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That’s my girl.“I have Patrick tracking down the customs inspector that signs off on the ships and finding out what we know about the organized crimes guy that was assigned to your girls.”
“Why the cop?” she asks.
“Like you said, it’s odd that he would be on a homicide. It’s pretty well known that NYPD’s homicide unit is a tightknit group, and it’s hard as hell to get a man on the inside there. Other units aren’t as touchy.”
“You think he’s dirty?”
“I don’t know. But all the families have contacts in the NYPD. It would be helpful to know who Popov’s is.”
She chews that over for a minute. “Do you have a contact in the department?”
“Yes.”
She nods and returns to her coffee. “What about the inspections guy?”
I pause. When she sees the violence inherent in this world, will she run? Would I let her if she tried?
“Spit it out, gangster.”
“The fastest way to disrupt his shipments is to prevent the boats from coming in. This will affect him financially through his primary incomes but also prevent him from bringing in any more girls. Popov’s father was respected and feared by Moscow and the other families. Popov, no one trusts, including the rest of the Bratva in Russia. If he starts losing money instead of making it, the Bratva may use it as reason to authorize a regime change.”
“Like Popov did when he manufactured the claims used to authorize his father’s assassination?”
I’m impressed. That’s not common knowledge. “Exactly.”
“They will still blame you for disrupting the business to begin with though. They may not like him, but you’d still be the proximate cause to their financial woes.”
I appreciate that she pushes back when she sees something. “True. We’re already doing that though. This is a more targeted approach toward the root of the problem, as opposed to taking out warehouses.”
“So, back to the customs inspector.” She refills her coffee from the pot.
“The lads are going to round him up and bring him by for a chat. At which point he will be persuaded to cease his current career choice and move out of the city.”
“Persuaded?” She raises an eyebrow.
“Persuaded.”
“And if you’re not persuasive?” she asks.
“Roxanne. You’re aware of who I am. And what I am.”
She nods. She sets the cup down and comes to stand in front of me.
“How much do you really want to know about my business?”
She stops for several moments. Finally, her beautiful eyes lock with mine. “All of it.”
Looking at her face, I search for a trace of hesitation or doubt. It’s not there. I’m looking into the face of the woman who dyed her hair, faked her name, and went undercover with the Bratva to avenge the deaths of women she never met and honor her sister’s legacy. Who fought my men tooth and nail. Who was covered in brains and blood and is still standing. This woman is a fucking warrior.
“Are you sure? There’s no going back after this.”
“Yes. Tell me.”
“If he doesn’t agree to get the fuck out of my city, I will kill him.” I’m waiting for the moment that she realizes I’m a monster. It’s one thing to see me kill the man about to rape her. It’s another to realize that this is an unavoidable part of my business.
But the moment doesn’t come. She steps forward, wraps her arms around my waist, and presses her cheek to my chest.
Wrapping my arms around her, I admit, “That’s not the reaction I was expecting.” I kiss the top of her head. “But I don’t want to lie to you either.”
