“Everyone has a secret. You know that better than most,” I directed toward the brooding Italian.
The entire room was quiet for a full minute.
“He has one weakness that I have found and the other reason for our meeting,” Miguel moved to a standing position, pulling a photograph from his pocket. As he slid it across the table, he gave me a hard look. “His sister. Obviously, the man standing beside her is Peter Church. She isn’t listed on any of the corporate papers and as far as I can tell, has no social media presence. However, her reputation is fascinating. If the reports are true, then she could prove to be an issue herself.”
I studied the picture, fingering the lovely young woman’s outline. I had seen her once before in passing but had never been introduced. My attraction to her two years before obviously hadn’t waned given my twitching cock. Certain instincts were starting to kick in. This was exactly what my father had brought me into his office about. A cagey motherfucker. One easy to take out. “Why fascinating? I could simply arrange to have her taken, use the woman as bait.”
“Not going to be that easy, Aleksei,” Dominick said, a certain look in his eye.
“Meet Willow Church, one very dangerous woman.” Miguel smiled.
“And why is that?” She seemed almost demure, standing in a sparkling long gown, a drink in her hand, laughing from something her brother was saying.
“Because she is an assassin; her specialty is gunning down soldiers, mafia soldiers.”
What. The. Hell.
I’d heard rumors over the years, tales of an unknown assassin capable of wreaking havoc. To think a woman had the capability of infiltrating operations, getting close enough for a kill? Yes, I was fascinated indeed. Perhaps I even admired her. Two of my soldiers had been killed about the same timeframe as I’d seen her before. While we’d blamed the bloodshed on a drug deal gone bad, I’d had my doubts, especially given the tall tales another one of my soldiers had insisted occurred.
A woman firing the shots.
I shot a look in Miguel’s direction, my cock instantly twitching. I did so love a good challenge. “You’re right. Truly remarkable.” Evidently, Peter had been nursing a plan for years. He must have balls the size of melons to think he could get away with this.
“Don’t let her looks fool you, Russian,” Lorenzo said quietly. “She’s already taken out two of my soldiers, men who protected my shipments.”
Now I knew why the man was pissed. She was slowly making her way through the ranks, killing targets that might create difficulties for her brother’s export business.
“And two of mine,” Dominick said almost too quietly. “One of my soldiers even got a shot off, swearing to God that the perpetrator couldn’t be a man. I laughed at him.”
“I take it you’d like me to handle the situation?” I asked of no one in particular. Everything about this woman was intriguing, invoking a more primal state of need.
“Best handled by Bratva,” Dominick said in his usual authoritative manner, which meant he didn’t want to get his hands dirty for this one. “You have the perfect perspective for providing a suitable end for these kinds of situations.”
Meaning we had no issue with taking out an entire family if necessary.
“Fair enough.” I took another sip of my drink, studying the photograph again.
“Make no mistake, Aleksei, the woman is highly skilled. From what I’ve heard underground, she has her next target already in her sights.” Miguel spoke slowly, glancing down into his glass.
“And who would that be?” I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer.
“One tall Russian with a surly attitude,” Lorenzo chortled.
I was beginning to like the girl already. Perhaps I would enjoy some quality time breaking down her defenses.
And much more…
“He’s smiling,” Lorenzo huffed. “You better take this seriously. If she kills you, your father will start an all-out war, allowing Peter Church to infiltrate your network in a blink of an eye. That will just be for starters.”
“You’re more worried about your cash flow, Lorenzo,” I snapped back in return. Even though the man bristled, I walked past him, heading to the floor-to-ceiling window. The lights of the city cast a festive glow on the area, overshadowing the level of danger lurking in the streets. While we certainly ran high-quality drugs, some coming in directly from mother Russia, we were careful in our dispatch. We certainly wouldn’t want to be sullied by Church Exports’ methods of operation.
It seemed my father had severely underestimated Peter Church years before. I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
“What are you going to do, Aleksei?” Dominick asked as he flanked my side, staring without blinking. I could tell the man was troubled. His regime had seen its share of scandal in the last few months as well.
I thought about the question, polishing off the rest of my drink. I knew without a doubt this wasn’t going to be my only cocktail of the night. If I knew anything about those who hunted on this level, they enjoyed doing so in plain sight. “Exactly what must be done. Fight fire with fire.”
I was almost shocked by my visceral reaction to her, my need to take something that didn’t belong to me. There was no tangible reason and any other intelligent man would simply use her as a prop, a method of obtaining information as well as seeking retaliation.
What I wanted I would take without question, but on my terms.
Her absolute surrender.
Her complete submission.
And I would do everything including breaking her in order to obtain my prize.
“The man knows what he’s doing, gentlemen. I suggest we allow him to get to his work.” Dominick polished off his drink, allowing his glass to hit the table with a solid thud.
Giving Dominick a nod, I grabbed the folder and headed for the door, only stopping long enough to drop the empty glass and issue a few last words. “I appreciate the heads up. Rest assured that I will handle the situation. My way.”
No matter who had to die.
Game on.
And I never lost.
Aleksei