Page 24 of Brutal Bratva Boss

Locked in a stare-down, Alexandr breathes heavily, seemingly vibrating with anger. But I know better. I see the fear in his eyes and the sweat running down his temple. It puts a rather large dent in the false bravado he tries so hard to maintain. This is something I can use to my advantage.

I hold up my hand, signaling my men to holster their weapons, and motion for the moron opposite me to take a seat. “Please, sit. Let’s try this again, shall we?”

Alexandr regards me wearily as he sits himself back down.

“What is it that you want to discuss?” I ask.

“I have information,” he states simply.

“I think we have established that, yes.”

“So, I think it is only fair that I get compensated in some way.”

I quirk a brow. “Compensated?”

Alexandr swallows, seeming less sure of himself. “Yes, as payment for my silence.”

“I see. And what is it that you are looking for as—” I pause, tipping my head to the side. “—compensation?”

“A regular weekly slot on the docks, so I can bring in my shipments. Everyone knows you have the best location with the least interference.”

He is not wrong. No other organization has the manpower we do on their payroll. We have most of the dock workers, law enforcement, and local shipping staff under our thumb. The part of the docks we use gets the least attention, for any reason. All this means we have the fastest turnaround time and the least interference with regard to receiving and dispatching our goods.

It is a tall ask, though. And not something I think I would be able to get by Kiril, and certainly not Paval. I have not shared too much about my plans with them, for fear that they might realize this thing with Kat is not just business anymore.

I nod slowly. “And you feel this information holds enough weight for you to make this demand?”

The truth is, yes, it does. I can’t afford for any details about my relationship with Kat to get back to her father just yet. I need more time to put my plans in motion, and if Igor were to find any of this out now, I would need to rethink everything.

But Alexandr does not know this.

He shifts uncomfortably under my scrutiny. “Yes, it does. You meeting me tells me that.”

I hold his gaze a few seconds longer than I need to. “Did you ever think that maybe this was part of the plan? That I wanted to meet you because I wanted to see just how far you’re willing to go to prove your disloyalty?”

My answer makes him pause. He rapidly blinks a few times.

“I’ll tell you what,” I say as I clasp my hands on the table. “I will give you two slots, as a show of good faith, to start our newly found—” I grind my teeth. “—partnership.”

I have no plans to give him anything beyond that. There is a reason I do not do business with Alexandr, and it is not something I plan on changing any time soon. Partnerships end all the time when one party is no longer receiving anything of worth. And that is exactly what will happen to this once I have found a way to bring Igor down.

Alexandr’s ego is big enough that he buys the shit I’m shoveling. He grins, swiping his tongue over his rotten teeth. “That will do, for a start, of course.”

I mirror his sleazy smile. “Of course.”

The men take the long way home because I need some time to mull over everything that has happened and how I am going to explain all of this to my brothers.

By the time I get home, night has already fallen. Expecting to find Kat already in bed and not on the main floor of the house, I am not prepared when she rushes me the moment I walk in the door.

“Where have you been?!” she demands.

Her eyes are wild and her hair a mess. It also looks like she might have been crying. She looks as though she is on the verge of breaking down. At this moment, I see her differently from how I have since the night I met her. She may have experienced a lot for her age, but she still has a lot to learn. Right now, she looks like a scared little girl who needs reassurance, even if I am not sure why.

Draping my jacket over the closest chair, I raise my hands in surrender as I advance cautiously. “My meeting ran late.”

Kat stares at me, her chest heaving with her labored breaths. When I get close enough, I grab her by the shoulders, pulling her to my chest. The moment I have her wrapped up in my arms, the floodgates open and she collapses against me. I hold her until the sobs subside and her shoulders are no longer shaking as she tries to catch her breath. “Shhhh, what’s got you so worked up?”

She mumbles incoherently into my chest, and I get nothing. So, I wait until she pulls back to look up at me. She wipes her palm over her eyes before reaching into the pocket of her robe and pulling out a card of paper, which she holds out to me.

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