Alfonsi pulled out a cigarette, though that was probably the last thing he needed. I followed suit. “Yuri commands his people remotely. They are never in the same place. He pays them well to keep them loyal, but they don’t know about where he is. I don’t think he’s even in Chicago right now. He’s very paranoid. He leans on Orlov to keep the men in line. Orlov is the only one who knows where Yuri is.”
“Where is Orlov?”
Alfonsi shook his head. “Antonio handled most of the meetings. I hate that little fuck.”
I nodded my head. It was a common sentiment. I took a long drag on my cigarette and stared at Alfonsi. “You’re not giving much here, Gianni,” I said, the threat clear. He needed to provide something useful to get his boy back.
He shot a look over to Martoni, who gave him a nod. That was revealing. Who was calling the shots here? The waitress arrived at our table with two bourbons.
Alfonsi stooped even lower in his seat and took a slug of his drink. “You got a rat.”
I straightened up, my teeth snapping together, nearly growling at Alfonsi. “What? Who?”
Gianni sighed, clearly ill at ease to be providing information that would help the Bratva. “Some guy named Karl. It’s how Yuri’s keeping tabs.”
Every muscle in my body tightened with fury, already imagining the many ways I was going to make Karl bleed and scream for putting Katya in danger.
“Is he watching Katya right now?” I snapped at Maxim.
Maxim, looking equally angry, shook his head. “No, he’s at the warehouse.”
“You’re going to have to control yourself if you plan to use him to lure Yuri in,” Alfonsi mused, a slight smile hovering on his lips, some of his old attitude emerging.
He was right. I needed to calm down and think. When I imagined all the ways he could have given Yuri access to Katya, I saw red. I wanted to tear that motherfucker apart, but that wouldn’t do us any good. I needed to use him.
“You think that’s enough to release my boy?” Alfonsi asked, bringing my attention back to him.
I leaned back and stared at him speculatively. “How do I know you’re not going to just run back to Yuri and tell him that you’ve exposed his mole? Don’t you think I should keep your boy until we get Yuri?”
Gianni leaned back in his chair—he knew my reasoning was solid.
Martoni stepped forward, placing a hand on Gianni’s shoulder, clearly understanding how Antonio’s predicament was weighing on the older man. “You have my word on it. I’m still in touch with Mia Rossi. We grew up together. She’s like a sister to me.”
Mia Rossi was the daughter of the former, and now dead, mob boss, Alberto Rossi. I had her rescued after Yuri kidnapped her and planned to traffic her as payback against Rossi. She was rescued by Roman, one of my oldest friends and former Brava comrades. They currently lived together in Montana, both of them deciding to cut ties with the mob and Bratva.
“Is that so?”
“Call Roman. He’ll vouch for me.”
“I will.”
I shot a look at Alfonsi, but he seemed half there, staring down into what was left in his whiskey glass. I peered back to Martoni.
“You in charge now?” I asked bluntly.
Martoni glanced at Alfonsi but gave me a clipped nod. “From now on,” he said, holding out his hand for me to shake. This handshake was more than a greeting. It was an unspoken truce.
I shook his hand, shocked to have established some kind of alliance with the Italian mob. First, the Irishman and now the Italians—the Chicago mob scene was turning into a real lovefest these days. I was sure it wouldn’t last, but no sense in not taking advantage of it now.
“I’ll get in touch with him and get back to you. If he says you can be trusted, we’ll have Antonio delivered back to the Capri Club. If there is any hint of a betrayal, I’ll hunt Antonio down myself and finish the job on him.”
They both nodded in agreement.
I leaned forward. “If I do this for you, you need to use your contacts, your people, to find out when Yuri’s back in town. Maybe some of your soldiers got tight with some of Yuri or Orlov’s men.”
Martoni rubbed his chin and nodded his head. “Yes, I think I know someone who might have information. When Yuri resurfaces, you better have a plan in place.”
I grabbed the bourbon and shot it back in one, burning swallow. “We will.”
