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Raizo Watanabe laughs. “Oh, come on now. Why would I shoot the man I want to talk to? We have such history together, Demyen. Don’t insult me with your pettiness.”
“I think we’re way beyond that,” I call back. There’s no way he’s this calm and fine over me blowing up his operations yet again.
“True. Which is why we need to talk.”
Tolya arches a brow. Pavel looks pensive—he doesn’t trust Watanabe any more than I do.
But neither of them object to it.
I lift a hand above the roof of the small container. Then I plant it on the metal to hoist myself up. It’s a risky move, but if he wants to talk, let’s talk.
Shockingly, he actually does. All guns are drawn back and Raizo’s just standing there, surrounded by his men. His hands casually rest in his pockets and he’s dressed like he’s going to a garden party, not on his merry way to sell dozens of women into a lifetime of grim sexual slavery.
“Come,” he says with a nod of his head toward what must be serving as his office.
I glare at him. “My men?”
He rolls his eyes impatiently and gestures to his own to move away. “Your men will remain exactly where they are if they want to make it out of here alive. Play by my rules, and no one gets hurt.”
I glance at Tolya. He nods. He doesn’t love it, but we’re a little short on good options here.
So I nod and slowly place my gun on the roof of the container. I lift my hands up so everyone can see I’m not reaching for a backup piece, then ease my way around toward Raizo.
“Round up the merchandise,” he orders one of his lieutenants, who nods once and takes a handful of men with him.
My gut sinks. If they find Clara…
No.I have to keep my mind clear. I have to focus.
I have to end this.
Raizo gives me a cocky little smirk and turns to lead me to his office. “I have to admit, I was almost impressed. Would have been more impressed if you’d actually managed to get out of here.”
“Impressed? Or pissed?” I force myself to match his calm tone. I have to stamp down the overwhelming urge to snap his neck where he stands.
“Both.” He smirks again and opens the door for me. No one else is waiting inside from what I can see, so I go in and wait for him to stab me in the back. He closes the door, locks it, and strolls over to his desk. “Best we handle things just between us.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” I pull out a chair and straddle it. The first man to show unease is the one who loses. “Which is why I took the liberty of retrieving my woman.”
Raizo shrugs and settles into his chair. “She’s still on the grounds. Whether you get to keep her depends on whether I let you leave this room alive. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“What do you even want with her? She’s just another woman.” I study his face for any sign that might give away ulterior motives. “She’s no one.”
“Is that what you think of her daughter?”
I go still.
Raizo quirks a brow, but quickly settles back into his maddening calm. “I might as well tell you the truth. My secrets won’t get out from a dead man’s mouth.” He interlaces his hands in front of him. “Her mother and I go way back. Or really, we did—until Greg murdered her.”
The venom in his words when he mentions Clara’s father doesn’t escape my scrutiny. It does, however, surprise me. “And yet you do business with him.”
“Greg was a mad dog kept on a short leash. As long as he kept sending me new merchandise, I held our professional relationship over his head to keep him in line.”
Several things start making sense. “You paid him a premium. So he wouldn’t leave.”
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Truth be told, he wasn’t even on my radar until that stunt he pulled with Michael Little.”
I must have hit my head on something. That’s the only explanation for the sudden wave of sadness I see wash over Raizo Watanabe’s features.
