Page 100 of The Umarova Crime Family

Fuck, I can’t tell if I’m the luckiest man in the world or if I’m going to be cursed for decades to come.

Chapter Eight

Eset

Lu’s body couldn’t hold on for as long as I wanted, but it was never part of my plan for me to stab her in the chest. I’m certain her being stabbed cut into the amount of time I could’ve had torturing her bit by bit. God, how badly I wanted her to suffer for what she did. She didn’t even have one ounce of remorse, which only pissed me off when I was in the heat of the moment. Now, I stand here staring at her lifeless body, wishing I could’ve caused her more pain before she took her miserable last breath.

“Miss Eset, would you like me to have the cleaners handle this?” Goran questions, pulling me out of my internal thoughts.

“Yes, but tell them to ship her head to Julio.” I know what I’m doing will cause a war, but I want him to know his precious Lu was taken from him. I want him to know what my fucking family is capable of because right now, I don’t think he has any idea what we’re willing to do for our own.

I turn and look right at my future husband. I want to see the expression on his face. I want to see if he has a problem with the way I plan on handling this, but thus far, he doesn’t have one thing to say. “You aren’t going to say anything about what I’m doing?”

Santos shakes his head. “It’s not my place to tell you how to handle your affairs. You had a goal when you captured Lu, and it seems you achieved it. I’m here to support you, and if you’re sending her head to my father, then so be it… but I do believe there will be some sort of retaliation.”

“Whatever he wants to throw our way, I can assure you we will handle it.” I don’t have one doubt in my mind that my family has more allies than Julio Ramirez. He’s desperate in his attempt to claw his way up to the top, but the man is coming up short. Hell, his own child is prepared to turn on him, and that’s saying something if you ask me. I turn and look at my right-hand man, “Goran, I think we should add a note, don’t you?”

“Whatever you would like, Miss Eset,” Goran tells me, and I smirk.

“‘The price of pain is bloodshed’. That is what I want it to say.”

“I will make sure the note is with the package, Miss Eset.”

“Perfect. The clean-up crew can handle the rest. Santos, I think we should get out of here and discuss our arrangement in further detail,” I tell my future husband, who nods in agreement and heads for the door. He opens the door to the hall, and I walk through it before he does. We don’t say a word as we head back toward the elevator, and I tap on the button.

Once it arrives, we both walk inside. I hit the button for the level of the parking garage we are on, and silence fills the space. I’m sure he wants to speak, but what I’ve noticed about Santos is that he’s a man who appreciates his own silence as well. He isn’t the type of man who has to give you a response each time you talk to him, and I like that.

The elevator doors open once more, and we walk out into the parking garage. I unlock the SUV I’ve been renting and clear my throat. “I’m sure this evening was quite an eye-opener for you.”

“It was, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Your ability to protect yourself is a turn-on, if I’m being honest. If you didn’t know how, I was going to teach you how to do it. The last thing I want to do is for you to get hurt.”

“Do you really think someone is going to hurt me?” I almost laugh as I question him, and Santos’ lips form into a smirk.

He shakes his head. “I think they’ll try, though I don’t think they’ll be successful in the least bit.” His response causes me to smile as I get in the SUV, and once I’m in safely, Santos goes around the vehicle and gets in on his side. “What are your plans for the next couple of days?”

“I’ll be on the first flight to Grozny tomorrow morning. I suggest you head back to Mexico and meet with your great-uncle. Until then, we won’t be making any arrangements for our wedding.”

“I see. Am I to understand you only came to London to see me, then?”

Eset turns to look at me, and there’s a mischievous sparkle in her eye. “I came for the art, the food, and then I suppose you’re next on the list.”

“Well, the art has been unique, and the food here is something I love. I imagine when you hear that I’ve spoken with my great-uncle, we’ll set the date.”

“Yes, and I’ll make sure it’s for something as soon as possible. Once you pledge your loyalty to Alejandro, I don’t want your father to catch wind of it before we’re married.” Julio has the ability to influence his son, and I’m not foolish about that fact. Sure, Santos doesn’t agree with what Julio is doing and what Julio aims to achieve… but I understand what it’s like having a power-hungry father. They’ll do anything to keep power on their horizon, and I mean anything. So the sooner Santos and I are married after he meets with Alejandro, the better for both of us.

“I’ll head back to Mexico tomorrow morning then, and after I speak with my Great-Uncle Alejandro, I’ll make arrangements to tell my father how well this has gone. I don’t want him thinking anything fishy is going on. At least not until we’re together and married. Eventually, he’s going to find out I’ve betrayed him.”

“How are you going to deal with that once he finds out?”

“That’s a loaded question. I’ll handle it however I need to. There’s no telling what he’s going to do.” We both know Julio won’t be pleased. He’s the type of man who only sees his value in his power, and I know whatever Julio does, it’s going to be monumental. Santos could very well lose his father over this, and I hope he’s prepared for that.

“Good answer. What are you going to tell him about our dates?” I’m only asking this because I’m curious to know how Santos will paint the picture of our time together.

“I’ll tell him I was taken with your beauty and intelligence and that everything I’ve ever heard about you is nothing more than a drastic understatement. I’ll go on to tell him that I asked important personal questions in order to plan our dates and say we had a great time out at a pub, went to an art museum, and then sat for hours at a rooftop restaurant here in London chatting, connecting deeply. I’ll add that we both get along very well and that I can see myself having you as my wife, and that you seemed to be taken with me. Of course, I’ll tell him you’re a bit hard to read, but you seemed happy, and we exchanged phone numbers.” We haven’t communicated at all directly since this is an arrangement between our families, but now it looks like it’s becoming an arrangement between the two of us.

“Speaking of, we should probably do that. Give me your phone,” I state, and Santos hands his over while I unlock mine and then give it to him. I pull up his contacts, add my name to his phone, and then put in my number. Once I’m done, I save it and hand his phone back to him. Santos does the same thing.

“I feel like what I’m telling my father isn’t a far-fetched lie. I’ve enjoyed my time with you, Eset, and I hope you’ve enjoyed your time with me as well.”

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