Page 12 of Hostage of the Bratva

This time, Roman, Sergey, and Ashan were with me when we pulled into the front of the building. All appeared quiet; there were no signs of anyone or any other cars for that matter. Only one light burned inside on the second floor.

I pressed the buzzer on the door and waited for the clicking sound so we could enter. Heading up the stairs, I felt my stomach making a sudden swirl. Something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. It wasn’t quite like the first time, so I said nothing.

Maybe it was quiet, but I wasn’t too sure about that. We entered the hallway and passed the elevator. Still nothing. My mind was toiling with me, I thought as we entered the agent's office.

There, as before, sat the lovely Miss Jones behind her desk. The large window behind her opened, but the two chairs on this side of the desk were empty. I felt a river of relief wash over me as we walked up to her desk.

“Miss Jones,” I said, reaching out across her desk as she stood up. “Finally, we meet in calmer circumstances.”

“Luder, I presume,” she said as she met my hand halfway. She glanced from me to the others as we shook hands. “Not alone this time, I see,” she added before sitting back down.

“This property is too important to have interference like last time.” Roman chipped in as he took a seat. “Can we move this along, please?”

“Sure thing,” Miss Jones said, handing Roman a folder. “You will see everything is as we discussed.” Roman nodded at her. He opened the file and started scanning through the documents. As he finished with each, he handed it to Sergey, who carefully studied them as well.

Once they were done, Roman looked at Sergey for confirmation. Sergey nodded at him. The two had an amazing connection I thought. They always knew what the other was thinking.

“Everything seems in order,” Roman said as he placed the file open on the desk and took out his pen.

As he was about to sign, his phone rang. Roman placed the pen down and rose as he took the call. He walked out of the office and stood just outside as he spoke to whoever was calling.

Roman’s expression suddenly changed. He hung up and opened the door. “No time, we have to move now.” He spat before turning and heading to the elevator. Sergei and Ashan followed swiftly.

“I’m sorry, we will be back, please keep this private,” I said to Miss Jones as I rose and sprinted to the elevator. I didn’t know what had just happened, but it had to be big for Roman to dismiss this meeting so instantly.

“What’s happening, Roman,” Sergey asked as we walked into the elevator and watched the doors close.

“That was Ivan. One of the other clubs just received a note warning us to let this sale go. If we don’t comply, they will blow up one of the clubs.” He spoke through clenched teeth, his fists formed tight at his sides.

“What?” Sergey snapped. “Does Ivan think the threat is credible?”

Ashan glanced at me with raised eyebrows. This was too sudden; how did they know? I wondered if we didn’t have a leak somewhere. Yet, this deal was kept extremely silent. Only a handful of people knew. It could only be the agent, she was the only odd ball.

As we pulled around the back of Ivan’s club, I noticed a lot of the family were present. Most of the cousins had come to discuss the issue at hand. Cars and guards crowded the private parking area. We joined the family as they entered the club and convened inside the backroom.

“Thanks for coming,” Ivan said. “We have to deal with this issue soon. As all of you know, this piece of land is vital. We need it for the access to the ocean it offers. So, the floor is open for suggestions.”

After listening to and hearing the suggestions, it was settled. The Anchony family was to be taken out of the game for good. Blood was about to flow through the streets of Miami.

Each member received their orders before leaving. Due to the information, we gathered during the last couple of weeks, it was possible to target all of their places at once. Roman and Sergey got to go back to the house, and they kept an eye on a couple of men.

Ivan and Leo would take two of the clubs while Nikolai, Aleksei, and Yuri took some of the warehouses. Ashan and I were left with the warehouse we had sat on, and our orders were clear, nothing was to be left standing.

We were the last ones to leave. As we waited for the items, we would need to be loaded into our cars, one of the barmen came around back looking for me.

“Mr. Luder,” he said grinning as he sprinted toward me and Ashan. “I’m glad I caught you.” He added, out of breath as he stopped before us. “There is,” he took a deep breath. “There is a lady inside insisting on seeing you today.”

I glanced back at the back entrance. “A lady, for me?” I asked, a bit confused. Ashan smiled eerily, pulling his face up on one side as he stepped closer.

“Now, this I have to see,” he said, walking past me.

“Wait, Ashan,” I said, grabbing him by his jacket. My mind was still trying to consume the barman’s words. I have never given any woman my name and surname together. I sure as hell haven’t even mentioned the club or any other place to anyone.

“This might be a trap,” I said as Ashan turned to me.

Ashan burst out laughing, “A woman coming to look for you is a trap?” he inquired as he pulled away from me. “Now, how could that be, brother?” he questioned.

“I’ve never given any details to any of the women,” I replied shortly.

---