Pushing Charlotte from my thoughts, I focused back on the map and Vlad. He’d been the one to alert me to the problems bubbling on the streets. We had eyes and ears everywhere.
“They can’t make that distance with unconscious girls, without raising suspicion,” I said.
“Unless they’vegot someone on their books.”
“That’s an option as well. I don’t like it, but it’s there.”
“You’ve gota better chance of them paying someone off.”
I put my hands on my hips. My men were already spread quite thinly at the moment. My territory had to be onthe fucking border with Oleg’s, didn’t it?
“I want eyes along this line,” I said. It would be easier to climb into my car and drive down the long stretch of road, but that could take hours, if not days, to assess every possible avenue. “I want the full details of everyone that comes and goes along this stretch of road. Even if it’s making a delivery to what appears to be an abandoned warehouse.”
“Do you want me to have them react, sir?”
“No,” I said. “When we locate them, I intend to deal with them myself.” Stepping away from the map, I turned toward the main board I had set up at one of my underground casinos. Every little problem that affected my territory was up on the board, including images of Hank and Benjamin. In each picture, I noticed a recurring figure in each.
“Who the fuck is that?” I asked, pointing at the two women. There were no details of each woman, but they were present at Hank and Benjamin’s side in multiple photos.
Staring at them in closer detail, I frowned. Even though each image was of different men, I pulled both images down and looked at each one. The time stamp showed a ten-minute difference, but they were at the same restaurant.
“They’re working together,” I said, turning back to the map.
“Sir?” Vlad said.
I tossed both images onto the map. We had the main map that didn’t differentiate towns and cities. Picking the photos up, I grit my teeth as I felt anger rising inside me. Between the wedding and shit going down in Oleg’s territory, I had missed these tiny details.
I grabbed the map that had closer details of my city streets and business, and I spread it out across the table on top of the other map. Tossing the photos onto the map, I looked at the streets and business names.
When I was handed my territory by Ivan Volkov, I made sure every single year I created a map of my city. I learned who ran what, which businesses I owned, and who by. I knew part of my power and control was knowing every little detail about everyone. I prided myself on knowing that information.
Slamming my finger on the restaurant, I look at it. “Salvadoors.”
“Sir, that’s a restaurant you own.”
“I know, and the fucking bastards think they’re funny,” I said. They had decided to have a business meeting in one of my own places, in an attempt to overthrow me.
“Has Enrique been in touch?” I asked.
“No, we’ve had no contact with anyone from Salvadoors.”
I smirk. “I think it’s time for us to go and pay Enrique a visit.” I don’t wait around for Vlad. Leaving the basement of my casino, I go straight to the parking lot, where my car waits.
Several of my soldiers gather around and as I climb into the passenger side of my car, Vlad takes the wheel. Two more cars filled with my men follow us out of my casino and we head across the city toward Salvadoors.
I’m not in the best of moods. Ivan had called me earlier today to let me know he intended to be passing through in the next few days, and he’d love a chance to eat lunch or dinner with me and my new bride. He even tried to hint at me getting her pregnant to have lots of little Charlottes and Ives running around my home. That wasn’t going to happen.
I’d not fucked Charlotte. As far as I was aware, she was still a virgin. Not that it bothered me if she wasn’t. I wasn’t avoiding my wife.
Whenever possible, I called my home and got all the detailsI needed from the head of my security. I didn’t need to know every other detail of Charlotte’s life. She spent nearly all her days in the house, either in the library or the kitchen. It would seem my wife liked to feed my staff. At least she was doing something and not laying in bed, waiting for the time to pass, or wishing for my company. I had shit to do. She was free, or as free as she could be. She didn’t need her older husband breathing down her neck.
I didn’t likethat Rage had been in contact with me. He wanted to meet up with Charlotte. I didn’t like his interference. I didn’t like him at all. There was something about him that pissed me off, and well, I didn’t have to like the little bastard, did I? He could make all the claims he wanted about being there for Charlotte. I knew differently.
The scars told another story. He tried to help her, or he did, but even his help had limits when it came to the president of his club. Rage wouldn’t disobey his boss. I had to wonder if he’d seen her dad beating her? Did he look the other way? Did he intervene when it mattered most? It didn’t matter. When it came to Rage, I didn’t like him, and if it was left to me, I’d have wiped out the whole of the Evil Savages MC. But it wasn’t up to me. Ivan had his own reasoning, and he knew what he was doing.
Arriving outside of Salvadoors, I notice, instantly, it wasn’t busy.
“Have we shown a decrease in sales here?” I asked.
Getting married had messed with my head and I didn’t like it.
“No, sir,” Vlad said.
There wasno one around, which wasn’t right. Salvadoors was a great restaurant. The food was impeccable.
It was one of the legal businesses I owned that turned a good profit, and even had a great deal oflove and reviews attached to it.
Opening the car door, I climb out. Two of my men take the lead, and we step into the restaurant. Enrique is at the bar, counting money. The moment he noticed me, he stood up.
“Mr. Yahontov,” he said.
“Enrique.” I offer him a smile. “Business slow?”
He’s already sweating. Now, Enrique was a rare find indeed. A good businessman who knew how to cook and had this charm about him. I liked him from the moment I saw him, but now I see that money and power had gone to his head. He drops the wad of cash he had in his hand and I tut.
“Enrique, what have you done?”