Page 12 of Fallen Roses

I simply reminded him what was at stake and agreedhe could dictate the terms of my stay here, no matter how much that went against every principle in my body.

James is probably wondering what the hell is going on and he is about to discover just what blew in off the sidewalk that night at the bar. Not that Mikhail needs to know the details of that and fortunately, he didn’t have a tail on my ass at the time. I doubt James would still be standing if he knew what happened in my hotel room that night, which only increases my anger.

I hate my protected life and yet I owe it for the fact I’m still breathing because Mikhail was following me from the moment I stepped out of The Rose Foundation headquarters.

The shots that ended the lives of the men in the dark alley came from my brother’s gun and those of his men.

James fell and hit his head, effectively knocking him out, which was extremely fortuitous because he never witnessed the aftermath of a Romanov at work. The five men were removed and disposed of, no trace of them will ever be found, and anyone that comes knocking at our door will forfeit the right to leave.

The sole reason I’m here is what spared me the plane journey home, as the most important thing in our lives at present is clearing up the mystery of our father’s death and extinguishing the person responsible.

James is on edge, probably because Mikhail is glaring at him with the promise of death hanging heavy in the air, and I say quickly, “Tell James what you told me.”

Mikhail frowns and James shifts in his seat as he senses my brother’s anger.

“Your brother’s debt has been settled by me.”

“I don’t understand.” James leans forward at the mention of his brother, and Mikhail fixes him with his usual enigmatic glare.

“Dylan Warner owed the Cordoza mafia that is run by a man called Michael Cordoza. Victor was his cousin and was sent to collect a down payment on the one hundred thousand dollars your brother owes him. The interest alone meant he would never pay it off and the only outcome would be his death.”

James is ashen as Mikhail delivers his words with his usual cool detachment.

“The money you raised made no difference. They would have dragged you into it and bled you dry. Your position as CEO of The Rose Foundation was the perfect vehicle to extort even more money from you.”

“I never touched a dime of their money,” James hisses and Mikhail shrugs.

“Not yet, but when people are faced with Hobson’s choice, it’s usual they fall onto the wrong side of the law, you see–” He leans forward and the lack of any emotion in his eyes sends a shiver down my spine.

“When family is involved, the rules change. You would do anything to save your brother’s life and it would soon become apparent yours was also on the line.”

Mikhail leans back.

“As I said, your brother’s debt is now mine and unlike Michael Cordoza, I am a fair man and will demand a realistic price for my assistance.”

Mikhail raises his hand and James is surprised when Damien, Mikhail’s second in command, steps forward from behind James and drops two objects on the table in front of him.

James blinks in disbelief and raises his eyes to Mikhail, who says coolly. “I have taken the liberty of repossessing your watch and your car. You’re welcome.”

“I don’t understand. Why would you do that?”

James is confused and my heart sinks because I knowexactlywhy Mikhail did that.

He fixes James with his usual enigmatic glare, one that chills the bravery of battle weary hardened criminals.

“You have something my family wants, and this is your incentive to help us.”

James stares at the objects on the table but makes no move to reach for them. Instead, he merely utters two words.

“And Dylan?”

“Is currently a guest of mine.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

James faces him with a hardened glare of his own, which is interesting because to my knowledge nobody has ever had the guts to face my brother off, especially when he holds all the cards.

Mikhail leans forward and hisses, “Your brother is adisgrace. He is hooked on drugs and illicit living and it’s only a matter of time before he self destructs and takes you down with him.”

---