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“You need to learn to be more careful.”
I almost wrapped my hand around his neck. I’d never liked the man and I suspected he had loyalty to another entity. Although no evidence had been found affirming my belief, I decided I’d make it a point to ensure that everyone in our employ had allegiance to the family.
As I thought about the last few days, I realized that my lovely lioness had more power than she realized. Sergei remained fascinated with her, enough so that he would stop at nothing to get to her. Was there a reason other than her stunning beauty?
Several minutes ticked by.
Five.
Ten.
My patience was waning.
When I pounded my fists on the table, the bailiff walked in my direction, his hand on his weapon. Bradley threw his arm in my direction. “Do not do anything rash. They are looking for a single reason to kill you.”
“What else is new?”
Another five minutes passed and my anger had breached the surface. Then the door opened. When she walked out, her expression smug, I immediately turned my attention to the judge. The man was ashen, his face pinched. What the fuck had my lovely woman managed to do?
She barely glanced in my direction as she passed, immediately heading for the door. But I could tell by the sparkle in her eyes that whatever she’d managed to accomplish was exactly what she’d been going for. Only when the double doors closed did the judge nod to the bailiff and we were required to stand.
“Alexei Kozlov. Due to recent information received, it is of my opinion that bail should be set at fifty thousand dollars.”
The prosecutor’s shock floated across the table. “Judge Markham. May I have a word?”
“No, you may not. My decision is final.” As soon as he slammed down the gavel, he tossed the wooden piece aside and headed for his chambers.
“I’ll ask again. What the fuck just happened?”
Bradley chuckled as he gathered his things. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Alexei. Perhaps I was wrong about your whore.”
That was all I could take. The force I used in turning toward him knocked the chair over, the hard thud bringing the bailiff in our direction. While I resisted acting on my rage, I made certain Bradley knew he would never be able to address me in that manner again. When I spoke, my voice was calm and unwavering, only loud enough for him to hear and no one else.
“I’m going to say this once, Bradley. If you ever make a disrespectful comment about Stephanie or any member of my family again, I will enjoy removing your tongue first. Then I will take my time extracting other parts of your body before feeding you to the fish. Am I clear?”
For the first time that I could remember, his face flushed with fear. “Yes, sir. I meant no disrespect.”
I glared at him for a full minute until he lowered his head.
“Let’s get this taken care of so you can get back to your life.”
My life.
Everything had changed in a matter of days.
All because I’d become obsessed with a beautiful woman.
“Let Cassian know to wait,” I instructed. While we had significant work to do, I planned on spending some quality time with the very woman who’d changed my life.
“Absolutely.”
* * *
While the wheels of justice usually processed paperwork at a snail’s pace due to the high volume of cases, I was dressed and led to the rear of the building in a little over thirty minutes. The location was the only place the press could be avoided. The extra notoriety I didn’t need. I also refused to tip Sergei’s hand as to the outcome of the bail hearing.
Bradley had remained behind, finishing up the paperwork. At this point, I didn’t want to see his face again until absolutely necessary.
As soon as the exit door was opened, Cassian shook his head.
