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He's still wrapped around me when I wake up late the next morning. We shower together, have breakfast and he accompanies me to my office. I settle down to work, but he gets a phone call and takes it out in the hallway. He comes back later, to take me for a late lunch at a local restaurant.
That sets the blissfully happy pattern of the next few days. We spend the day mostly together. During breakfast and lunch, Atlas works on getting to know me. He is keenly interested in my opinion on the local economy, my plans for my club and anything else I want to talk about.
He never acts bored with me and although he's a little more taciturn, I love listening to him talk.
Especially about his brothers and cousins. I swear he acts like he's not telling funny stories, but their dynamic cracks me up. He's gone in the evenings and late into the night working with his brothers, but Atlas always wakes me up to make love in the early hours of the morning.
ATLAS
Ivan does not come back to Portland when expected. He flies to Moscow instead. It's not a surprise, considering how many of his soldiers I kill before he is supposed to arrive.
Apparently, he doesn't think Portland is safe for him. He's right. But him running back to Russia won't stop me hunting him down and killing him.
He is a threat to Lucia, so he cannot live.
At first, the bratva soldiers remain, beating the bushes to find their boss, Larry. Dimitri if you want to be accurate. Their search makes my hunting easier because we haven't found their base yet.
They don't return to the bar either, but they are out on the streets at night, roughing up gang members and making more enemies. I am the predator, keeping to the shadows, tracking them, and killing them one-by-one.
When the gangs start hunting them too, things get more fun for me. I have to find the soldiers first.
"Do not start killing gang members," Zeus says, glaring at me, like he knows I'm going to argue. "We're still deciding which gangs we want to negotiate alliances with and you're not going to make that decision unilaterally with your gun."
"Or your knife," Orion drawls.
I roll my eyes. "It's like you two don't trust me, or something. When have I ever been caught doing my job?"
And the only way I have to kill a gang member is if I get caught.
Before thepakhancan send major reinforcements, it is time for implementing the Hostage Plan.
A week after my interrogation of Larry, Curly and Mo, we send a video to thepakhanin Russia. It shows him theenthusiastichospitality ofÁdis Adelfótitatoward his human-selling piece-of-garbage son.
Three days and three more videos later, thepakhanagrees to parlay with Zeus. It takes another recorded session between Larry, me and my tools, but ultimately, thepakhanproves to care more about his son's wellbeing than my grandfather cared about mine.
Thepakhanover all the Golubev bratva agrees to our terms. Leave Oregon and stay the hell away fromÁdis Adelfótitaterritory here. Constantin has given Zeus permission to negotiate the withdrawal of the American Golubev bratva from California.
That discussion is more heated, but finally, thepakhanagrees that his bratva will cease all organized criminal activity in California. They have six months to sell their legitimate businesses and get out of the state.
He agrees to put a leash on thepalach, me. I will not kill any more Golubevs during the transition as long as they keep to the terms.
"One breach of this agreement and the entirety of it becomes null and void," Zeus says.
Thepakhannods. "Yes, yes. Just release my son."
"He will accompany your men when they leave," Zeus says.
"At least get Dimitri medical treatment."
"We have a doctor on standby to treat him."
Relief washes over thepakhan'sfeatures, something Zeus would never allow to show. He doesn't let his enemies see his emotions. Thepakhanshouldn't either. If Zeus was without honor, he would have the leverage now to demand more concessions.
"There is one final detail," thepakhansays.
Zeus doesn't show his anger at the Russian man trying to renegotiate the terms of the deal. If he is angry. Thepakhanopening up negotiations again, leaves Zeus free to ask for more too.
