AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Light rays poured on his buzzcut, steel blue eyes, and dark suit. His lips grew thin, and his jaw ticked. “It’s Mike Collins. He’s—”
“Not good news?” I arched a brow, Cherie nuzzled my nape, and Pavel shook his head.
“Nyet [no].”
I swiped a thumb across my lips. The air in the small, secluded VIP cross-section grew thicker and hotter. The need to fuck Cherie morphed into something else. Something deep, dark, and murderous. Blinding fury rushed through my blood, searing my veins, and I gnashed my teeth.
“Fuck!That bastard.” I was going to kill him, slowly and painfully until he cried and prayed for death to take him quickly.
Pavel’s hands clutched tighter at his belt as if that were enough to quell his visible annoyance. “He had four months, boss, and has failed to honor his side of the deal. We can’t contact him. He might plan to escape.”
I fisted the armrest and held onto the plush fabric, squeezing hard until my blunt nails ripped the seam. Better the sofa than the silver gun tucked between my belt. Otherwise, Cherie’s lifeless body would have already been lying at my feet.
While Axel had proven to be a reliable ally of the Bratva, Mike Collins was a successful, shady businessman who had turned out to be a damned thief. On the outside, he cultivated a perfect image, but behind the cameras, he rolled in the dirt and genuflected to dirty politicians and drug lords. Anything to make him shine.
I knew him. Heard lots of nice and not-so-nice things about the man.Hehad a reputation, but I listened when he approached with a proposal. One containing two words that caught my immediate attention: “loan” and “interest.”
In short, money.
He needed to invest in a multimillion-dollar project and believed the only one capable of aiding with the finances required was me, and when he promised to return twice theamount, I readily stretched out my hand and laid out my terms and conditions: four months and not a day more.
We shook hands. I grinned. Only a fool would dare steal from me or double-cross me.
Four months and three days later, news spread like fire about the crash of Collins’ newest project. With patience I didn’t have, Itriedto wait for any feedback from him.
Nothing but silence. Pavel went on the hunt, and surprise,surprise... Mike Collins turned out to be a fucking fool.
I didn’t give a fuck about his morals; he could be as crooked as the word itself and I wouldn’t blink. But he’d messed with the wrong people. Nobodyfuckingmessed with the Bratva and got away alive.
My free hand slid under the smooth leg on my thigh and roughly pushed it off. Her body jerked backward, and fear clouded her eyes. I sat forward with my elbows on my knees and fingers interlocked. Her eyes were hot on the side of my face.
“Leave.”
It was cold, hollow, and carried theif you don’t leave now, you’re deadundertone. She got the message and scrambled to her feet. Under the flashing beams, her small frame, trembling shoulders, and flat ass disappeared from my sight.
My eyes rode up, from Pavel’s shiny black shoes, and faint jagged scars on his cheek, to the, “What do we do now?” question in his eyes. A flame flickered in my chest, burning, and boiling over every cell and muscle. My insides twisted uncomfortably; just like they always did when I had to take care ofbusiness.
To me, the bastard was a dead man walking.
A guttural grunt reverberated in my throat. I swiped a glass of whiskey and put it to my lips. It burned, and only kindled the flickering flame. I slammed the glass so hard on the coffee table, that it cracked.
“I’ll make that fucking cunt pay no matter what.” The words rolled through my gritted teeth, and I stared hard at the cracked tumbler. “He has enough assets, and we’re going to take them all. If he goes broke, I couldn’t give a fuck.”
I only cared about getting the money back.
I rose to my feet and glared at Pavel. “If we must burn the whole city down, then we’ll do it! Don’t stop until we find him.”
Chapter 2 - Vanessa
The clinking of glasses, the hushed buzzing of conversations, and untimed echoes of laughter.
A mini-orchestra resonated across the brightly lit ballroom from the live band on the stage. Crystal spiral chandeliers hung from the ceiling and cylinder pendant lights illuminated the bar. Waiters in suits moved through the crowds, one hand clasped behind their backs, the other holding golden trays with hors d'oeuvres and champagne flutes lined up on them.
“We’ve been standing here for about half an hour now,” Carla said.
I lifted a tulip glass to my lips and threw my head back, emptying it all with a mouthful.
Good thing it was pineapple juice— - a secret I only shared with one person. Three glasses later, I could have been floating on air if I had dared to drink any form of alcohol. We descended the marble staircase and I turned to the young woman next to me and handed her the glass.
