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Iris: I’ve decided I want to stay anonymous. Let me know what my phrase is.
Great, that gives me nothing. But if Iris isn’t Serena, then it’s for the best that we keep things professional. I want to explore things with Serena. And if Iris turns out to be someone else… that’s wrong. It’s not fair. I’m tired of hurting people. I just want to do some good, in whatever way this twisted world allows.
Who am I kidding? I want Serena’s flushed, gasping lips too. I want to feel her curvy body pressed against mine. I want to hear her moan again, feel her breath fanning over my neck, slide my hand up her dress and press down against her…
I grip the desk, breathing hard. I’m getting hard just thinking about her right now.
My phone vibrates. What the fuck? It’s Maksim.
Maksim: Are you awake?
Nikolai: Yes.
A moment later, my cell phone rings.
“Hello,” I say cautiously. “You’re up late.”
“Early for me,” he replies. “But I don’t have a club to run.”
“Yeah.” I laugh tightly, sensing his discomfort. Maksim has always been intense, serious. “What’s up?”
“We’ve had a situation,” he says. “A small group making noise. It turns out, they have a connection to Miami.”
“The Marlins?” I ask, voice cold.
“Yeah,” Maksim says. “We can handle it, but after the most recent… mess, it’s difficult.”
“I know,” I reply. The mess he’s referring to is when I helped steal the encrypted key for our data banks, got a man killed, and put his future wife in danger, all because some sick bastard was threatening an innocent woman and her kid. “I know,” I say again, sighing.
“I didn’t call to make you feel bad,” he says, tone neutral. “This is just the situation. We can’t afford the heat, but we’ll take it if we have to.”
“It would be easier if the Marlins were dealt with at the source,” I say. Here. Miami. “Let’s face it, the only reason he’s sent men to DC is probably that he’s got a problem with me moving in. He’s trying to intimidate me.”
“Is it working? I know you haven’t got many men down there.”
“Fuck no, it’s not working. You don’t need to worry about this again. He’s peacocking, trying to act tough, trying to make it seem like he’s bigger than he is. I’ll handle him.”
“What about the Sokolov brothers?” he asks.
I cringe, remembering my call with Dmitry. “If I think it’s necessary, I’ll get them involved. But we’re handling this. You’ll see, Maksim. Miami will be as big as DC one day.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes,” I growl. “I won’t let you down.”
Maksim hangs up without saying goodbye. I try to get some sleep on the couch, but my mind is racing with everything that’s happened. The kiss. The standoff with Iris. Now this. Iris might’ve just saved my ass. I need to find a way to leverage this information to make Rafael back off. Not just for cash. Not just to keep my hostesses safe. But now, for my brother, and for the whole goddamn family.
I can’t sleep, and then it’s eight and Anton is knocking on my office door. I stand and make some coffee. He sits opposite me, stroking his chin. “Owen Price is staying in a motel, waiting for Federal agents. He has a meeting. But they are not giving him protection yet.”
“Why not?” I ask.
Anton shrugs. “This is all my contact knows. We leave this, yes?”
“Why would you assume that?” I ask.
“It’s too much for us. It might mean fighting. If it’s a war, we’ll go to war. But with what?” He gestures around the room as if to signal the marked lack of weapons. “And with who?”
“We need to get to Owen Price before Rafael does,” I say. “Maksim called from DC. The Marlin people have been making some noise there. It seems we’ve insulted Rafael, and he’s decided to act like some big tough guy, like he can bully or scare us. He’s wrong. We’ll get Owen, and we’ll figure out what to do with his information. And if it comes to blood, we’ll do what we do.”
