Page 20 of Between Power and Passion

I meet his gaze steadily. "I do."

Alexei considers this for a moment, then nods. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

"She gave me two possible locations, the east docks or the warehouse on 34th Street. I need you to get some of our guys undercover at both spots to verify when exactly the drop is happening."

Alexei nods slowly, his face growing serious. "Yeah, I've got the guys ready to go. But do you have a plan for how to actually derail Sergei's plans?"

I lean back in my chair. "Sergei won't be there himself. He’s too smart for that. But he may send Rocker to oversee things."

Alexei raises an eyebrow. "Rocker? Who's that?"

I give him an exasperated look. "If you bothered reading the intel reports once in a while, you'd know."

He smirks and shrugs. "Why bother when you already have all the details memorized?"

Shaking my head, I explain. "Rocker is Sergei's right-hand man. He’s a ruthless fighter and a total psycho. If he's there, we'll have to be extra careful."

Alexei nods grimly. "Got it. With that shipment being so valuable, they'll have a lot of eyes out for anything suspicious."

"Exactly," I affirm. "We can't afford any mistakes on this one."

A sly grin spreads across Alexei's face. "Speaking of mistakes... how's your little frolicking session with the enemy going?"

I shoot him a warning glare, but he just chuckles. "What? I'm just curious if you've had time for anything other than—"

"Get out of here," I cut him off, unable to keep a hint of amusement from my voice.

Alexei rises from his chair, still grinning like an idiot. "Yeah, yeah, I'm going. Try not to get too distracted though, eh?"

With a final wink, he slips out of the room, leaving me shaking my head. Alexei's antics are juvenile, but they provide a much-needed moment of levity amidst the weight of our mission.

Chapter 9 - Valentina

I sit at the long wooden dining table, the heavy silence in the room weighing on me. Two burly guards stand stoically by the doorway, their eyes fixed straight ahead, but I can sense their watchful gazes. A plate of food lies untouched before me as my appetite wanes under the scrutiny. Does Dmitri still not trust me enough? Does he think I'll try to run away?

The creak of the door breaks the stillness, and Alexei strides in. He takes the seat across from me and locks his eyes onto mine with an intense stare. I shift uncomfortably under his unwavering gaze. He doesn't say anything.

"What?" I finally ask, unable to bear the weight of his scrutiny any longer.

Alexei leans forward. "Are you using Dmitri's feelings to get what you want?"

I blink, dumbfounded by his accusation. "What? No, of course not!"

He holds up a hand. "I'm watching you, Valentina. If you do anything to hurt him or betray us, I'll kill you myself."

I bristle at Alexei's threat and clench my hands into fists under the table. "I don't have any ill will toward Dmitri. I told him I was going to help him, and that's what I plan to do."

Alexei looks me up and down slowly, his eyes narrowed. The tense silence stretches between us as he seems to weigh my words. Then, his expression suddenly shifts, and a sly smile spreads across his face. "Well, if that's the case, then welcome to the family, Valentina."

I blink in surprise at his abrupt change in demeanor. Just moments ago, he was glaring daggers at me, and now he's offering me a warm welcome? The whiplash leaves me momentarily stunned as I try to process his erratic behavior.

"I... what?" I stammer, unable to hide my confusion.

Alexei chuckles, leaning back in his chair with an easy grin. "You've got fire, I'll give you that. And anyone willing to help take down that bastard Sergei is alright in my book." His eyes sparkle with mischief. "Just don't go breaking Dmitri's heart, eh? He's been through enough."

I shake my head slightly, still reeling from the shift in his attitude. "I would never hurt him," I say firmly.

"Now that we've settled that, you can call me Alex. Only family gets to use that name," he adds with a wink.

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