Page 26 of Baby for the Bratva

“Better late than never,” he says with a laugh.

“I’ll be there. Just make sure there’s ample security on the island. Whatever you have there, double it.”

“I got you covered, my friend. Always have, always will.”

“Just keep an eye out for snakes. It’s not just the feds we’re worried about this time. I have a bounty on my head from some Brazilian fucks who think they police the entire globe,” I grumble.

“Ay, that doesn’t sound good. Who’d you screw over this time?”

“You know it’s only me who gets screwed over. I run a clean business.”

“But you pissed somebody off. What’s the bounty?”

I grip the railing a little harder, old paint flaking off the warm metal. “A million dollars.”

“Shit, I might just capture you myself when you land here.” Javell laughs so hard that he starts coughing.

He reminds me of my uncle. Never serious, but always somehow able to make himself a ton of money. Sometimes I wish I was that carefree, but I was born to be a grumpy bastard.

“You try that and see how it goes,” I reply.

Javell’s voice returns to a more serious tone. “Okay, man, sorry about all that. I’m sure those bastards will end up shooting each other before they even get to you. I bet the money isn’t even real, anyway.”

“Probably not, but that won’t stop some idiot bounty hunters from making a mess of our little operation. The main issue is that things like this are going to draw more attention to what we’re doing.”

“Ay, that’s true. You have to keep things on the low down. Don’t make waves, you hear me? Let the ocean do that for you.”

I smile a bit at his attempt to be poetic. “We’re keeping it as covert as possible, but last night, someone tried to kill me. Ended up dumping an entire magazine into someone who had the same first name as me. That’s why I’m saying you need to keep security high. Make it visible, and nobody will be dumb enough to attempt a hit.”

“You overestimate the intelligence of some of these guys, but you know, I’m going to make it good for you. High security, clean transfer of goods, and a quick transfer of money. You know the drill.”

“Certainly,” I reply with another smile. “And if you have some of that jerk sauce your cousin makes. I’ll take a case of that too. Chekhov wouldn’t stop talking about it last time.”

“My pleasure. We’re all cousins here. Take it easy and I’ll see you soon.”

“Alright, bye.” I hang up the phone and tuck it into my pocket, feeling a bit better about our first port. I like Javell. He’s much easier to work with than some of the other people we’re working with on this trip.

The final port is where things get the most dangerous, but we’ll get around to it later. Operations this big call for patience and focus. We go from one port to the other, making sure everything is right before shifting our aim.

We made a plan, and I’ll be damned if I allow a bounty to ruin it.

13

Stella

I haven’t seen or heard from Yuri at all in the past forty-eight hours, and I don’t know whether to be relieved or concerned. I suppose it’s a little of both.

Relieved because I can sit by the pool in a bikini and not have to deal with him walking over wearing tiny shorts and a big grin.

Concerned because someone was shot with the same name as him, and I can’t shake the feeling that it isn’t a coincidence.

I still don’t know what he does for a living. I feel like I should ask, but after finding out what Molly does, part of me feels like that’d be a mistake. With how attractive and comfortable he is being naked, who says he’s not also taking his clothes off on camera?

I’d probably watch one of his shows… but only from morbid curiosity.

I take a sip of my Bloody Mary, stirring it with the stick of celery in the tall glass before setting it down on the table beside me. It’s a dream being out here in the sun all day. I’ve been locked inside an office for so long that I can literally feel the sun unlocking dopamine trapped in my deprived body.

After an hour, I don’t care much about anything. I feel like a lizard out here, soaking up the golden rays of energy before crawling under a rock and sleeping through the cold night. It’d be nice if someone was there to keep me warm, but I’m rocking this cruise solo.

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