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He says nothing, instead turning on his heels to vacate the room. “Happy birthday, princess,” he mutters before leaving.
Long after he’s gone, I realize he gave me way more than one minute.
Chapter 8
Andrei
“We’ve done it,” Leo informs me. “The entire southern okrug is ours.”
I sit up, instantly alert. “Any resistance?”
“No,” Roman says with a chuckle. “We had those Antonov bitches running away with their tails between their legs.”
“Excellent.”
“Now what do we do, Boss?” Samuil asks, taking a seat in my office’s singular guest chair. He makes the thing look kiddie-size in contrast to his massive frame.
I don’t even bother hiding my smirk as I pick up my phone. Everything’s going according to plan. “Now you leave the rest to me.”
Going through the same process to contact Mikhail Antonov is much smoother this time than it was the last. I’m overflowing with confidence. I suspect news of our conquest has already reached the man. Now all that’s left to do is rub it in his face.
He answers on the first tone andboydoes he sound pissed. “Who do you think you are?” he seethes. “If I ever lay eyes on you—”
“This is what’s going to happen,” I interject. “I now havetwothings that belong to you: your heir and your territory. I’m feeling very generous today, so I’m going to let you choose one. Whichever you choose, I will return to you without hesitation.”
The call is quiet for so long I worry he might have hung up on me.
“This was your plan all along,” he says, dangerously low.
I flick my lighter on and off, watching the flame dance gracefully in place. He says it like it was a stroke of genius, but it wasn’t. I’ve had a lot of time to study his Bratva’s movements over the years, watching from a safe distance. The fastest way to cut down your enemy is to understand them inside and out. That’s why I know Mikhail values his hold over Moscow—but he values his family more.
My brothers and I were never going to be able to take on the Antonovs head-on. We just don’t have the numbers. We may have the resources and ease of transportation thanks to the taxi company, but we only have a tenth of the number of boots on the ground. I understood from the get-go the only way I could challenge Mikhail for a slice of the city was by leveraging his family against him. Once we have territory of our own, my brothers and I will be able to expand and take over the rest of the city later.
Baby steps and patience—the two key ingredients to building an empire.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Mikhail grumbles.
“What’s it going to be, Mr. Antonov? I have no problem keeping both, if you’d prefer.”
“Just—” He sighs heavily. I already know what he’s going to say before he says, “Sandra. Keep the territory. It’s next to worthless, anyway. Just give me back my daughter, alive and well or youwilldie.”
My skin prickles with triumph. I knew keeping her tucked away long enough would break him. I’ve been after his territory from the beginning. Now that I have verbal confirmation to owning a foothold in Moscow, I can finally start the next phase of my grand plan. The Nicolaevich Bratva never would have stood a chance without land or businesses to our name. We would have been laughed right out of the city. Today, that all changes now that Mikhail Antonov has effectively legitimized our power.
“A pleasure doing business with you,” I say. “Your daughter will be delivered in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral in an hour.”
“If this is some sort of trick—”
I snort. “I assure you, it’s not. She’s been a massive headache, and I’d really rather be rid of her.” I hang up without another word and rise from my seat, turning to face my brothers. “Roman, Damien—throw a bag over her head, toss her in the back of a taxi, and see that she’s dropped off in time. Leo and Samuil, you’re with me.”
“Where are we going?” Samuil asks.
“To inspect the southern okrug. Now that it’s ours, we’re going to shift our entire base of operations, and I need the two of you watching my back for any Antonovs foolish enough to try and play hero.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to say goodbye?” Damien pipes up.
I glare at him from across the room. Why the hell would I do such a thing? Sandra has been an infuriating thorn in my side since she got here. I won’t miss her a bit once she’s gone. The woman was nothing but a steppingstone. A steppingstone with soft lips, a gorgeous body, and a siren’s voice that could lull sailors to their doom.
I shake the thoughts from my mind and sneer. “Don’t be fucking ridiculous. Make sure she gets to the drop off point unharmed.”
