AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We are very different in most things.
But it would seem he and I have very similar opinions when it comes to personal security. From everything that my research has turned up, he is just as focused as I would be. My men are held to nearly impossible standards, and it would seem that he does the same. He’s outfitted not only his club with state-of-the-art security, but it also seems he’s had the good sense to place cameras and watchmen up and down his street as well.
No doubt a handful of the men inside in plain clothes pretending to be customers are also some of his men. Keep those around them on their toes in case something were to happen. Given thesensitive nature of things that he and I tend to dabble in, privacy is paramount. Even though this is a strip club, it’s bound to have a lot more going on behind closed doors than it may seem.
It’s how I do things too.
I don’t have siblings, but if I did, I likely wouldn’t have allowed them out of my sight in the middle of a war like this one. Though, from everything my information on Katya tells me, she would have found a way to sneak out anyway.
Hence, the security detail of four large men that seem to be following her every move.
Good for Katya, bad for me.
Luckily, I’m not the sort of man who likes to shy away from a challenge when I see one.
Dario has looked for any breaches in Alexei’s security that he can find, to no success. It’s mildly infuriating. It’s like somebody with a hell of a lot of computer knowledge came in recently and revamped all of Levine’s operations. I wish I had got to the person that they hired first so that I could use them myself.
Means that I’m going to have to get to Katya the old-fashioned way. She is too close to her brother for me to attempt to approach her directly unless I can get her away from her current routine. The stomping grounds that she’s chosen to frequent are all owned by her brother.
I just need one moment of vulnerability. One loophole that I can exploit to grab her.
Sure, it’s down and dirty and crass. Certainly not my style, but my options are limited. My father will want me to make a statement, that is all that matters. At least if I’m the one to get to Katya first, then she won’t have to suffer. Those that are likely contracted alongside me? The things they will do to her are inhumane. Those sorts of monsters shouldn’t even be allowed to exist.
Those are things I would change, if I were the one in charge of my clan.
My father has made it abundantly clear that I no longer have the luxury of doing this my way. I have to speed everything up. Which makes it harder and requires my game to be absolutely perfect. There is no room for error and on the shorter timeline, I don’t feel as assured of myself as I normally would.
Having to watch over my back is exhausting.
I have to presume that whoever else my father has given this job to, is watching her just as avidly as I am. They could be here right now, watching her just out of sight.
I have to get to her first.
It’s the only thing that keeps circling around and around in my mind.
I’ve sent Dario out on a mission to learn everything about this Marci character that he can. Something he didn’t seem to mind doing, which is good for me. One less thing to worry about, even if it would be simpler with him here as my right hand.
I didn’t think that I would get a lucky break so quickly, but only a few hours have passed before Dario sent me a text that both Marci and Katya were on their way to one of the launch parties on Astor Street. Sans security detail. I don’t even want to know how she managed to slip those watching her, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s exactly the loophole I need. And, it just so happens to be somewhere that I can go without causing issues. The only street in the city where almost anything could be found at any given hour of the day. The strip of high-end real estate was always teeming with life.
But, most importantly, it is smack dab in the middle of neutral territory.
My name had been put on the very short list of VIP guests for the opening of this new venue over a month ago. I hadn’t formally accepted my invitation but I know that they will be honored to have me here anyway. Schmoozing people for my clan has always been second nature to me.
What’s the use of having a handsome face if you can’t use it like another weapon in your arsenal?
I don’t have a plan, but I don’t need one. I’ve always worked best on my feet anyway.
I pull around the front and pass my keys to the valet with a fat tip pressed into the palm of his hand before I adjust my navy-blue suit jacket. My white shirt has the top buttons undone and tucked into my matching blue slacks. Brown monk strap shoes make no noise as I move silently past the couples dressed to the nines, all waiting for their turn to have their name marked off the list.
Fortunately for me, I happen to have business at this club tonight that I can use as an excuse to be here if I need to. If not? Nothing that can’t be rescheduled. A bit of networking and social politics are in order to ensure that my clan gains access to the new shipping company being opened in the harbor. Sure, we will utilize a hybrid of money laundering and above-board business dealings, but so long as everybody involved turns a nice little profit, what could be the harm there?
If it weren’t for the Katya assignment, I had been considering sending Dario to take care of this. But, now it’s two birds with one stone.
Unlike the others hoping to get inside of the club tonight, I don’t bother to wait in line. I move around them all confidently, knowing that my face alone will get me into anywhere I want to go.
My sure steps slow slightly when I hear a string of profanities coming from a sultry female voice that would make any seasoned sailor blush.
There, at the front of the line, is the woman in question - standing with her friend Marci and a very, very pissed off looking bouncer. Katya’s still in the same dress that I saw her in hours earlier, and Marci seems to have decided to match her. They both look stunning, but it’s Katya’s sheer presence that makes me unable to avert my eyes.
