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He’s seated with an older gentleman across from him, a chess board between them. Kind of an odd place to play, in my opinion, but I don’t care as long as Pritt can get close enough to plant our bug and tracker on him.
I can’t get a good view of his features, so I press the button on the microphone in front of me. “That’s him. Try and get closer, but no direct contact. I repeat:no direct contact. We don’t want to spook him back into hiding.”
“Is the washroom back there?” Pritt asks the waitress, already starting toward the back section of the restaurant.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t get very far. Two men in black suits rise from their tables, blocking her way forward.
“Ostanovis’ pryamo tam,” one of them snaps.
Pritt huffs. “Stop right here? But why? Look, I’ve really got to use the little girl’s room to wash my hands. I just got off the subway, and you know how gross it is down there.”
I hold my breath, ignoring the tight burn in my throat. I assumed Luka might have bodyguards with him since his brothers have been seen out and about with their own security detail. It made sense that Luka, arguably the most paranoid of the Antonovs, wouldn’t dare leave the safety of his home without protection. Pritt just has to play it cool and—
“Oh, hey!” I hear her gasp in delight. “Are you playing chess? I just watchedThe Queen’s Gambiton Netflix. Mind if I play? I think I picked up a trick or two.”
I comb my fingers anxiously through my hair, a terrible chill scraping down my back. “What the hell are you doing?” I hiss into my mic. “What part ofno direct contactdidn’t you understand? We’re only here to observe!”
Pritt barges past the bodyguards and approaches the table, providing me with crystal clear footage of Luka Antonov and the older gentleman he’s with.
My heart pounds rapidly for two reasons: one, Pritt’s about to blow her cover and ruin my operation before I’ve even had a chance to get it off the ground; and two…Luka Antonov is so devastatingly handsome it knocks the breath from my lungs and rational thought from my head.
I should have known, given how good looking his older brothers are. Luka shares their dark brown hair and deep brown eyes, but where his brothers are rugged bears, he reminds me of a tsar. It’s obvious he doesn’t give a flying fuck about much, and that confidence sells my princely comparison. He sits there like he owns the room, the whole building, the whole damn city we reside in. The look in his eye… It’s like everything else is beneath him.
I’m not sure what is so striking. His complexion could rival a winter snowstorm. The slight curl of his locks gives him an almost effortless air. Maybe it’s his strangely unbothered posture. He sits with one leg up on the edge of his chair, leaning back against his seat like it’s a day at the beach and not the middle of a restaurant.
Pritt gets within three feet of him before Luka reaches into his jacket pocket—
And pulls out a knife.
I nearly shoot out of my seat. “Pritt, stand down. Vacate the premises immediately.”
Gomez shakes his head, already getting ready to leap out of the van to provide back up. “We need to extract her.”
“Fuck,” I grumble. “Pritt, get out of therenow—”
Luka uses the knife to carve a small slice of cheese on the platter beside him. He brings the blade up to his lips and eats.
“Delicious,” he mumbles.
My heart clenches, all the blood draining from my head to pool into my feet.
What.
The.
Fuck.
“Son,” the man across from him says with a heavy accent, a warning. “That was very rude. You scared the poor lady.”
Pritt, to her credit, manages to make her laugh sound easy and unbothered. “Oh, no. I’m ok, really. Is the cheese platter good? I’m thinking about ordering it myself.”
The older gentleman smiles at her, extending his hand out to shake. “Forgive my boy’s rudeness. I’m L—”
“Tell her nothing,” Luka snaps. He glared daggers in Pritt’s direction, clearly unapologetic. “Who the fuck are you, and what do you want?”
“I just wanted to use the bathroom,” Pritt says. “That’s all.”
With a sigh, Luka rises from his seat. He’s tall.Reallytall. His chest takes up the whole frame, so I no longer have a visual on his face.
