Page 89 of The Pakhan

He was wearing a ski mask and in his hand?

One big, fat knife.

Fifteen minutes before

Vadim

My head throbbed, which was rare. It felt like an oncoming sinus headache, which I didn’t get.

Or pressure from an incoming vision, which I didn’t believe in.

“Gentlemen. We will all need to be in touch,” I told them, taking a few seconds to shake each man’s hand. The meeting had been exactly what I’d hoped to achieve. I’d taken a few additional moments to enjoy a whiskey with them, also unheard of.

“Yes, and this Joshua Smith must be found,” Stefano added.

We were all in agreement about that. Would there be disputes? Yes. Did I have cause for concern one or the other of us would betray the rest? Yes, it was highly unlikely any man would disrespect the sanctity of family.

Or so I hoped.

But it was time to put other pieces of my personal operation into play.

First things first. Finding Joshua.

We were the first group to walk out into the sunshine and I immediately grabbed my sunglasses.

“Do you really buy all that bullshit, Pakhan?” Nikolay asked as he flanked my side.

“For the most part but I’m also no fool. Have additional soldiers placed on the warehouses, the construction sites, and all other facilities. If any syndicate dares to make a move against us, I need to know.”

“You got it, sir. Do you need anything else?”

I barely glanced at my brigadier and I sensed he knew what I was about to say.

“Find me Joshua. Leave nothing unturned.”

“What if he’s not in the city?”

I half laughed. “While my gut and the trail so far have led me to believe he is, it doesn’t matter. Wherever he is, I want him tracked down.”

“I’ll get back to it.”

“And call off the dogs,” I told him. If anyone would think I’d been stupid enough to come here without backup they’d be nuts. However, I wasn’t trying to flaunt their appearance. That could possibly erode the tenuous alliance I’d just made.

As my two soldiers headed back to their vehicle, I headed to my car, confident I’d made the right decision by insisting on the meeting.

Before I was able to climb inside, my phone rang. Seeing Tanner’s number, my construction superintendent I’d been generous enough to save almost brought a smile to my face. “What do you have for me, Tanner?”

“I don’t know if I can do this. I just don’t think I’m cut out for this.”

The man was close to being hysterical. “Calm down and tell me what the fuck happened?”

I unlocked the door, the blip from my key fob comforting.

“A warning. A box. This morning. I think they knew I was no longer keeping their requests secret.”

“And what was sent to you?”

“A severed finger with a note written in blood,” Tanner hissed.

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