Page 88 of The Umarova Crime Family

Once we’re on the fifth floor, Ruslan and I approach the hostess station. The brunette standing behind the counter smiles brightly at the two of us. She’s dressed in a simple black dress and has a pair of low heels on. “Good evening. Would you like a table for two or a booth?”

“We actually have a reservation under Umarova,” my brother tells the woman, and she glances down at the tablet in her hand.

“Ah, I see. Follow me, please.” She grabs two menus, and we follow the woman through the restaurant until we walk out onto the terrace. She walks us over to the stone wall, and my brother pulls out a chair for me.

“I see there’s one other person in your party. Would you like to order some drinks while you wait?” she questions us, looking between my brother and me.

“Yes. Bring a bottle of your best white wine,” Ruslan tells her, and the woman nods before walking off, leaving us by ourselves.

The view here is indescribable. You can see the Eiffel Tower perfectly, and the ambiance is to die for. White linens line the tables, with tropical plants everywhere you look. I stick my purse on the side of my chair and quickly check the time, noting Julio should be here at any moment.

“I’m shocked he isn’t here yet,” I mutter to my brother.

“If he wants this as badly as he says he does, he should be here at any minute,” I comment, and as I take a quick glance around the restaurant, a waiter comes up with a bottle of wine. He opens it and pours it for us both. While he’s finishing off my glass, I spot a shadow from my peripheral coming up along the side. “My, my. You’re even more beautiful in person.”

“Flattery does little to appease me.” I go straight for the jugular because I don’t want this man to think he’s on my good side. He isn’t, and personally, I think he’d only depart for Mexico if he were to ever take over leadership.

“Julio, this is my sister, Eset, and Eset, this is Julio Ramirez.” Ruslan makes the formal introductions, and Julio takes a seat across the table from my brother and me. The man is older than I thought, and as he smiles, I notice gold teeth. He reminds me of a narco, and he’s trying to be a cartel kingpin. I bet he doesn’t even realize he’s not going to get very far.

“I’d say it’s a pleasure, but it’s not.” I speak first and keep my eyes pinned on the power-hungry older man.

He swallows hard, not sure how to take me, I assume. Not many people do, but one thing I will never be is a weak woman. I say what I mean and mean what I say.

The waiter pours a glass of wine for Julio before muttering about how he’ll be back in a few minutes after giving us some time to look over the menus.

“My brother tells me you think it’s a good idea for me to marry your son, Santos.” I pick up my glass of wine and take a sip, awaiting Julio’s response.

“Yes. I explained to your brother that matching the two of you up would only be good for both of our families. I’m certain of it. You both will make a very powerful couple.” The way Julio’s speaking gives me the impression he thinks this is already a done deal, so I need to look into that.

“Julio, tell me, what is it my brother said?” I narrow my eyes and watch the older man scramble for a moment.

“He told me we’d have this meeting. I assume you’ve thought over my proposition and have accepted since we’re all sitting here at the same table.” Ah, he’s making assumptions.

“I haven’t accepted the offer. We’re simply here to speak about it.”

Julio’s eyes go wide, and he looks at my brother. Anger flashes across his features, and the old man clears his throat before he speaks again. “I don’t understand why we’re here if you haven’t accepted my offer. It’s well thought out, and it will serve both our families well. I want to take over my rightful place as Mexico’s cartel leader, and you need allies. Eset, your father started a war against your brothers before he died. You have to know how vulnerable your family is at this time, and uniting with me is the safest option for you all.”

I scoff at that. Who does this man think he is? “The safest option is me pulling my gun out from my purse and putting a bullet right between your eyes. Anyone who tries to force me to do anything ends up dead, and I do mean anyone.”

Julio laughs maniacally and looks at Ruslan. “You can’t keep this one on a leash, can you?”

“My sister isn’t the type of woman who is leashed. She’s the one who holds the leashes.” Ruslan’s finally growing irritated as well and grits out every word.

Julio takes a sip of his wine and swallows hard before he speaks again. Hopefully, this time he’ll think about his words a bit more carefully. “I take it you’re not the type of woman who’s going to allow her husband to handle business on his own.”

I shake my head. “No, I’m not. I have as much of a stake in anything as the men in my life, my brothers included. I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Nazyr and I are legally changing our surnames to Umarova. Now, Julio, do you know any Umarovas who take orders from others?”

Julio shakes his head.

“Exactly, so why would I?”

Julio chuckles lowly. “You, my dear, are unlike any woman I’ve ever met, and your family is very different than what I’m used to.”

“Our family works together in every aspect,” Ruslan states as the waiter comes back to our table.

Over the course of the next few minutes, we all order some dishes, and the waiter disappears back from where he came from. “The fact of the matter is that you need us more than we need you. You’re making a claim against your uncle, who the people love, and shaking the hierarchy in Mexico isn’t going to be an easy feat. So, what are you offering us, Julio?” I have no problem grabbing the bull by the horns, and it’s exactly what I’m going to do right now.

Julio might think my family is prepared to get him where he wants to go, but the fact of the matter is we won’t go against Alejandro. Julio doesn’t know it yet, and that’s to our advantage.

---