Page 14 of Falcon

The Pahkan relaxed into his chair, unbuttoning his coat. “We celebrate Raven, and the next generation of Destiny’s Enforcers.” He held up a small shot glass as a server walked around to offer us all one.

We toasted and tossed back the pricey vodka, then followed the lead of the Pahkan and began eating.

The conversation was what you’d expect from a high-end dinner party. Much different than our normal meal at the clubhouse, but we knew how to act when the occasion called for it.

There was talk of how business was going for us all, and excitement for our ongoing partnership. With this locked down, we could focus on the important task at hand—destroying our cowardly enemy. Only some chicken shits would attack the way they did and not make it known who they were. They clearly were scared. As they should be.

A server brought me a tray of various desserts and Petrov Jr. stared me down. “You try,” he said.

I waited for the server to fill a mug with coffee and place it in front of me before I grabbed a spoon and dug into one of the fluffy pastries. “Damn, that’s delicious.”

Petrov, Jr and his father both grinned like Cheshire cats. “My sister is an accomplished chef, yes?”

I nodded and took another bite. “Yeah, please send her my compliments.” Shit. I didn’t want them to get the wrong idea. These folks loved arranged marriages. “I’m sure her husband appreciates it.”

“My daughter is yet to be wed,” the Pahkan laughed out. “But she is also still quite young. And as much as I want her to find happiness, my own greed can’t let her go just yet.”

Close call. I was sure she was great and all, but I had no interest in a lady raised by the Pahkan. They understood the life, but I couldn’t handle a princess. I needed a tough woman. MCs and Bratvas were similar but still had their differences, lots of them.

“What are you young men off to do after this?” he asked as he lit a cigar. I guess if you were him, nobody was going to stop you from smoking inside, ordinance or not.

Hawk scoffed. “I promised they could stop at this club on the way out.”

Petrov Jr. sipped his espresso. “Oh? Which one? Maybe we own it. Or at least know who does.”

“I think it was Sweeties, or maybe Pinkies?” Hawk tried to recall with a rub to his beard. “If the guys want to blow off some steam, I let them.”

Goddamn. Just the mention of the place had my dick twitching in my pants. She was just a stripper. Why was I so hung up on this woman I’d seen one time?

The Pahkan mumbled something in Russian and his son seemed to tense up. I was curious as to why they reacted that way, so I asked, “Something wrong with that place?”

Petrov Jr. straightened his shoulders. “We believe the owner to be part of…unsavory business dealings.”

My brow cocked. Unsavory. Where my woman worked? Goddammit, there I went again. Internally shaking off that sentiment, I pressed for more info. “Unsavory? I don’t like the sound of that considering our business dealings.”

Everyone laughed, but now Eagle was paying closer attention, too. “For real, though. What are they into that you don’t approve of?”

Hawk shot us both a look, but went on to say, “If you don’t mind sharing, of course.”

As I waited for an answer, I finished off my dessert and sipped the tiny little cup of insanely strong coffee. I liked coffee and drank a lot of it, but this shit was like licking coffee grinds. I managed to keep a straight face, though. Didn’t want to offend them at their own place.

“We haven’t investigated too much because we haven’t had an issue with them directly, but we believe they may be involved in human trade.”

Trafficking. Through a strip club? I didn’t understand the logistics of it, but the Russians had no reason to lie to us. We would have known about the club if they were arms dealers and competition. Plus, Raven built the relationship with the Bratva because it made the most sense for one of the largest MCs to be working with the most powerful Mafia. We didn’t need to shop around and fuck up a good thing and surely Raven, and now Hawk, would understand that.

Eagle rubbed his beard. “Is that so? I personally don’t want to support that kind of business, but I wonder about the girls. Do you think he’s trafficking his own dancers or just using that business as a front?”

My skin heated as the conversation went on. I needed to know the answers. What if she was in trouble?

“Unsure of the details, but if you like, we can look into it. Why so interested? Have you been there many times?” Petrov Jr. asked.

Hawk answered, “Just once before. But maybe we’ll skip it. I appreciate your candor.”

Fuck. We had to go now. But I wasn’t about to question Prez in front of the Pahkan. I’d have to wait until we left. Even if I just went alone, I needed to at least talk to her. Make sure she was okay.

“Let’s not dwell on such atrocities, gentlemen. My son will find out more for you, but let’s not end our lovely evening this way. Hawk, how is your sister doing? She’s in college, yes?”

Hawk’s jaw ticked. He wouldn’t spout off at the Pakhan, but he was not likely to offer her up. Raven surely already excluded her from any conversations. Was he testing him? Jr. wasn’t married, but wouldn’t they want another mafia princess or something?

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