Page 57 of Baby for the Bratva

“I’ll take a look at what you have. How much more did you say you wanted to sell me?” he finally says, following it up with another sip of wine.

“Twice as much,” I reply, “unless you want more…”

He laughs. “Alright, you bastard. Not so fast. Double is already too much for me. How about fifty percent more?”

“Double or no deal,” I reply without any emotion.

“Seventy-five.”

I’m tempted to take it, but it’s usually better to be firm on these deals, especially when there are discounts involved. It sets the tone for future business.

I remain silent, staring Javell down until he’s pressured to concede.

He can’t stand the silence. I know that much about him. “Alright,” he says, shifting in his seat. “But I need to see the product first. My men will check it thoroughly.”

I nod. “Whatever you need to do.”

“And I want thirty percent off,” he adds.

I laugh, knowing he’d pull something like this. I was prepared to give him a deeper discount, so I’ll settle for the thirty percent. It’s better to move more of our load than to make more money from it. The faster we can get rid of this stuff, the better, and we’ve just successfully shaved off an entire port with this deal.

“It’s done,” I say, standing up and holding out my hand for a shake.

Javell still looks suspicious as he rises and accepts my handshake, but he’s too greedy to pull out of a deal like this. It’s good for both of us, and he knows it.

“Oh, and one more thing,” I say, remembering the other thing I came for. “Without this, the deal can’t happen.”

Javell looks afraid, but he cracks a wide smile as I tell him what it is.

“That jerk sauce your cousin sells. Make sure you drop a case off on the boat before you take the cargo.”

Javell laughs. “That, I can do.”

Stella is quiet, but I see the curiosity in her eyes as we sit back down and have more wine. She hasn’t touched her glass, but maybe she’s tired of all the alcohol we’ve been indulging in. It’s easy to overdo it when you’re on a cruise, but I’m used to drinking. It’s a national pastime where I come from.

The wine is good, and I’m satisfied with the deal, but the phone in my pocket can’t be ignored when it chimes.

Another emergency. Another crisis unfolding when everything was starting to go well again.

“Excuse me,” I say, jumping up from my seat and pulling out my phone. “I have to answer this.”

I leave Stella in the living room with Javell and dash outside to the balcony, where I can still keep an eye on them through the sliding glass door without being overheard.

“Sir, we’ve apprehended the woman who killed Chekhov.” Akim’s voice is deep and clear through the phone, with a hint of pride. This is his first major achievement as my new second in command.

“Very good news,” I grunt. “Where is she being held?”

“On the ship. She was trying to hide away and escape after everyone had left, but we caught her before she made it to the exit. She seems willing to talk.”

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. I liked Chekhov, and discovering the reason for his death is as close to justice as we can get. “Excellent. We will return shortly. In the meantime, Javell and his men are going to come check out our cargo. He’s agreed to take twice as much as we had originally intended.”

“Things are going well,” Akim says.

“Just don’t get too comfortable,” I warn. “We have weeks of difficult travel ahead of us. This isn’t anywhere close to being over yet.”

26

Stella

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