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“No, Nicolai, think about it. Why would he want this territory so badly? Why does he want to keep Aspen close by and unharmed? Why is he looking to land the businesses we currently have ties to even on a small scale?” Dmitri asked.
“He wants to squeeze me out. The fuck wants to be one of the heads. Son of a bitch. I think we need to keep Aspen well protected. There are other things you, Storm, and his team don’t know about.”
“Like what?” Dmitri asked.
“When the time comes, it will be revealed. For now get me the list. You and I will coordinate a plan with Aspen. Storm is going to be pissed that we’re putting the woman him and his team love in the middle of this, but it’s inevitable. When she sought her revenge against Andrei, she already placed herself in danger.
”
“I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect her.”
“Good. Keep me posted.”
“You got it, Nicolai. I’ll send the list immediately.”
Nicolai disconnected the call and leaned back in his seat and sighed.
“Problem, Nicolai?” Karlicov, his personal security guard and closest friend, asked him.
“Seems so, Karlicov. It appears that Andrei Renoke is up to his old tricks.”
“He wasn’t successful years ago when he helped Iakov’s brother Ivan try to take over territory that wasn’t his or Renoke’s.”
“Yes, and he was given another chance when the true owner of that territory was revealed. But this is different. He’s obviously been planning this take over for quite some time. He’s even got Sotoro involved and letting him slide into all of our businesses through the clubs. No wonder the numbers have been dropping. But he should have done his homework. He should have realized why he failed the first time and why I took such an interest in helping Porter and Storm and their team locate Aspen.”
“Why did Andrei have his men take Aspen and try to sell her off as some sex slave?”
“To send a message to Porter.”
“But Porter was just starting out in the business. He was basically given the territory by you.”
“Andrei didn’t realize that until it was too late.”
“Is that why he’s kept Aspen alive even though she screwed him over? To use her again to get Porter and even Storm to cooperate? Damn, he’s a sneaky fuck. He knows that Storm and his team are in love with Aspen.”
“But what he doesn’t know is that he’s digging his own grave. Aspen is more than just Porter’s sister and Storm and his team’s woman. Her ties to the family run deep.”
Karlicov took a deep breath and released it. “So it’s true then? What you figured out years ago?”
“Oh, it’s true, and it may be the revelation that ends Andrei’s life for good. That dumb bastard will wish he never chose to fuck with my family. He’ll be begging for mercy. From the other bosses of the family, and from me. All the shit he’s pulled will finally be enough to take him out, and with no repercussions from the other bosses.”
Karlicov whistled. “Why not just make the call now?”
“And lose the opportunity to weed out any other disloyal individuals? He’ll want it this way. I’ll take full responsibility. In fact, I will make the first call. The one giving him the heads-up about Andrei.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Put a tail on Demyan and Iakov. I want to know where they are at all times and what their role is in all of this. They’ll be going down, too, if they choose to go against Dmitri and I. We may be getting that blood war sooner than later after all.”
* * * *
Casper’s. Why is it that I love this place so much? Is it the memorabilia on the walls? All the old and new pictures of soldiers, teams of friends who served our country or gave their lives for it that make it so special?
Aspen heard some laughter and looked over her shoulder at the bar down the hallway to where Storm, Weston, York, Zin, and Winter were joking around with Gunner, Garrett, and Wes McCallister. Old friends of theirs, and of her brother Porter, too. It was out here where she recovered from her injuries after being taken.
Aspen felt her chest tighten. She closed her eyes and wished the images away. She still felt embarrassed every night when she awoke in a cold sweat, sometimes screaming for help or just begging for freedom. The men have been so supportive and loving. She knew they didn’t sleep well with the light always on, but they didn’t complain or even leave her alone in bed at night. Instead, they all gathered around her.
She wasn’t sure why she felt so safe with them. She knew she loved them and loved making love to them, but there was something else there. Some other kind of deep connection. She just couldn’t figure it out, but it was there.
