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I follow him, knowing whatever he has to say, will be an answer to all our questions.
CHAPTER TWENTY
CROW
He’s not part of the mafia, the Bratva, but he is close the Pakhan which makes this easier. I didn’t want to come tonight, but since we’ve been the only ones to meet face to face, it made this easier.
“Quite the show,” Aldrick says as he turns to regard both myself and my little mouse. Lucille merely smiles, playing her part perfectly as she looks up at him from under her lashes. There’s an innocence to her, a character she’s taken on which makes me hard as fuck.
“You can talk normally now,” I inform her with a small smile as I regard our contact. The man I’ve known for far too long. “This is Aldrick. He’s been our contact for a number of years, and I trust him with my life.”
“You work for the Bratva?” she gasps, shock lacing her tone. Those golden orbs shimmer with interest. I can’t stop the jealousy from coursing through me. I know she has no interest in him, at least, I hope she doesn’t, I can’t deny I want to fucking hide her away for nobody else to see.
“No,” he tells her. “I’m working undercover for a client.” His explanation is all he can offer because anything more could be detrimental to his life. He’s been in the inner circle for years, but they will kill him without second thought. More than I can even count. The man is nearing his fifties, and yet, he’s still doing this shit.
“And you know The Fallen?”
He nods with a smile. “I do. I’ve known them for a long time. They are good men.” Even though he means it, I don’t feel it. I’ve never been good, even before the shit went down with my family. As much as I wanted to be the good son, I never was.
“What can you tell me?”
“There are talks of Mahoney having paid for the escape with his daughter’s life. There are no final contracts signed, but I have a feeling Volkov doesn’t give a shit. He’s going to take what he was promised.” The words linger in my mind, and I can’t imagine what my little mouse is feeling. It’s her father. I’m aching to kill him, to watch him bleed out, I know nothing will ever bring me close to finding my brothers.
“My father really is selling me off to the highest bidder” she murmurs, the pain in those few words slices at my chest. It’s as if she’s taken a knife and wounded me without thought.
“And he’s coming here?” I question, trying to focus on the task at hand. We don’t have long. If I spend too much time worried about Lucille, I won’t get what I came for.
“I’m sending all the intel to Falcon, but I needed you to see the faces of the men who will most likely be at the meeting where Mahoney hands over his daughter.” The affection in Aldrick’s eyes as he regards the beauty beside me sets me on edge. There is no stopping this. Even if we tried, Mahoney’s already made fucking promises. You don’t vow to do something for the Bratva, and then break the promise.
“What if I refuse?” Lucille pipes up suddenly, causing us both to glance at her. “What if I’m already married or taken?”
I don’t know what she’s playing at. There aren’t any men who would lay down their lives to save her. But as I think it, I already know who she has in mind—Falcon. He would fucking do it too. My best friend is infatuated with her, and he will do anything to save her life, even go against everything we stood for.
Granted, I’ve also broken the plan. I’ve fucked it into hell and now I’ve had her, I can’t let her go. There are so many things wrong with this scenario. I want so much to send her into the darkness and let her go. But I can’t.
“No,” I say. “She doesn’t need to be married. If she’s already—”
“There is nothing you can do,” Aldrick tells me. I already knew this, but the fear in her eyes made me ask. The panic had gripped me painfully, and it’s the only reason I even considered this fucked up plan. There is no way we can marry her, claim her, and send the Bratva packing.
No criminal organization will ever walk away from an agreement. Especially when they’ve already done the service. Payment needs to be made.
“When is this happening?” I can’t be sure about anything, and I know Aldrick will also be in the dark, but I find the tension in my shoulders and the anxiety in my gut needing to ask the question.
“Well, Mahoney still needs to board a flight. I sent Falcon all the tracking details. He’ll know the moment Mahoney leaves the bunker. If he so much as steps out into fresh air, we will all know. Volkov may not know what Mahoney’s daughter looks like, but he’s waiting, very fucking impatiently.”
