Page 87 of The Pakhan

He looked away briefly then nodded. “Fortunately, after five hundred thousand was stolen from an offshore account, one of my computer experts was able to lock down the system. But from what I’ve been told, additional efforts almost succeeded. Whoever is behind this has a powerful team of experts.”

“Agreed,” I said. “And I think what we’ve seen is just the beginning. I would also caution you that it’s my belief the responsible party works to corrupt, blackmail, or convince at least one person within our respective organizations to work with them, which allows for some insider information.”

Stefano growled, pounding his fist on the table and glaring at the two soldiers he’d brought with him. He barked at them in half Italian, half English but it was easy to gather what he was concerned about.

He’d believed someone in his organization had betrayed him for months.

“It would seem, gentlemen, that it’s in our best interest to try and work together,” I offered.

“How do you suggest we go about this?” Shane asked.

“By providing details of issues that have occurred, any and all possibilities for who might be behind that. And by no means am I suggesting we provide details of our business activities to each other. This isn’t about claiming additional business but about keeping our regimes intact.” I still wasn’t certain at this point how well received my suggestion was.

Shane was the first to nod, giving me a look of respect. “I agree and will be happy to be a party to this twisted alliance.” He held a hint of amusement in his eyes.

I tipped my head toward Stefano. He took a deep breath and also nodded.

“We all need to honor this pledge,” he said. “But I do have one question, Vadim. If this individual or group is found, who is going to be rewarded the ability to deal with them in… our way?”

“Good question,” Narek hissed.

I laughed. “How about we all do as a final gesture of our alliance?”

Narek finally dropped his scowl. “You are an evil man, Vadim. I believe I like that about you.”

Laughing again, I rose to my feet. “To a new alliance. A pledge to honor each other. Our businesses. Our families.”

Shane got up next. “And we all must keep that pledge, gentlemen. I for one will be pissed and retaliatory if one or more of us breaks that promise.”

Stefano finally stood. “I will admit, Vadim. Your suggestion is a viable and good one. Yes, I will honor this pledge.”

“We should toast to our newly found alliance. I brought whiskey,” Shane announced, nodding to his men.

I took a deep breath, glancing at my men. This was merely winning a small battle in what felt like a significant war.

But it was a beginning.

Hopefully of the end of the nightmare.

CHAPTER 23

Caroline

Oh, I was crazy.

This was nuts.

And highly dangerous.

And worse, Vadim would be pissed at my behavior, but I had no clue when the man would be back and Joshua had been almost frantic for me to meet him. The fact he’d provided me with his personal address meant he was in significant danger.

If I’d believed the area where my apartment was located was bad, the one Joshua lived in was scary. Yes, there were a dozen or so renovations going on with various buildings, ancient gas stations and convenience stores bulldozed to make way for new establishments, but I still made certain my doors were locked. I also continued to be highly aware of my surroundings, constantly glancing into the rearview mirror.

I’d also been very careful in leaving Vadim’s house, the training regarding defensive driving I’d been required to attend in my teens coming in handy. I was very much alone, but that didn’t necessarily make me feel any better. I had a shitty car, but it was decent enough that every time I was forced to stop at a traffic light, I noticed people staring at it.

And they weren’t the kind of people I’d invite to lunch.

I did everything I could to keep my wits about me while perspiration trickled down both sides of my face. That was from both my nerves as well as the fickle air conditioning unit in the car. By the time the GPS indicated Joshua’s building was up on the right, I was a nervous wreck.

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