive. I hope I make myself very clear.” Ivan and I have been through hell together. He has taken bullets for me; I trust him with my life. I know I can trust him with Jennifer’s too, yet it is still the hardest thing I have had to do. The thought of leaving her alone was not one I was ready to face just yet. She has been so challenging lately, and I don’t even know what she is going to try when I am gone tonight.
“I know. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to her,” he promises.
“She is a handful,” I say.
“I can tell by how dissolved you look. It seems as though someone has finally managed to rattle the cage of the calm and diplomatic Dubrov brother.”
He chuckles, but I do not smile. She has rattled my cage. She has, truthfully, created a storm in my life that I am not in control of. I don’t know how much longer I can hold back from doing the things to her that keep haunting my dreams.
***
It took me twenty minutes to explain to Jennifer that I would be out and that she could not come with me. She practically threw a tantrum when I told her she had to stay behind. I cannot tell her where I am going, as that would be detrimental to me getting closer to her, but perhaps I should have. Just to let her know how far I am willing to go to keep her safe.
I climb into the back seat of the SUV alongside my brothers. Paval, Fyodor, and Maxim stare at me. “What’s wrong with you?” Paval ask. “You look like someone killed your dog.”
“Nothing. Let’s just go.” I adjust the weight of my handgun in the holster across my chest, pulling my jacket straight.
“Did Paval tell you what this is about?” Fyodor asks.
“He did.”
“This issue has been causing a lot of tension between the territories, ours and theirs. It will be good if we can settle this tonight.”
“Understood.”
We pull up outside the shipyard, near a pub where meetings like this often take place. It is public, yet not public enough to cause issues. The people here know us and our rivals, and they know to mind their own business as long as we keep to an agreement of remaining civil within their establishment. There is an honor code of sorts when we meet here. This is for talk and talk only.
We walk in and find a table near the wall where our backs are secure and we can keep an eye on everything around us.
Alexander Golubev walks into the pub, followed by four of his men. The bulges of their weapons are obvious beneath their suits. He smiles and walks towards us with his arms open. We all stand.
“The Dubrovs,” he says. “How nice to see you all together. It has been too long. How are you all?”
“Cut the bullshit and get to the point,” I snap, not wanting to spend unnecessary time in this snake’s presence.
“Why the rush? Let’s get a drink.”
Paval steps forward when I clench my fists. I cannot stop myself from picturing the state Jennifer was in when I found her. I know he has done the same thing to countless other girls. I want to kill him right here and now.
“Alexander,” Paval says. “We are all busy. Let’s get to the point. You called this meeting. Tell us what you want to discuss.”
Alexander sighs and slides into a seat at the table. His men stand to the side behind him. We all sit down, tension rising.
“You have something that belongs to me,” he says casually.
“And what is that?” Fyodor asks.
“My property. I believe you stumbled upon one of my containers a while ago and helped yourself to what was inside. I want it back.”
“Your container?” Fyodor sounds cool and collected. I am gritting my teeth and fighting the urge to slam my fists into Alexander’s face. I want to hear his bones crack.
