Page 30 of Escaping the Bratva

V

A white piece of paper peeks out from under my windshield wiper as I step out of my office. The sun is beaming today, but it doesn’t help the cold Seattle temperatures. I grab the note and unfold it. In heavy dark handwriting, it reads: Watch your back. I look around, trying to catch sight of anyone that looks suspicious. If the paparazzi can get pictures of me, and someone can leave a note on my car without me noticing, I’ve let my guard down too much. Before I went to prison, this would’ve never happened because I always had an army of men surrounding me. Not anymore. If I had needed any more proof that I’m out on my own, this is it. But who the fuck would be stupid enough to come after me? I turn away from the SUV and head back to my office.

Oscar is packing up his things for the day. Marcello is out meeting with a few prospective clients.

“Hey, I need you to look into something.” I shove the note into Oscar’s hand.

“What’s this?” he asks as he unfolds the note.

“Probably the same person who was tailing me and Marcello the other day. Can you find anything?” If this is some prank, I want to end it as soon as possible. I thought my days of looking over my shoulder were over, but I guess I was wrong.

“I can hack into the nearby building cameras and see if they captured anything. Do you have a name or any idea who this might be? That might help my search.”

I rack my brain, trying to think of someone. Most of my enemies are dead, and when I left the underworld, someone immediately took my spot. My enemies are now their enemies. Then, I remember Maverick’s warning. “There’s a guy named Brighton who might have something to do with this.”

“Brighton.” Oscar nods. “I’ll look into it.”

“Thanks, man.”

I walk back out to my SUV, this time making sure to pay attention to my surroundings before I get inside and call Marcello.

“What’s up?” he answers.

“I think we have a problem. I found a note on my car telling me to watch my back.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. How are we doing with hiring?”

We have a few guys we’ve been scouting to hire on as bodyguards for our clients.

“Good. They're ready to bring onboard as soon as we need them.”

“Good. Let’s hire one on and I’ll have him look after Sasha.”

“You think whoever this guy is will go after her?”

I start the car and head toward Sasha’s office. “I don’t know, but I’m not taking any chances.”

“Alright. I’ll set everything up.”

“Good. I’m heading over there now.”

“See ya.” Marcello hangs up, and I drop the phone in the center console. Brighton knows I don’t have an army protecting me right now. I’m vulnerable as shit. He could take me out any moment, which means these games are just him playing with his food. Fuck! Why can’t my past just stay in the damn past? I weave through traffic until I get to Sasha’s building. It’s one of the tallest buildings downtown with dark glass windows so the people inside can see out, but no one can see in. I park and take the elevator up to her floor. I’m greeted by her redheaded receptionist who never smiles like a normal receptionist should. It’s actually kind of refreshing. I admire the fact that my kitten hires people based on their performance and not because they’re good at kissing ass.

“Appointment?” she asks me.

I give her my most charming smile. “No, just let her know V is here.”

Haley lifts the phone to her ear and dial’s one number. “Hey, V is out here to see you…okay I’ll let him know.” She places the phone back down and looks at me. “She’s busy right now. I suggest you come back at a later time.”

I let out a laugh before walking right past the receptionist desk towards Sasha’s office.

“Hey!” she calls after me, but I ignore her.

I open the door to Sasha’s office. Her head snaps up at my entrance, her eyes narrow when she sees it’s me. “Busy?”

“I’m sorry. I tried to stop him.” Haley rushes out from behind me.

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