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“I need to speak to your captain,” I say flatly.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
“Then I can’t help you.”
“You wanna bet?”
The clerk finally looks at me with clear disinterest. “What’s this in regards to?”
“Detective Gregor Ivanovich,” I say. “He placed a tracker on my vehicle, and I’ll bet he wasn’t given permission to do so. Now, stop wasting my time and go get the captain.”
Chapter 15
Sandra
“And these are our expense reports,” Uncle Dima explains. “You’ll want to pay special attention to those. Oh, and these too.”
I rub my temples. “And what arethese, exactly?”
“Our imports and exports. They’re all coded for the sake of customs. You’ll just have to learn what is what.”
“Great,” I mumble dryly.
“There’s movement in the south of the city,” Uncle Pyotr informs me, tapping the map Dad had pinned up on the wall. “Our whisper network is buzzing. Your friend Nicolaevich has been doing some hefty leg work.”
“He’s not my friend,” I say a little too quickly.
“A manner of expression, sweetheart,” Dad says from his wingback chair on the other side of the room.
My heart rate quickens at the mere mention of Andrei’s name. It’s been a week since our…dalliance. I really don’t know what else to call it. All I know is I haven’t been able to concentrate. I’ve been too distracted by the memory of his devilish tongue and strong hands all over my body. I occasionally suffer through bouts of guilt when Dad and my uncles help me through the more administrative parts of the job. Having them around only serves as a reminder that I’m keeping this deep, dark secret from them—from my family.
“What are they saying?” I ask, clearing my throat.
“He’s arranging some sort of meeting,” Uncle Pyotr says.
“To talk about what?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is that it’s an open invite. He’s clearly inviting people to come and hear what he has to say while extending a temporary olive branch.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. If there’s one thing I know about Andrei, it’s that he’s always scheming. He’s too smart for his own good, and it’s frankly tiring to try and put all the puzzle pieces together myself. I bet he thinks he’s clever, going around behind my back to pull all the strings. It’s a good thing my family’s intelligence network is so thorough, because at least now I can step in to stop him before things get out of hand.
“I need a location,” I say. “And a time. Do you know who he’s meeting with?”
“A couple of the smaller houses,” Uncle Dima answers.
“He’s probably trying to woo them into joining his ranks,” I conclude. “I’ll put a stop to it.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dad offers. He’s about to stand up, but I shake my head.
“I’ve got this. You stay here. I’ll take Vance and the rest of my guards.”
“Are you sure? My presence might help to—”
“Dad.” I press my lips into a thin line. “I can do this.”
He pauses, but eventually nods. I know he thinks he’s trying to help, but I can’t rely on my father to step in when things get tough. I’m the leader of the Antonov Bratva now. The pakhan. I have to prove myself, not just to my family, but to everyone we work with that I’m capable of doing the job. I may have been born to wear my father’s crown, but I still recognize the importance of earning it.