Chapter 36
Katya
“Oh my god!” I gasped, sitting up in bed abruptly.
“What?” Drago barked, glancing around the room as if looking for possible signs of danger, pistol already in his hand.
“Jesus, where’d that come from?” I said, gesturing to the gun.
Drago glowered at Katya and placed the gun on the nightstand. “I always have a weapon accessible, no matter where I am. What’s wrong with you?”
“Anya’s birthday is this weekend!”
Drago stared at me for a moment, then fell back into the bed. “Blyad, Anya,” he muttered, rubbing his hands down his face.
I turned and gave him a conciliatory kiss on the cheek in response to his use of the Russian curse word. “Sorry, but I just remembered. We have to do something.”
Drago shot me a look and grabbed his phone off the nightstand, quickly scanning through what looked like a mountain of texts. “No, we don’t.”
It had been nearly three weeks since I’d moved in with Drago and waiting for Yuri to do something was making me lose my mind. I was going stir crazy in this place. I mean, there are only so many times you can redecorate a room. I’d sewed, read, had sex, cooked, ate, did yoga, talked to my friends—all from this apartment.
Spending time with Drago would have been a wonderful side benefit, but he was frequently gone, tracking one tip or another about Yuri. Even if he’d been around the whole time, the captivity still would have felt oppressive.
It didn’t help that Drago was unbearably tense all the time. Waiting for Yuri was stressful, but Drago had reached new levels of edginess and irritability. Not necessarily with me. With me he was mostly patient, often taking out his frustrations sexually, which was definitely fine by me. His intensity bordered on the animalistic, but I loved it—in bed. Out of bed, he was like a coiled spring, filled with kinetic tension ready to unleash itself.
I had an idea for Anya’s birthday, but given his recent mood, he was going to hate it. I braced myself for his response, but my desperation to leave the condo overwhelmed any other concern.
“Look, I know the timing is a little…challenging, but could we maybe plan to go out somewhere and celebrate Anya’s birthday?” I asked, giving him the full force of my most hopeful expression.
Drago shot me an incredulous look, then sat up and slid his hand behind my neck. “Katya, I know you just woke up and may have forgotten, but a lunatic madman is trying to kidnap you right now,” he said dryly.
“I know, I know, but—”
Drago scowled. “No buts. The answer is no,” he replied, then pulled me in for a hard kiss and got out of bed.
“Um, what if…” I started but was momentarily distracted from the argument by the view of his hard body, tightly muscled and covered with dark ink. I watched him slide his jeans up his leg, covering his tight buttocks.
A smirk lifted the corner of his hard mouth. “Unless you want me to fuck you, you better get that look off your face, Katya.”
I grabbed his pillow and threw it at him, but felt heat flood my cheeks. “Anyway, I was thinking if you had your guys there and they could follow us, and you’d be there, so I know I’d be safe,” I continued, trying to appeal to his ego. It was a lame and probably transparent tactic, but I had to try.
Drago grabbed a t-shirt and shot me a deadpan look. “Really, kitty?”
I blew out an annoyed breath. “Okay, look, I need to get out of this apartment. I’m going totally crazy. I understand Yuri is out there. I know he’s dangerous and insane and obsessed, but what good will I be if I lose my mind
in the process?”
“I will risk your mental health to keep your physical health intact,” Drago replied as he pulled the t-shirt over his head, covering the tapestry of battle wounds and inked flesh.
It was irrational, but my shoulders slumped as defeat sat in my gut like a boulder. He didn’t understand—he got to leave.
“Okay,” I murmured, my mood flattened by disappointment.
Drago stopped in his tracks, quickly registering my crestfallen expression. He raked his fingers through his short, dark hair and rubbed the back of his neck as if it had just started aching. “Fuck. Okay, kotyonok, you can have a few friends over here for a party.”
