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Next comes the cashier’s check, which I slide back across the table toward the nervous business owner. Mr. Thompson takes it with shaking fingers. He swallows hard as he counts the zeros, making sure they’re right.
Only then does he seem to grasp that the deal is done. He’s now millions of dollars richer—and no longer the owner of the building around us, the business within its walls, or even the chairs we sit on.
Standing from the conference table with set determination on his face, he silently extends his hand to shake a final time. His once-confident, almost cocky demeanor has been tempered by the weight of the documents he just signed. No longer does he own the hotel he poured his life’s work into. And for a fraction of a second, I could almost feel bad.
But not in light of the victory we’ve won against Aleksandr.
Rising from my seat, I accept his hand, shaking it firmly. “Thank you for your trust, Mr. Thompson.”
He nods, his gaze dropping to the floor. “It was a difficult decision, but I believe this is for the best,” he admits, though parting with the hotel was not entirely by choice.
“Rest assured, we have plans to bring this hotel to new heights,” Dimitri assures him. “Your legacy will live on in the success of this place.”
He and Alexei shake hands with Thompson as well.
Mr. Thompson forces a smile, though it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I hope so.”
As we leave the conference room, contract securely in hand, the weight of our newfound ownership hangs heavily in the air. The successful purchase is a testament to our strength and determination, but it also marks another step on our relentless path toward vengeance against Aleksandr.
He tried to undermine us and failed—a more and more common occurrence now that we know his game and will stop at nothing to beat him. And I plan to shut him out completely.
It feels good to have such a big win under our belt. The Bay View Hotel is a significant landmark to the city that will bring in major income and allow us significant freedom with the business we run.
We’ve dealt Aleksandr some pretty massive blows lately, but I won’t call it quits until he’s dead. I couldn’t care less if his business or Bratva survives, and though we’re no closer to accomplishing the physical goal, figuratively, we are tightening the noose around his throat.
Surprisingly, though, as we exit the Bay View Hotel, I find that the unbridled rage I’ve felt for so long when I think about killing Aleksandr isn’t so strong anymore. I still want the man dead. I will see it done for the safety of my family if nothing else.
But something about Heidi’s presence in my life has started to soothe that wrath that has completely consumed me for the last four years. Where once, my sole goal in life was to take Aleksandr’s head for killing my fiancée, that might no longer be the force that drives me.
24
HEIDI
My heart never fails to skip a beat when I see Maks’s name pop up on my phone’s caller ID. We’ve spent all but two nights together over nearly the last two weeks, and the more time I spend with him, the less I want it to end.
Trying to hide the giddy anticipation that quivers in my chest, I answer the call. “Hello?”
“Hello,krasivaya.” Maks’s voice comes through the phone as smooth as a saxophone, his tone demanding respect even in his greeting. “Are you available for dinner tonight? I’d like to take you somewhere nice.”
The request hangs in the air, and I can almost hear my heart skip a beat. This isn’t just one of our late-night trysts. This is more personal. Dinner. And while that seems like such a simple first step in a relationship, my mind races with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
The request puts my stomach in knots as I wonder how this might shift the dynamic of our very narrow parameters on a relationship. What we have in place is supposed to be strictly business—well, very pleasurable business.
Dinner might permanently change that dynamic in a way I can’t possibly begin to fathom. And yet, the prospect almost excites me.
The pause is agonizingly long before I finally manage to stammer a response. “Dinner? Like... a date?”
Maks chuckles softly, a deep, resonant sound that sends shivers down my spine. “Something like that.”
My heart flutters as I think about the possibilities, the uncharted territory this could lead to. I’ve tried to keep things in perspective between us, but Maks’s commanding presence has a way of breaking down my defenses in a way I didn’t expect.
“I’d like that,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
But before I can finish with a “let me check my schedule,” Maks cuts in.
“Great. I’ll make the reservations. Can you be ready for the car to pick you up by seven?”
“Uh, can you hold on just one sec?” I ask, reeling from the speed with which he’s changing gears.
