We settled in for our second night together, and I hoped that Dmitry would return tomorrow. The fact that he’d approached us gave me hope, and I clung to it.
Leo and I had another pleasant dinner together before heading to bed. I crawled in beside him and dozed while he checked the police scanner report.
And later, when we made love, I made him leave the glassesonas he fucked me in that intense, emotional way that opened my heart in ways no other man ever had.
Michael
Chris drove the SUV into the private VIP parking spot at Teterboro Airport. The sun was rising, creating a gorgeous spread of colors in the sky as he parked. Turning to face me, Alexis and Joaquin, he asked, “Want me to come in too, boss?”
“No, you stay here,” I said, opening the door. “I trust this will be civilized.”
Alexis, Joaquin and I headed inside the terminal and straight to the private room I’d reserved. Alexis connected her laptop to the projector and pulled down the screen on the wall at the end of the conference room table.
“All set,” she said with a cheeky grin. “I’m ready to knock his socks off.”
The three of us waited, sitting in the nice leather chairs as we counted the seconds. The door opened and a tall man entered flanked by two bodyguards dressed in black suits.
He wore a dark navy suit under a perfectly ironed white collared shirt and cuff links that cost more than mine. Rising, I approached and extended my hand.
“Michael Caruso,” I said, giving him a firm shake. “Thank you for coming.”
“Thank you for paying for a private plane for me and my men,” he said.
“Have a seat here, and your men can sit there.” I directed them to sit around the table. “Alexis has prepared everything for us, and we’re looking forward to discussing the options in good faith.”
He faced Alexis and held out his hand. “So, you are Rossi’s daughter? The one who is almost as good of a hacker as Oskar’s cousin?”
“Uh, I’m way better,” Alexis said, arching an eyebrow. “But yes. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kersna.”
“Sergey, please,” he said, his Estonian accent noticeable.
He sat, and Alexis shared her laptop screen so we could all see it on the screen in front of the conference room table.
“I’m at the point in my life where I don’t want to deal with subordinates,” I said, lacing my fingers over my suit jacket as I spoke. “Oskar is the bratva leader here in Brooklyn, but all of the bratva syndicates across the world report to you. Alexis carefully documented your organization’s activities from her late father’s files, and we have extensive evidence that could convict you in a court of law in most countries.”
Sergey’s eyes narrowed. “So, you’ve brought me here to threaten me?”
“No, and I don’t want it to come across that way.” I held up a hand. “I’m just laying out my leverage because I want this to be an honest discussion. I have no time for deception or games.”
“All right,” Sergey said with a nod.
“Currently, our organizations are embroiled in a battle that I fear will make us both weaker.”
Sergey’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “One you started,” he said, his dark eyes boring into mine.
“I didn’t mean to start it, but I’ll take responsibility if that’s what you need to hear. I recently got married, and I assure you, I don’t relish fighting turf wars. I just want to spend time with my gorgeous wife, and figure out what I did wrong when she’s upset with me.”
Sergey emitted a soft laugh. “I need this trick withmygorgeous wife. Let me know when you figure out the puzzle.”
I smiled. “Absolutely. Alexis, I’d like you take over and discuss what you’ve created, please.”
Alexis lifted her chin and spoke with the confidence of someone much older than her twenty-three years. “Dmitry is a fantastic hacker, but he doesn’t understand our world like I do. I was raised in this world, and I realize that we need to be more than inconspicuous. All of our transactions need to beinvisible.”
Sergey steepled his fingers against his lips as he listened.
“I’ve created a new program that encrypts both traditional banking and crypto accounts. It has wallet obfuscation, rotating wallets that can’t be easily traced, and dead-drop digital payment systems.”
Sergey glanced at me. “This is a bit beyond my technical prowess.”
