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“Sounds a bit messy,” Jasha says, taking a sip of his drink.
“It’d be messy to charge in there and attempt to gun down a thousand people. Make no mistake, though, that we will be gunning people down. Once they realize they’re under attack, they’re going to scatter. We need to locate and cover every possible exit they have so that we can set up soldiers to take out the ones who survive the blast.”
I feel nauseous from all the talk of death and destruction. Nikolai seems to know this intuitively and squeezes my thigh again, but it’s not enough to stop my stomach from churning.
Just the idea of killing people, however wicked they are, makes me feel guilty. In nine months, I’m going to be bringing life into the world, and here we are, planning on how we can take lives away. The contrast is jarring in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
I take a sip of my water, trying to calm my body down. I know we have to do this. Everyone wants to, and it’ll be for everyone’s benefit once the Dimalona Cartel is gone. I can’t forget that they were the ones who killed my parents, even if my emotional wounds are long past healed.
“They’re messy and unorganized, so this can’t be too difficult,” Eddy says. “Jesus, it’s a miracle they’ve made it this far.”
“It’s because nobody wants to be the one to defy them,” Gabriel replies, taking a sip of his whiskey. “Every time someone crosses them, the Cartel overreacts and kills their entire family.” He points to me, keeping eye contact with Eddy. “You’re lucky they didn’t just hop across the border and kill your cousin. Very lucky.”
Eddy gives me an apologetic look. “Yeah, we’re all lucky, but luck only gets you so far. We have to take these motherfuckers down before they ruin more lives.”
“They’ve overstepped, and now they’ll be punished for it,” Nikolai says, his voice loud and firm. “Nobody screws around with the Bratva like that and gets away with it. We have to make an example of them.”
“I’m all for it,” Gabriel says, a smirk dancing on his thin lips. “I see no downsides.”
“Then let’s make it happen,” Nikolai says.
The rest of the meeting is filled with technicalities, small details, and plenty of questions directed toward Eddy. He knows a lot about the Cartel from the time he spent behind bars in their compound, and he’s eager to share it with the group.
I don’t have much to say, but I listen. I need to know what Nikolai is getting into, and to warn him if he tries to do anything too dangerous. I need him around.
If not for me, then for the baby.
Once the talk is over and Gabriel is in the kitchen with Jasha, well out of earshot, I ask the question that’s been burning in my mind since the beginning of our meeting. “How did you get the P50 to give him as a sample?”
“Skimmed a bit off your supply to balance out the weight of the tracking device. I thought they might weigh the bag, so it had to come up as ten kilograms,” Nikolai replies.
I’m impressed by the thoughtfulness of his plan. It would’ve worked wonderfully had the tracking device not been so quickly discovered. I suppose not everything works out the way it’s planned. We’re lucky when just one thing goes the way we want it to.
“You seem to have everything so perfectly thought out,” I say, touching his arm lightly. “I can’t think of anyone better to raise a child with.”
His smile lights up the room, and the wrinkles that appear at the corners of his eyes make my heart melt. “That’s all I really want to do now, Dream,” he says, grabbing my waist and pulling me to his hip. “Once we get this mission over with, I’m taking a break from business. I’ll have Jasha handle everything, and you’ll get all the attention and care that you need.”
I raise an eyebrow at the boldness of his claim. “Are you sure about that? I’ve never seen you not be in the mood to work.”
He shrugs. “I’ll try my best. I just want you to be happy.”
“Iamhappy. As long as you’re with me, Nikolai, I’m the happiest woman alive.”
“You don’t know how much it means for me to hear that,” he says, his eyes watering a bit. “And I want you to know something. I know I’m a bit late on this, like everything else, but I’m sorry for being so needlessly cruel to you when we first met. You threw me off guard, and I didn’t know how to handle what I was feeling.”
I shouldn’t accept an apology so quickly, but it’s impossible for me to hold anything against Nikolai. I wasn’t exactly an angel toward him when we met, either.
I kiss him softly on the lips, playfully crinkling my nose at him. “Apology accepted.”
33
Nikolai
Jasha is the one who enjoys having parties all the time. I used to, but age has changed me, and I’m much more focused on navigating my new future with Dream and the new addition to our family.
Cinco de Mayo passes for me like any other day. Without a drink. Without a smile.
Jasha is the one who has trouble with it. He wants to be home celebrating before we’ve even started our mission.
