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Unfortunately, I just have to live with them because there isn’t another option.
Chapter Three
Nazyr
I’ve been in Lisbon for the past day, and I’m scheduled to meet with Duarte Oliveria in a couple of hours. I haven’t come to Portugal alone, even though I would’ve preferred it. Over the past year, my family discovered a lot of people who worked for our family were actually traitors. They nearly cost us our lives and cost others theirs.
When my sister ended up marrying Santos Ramirez, he pledged allegiance to his uncle, Alejandro. In turn, Alejandro sent us new men to be on our security detail. Men who wouldn’t have any way of being loyal to my stepfather or his associates. The new man who has become my right-hand is named Paulo, and he’s a few years older than me.
We’re all under the impression that Duarte wants to meet with me to secure shipments of guns, ammunition, and maybe even some other things we offer. We don’t really advertise our body armor or even the grenades among the other list of “extras” we can get, but we do sell them every now and again. A prime example is that I know we sell almost everything we can get our hands on to the Steele family in Atlanta. I actually ended up asking Ruslan why we place so much trust in that family. I already knew Amelia had worked at a club owned by Christian Steele, but I didn’t anticipate my brother’s answer.
He told me that he and the Steele brothers run their businesses very similarly. He said that he trusts them to do enough research into who they’re selling the guns—or other products—to so it won’t get traced back to us if an all-out war starts.
“You’re certain I should’ve been the only one to come with you?” Paulo questions me from behind the wheel of the car.
Alejandro Ramirez sent out quite a few men, really replenishing our security ranks, but I’m not going to trust any of them outright. I understand the rest of my family really believes that they won’t betray us, but I’m so used to betrayal at this point that I don’t trust any of them. I brought Paulo with me because I didn’t have another option, and he seemed the least likely to betray us. Alejandro relocated Paulo’s entire family, so his wife and two sons live in Grozny now. He actually relocated the families of people on our security team, if they had any, which makes me feel a tad bit better about things. However, it doesn’t ease all my worries.
Paulo and I just got buzzed through the gate, and he is driving me to Duarte’s estate, which is right on the edge of Lisbon, located on a hill that overlooks a lot of the city. We’re currently heading up his driveway now, and I’ll bet when I get up there, I’m going to see a view of the city that many would pay millions for.
Paulo continues driving up the cobblestone driveway, and eventually, we come to a clearing where there are a few other cars parked. Paulo pulls into an open spot, and we both get out of the vehicle.
The mansion might have a historical driveway leading up to it, but this place is anything but historical. It looks like it might have been built within the last ten years, with extremely modern designs. There’s a large, oversized door if you walk through a small garden area, and it looks to be the kind that can open vertically if you want it to. I’ve been to some estates with this feature, but I don’t understand the point of it, really. Why would someone want to push their door so far vertically that it has either side of it open? I don’t understand, but it has to be some architectural thing.
I can see there are three levels in front of me, and on each floor, the space gets somewhat smaller. There are glass, wrap-around patios on the top two floors, and I’m sure Duarte must spend a lot of time out here. He has to, right? Who in their right mind would want to pass up the beauty of living in Portugal?
Paulo and I walk up to the pavers in the garden area, and soon, we’re in front of the door. We don’t even get to press the doorbell before there’s an older woman opening the door, smiling brightly at the two of us. “Welcome, Nazyr, and…” She looks at Paulo.
“Paulo, ma’am.”
“Ah! Paulo. My late husband’s name. A strong name.” She nods a couple of times and stares at Paulo like she’s reminiscing about times long ago. “Please, do come in. Duarte is expecting you.” She motions for us to walk into the home, and I’m not surprised by how beautiful the estate is. It’s just as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside.
At the end of the foyer is an elevator, which I naturally assume goes to every floor in the home. The hardwood floors are a sand color, and the walls are white. However, the furniture around the place isn’t as bland as the floors or walls. There’s a red wooden feature wall off to our left, with a massive painting hanging from it that reminds me of Eset’s style.
“Please, follow me,” the older woman directs, leading us to the right. We make a sharp left down a hallway, and then we’re in a spacious dining room and living room combination with an oversized bar on the right side of the room. The floor in here is a deep slate, spanned across the entire room. There’s another patio on this level, and I spot a man in a suit with a drink in his hand looking out across the city.
The woman leads us onto the patio, and the man turns, smiling brightly. This has to be Duarte. “Nazyr, it’s great to finally meet you.”
“Likewise, Duarte.”
Duarte looks past me at Paulo. “Your man is more than welcome to go inside and have a drink. As you can see, there is no threat to you. We are simply two men discussing terms, and there is no danger that will come to you in my home or in my country. I run Portugal, and they know you’re an ally of mine.”
I look back at Paulo and give him a nod which silently tells him he can go on and head over to the bar. He does so, and the older woman walks with him, leaving Duarte and me by ourselves.
“I’ve been waiting for a while to conduct business with your brother,” Duarte states.
“Yes, we were a bit surprised you reached out now,” I admit, walking over to the glass railing. I place my arms on it and keep my eyes ahead of me. Duarte has a pool on his property, but that isn’t what I’m staring at. I’m too caught up in the view of Lisbon. The amazing view in front of me.
“I don’t mind waiting for what I want. Your family has been dealing with Anzor and his allies for quite some time. I figured I’d give you time to deal with that mess before I sought out business with you all.”
“Mmm, I understand. What type of product are you looking for?”
“Mainly handguns, carbines, machine guns, sniper rifles, and assault rifles.” Duarte names them off like what he’s asking for isn’t a lot.
I smirk, knowing I’m going to be making a lot of money for my family right now. “How much are you looking to spend on this shipment?”
“750K, easily.”
I nod. “All right. I can get a mixture of everything you need unless you need specific amounts of certain guns.”
