Page 12 of Dark Truths

I cock my head and study the man. Behind him, Alexei fights back a smile. He knows I’m playing a game and, like a hound on the trail of a fox, I’m dedicated to the hunt now. “Yes, collateral. Defined as something pledged as security for repayment of aloan, to be forfeited in the event of a default. In this case, the loan is our drugs, and the repayment is your guarantee of an increase in demand.” I stand, buttoning my suit jacket like it’s an act in the show, and then shove my hands in the pockets of my pants. “So, I’ll ask you again, Mr. Reyes. If you fail to meet your end of the deal, what will you forfeit?”

Julio’s mouth flounders as he stammers, “I–I–I’m not sure what…Is there something you want? Maybe one of our clubs?”

I snort, the abrupt sound making the man jump. “Your clubs? Please don’t insult me. They’re nothing more than drinking holes that serve low grade beer and bottom shelf alcohol. What could I possibly want with that?”

“Maybe Mr. Mikailhov—”

“I speak for Sergei,” I interrupt in a harsh tone.

Julio lowers his head. “Yes, of course.Lo siento,SeñorDimitri.”

“It’s Mr. Volkov to you,” Alexei reminds him.

“Yes, yes, sorry…Mr. Volkov.”

The man is quickly becoming flustered and I’m growing bored with the game. “You’re a businessman, Mr. Reyes, somewhere underneath all of—” I gesture to his entire body, “that. So, here’s what I’ll do, Mr. Reyes. Write up a proposal outlining the terms, including collateral, and I’ll take another look.”

“Thank you, Mr. Volkov.” He bows his head several times before a pair of my men escort him and his guard out of my office.

“That was fun,” Alexei announces the moment we’re alone. “But you could have made the man sweat a little more. It was just getting good.”

“He was about to vomit, and I’ve seen enough of that tonight.”

Alexei pounces on that detail like a cat on a feather. “Oh yeah, that dinner was tonight. How did it go?”

I didn’t stay for dinner, but I do share with him the aftermath.

“Damn,” Alexei says wistfully after I share with him the events of the Mikailhov dinner with Rosaleen O’Leary. “I wish I could have been a fly on a wall for that.”

“I need a drink,” I tell him, already moving in the direction of the door.

Alexei follows like a little puppy dog with excessive tattoos and a psycho attitude. “Want me to get Ana?”

I pause at the name. It’s been some time since I’ve asked for her. Even after she did as I asked and wore a brown wig when she came to me next, I felt nothing and I blame a specific brown-haired woman with sun-kissed eyes for the cock blocking.

“Not tonight,” I answer.

“Your loss, brother. More for me then.”

Although there’s no show tonight, the private rooms are still occupied and the main club is packed. From my perch above, I survey the crowd, my eyes catching on every dark-haired girl, envisioning the one I want to see on each face, only to be disappointed each time. I don’t understand my fixation with the girl, but damn it, I am. I’m about ready to stalk her, just so I can get a glimpse of her. Which I know is borderline crazy, but that’s how she makes me feel. And she doesn’t even fucking know it.

The familiar sensation of being watched washes over me. It’s nothing new—when you sit like a king high above everyone else, you tend to draw attention. But this feels different, as if I’m being studied rather than merely glanced at or envied from afar. I search for the culprit and my heart stops when our eyes meet…the same golden hued eyes that have haunted my dreams.

Gabriella.

The devilish angel leans against a stone pillar across the club. The neon lights highlight the striking figure she makes in the black mini dress and catch on her rich chocolate locks that cascade over her shoulders in thick, gorgeous waves. She’s dressed to kill, and she knows it.

A flurry of emotions rush through me. Anger. Frustration. Excitement. Lust. They all swirl together until there’s a storm raging inside me. She’s not supposed to be here. She promised me she would never return. And yet, there she stands, with a fucking smirk on her lips like a temptress. Yes…she knows exactly what she’s doing. It makes me want to punish her and in the same breath bring her to the very edge of pleasure before denying her the release.

She expects me to come to her, but I won’t give her the satisfaction. No. If she wants something, she’ll need to come to me and ask for it. Two can play this game.

“And who has snagged your attention, Dimitri?” Alexei asks before he follows my train of sight. “Ah. Is that little Gabriella DiAngelo I see?”

I don’t bother responding. The truth is obvious to anyone with eyes and half a brain.

“Would you like me to send for her?”

“No,” I answer right away. “She’ll come to me.” I can feel Alexei’s eyes on me. The smug bastard. “What?” I snap after a long second, my eyes never leaving Gabriella.

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