Page 133 of The Umarova Crime Family

“The cedar nut Nastoiki.”

“Mmm, I haven’t tried that one. Is it any good?”

“I like it. Care for a sip?” I offer her my drink, and she shoots a cautious gaze at me. “I promise I haven’t slipped anything in it. I haven’t even taken a sip of that one yet. It’s freshly made,” I explain, and she takes the drink from my hand, her delicate fingertips brushing against mine. I can tell she’s the kind of woman who takes care of herself. She probably spends an hour in front of the mirror applying every sort of serum and cream under the sun to keep her skin looking glowing and fresh.

She takes a sip of the drink and licks her lips slowly. “It’s not bad, but it isn’t my cup of tea. I think I’ll stick to the fruity options. Thank you for letting me try it… I don’t believe I’ve caught your name.”

“Nazyr, and yours?”

“Madina.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Madina,” I say as the bartender places her drink on a napkin in front of her.

She smiles, the same bright way she was a few minutes ago, and takes a sip of her drink. “Ah, that is perfect and just what I needed after my day.”

“It was a rough one, I presume?”

“It’s always a rough one if I’m at a bar at seven on a weekday, Nazyr. It must be for you as well, from the looks of it.” Madina rakes her eyes up and down my body, focusing on my face. It’s like she’s analyzing me, trying to figure me the fuck out.

“I haven’t had a light day in a while.”

“I see. I could say the same. Things have been quite stressful for me lately.” Madina takes another sip of her drink and is quiet for a moment, but then speaks up. “How about we go relieve some of our stress together tonight?”

I’m not an idiot. I catch exactly what she’s throwing my way. “That sounds perfect.”

Madina and I finish our drinks, and then I take her hand and lead her to one of the club’s restrooms. It’s tucked away in the back, making it the perfect location. Not many people come to this one, so I pull her inside and lock the door behind us.

She snakes her hands around my waist and then quickly changes her mind, sliding them up my body. She pulls my neck forward and then kisses me hard. I kiss her back, knowing all too well this fuck is going to be a good old dirty one. It’s exactly what I need, but as soon as she begins pawing at my belt, my phone starts to ring.

I want to ignore it and keep going, but I don’t get the luxury of doing that. It’s not like many people call me in the first place, and there’s a high possibility it could be one of my brothers.

I tear my lips away from Madina, who arches her brows in an annoyed manner. Sure enough, as soon as I see the caller ID, I know I have to answer. “I’m sorry, I have to get this,” I explain, tapping on the green button to accept the call.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“I need you to come by my house as soon as possible. It’s urgent, Nazyr, so get your ass over here as soon as possible. No pussyfooting around tonight.”

“Can I get there in twenty?” I ask him, looking at Madina. After another drink, she looks pretty damn good, but it isn’t like she’s ugly by any means. I just prefer my women to look a bit different than any other woman in Grozny.

“I need you here in five, Nazyr,” Ruslan grumbles and hangs up the phone.

I slide my cell into my back pocket and sigh. “I have to go. I’m sorry for doing this to you,” I explain to Madina, who smirks.

“It’s the nature of our businesses, being called away at a moment’s notice, Nazyr Umarova.”

As Madina says my name, I narrow my eyes at her, realizing I recognize her. This is Madina Saritov, who I went to school with when I was a child. She was pulled out after our fifth year and taken to a special school in Russia. However, after I grew up, I discovered who the Saritov family was—Russia and Chechnya’s most notorious assassins.

“Holy shit, it’s been ages.”

“And then some, but it was nice to see you tonight. Maybe we can do this again… if you’re lucky.” Madina smirks and winks at me before going to the door, unlocking it, and walking away.

I’m a little shocked, but I know I need to get over to Ruslan’s place, so I rush over there. Luckily, I’m right around the corner from his condominium complex, so I head right into the lobby and take the elevator up.

Danill, Ruslan’s right-hand man, lets me into their home, and I walk through the place, heading straight for Ruslan’s office since it’s where he’s bound to be.

Sure enough, he’s sitting behind the desk, staring at something on his laptop. I walk inside and shut his office door behind me, then take a seat across from him. “What’s so urgent that it couldn’t have waited twenty minutes?”

Ruslan peers up at me and inhales slowly. “Have you been drinking again? Fuck, Nazyr.” He shakes his head in disapproval, but I’m sure if his entire life was a fucking lie, he’d be looking for an outlet too. “Duarte Oliveria wants a meeting with us.”

---