Prologue
I sit at the wooden conference table in the middle of the cold warehouse. Three of the men are part of my organization. The other two are undercover FBI agents. My skin crawls even thinking about being this close to an FBI agent. Pigs. I’ve been trying to stay as far away from these people as humanly possible, but now, here I am, sitting next to them. All because of Maverick. Nothing good comes out of owing a favor to your biggest competitors, and I’m living proof of that.
“Nod your head if you can hear me,” a voice says through my earpiece. I want to rip the thing out, but instead, I nod.
Maverick is setting up a guy named Miles to get arrested. I don’t know all the details, something about him kidnapping Maverick's girlfriend. The reason doesn’t matter because I’m still going to be arrested at the end of all this. I could have said no. Any rational person would tell Maverick to go fuck himself. The only thing that made me agree to this is the potential of what’s on the other side. No one in the underground business lives long, and this might be my only chance at getting out. Five years in prison is a small price to pay when the rest of my life is on the line.
The door to the warehouse opens with a screech as Miles walks inside. I don’t stand to greet him because I have no respect for the man. He’s slimy and cocky. He seriously believes I’m about to sell my entire business to him.
“Today, my friend, you become the most powerful arms dealer in the world, and today, you will possess more weapon power than anyone has ever seen. Let us toast to this momentous occasion,” I say, holding my glass of Vodka in the air as Miles takes a seat.
Miles smirks and grabs the glass of champagne at the table to toast. “I have your goods, Vladimir, but before we do anything, don’t you want to introduce me to your comrades here?”
Why the fuck did he have to drag this shit out? He knows my three men, but he’s referring to the undercover FBI agents.
I swivel toward the men and reply with a hearty chuckle. “Forgive my rudeness, my friend. These are my trusted confidants, Gene and Fitz. They’ll show you your guns. After I see my products, of course.”
“Gentlemen.” Miles nods to the men. Turning then to two of his men, he speaks, “Bring in Mr. Kustov’s products.”
The men leave and return quickly, wheeling two large carts with box crates atop them. They bring the crates to the table. The mood in the warehouse is thick with tension. Miles opens the crates to show me the money. There are millions of dollars in there, and in exchange, Miles thinks he’s getting nearly all of my weaponry. He’s a fool and I have to applaud Maverick for pulling this stunt. It’s a surefire way for Miles to rot in prison.
“Have we met before?” The undercover federal agent stands up to address Miles.
“I’m a well-traveled man. Our journeys may have crossed paths.” Miles pauses for a minute, perusing the room. “Perhaps you are correct.”
One of Miles’ team members must have heard movement at the rear of the warehouse because he reaches for his gun.
“Sir, we have movement at three o’clock,” Miles’ man says, indicating the sound coming from the right side of the building. Immediately, a stray black cat runs across the room.
“It’s just a cat, sir. We’re all clear,” says one of the men.
I chuckle, trying to break through the tension. “There’s always a pussy in our way.”
The men all laughed.
“Now, back to the business at hand.” I stand from my chair and assess the money as if I can count it just by looking at it.
“It seems like we have ourselves a deal, Mr. Kustov. It is a pleasure doing business with you,” Miles says, eager to get his hands on his new toys.
“Yes, the pleasure is all mine. The eighteen-wheeler is out back with everything inside. I’ll walk with you.”
I head out of the warehouse with Miles on my heels. What happens next is a blur as shouts fill the air. I’m thrown to the ground, my skin scraping against the pavement. A knee digs into my back, and I clench my jaw tight. They tighten metal handcuffs around my wrist. All of this will soon be worth it… for her.