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“That’s a lot of assumptions. They might just kill you and help out their allies instead.”
“That’s what Enrico said.”
I grimaced. “I don’t really want to be on his side of this argument.”
“Good, but it doesn’t matter. We’re going on a little trip this morning.” He jumped up and stretched. “I’m grabbing a shower. You should get ready when I’m done.”
“Where are we going?”
“You remember that little bakery you showed me?”
I groaned. “You’re joking.”
“Turns out, Hedeon knew about that spot already, and he set up a little meeting for us.” He walked back toward the bathroom.
“Wait, what does this have to do with the pills?”
“Oh, you’ll see.” He grinned at me then stepped into the bathroom and turned on the water.
I groaned and sipped the coffee again. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like this, but I knew that look in Leo’s eye by now.
He was excited for his little plan. So there wasn’t much I could do to convince him otherwise.
Better to let it ride.* * *We parked a block down from the bakery and killed the engine. “Let me do the talking in there,” he said.
“Fine. Not like I know what to say anyway.”
“You ever meet these guys?”
I shook my head. “Only from a distance.”
“Vincent and Dante are the acting heads of the family right now. They both have good reputations. Apparently, Dante’s a reasonable guy, not prone to violence, though Vincent’s got a temper.”
“Anything we need to worry about?”
“I don’t think so.” He opened his door. “Come on. And bring that bag.”
I picked up a black duffel off the back seat and followed him. Pills rattled inside as I slung it over my shoulder. I hurried to match his pace as he walked with his hands shoved into his pockets. The mid-afternoon sunlight made his skin seem to glow. A bit of stubble grew on his chin and cheeks.
I wanted to brush my lips against his beard and dig my fingers into his hair.
The thought came over me so suddenly that it almost hurt. I had to look away, down at the sidewalk.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Fine.”
He grunted and said nothing.
We reached the bakery. I felt a deep stab of fear, which was strange, since it looked like a Starbucks. The front doors were big and glass with wooden handles. He pulled them open and went in first. I slipped in behind him.
The interior was dim with an industrial feel. Tables lined the left and right halves of the room. A large display case and counter for ordering ran across the back. Baskets overflowing with bread were stacked along the wall. An espresso machine screamed steam and spit out liquid. Leo stood just inside the entrance for a moment before turning.
Two men sat at a table on our left. They were dark suits. Both were tall, light eyes, handsome in their own ways. The first man came forward, hand extended.
“Dante,” he said.
“Leo.” They shook.
The next followed. “Vincent.”
“Good to meet you both.” Leo nodded at me. “This is Robin Volkov.”
Dante raised an eyebrow. “I know that name. You’re the mythical cousin.”
“That’s me,” I said, smiling a little.
“Come, sit. Want something?”
Leo shook his head. Dante showed us to a table then sat on the opposite side next to Vincent.
I looked around the room. A young kid with dark hair stood behind the back counter. A few other rough-looking guys were scattered throughout the room, intermingled with a few young hipsters with Apple computers and earbuds.
I guessed there were at least eight other mafia types lingering nearby.
“Hedeon said you had something to talk to us about,” Vincent said. He leaned back casually, arms crossed, an easy smile on his face.
Dante clasped his hands in front of him on the table.
“I assume at this point that you have a good idea of what our organization is attempting to do,” Leo said, speaking slowly and clearly. “I assume you both understand what that means.”
Dante shrugged. “We have some guesses.”
Vincent leaned forward. “You want to take out old Maksim. Killed his son already.”
Dante laughed. “I should’ve done that a while ago. Had the chance once but it didn’t work out.”
“We killed his son,” Leo said. “Did it myself, actually.”
Dante’s eyes drifted to mine. “How do you feel about that?”
“Vlas was an asshole,” I said. “I’d probably be more upset if Uncle Maksim hadn’t tried to kill me the very next day.”
Dante snorted and Vincent laughed.
“Sounds about right,” Vincent said. “Maksim’s not exactly the best long-term thinker.”
“Always been a pain in the ass, really.” Dante sighed. “We work with him since he’s the biggest game in town, but…” He trailed off.
“We plan on solving that problem for you,” Leo said. “And I can promise that we’ll be much easier to work with. We’re a business-oriented group. Making money is the most important thing.”
“I hear making a splash is all you’re doing right now,” Vincent said. “Killing them, making noise. That’s not good for business.”
