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She’s gone. The house is empty. Looks as though she left in a rush.
I stare at the message, my heart fucking stopping. There’s no fucking way she’s gone. Hell fucking no. I can’t believe this shit. I’m hundreds of miles away and can’t do anything about this. Right now, my family needs me to be here and be present. My hands are tied. I’m going to have to wait until this shit with the Serbians is cleared up before I can make my way to Denver to find her.
“Alessio,” Maksim greets me as he steps up to the table.
I rise to my feet and shake the old man’s hand. It’s been a few years since I last saw him. He’s aged a lot in that time, and I’m truly wondering if this man is the same one who’s running things. Surely not.
“Maksim, it’s been a while,” I reply politely but all the while I want to scream. Everything is falling to shit. But yet all I can think is,where the fuck is Gabriella?
He nods solemnly. “It has,” he responds as he takes a seat. “What is it that I can do for you?”
Dante raises a brow at the tone.
“I’m not stupid, Mr. Bianchi. I’m pretty sure we’ve been through this before. You wouldn’t show up here unless you wanted something, so what is it?”
“Information,” I reply, knowing he’s right. He’s not stupid, and neither are we. There’s no point in wasting our time. “I’m guessing you’ve heard about what happened last night?”
“I did. Can’t say I’m all that sorry. What goes around comes around.”
Bastard. “Have you heard about the new wave of heroin?”
His brows knit together. “No,” he grunts.
“Three dead, four in ICU, and fuck knows how many more,” Dante says as he sits back in his seat. “Want to hazard a guess at what’s causing it?”
The old man shakes his head. He doesn't look too interested.
“Cocaine laced with fentanyl. It’s a lethal concoction. They’re selling it just a fraction lower than what heroine costs, and the people are buying them like they’re going out of fashion. I mean, who can blame them?”
Darkness seeps into his eyes. “Who?” he questions, glancing from me to Dante and back again. “Who’s doing this?”
Ah, seems to have hit a nerve. Now I’m wondering what could have happened for him to be this wound up.
“The Serbians,” Dante tells him. “But we have a feeling they’re not working alone. Whoever they’re working with is trying to take us down, and the way we see it, there’s only one person who has a grudge against us.”
Maksim grins. “Me.”
“Bingo,” Dante snarls. “So, Maksim, are you using the Serbs to do your dirty work?”
The utter contempt that forms on the old man’s face makes me wonder just what the fuck is going on.
“Never,” he spits. “I would never work with those bastards.”
“Damn,” Stefan chuckles. “Seems as though he hates someone more than us.”
“You,” Maksim grunts. “You killed many of my men. But then Dante, we made a deal,” he says, and I slide my eyes to my brother. That’s fucking news to me. “You gave us the women. The way I see it, I’d have made more money off the whores thanthe fighters. We’re even. If I were to go after you, I wouldn’t hide behind the Serbians.”
“Fuck,” Dante snarls. “Then who?”
I watch as Annika moves from behind the counter and over to a man who’s way too comfortable standing back and watching this play out. If it were any of our men, they’d be on edge, wondering what could happen, especially given the past, but not this guy. No, he’s laid back and smiling, something that doesn’t fit.
“Who’s the guy in the cheap suit?” I ask him, making sure I’m not overheard.
Maksim laughs. “That, Alessio, is Annika’s husband, Taras. He thinks of himself as something.”
Dante glances over at the man in question and rises to his feet. “Thank you for meeting with us, Maksim, but I’d watch your back if I were you. That asshole is waiting for the perfect time to try and take over.”
Maksim and Dante shake hands. “I always sleep with one eye open,” he tells us. “I suggest you do the same. Whoever this is, Mr. Bianchi, they’re not going to stop until they get what they want.”
