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Before he could slide in, however, he paused and met my gaze.
“Head out and prepare the others for your plan. Bring her back to the house so I know it’s done, but not until later. I don’t want any noise. Got it?”
With a single nod, I agreed. “I’ll make sure of it, sir.”
“Good. Make quick work of it.”
With a final look, Erasmo adjusted his tie and settled in. Closing the door behind him, I watched as the limo pulled away, and despite my orders, I felt free to do as I needed.
With the boss’s consent, it was just like carrying out any other job, but with a gratifying twist of my own.
Mentally straining at the prospect of seeing Anastasia for the first time since our night together, I hurried to my SUV and climbed in.
On the way to the warehouse, I could only think about her and how it would feel to see her face again. To know that our proximity of living in the same city was about to become even closer.
I had no doubt she would hate me for what I was about to do, but the risk felt worth it for the opportunity to be graced by her presence. In a sense, it was my retribution for her failing to tell me she had been brushing shoulders with the world of organized crime all her life. That she was no stranger to my line of work, and it wasn’t a good enough reason for me to call things off after one night.
She could’ve convinced me with very few words, but she didn’t.
My body was tight with tension even as I reached the warehouse and found my coworker Gabe and a few others standing around the armory.
His face lit up at once. “If it isn’t the Russian.”
“You’re lucky I’m the minority here,” I commented, catching his chuckle.
The Caprises, Italian themselves, also boasted a workforce of the very same, and I was often teased for lacking a similar ancestry. The Russian running with Italians, they often enjoyed saying.
It didn’t put my job or position at risk by any means, but it just meant they never let it go. That was my identifier regardless of my performance or accomplishments.
And yet, I knew it could be much worse.
“The boss gave us the go-ahead for today. We’ll prep and wait until the evening class starts, then we’ll storm in. Once it’s done, we’ll take her back to the mansion and see what Erasmo wants done,” I said, withholding my hope for what his ultimate decision would be. “We can’t be sloppy with this. If we’re to take a shot at the Levovs, then we have to do this right.”
“And you’re sure she’ll be at this lecture?” Gabe asked.
I nodded once. “I’ve been tracking her for weeks and studying her patterns. She should be on campus by seven. Just after that, we’ll go in, grab her, and leave immediately. We don’t need anyone identifying us or who we work for.”
“Sounds easy enough,” he murmured, absently running a hand over his buzzed head. “Think this will give us a boost in the ranks?”
“If we pull it off, then likely. The boss wants a one-up on the opposition, and this is bound to get their attention.”
The small group looked satisfied about that.
“How much power are we thinking?” one of the others asked.
“Enough to scare everyone there, including Anastasia. A rifle each should do. But remember, we’re not looking to do any real damage. If you fire, make sure nobody is in range. We don’t need that on our heads,” I instructed, reaching for an empty duffle bag. Opening it, I gestured for them to fill it. “The ball will be in our court soon enough. If we do well here, I don’t see why we wouldn’t reap the benefits.”
Happy enough with the instructions, Gabe grabbed the bag while the others sifted through the supply of guns, selecting the ones they wanted.
Gabe was the one who got me the job in the first place since I had nothing when I arrived in America. Despite his seniority, he was typically content with just following orders, which was how I managed to overtake him in the pecking order.
When I went to Erasmo about Anastasia and my plan, he saw it as taking initiative, and that was enough to put me in charge of the whole ordeal. It was strange finding myself in that position, directing the others when I was new in comparison.
Gabe wasn’t typically one to take risks and put himself out there for a promotion, but he was a good friend, and I had his loyalty. Given how Erasmo hand-picked who he put in positions of power, nobody questioned my sliver of authority—especially not when we all stood to gain something from it.
“If this will help put the Levovs in their place, then we’re in,” another said, prepping more gear. “The more compromised they are, the more the boss can take, and the better off we will all be.”
“Exactly,” I said, glad we were on the same page.
