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“No, you’re right. But what’s left standing is where they’ve decided to meet. It’s merely rubble, but they just need a discreet location, one which will smoke Alek out. No pun intended,” he adds, referring to what happened to Alek’s once lavish home.
“Why would they do that?” I am so lost in translation.
Saint exhales, his warm breath wrapping me tight, but I focus on his words and not what being this close to him is doing to my body. “His reaction is why. They’ve not done this to be sentimental and reminisce about the good ole days. They’re doing this knowing that if Alek is alive, he’ll be at that meeting.”
My mouth pops open.
“And the supplier is Raul…Chow’s son.”
“Holy shit.” I gasp, not believing this is really happening. “Raul has taken over for his father, it seems. No wonder Serg has this hookup.” Alek mentioned Chow was dealing to Serg as well as him, which is the reason he killed him.
I doubt Serg had a hard time convincing Raul to deal to him since they both want the same thing—Alek’s head on a platter—and this partnership is a definite way to draw him out of hiding.
“Their corruption really knows no bounds,” I reply, understanding why Alek stormed out.
“No, they’re smart. They want revenge on all of us. And they know Alek is the weakest link.”
Pavel nods, clearly agreeing with Saint. “He’s right.” He switches off the feed, running a hand over his head. “We can’t risk him going. This is a trap.”
“I know.” Saint slowly pulls away from me, and I mourn the loss. “What do you suggest?”
“How about we tiehimup? See howhelikes it,” Zoey suggests, eyes narrowed.
“Not a bad idea,” Pavel replies, but we all know that won’t work. “They’re on to us. Oscar and Astra will have an army of men waiting for us. If they’re wrong and Alek doesn’t show, then no loss, no foul. But if he is alive, they know there is no way he would allow his brother to take his place.”
“Alek’s pride will fuck us over then?” I say, mouthing a sorry to Larisa as I feel guilty for swearing in front of her. She shrugs in response.
“This isn’t good.” Pavel sighs in annoyance. “This changes everything. It was supposed to be simple, and we’d have time to prepare. But Alek won’t stand for this. His pride won’t allow it. Them doing this on his home turf is a major fuck you.”
Larisa doesn’t bat an eyelash. She is clearly accustomed to profanity.
Saint purses his lips, appearing deep in thought. “They are merely working on a hunch. They still don’t know we have the upper hand. We listen closely to their movements, their plans, and we find their vulnerabilities. And then, we exploit them.”
“We have one week, brother.” Pavel holds up a finger in case Saint is lost in translation.
He’s not. “Then we better not waste any time. We stick to the original plan, but we just speed things up.”
Pavel laughs, but it’s not a humored sound. “This takes time. Trust isn’t earned in a week. Not to mention, how are we going to remain hidden? The house is in ruins. We will be ambushed the moment we step foot onto that land.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Saint asks, all ears.
Zoey answers. “Here’s a thought, how about we just let Alek go?”
The room falls silent as we mull over her suggestion. She uses this to further her discussion.
“He will get us killed. There is no doubt this will be a bloodbath. I don’t fancy getting myself killed in the name of some family vendetta.”
Saint clenches his jaw because I know there is more at stake than just Alek’s revenge. He won’t rest until Oscar is dead, and he won’t settle for anyone else killing him. He has to be the one. But now, this changes everything.
“We need him, Zoey,” Saint says, which has me sighing a silent breath of relief.
“What for?” She screws up her nose, confused and horrified he has suggested such a thing.
“We need him to get the fuck out of here.”
Her mouth shapes into an O of understanding. This is the reason Saint left me in Alek’s care.
“I don’t have any ID. Or a passport. Do you?”
