Page 37 of Chasing Danger

It still wasn’t a question, but it was as close as he ever came to one.

I couldn’t risk pushing him any further.

“Caprice Vidales. I need her gone.”

It was difficult to get a rise out of Nathan, but not impossible. He raised an eyebrow at me, his expression turning incredulous. When he realized I was serious, he laughed, throwing his head back to reveal the tattoos running up his neck. He wore a high collared shirt, so I couldn’t see them enough to actually tell what they were, only that they were numerous and meticulously placed.

“That is certainly a favor,” he said when his laughter finally subsided. “I still owe you for helping me with that little incident in Bosnia, but I don’t owe you that much.”

Tugging at my cufflinks to feign disinterest while simultaneously checking the knife hidden up my sleeve, I refused to sweat under the fire of Nathan’s stare. “I’m not asking you to kill her. That would just cause more problems. I just need someone to get her out of my hair for a while so I can deal with other things.”

“Yes, I imagine the Russians are keeping you plenty busy.”

I looked up at him, moving a little quicker than I meant to.

Of course, Nathan caught my slipup and smirked at the evidence of my surprise. “Don’t be like that. Yes, I know about your dealings with the Russians. Neither of you is exactly... subtle. Besides, the Mariano boy is too new to his position. It’s obvious he’d ask you for help the moment trouble arises.”

“Alex is doing surprisingly well taking over for his father, considering how unexpectedly he was shoved into the position.”

Nathan laughed again. Two in one conversation. I was on a roll today.

“I never thought the old bastard would die.” Nathan picked up his knife and fork again but didn’t resume his meal. “The so-called ‘Mafia King’ was too set in his ways. We needed some new blood to take his place, though we’ll see if Alex has the makings of a real leader, but that’s not an issue for now.”

He tapped the pointed tip of his knife against his bottom lip as he thought, letting the sharp edge rest dangerously against his skin. “Now, Caprice Vidales. That is a different problem altogether. Bothering her enough to keep her distracted, but not enough to accidentally start an unwanted war between our organizations will be difficult.”

I waited in silence, with only the distant sounds of the city and the faint moans coming from the hanging body to keep me company. Even Gavriil wasn’t close enough for me to exchange a glance with. My bodyguard had been forced to stay by the rooftop entrance, leaving me to face Nathan alone.

It took longer than I expected for Nathan to come to a decision, though I shouldn’t have been surprised. Keeping people guessing was another one of his talents.

“Fashion,” he eventually declared, and at first I thought I’d heard him wrong. Chuckling in dark amusement over my confusion, he explained further. “The Vidales family is involved in the high-end fashion industry. It’s a lucrative enterprise, with plenty of bored rich people willing to throw their money away. Plus, it provides opportunities for money laundering, or smuggling, or whatever else I may need.”

The hanging body gave a particularly loud moan.

With a quick flick of the utensils in his hand, Nathan signaled his security to deal with the disruption. I kept my eyes turned toward Nathan as the security man approached the body. There was an unpleasantly wet sound, and then the moaning stopped.The hanging person was still alive. I could still faintly hear them breathing, but they were much quieter.

Nathan continued speaking as if the interruption never happened. “I’ve been thinking about getting into the fashion industry for a while now but didn’t have the motivation to do so. If you don’t want me attacking Caprice Vidales directly, then attacking her financial stability would be a good distraction. Should keep her ‘out of your hair’ as you say.”

Standing from my chair, I nodded deeply toward him. “I’ll leave the details to you. If you succeed, then I’ll owe you a favor.”

Once again, Nathan grinned wide enough to show off his unusually sharp canine teeth.The Wolfwas definitely a fitting title for him.

“There’s no ‘if’ about it. I will succeed, and you will owe me.”

“And I always pay my debts,” I assured him. “Now, I’ve taken enough of your time. Enjoy your meal.”

With my head high and my shoulders straight, I left the rooftop terrace behind on even, unhurried steps. Just before the door closed behind me, I saw Nathan stand from his seat and head over to where the still alive body hung, the knife from his dinner utensils still clutched in his hand.

Then the screaming started.

The door closed, cutting me off from the rooftop, and I led Gavriil safely out of the building so we could head straight back to the airport.

I couldn’t afford to leave Oliver alone for long.

CHAPTER 17

D’Angelo

Knowingthat Caprice would be taken care of for the moment was a weight off my mind, but I would have been happier with some evidence proving she was the one behind the attack on Oliver. Still, my hands were at least freed up enough to focus solely on the issue with the Russians.

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