I felt small ribbons of hope spring to life, and though I was grateful for the offer and the company, I wanted more. “Drago, that’s a really generous offer,” I said, trying not to sound ungrateful because, given the circumstances, it was better than I expected him to offer. However, I wanted more. I wanted out. “But I was thinking maybe we could take her out to a nice restaurant and maybe out for drinks or something afterward?”
Drago’s grimace turned into a glower. “Restaurant? Drinks? Are you kidding? No way, Katya. You’re not going anywhere until Yuri is dead.”
I popped up on my knees, mindless of the sheet that slid down as I rose up. “Come on, Drago! It’s her birthday! Your guys can protect us, can’t they?” I decided to go down that road again since he seemed to be softening.
Drago’s jaw tightened as his eyes scanned all the naked flesh I was exposing. He took a step toward me, his eyes heating with desire. I rolled my eyes, reached down, and grabbed the sheet to cover my breasts. “Can’t they?” I repeated.
He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, realizing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with me right now. “Do you know how hard it is to secure a public place? There is no way for us to have you completely protected anywhere in public, but especially not a bar or restaurant.” He shook his head. “No. There is no way. Either postpone the celebration until after this whole thing is over or invite some people over here.”
I plopped back down on the bed, pouting slightly, knowing he was right. “Okay, we’ll have something here,” I grumbled, my mind scrambling for a solution that would allow me to leave. “Wait! What about The Trinity Club?”
The Trinity Club was a bar that had been owned by the Irish mob until about twenty years ago when the Bratva took over the territory. They did all sorts of unsavory business in that bar—drugs, weapons, girls. My brother worked there when he first started out and expressly forbade me from ever setting foot inside the club. I wouldn’t agree until he told me what went on there, which was enough for me to keep my distance.
Drago’s brows snapped together in a fierce scowl. “How the fuck do you know about The Trinity Club?”
I shrugged as if I knew all the seedier aspects of the organization. “Ivan.”
Drago made a growling noise in his throat. “No. Out of the question. I don’t want you in that place.”
“Come on! Look, you guys own that place. Just shut it down for a night and let us use it. It would be much more fun having a party there.”
“No. You can have the party, a small party here, but that’s it.”
My shoulders slumped again, but honestly, it was more than I expected. “Are you sure we couldn’t do it for one night?” I begged.
Drago frowned and opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his phone rang. He answered it immediately.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his voice intense. This had to be about Yuri. Drago listened to the caller for a couple of minutes, then frowned in dismay.
“Tomorrow night? That’s the setup?” He darted a thoughtful look in my direction, but I had no idea what was going on. “Yes, actually, that will work. I’ll have her out of here, and then we can finish this bullshit. Later,” he said as he ended the call.
“Who was that?”
“A guy I know from Alfonsi’s outfit. There’s a situation brewing.” He was staring at me, but I could see the wheels spinning behind his steely gray as he considered something. “I’ve decided to let you go to the Trinity Club tomorrow night for Anya’s birthday.”
I stared at him, my jaw dropping in shock. “What? Why did you change your mind?”
He hesitated, and I could tell he was debating what I needed to know. “Something is going down tomorrow night. We just got it in place—that’s why Martoni called. We’re luring Yuri to the condo because he’s going to think you’re unprotected, but you won’t be here. I will.”
I plopped down on the bed. “Oh my god, this thing is finally almost over?”
He sat down next to me and pulled me into his arms. “Yes, kotyonok, it’s almost over, but just because I’m letting you go to the club doesn’t mean you don’t need to be safe,” he lectured.
“I’ll do anything you want. I’ll even wear a bulletproof vest all night if you want.”
I said that last part as a joke, but Drago’s hand went up to his jaw and stroked it thoughtfully. Oh, god, had he taken me seriously?
“Maybe,” he murmured.
I rolled my eyes. “I was kidding. I’m not wearing a bulletproof vest.”
He rolled me over, pressing my body down on the sheets as he lay on top of me. “Katya, you follow every fucking precaution I give you. You provide me with a list of people that will be in attendance, and I will remove anyone I don’t approve of. In fact, scratch that. We’ll just make it you girls. But you obey everything I say.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you so much!” I peppered his face with more kisses. “I know you’re only letting me do this because you need me out of the apartment, but you could have just stashed me somewhere. I know you’re doing this for me.”
