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“Ten-percent. I will give you twenty of my men for the duration of our deal, and if you need more then I will be willing to give more within reason and depending on the situation. I will also have those in my pocket turn a blind eye to your dealings to give you more leeway to push your product out.” It was a small cut, but my intention wasn’t the profit. There was something else going on, and I wanted eyes on the inside to figure exactly what it is I am not seeing.
“Ten? That’s—” Ivan’s son started to speak, but he was silenced by Ivan’s hand.
“I agree. It’s a deal.” Ivan stretched his hand out to me, and I took it in a firm shake.
That was too easy. Something was definitely not right. Now to just wait and see what was in the snake’s lair.
“Thank you for this meeting. I am glad we were able to work something out. Before we take our leave, my daughter, Natalia. I have been trying to find a suitable man to care for her, protect her properly. I knew your father once long ago, and he had brought up that her hand could be brought to yours.” Ivan didn’t need to continue. I already knew where this conversation would go.
Was this what I missed? No, this didn’t carry the same weight. There is something hidden, deeper.
Smiling politely, I held my hand up for him to not continue. “My father is long gone, and he and I have different views on such matters. Last I checked, there was no contract or binding deal regarding your daughter and I. I have no doubt that Natalia is a lovely woman who will have no trouble finding a suitable partner, but that person cannot be me. It’s still fairly new, and there has been no formal announcement, but I—”
SLAM! BANG!
Pure rage.
It was one thing to barge into one of my meetings, but this man had a death wish. I couldn’t focus on anything as everything turned into a haze when I saw who he had in his clutches. I never knew what people meant by the veil of anger, seeing red, all those sayings. I had been angry many times in life, gone into fits of rage, but never had it ever been this intense. Not even earlier in the car when I figured about the abhorrent act Angel was forced into.
Clenching my jaw, I balled my hands at my side, afraid if I didn’t then they’d end up bashing the bastard’s skull in. Slowly, I stood up and turned my body to face him.
“You need to better control your staff Nikolai, this bitch just assaulted me.” The man spoke, practically throwing Angel forward like some ragdoll.
“Take your fucking hands off my wife. Now!” My anger echoed throughout the room, and not even the muffled music was enough to touch the tension in the silent room as my anger rolled off in suffocating waves.
Realization hit his face faster than a train, and he released Angel who immediately ran to my side while rubbing her arm where his grubby hand had been. “I didn’t assault him, he grabbed me first.” Angel said with a soft glare at the man.
I instantly wrapped my arms around my wife, holding her tightly in a protective manner. Even if she could handle that man in her sleep, I was still going to protect her and do my duty as her husband.
Upon a quick inspection, I could see her reddened cheek that started to get discolored. The temptation to reach for my gun and put a bullet through his head became hard to fight. Death would be a mercy though, something he didn’t deserve for laying a hand on Angel like this. No, he needed to suffer for his insolence.
“Wife?!” A shrill voice sliced through the air.
“Who’s the plastic Barbie?” Angel whispered, earning a muffled snicker from Stepan who had to cover it up with a cough.
“Igor, explain yourself.” Ivan demanded of the man.
“Do you know this man, Ivan?” My voice carried a sharp edge to it, showing the seething anger that boiled within me.
“Nikolai, I apologize for his intrusion and for him laying his hands on your... Wife. This is my other son, Igor.” Ivan answered me almost shamefully while avoiding my gaze.
“I should cut your tongue out and feed it to you for calling my wife such an insulting term. Your hands should be cut off as well for touching her. Your eyes gouged out for even looking at her. Then maybe, just maybe, if I am feeling merciful enough, then I will put a bullet through your brain.” I would make good on my words if Angel so wished. I was not a man to be trifled with, nor would my wife. If anyone dared lay a single finger on what is mine then they shall lose that finger.
Igor paled and shrunk with each seething word that left my mouth until he practically hid behind his father who looked equally as panicked. “I’m sure he is very sorry about his actions. Please, Igor can be a little mindless after some drinks. Please forgive him, he never would have even glanced in her direction if he knew that she was your wife.”
“My wife or not, he should not be treating any women in my establishment like he did. I think our business here is done. The deal is off.” Working with a man who has a son like that, a son who dared to harm my Angel, was something I won’t agree to. If he couldn’t control his son, then what’s to say he could control his own men?
“Nikolai, please, we need your protection. Listen, you can have him, do whatever you want with him, kill him if you want to, just please reconsider.” Ivan was quick to turn on his son who blabbered in protest besides him.
“Enough!” I barely raised my voice, and the room went into a dead silence again.
Taking a deep breath, I looked down at Angel. “They need our protection to continue their business. Original deal was ten-percent, twenty of our men with more if needed, and a blind eye. What do you think,lisichka? What do you want to do? Do you want to do business with them? Do you want me to take care of the trash?”
“What? She has no business in this.” Natalia spoke up in protest.
Angel’s lips curved in a twisted smirk, one that made my chest swell with pride. “I am his wife, I am very much involved in his business. I was going to say, ask for a twenty-percent cut, but now I’m thinking forty-percent is better, the men that you get is based on our discretion, and you’ll still get the blind eye. Oh, and I get one minute with Igor.”
“What? Forty-percent?! We can’t—” Natalia was cut off by her father’s hand, and probably for the best too.
