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“I’m offering a mutually beneficial partnership. I’m in need of strong, loyal men—”
Ruslun snorts. “To do your dirty work?”
“—and in exchange, I will give you twenty percent of all earnings. The more we overtake the Antonovs, the more you get.”
They stare at me in disbelief. I don’t blame them. Twenty percent ismorethan generous, all things considered. I can tell by the dark glint in Akim’s eyes that I’ve got him on the hook, but Ruslun seems more on the fence.
“You have questions,” I say.
“Youwant to take on the Antonovs? Why?”
“Out with the old, in with the new. They prioritize peace too much, and that’s led to a great deal of stagnation. They don’t care about growth, only maintaining the status quo. I have both vision and the drive to see it through. It’s nothing personal. Just business.”
“Well, I’m certainly glad to hear it,” a woman’s sultry voice carries through the steam.
I’m surprised my eyes don’t pop right out of their sockets when I see her. I have to clench my jaw to keep it from dropping to the wet tile floor. In walks none other than Sandra Antonova dressed in next to nothing. Just a skimpy thin towel wrapped around her torso, exposing her gorgeously long legs and the roundness of her breasts. My mouth waters purely on instinct. DearGod, it should be illegal to tease a man like this. But then another, more pressing thought crosses my mind.
“The fuck are you doing here?” I snap.
Sandra bats her eyelashes at me. “What do you mean? Is this not a public bathhouse?”
Ruslun’s face is beet red, his eyes wider than saucers. “Y-you’re not—This is the m-men’s only section—I mean, uh…”
I think the poor bastard’s having a stroke. Sandra smiles demurely and takes a seat right next to me, cheekily crossing her legs in full view of the other men. Something animalistic inside me threatens to burst forth. What does she think she’s doing, putting herself on display like this? The thought of their eyes lingering on her skin makes my heart race and my head pound.
I breathe her in, intoxicated by the scent of her vanilla shampoo. Her skin looks delicious enough to bite—to mark. “Get out,” I hiss.
“Or what?” She challenges me without missing a beat. Her eyes roam over my body, soaking up every detail like she’s in line at a buffet. “I see you’re unarmed,” she muses, her gaze pausing on my lap. “Are you going towrestleme out of here?”
I’m half-hard and hating every second of this. “What do you think you’re doing?” I seethe under my breath.
Sandra ignores me and instead turns her attention to my two would-be partners. “I hear the Antonovs have wronged you in the past. For the sake of peace, I would like to offer you a gift.”
Akim arches a brow. I hate the way he stares at her chest. My fingers are itching to throttle his throat. “What kind of gift?”
“You mentioned something about prime real estate. To make up for past wrongs, I’m willing to give you those properties back.” She flashes a smile, so bright and brilliant it’s like a fucking flash bang. I’m blind and deaf, too shocked by her brazen offer to move.
“You can’t do that without your pakhan’s permission,” I point out.
“Why would I need to givemyselfpermission?” she asks. “Last I checked, I do whatever I want.”
My blood boils. Is she saying what I think she’s saying? It looks like the heir apparent has earned herself a very glamorous promotion.
Sandra Antonova is now the head of the Antonov Bratva.
“What’ll it be, boys?” she says. “I’ll give you back the properties, as well as all back earnings from the businesses, since my father acquired the rights.”
Ruslun gawks. “Allthe back earnings?”
“Did I stutter?”
Fuck. I don’t know if I should be pissed or impressed. Even I can recognize an extraordinary deal when I see one. They’d be fools not to take her up on the offer—which unfortunately throws a wrench in my plans. I was really hoping to capitalize off their desperate financial situation to bolster my ranks. Now I’m going to have to come up with a different plan.
“What kind of trick is this?” I ask her bluntly. “What kind of scam are you trying to pull?”
“It’s not a trick or a scam. I’m simply doing this as an expression of the Antonov Bratva’s good will.” She checks her nails for non-existent specks of dirt. She has lovely hands and delicate fingers. I don’t know why I hadn’t noticed before. Her eyes flick up to Akim and Ruslun, who I’m only now starting to realize both have spines made of wet paper towels. “What do you say, gentleman? I don’t want anything from you, just your promise that we can begin again and work prosperously together.”
They both nod and extend their hands to shake.