He shook his head as if he was regretting this decision already. “Everything is for you, Katya,” he said softly, dropping a sweet kiss on my mouth. “However, as much as I enjoy punishing you, I will not tolerate disobedience on this. I will have no problem planting your ass in a safe house if you do anything impulsive. Not following my orders this time will have a much more severe consequence than your previous punishment.”
I shivered at the reminder of how he had “punished” me and the other activities that followed. His eyes heated as he easily followed my line of thought. He took my mouth in a deep, hard kiss, then pulled back to stare at me. “Promise me, Katya.”
“I promise. I will follow every order and be completely obedient,” I said huskily, peppering his mouth with more kisses.
He groaned and yanked the sheet down. “How about you practice your skills in obedience right now?”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, more than happy to comply.
Chapter 37
Drago
I had three angry faces staring at me. Jesus Christ.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding, Drago,” Maxim said in disbelief. I’d just told him, Callahan, and Ivan that I’d been contacted by Martoni and planned to let Katya have her friends at the Trinity Club while we lured Yuri the apartment.
“We have that club on lockdown. We can fill it with men and secure it just as we secure any safe house.”
Maxim’s dark eyes continued to pin me down, making me feel uncomfortably exposed. “You are doing this for her. You know the risks are greater at the club. There are so many more access points,” Maxim complained, justifiably so.
However, this wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“Maxim, it is a few girls for a couple of hours in a club everyone in this city knows is ours. If we can’t fucking secure that location with so few people to protect, what the fuck are we doing? Besides, we are planning to take Yuri out that same night.”
Maxim had the sense to look slightly abashed. We were both right, but he wouldn’t dare say it. Putting her in the club was a needless risk in a more accessible location, but we were trained criminals, many of us with military backgrounds. If we couldn’t keep a handful of females safe in a secure location, we should al
l be looking for other jobs.
He sighed. “Fair enough, but does she know you’re making a concession for her?” Maxim said, his tone almost petulant.
He didn’t get it. He would never get it until he loved someone. I couldn’t blame him—I used to be just like him. I could never understand emotional decision-making. Not only could I not understand it, it offended me to my core. Making irrational, illogical choices to satisfy emotional urges seemed the epitome of stupidity and the fastest way to get yourself killed.
Until now. Now…now I understood. Looking at the woman you would sacrifice your life for and her wanting something so simple, a party, and being able to provide that for her meant something. I had the power and the resources to give her everything she wanted, and all she wanted was to get outside for a couple of hours and talk to her friends.
I had rebelled at the idea at first, sickened at the thought of putting her in harm’s way, but I knew we could secure the club. I also knew that I would finally have the opportunity to wrap my hands around Yuri’s throat and choke the life out of him while Katya got to have fun with her friends. Win-win.
“I’m sure she is aware, but I don’t care. It’s not her fault if I make this decision. It’s my choice—she doesn’t control me.”
Ivan chuckled. “Is that a fact?”
I glared at him. “It is a simple thing. We can easily accommodate it. We are done with this conversation.”
Callahan had been quiet, but he gave me a knowing look. He got it. “I will gather a half dozen men to put in the club.
I looked at Maxim. “You put a dozen of our guys in there, too.”
Maxim nodded. “Boris asked to be re-assigned again, by the way.”
I sighed. “I know, I know. He is sick of babysitting Katya. I can’t say I blame him for wanting to do more. Okay, let him know after all this shit with Yuri is over, we’ll reassign him and put one of the other guys on Katya.”
“Callahan, you coming to the condo, or you staying at the club?” Ivan asked.
“Condo. I can’t wait to get my hands on that ratfuck Orlov for what he did to Anya,” Callahan replied, clenching his big fists.
Drago (Dangerous Love Book 3) Page 22
