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“You asshole,” I spit, trying to pull my face out of his hold.
He smirks. “Calm down. Fortunately for you,Tesoro, my papà is dead. Which means you don’t have to be my dirty little secret.” He brushes his lips against mine, whispering five words that send a thrill through me. “You can be my queen.”
Chapter28
Nico
“Idon’t like this.” Dante grumbles beside me, as we stride toward the derelict warehouse.
We are surrounded by Marchetti soldiers, and there is no doubt in my mind that Vadim will be just as prepared with his own security. Having our own teams of guards was not only part of our agreement when the meeting was scheduled, but a requirement should anything go wrong. We are on neutral grounds, at a place that was decided by an intermediary at the last minute so neither side could have a chance to set a trap if they had decided to.
I know for a fact Vadim will be just as on edge as we are. This is the first time he will be facing me; the son of the man he had murdered in cold blood and the man who owns the club his men shot up. I am sure that in his mind, he thinks I want his death as vengeance for my father. I do want him to die at my hands, but it is not for the reason he believes it to be…
“It will be fine.” I drawl, waving off his concern. “No one is allowed to take any weapons inside.” I remind him of the other security measure in place. A metal detector will be set up at the entrance making sure no one is carrying a gun or any other weapon. Not that I couldn’t kill a man with my bare hands if I decided to. I could. But with these measures in place, it will hopefully ensure we get out of here alive.
“Mr. Marchetti,” Callum, the middleman in all of this and the federal agent that works for both our organizations, greets me as I step inside the warehouse. Whereas Tony is only inmypocket, this fucker isn’t. Callum Halstead is a greedy fucker – one I don’t trust, but he was the only way this meeting was going to happen - and takes money fromThe Famigliaand the Bratva. He toys with both sides of the coin, earning good chunks of money from both organizations. The asshole could easily retire with what I pay him and the fact he is still doing this tells me one thing. He gets off on his double agent shit, loves the danger that comes with being involved with the wrong side of the law.
“Callum.” I nod, lip curled in a snarl. He knows full well I don’t like him, and I know the feeling is mutual.
He eyes me, before his gaze shifts over my army of men. A look of disdain flickers in his eyes but he covers it quickly. Hmm. Interesting. I make a mental note to look into his hostility when this is over.
“Vadim is already inside. Like him, my men,” he jerks his finger to the four men standing by what look like two standard airport metal detectors. I don’t miss the guns strapped to their belts. Makes sense. They are getting in the middle of a war between mafia families. “Will take you all through the machines to check for any weapons. Once we are satisfied that you are all clean, we will take you through.”
“Let’s get on with it then. I don’t have all night.” I say, clear irritation lacing every word. I knew all this was going to happen, so I don’t understand why he feels the need to tell me all this again. I’m beginning to think he just likes the sound of his own voice. Either that or he is stalling. Either way, I just want the information I came here for and to get back to my family as quickly as I can. I shove the thought of them aside, knowing I need to keep a clear head going into this.
Callum’s jaw clenches in annoyance. I know he wants to say something, but he won’t. Not if he values his life, anyway. “Let’s go,” he moves toward the machines. One by one we all go through without setting the alarm off. There are twenty of us altogether and within fifteen minutes we are all checked. Once Callum is happy, he gives the nod, and we are escorted through the warehouse by him and his men, the tension radiating from them so thick, I almost choke on it.
We move down a dark, damp hallway, toward double metal doors. Callum pushes them open, revealing a room filled with men. My gaze travels over them, one by one. They all watch us with blank faces, their stances protective as they guard their boss. My gaze shifts to said boss, Vadim, who sits at a large table with who I assume is his underboss, Lev. They don’t rise from their chairs - I don’t expect them to – it would be a sign of respect and that’s something they don’t have for me.
“Vadim,” I address him by his first name, not missing the way his jaw grinds together.
“Nico. Nice of you to grace us with your presence.” His thick Russian accent bounces around the room.
I smirk, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. Dante drops down beside me, with Callum playing Switzerland and sitting just out of the way, at the side of the table with one of his men.
“I wish I could say the same,” I drawl, making him glower. “Anyway, enough of the small talk, let’s get straight to the point. I have better things to do than sit around with you.”
“You requested this meeting, Nico. Say what you came here to say.” Vadim shoots back, sitting up in his chair, like he is a king waiting for the peasant to speak.
My jaw clenches at his blatant disrespect but I push it down. “You shot up my club, Vadim.” It’s not an accusation but a statement, one which he confirms with two words.
“I did.” He grins, no shame for what he did. Anger heats my veins and I want to kill the bastard, but I just about manage to tamp it down. I will kill him, but not before I get the information I need.
“They asked about a girl. Emilee. What do you want with her?” I don’t know how I manage to get the words out. My teeth are clenched so hard, I am surprised they haven’t turned to dust.
He eyes me, curiosity sparking in his gaze. Leaning back, he gets comfortable. “Ahh, so this meeting is not about your club or your papà. It is about the girl.” He chuckles, shaking his head.
“What do you want with her?” I repeat, a red haze dotting my vision.
He smirks. “Her father, Mr. Caldwell, is paying me a substantial amount of money to find her. His PI informed him that she was working at your club. Samuel Caldwell is a smart, resourceful man. He did his research and found out that I was your enemy. Let’s just say, he made me a deal I couldn’t resist.” His gaze narrows. “She wasn’t there, though. Any idea where she could be? I would like to fuck her at least a couple of times before I take her back to her father. Have you seen that body?” He licks his lips suggestively and I have to grip the arms of the chair to hold me in place.
He is baiting me. I know this. But it doesn’t calm the blood burning in my veins, or the voice in my head, begging me to wrap my hands around his neck and choke the life out of him. “Call the deal off,” I growl.
He barks out a laugh. “And why would I do that? Did you know she is promised to a mayor’s son? If I bring her back, they have assured me that I will have no problems or questions asked bringing…” he trails off, as if he needs to think about his next words. “Mybusinessthrough their ports. It will make things easier for trade on the west coast. I just need the girl, and something tells me you know exactly where she is.”
My face is impassive, eyes cold, not giving anything away, but inside I’m seething. With that kind of deal on the table, I know Vadim won’t stop until he finds Ocean. But I would die before I let him touch her. Which is why I can’t show my hand, or act on impulse. I need to keep my cards close to my chest. Stay calm. Not give anything away. If I show any hint of possessiveness he will know.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Vadim. The girl left my club over a year ago. I haven’t seen her since. Why would I care about some dancer? The only reason I called this meeting was because you shot up my club, and to do that for some girl? Well, she must be important. I wanted to know why.” I chuckle condescendingly, leaning back casually as if I really don’t give a shit.
