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Fuck. “I have to get this,” I told Elia, standing. “Finish your breakfast.”
She didn’t respond as I walked outside on the balcony. Boris answered on the first ring. “This better be a good problem,” I said.
“When has any problem been a good one?” he replied. “You’re missing some payments.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The gambling ring is coming up short.” He let out a heavy sigh into the phone. “I have been trying to figure out what happened since yesterday. So far, I’ve either run into a wall or wound up with more questions. I figured I might as well tell you now, so we can get a handle on things before they become an even bigger problem.”
I ran a hand through my hair roughly. The gambling ring was a profitable business, taking on everything from sporting events to politics. I had a few brigadiers that were in charge of coordinating the bets from our customers and ensuring that the proper payments were doled out once the event was complete. The last thing I needed to hear was that we were coming up short.
“And you’re sure you found nothing?”
“I’m not an idiot, Alyosha,” he repeated. “Someone is fucking with us.”
My mouth tightened. If I had to guess who might be responsible, Uncle Misha was definitely at the top of the list. Taking the payments from the gambling ring for whatever use he wanted would be a quick and easy way to keep me occupied and out of his hair.
“Come get me. We need to dig deeper.”
“I’m already on my way,” Boris replied before ending the call.
I clenched my phone in my hand, my earlier blissfulness having evaporated into barely restrained fury. I would rather someone come at me face to face than meddle around behind my back. Worst of all, now I was about to spend half my fucking day tracking down whoever thought it was a good idea to piss me off.
Turning back to the door, I spied Elia inside, sipping on her coffee. She had seemed so happy to spend the day together. And now I was about to rip that happiness away from her.
Well, I wasn’t about to have her sitting in the penthouse alone, waiting for me to come back. I fired off a quick text to my sister Alya. She had already expressed her desire to get to know Elia better. What better timing than today?
I pulled open the door and stepped inside, Elia looking up at me the moment I did so. “Everything okay?”
“No,” I forced out, sliding my phone into my pocket. “I apologize, but there is an urgent matter that I must attend to.”
Her smile dimmed just a little. “Is there anything I can do?”
“No.” Shaking my head, I started toward the bedroom. “I have to go out.”
Elia followed me into our bedroom, watching as I searched through my closet for my clothing.
“My sister will be here in an hour,” I explained as I pulled on a pair of ironed dress pants. “She has been asking to spend the day with you. Feel free to do whatever your heart desires.”
Alya knew how to spend money. She would make certain that my wife enjoyed the same.
Elia propped herself on the doorframe, a frown marring her lovely features. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do, Aleksey?”
I shoved my guns into the holsters at my side before shrugging my coat on. “No. But don’t worry about this. I will take care of it and be home this evening.”
She didn’t look as if she believed me, and I walked over to her, placing my lips against hers. Her hands reached up and fisted the lapels of my suit coat, pulling me into a deeper kiss until I had to finally back away or she was going to be fucked against the wall and I was going to be late.
“I will see you tonight,” I told her before exiting the bedroom.
“Aleksey.”
I turned to find her in the hallway, her arms wrapped around her waist. “Be careful, all right?”
“Is that a hint of worry I hear?” I teased, not letting on just how much her words had struck me to my core.
Elia gave me a little smile, and I walked to the elevator before I could change my mind. It wasn’t until I was heading downstairs that I realized that my marriage to Elia might be an entire end to itself. What better way to tie me up than to have me be so preoccupied with my new wife that I would be helpless to manage everything in the Bratva while Uncle Misha continued to sideline me at every turn?
Had he put Elia in my life to distract me? Because it had been a smashing success if he did. For the last few weeks, ever since I took her sailing, I hadn’t left the penthouse much. I hadn’t been monitoring all the normal Bratva affairs that I usually kept an eye on. And I had been content with letting business move by itself.
