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I see her raise her paddle again. I’m almost seeing red by now. Fucking great, she’s driving it back up in fifty thousand increments.
“Fucking call it,” Angelo growls to my right under his breath. He wants this put to bed as much as I do.
“One million five hundred fucking thousand!” I call out.
That earns a chuckle from the crowd. The auctioneer nods. “Gentleman’s bid, at one million five hundred thousand, to our colorful bidder on the right ….” He glances back at the woman. Calling it once, twice.
She shakes her fucking head. Finally.
“Final bid with me … are we all done….” He holds the fucking gavel for what feels like an eternity.
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” I mutter.
I hear Fynn chuckle to my side.
“Going three times …. SOLD to bidder number 33. Congratulations, Mr. Medici.” He nods toward me. “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. This concludes our auction today.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding as a thrill of adrenaline runs through me. That was so fucking intense, I feel like I’ve aged.
Angelo slaps me on the back and sticks his hand out for us to shake. Marco wraps an arm around my neck. “You see what happens when you call it,” he tells me with a sly grin. “It’s all about patience.”
Spending $1.5 million on vacant land couldn’t be the worst thing I could possibly do today.
Just as we go to stand, the attractive woman from the front, still wearing a scarf around her head and sunglasses, approaches. At exactly the same time Dom intercepts her, catching her by the wrist.
Angelo turns swiftly, reaching into his jacket pocket, as does Marco who hates carrying. Nevertheless, before anyone can move, she says, “I have a message from Aleksi Petrov, Mr. Medici. It’s urgent.”
Angelo’s surprised face turns into a scowl. Then he glances at his phone and sees several missed calls from Aleksi himself. Running a hand through his hair, he nods to Dom to let go of her.
“Okay, you have my attention as well as half the people in this room. Walk,” he says, motioning to the aisle.
Dom looks like he’s about to have a coronary as the woman nods, glancing around as we make our way to the back of the room and out the side door to a small courtyard.
“Who the fuck are you, and what’s going on?” Angelo barks as she turns to face us.
“I’m Nadia. I’m a very good friend of Aleksi’s,” she says, her voice low. “I’m sorry to have to do this to you here. There is no other way of saying this, but you’re in grave danger…”
He points in her face as we all flank him. “You’ve got about thirty seconds to tell me exactly what the fuck is going on.”
“I don’t know anything about the business you keep. I’m not part of…any of that. Aleksi keeps me out of it,” she says. “Aleksi is indisposed, and he had no option but to send me. He trusts me.”
“Who are you to him?” Marco spits.
“That doesn’t matter,” she says, brushing Marco off. “I came today because I couldn’t get to you any other way….”
I shake my head. “You’re not making any sense,” I say. “Why would Aleksi send you if this message was so important?”
“Aleksi is being watched. The less that he’s involved, the better. He would’ve tried to call you today, however the information he received was only this morning. As a high-profile man in the mafia, I’m sure you can agree that things change constantly in the underworld, especially in this city.”
We all stare at her like she’s lost her mind.What in the actual fuck?
“You better start talking, Nadia,” Angelo growls. “Or this is going to end very badly for you.”
She glances at Marco. “Do you honestly think that Aleksi would send me here, jeopardizing the understanding you have, if this weren’t important?”
“It’s not Petrov I don’t trust,” Angelo barks. “It’s you.”
“Get on with what you have to say,” I interrupt. “I have a block of land to pay for, and we’re busy people.”
