Page 21 of Brazen King

Lance snorts behind me as our men sweep the room, opening cupboards and doors in search of the contraband.

“Like hell I will! How did you even get in here? You’re no longer welcome in any of my establishments. What have you done to my men?” Boris growls between clenched teeth.

“Oh, your guards watching the back door decided to take an extended break. Don’t worry, they’re not dead. Just napping in a coat closet.” I smirk, pulling out one of the empty chairs from their card table and spinning it around so I can straddle it.

Two of Boris’s men make a quick grab for their guns, but before they can draw their weapons, Lance has two barrels pressed against the backs of their heads.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I urge. “My brother Lance here takes gun safety very seriously. It’s probably not worth your lives to try following through on that half-baked plan.”

Several sets of eyes flash toward Boris, and he grudgingly gestures for them to let it go. Silently stewing, the men lower their hands back to the card table. And I smirk at the nearly indistinguishable insults they mutter in Russian.

A loud snap to my far right captures my attention, and from the dark shade of purple Boris’s face turns, I’m guessing my men found the padlock protecting his stash.

“Got it, boss,” Henry confirms a second later.

I keep my eyes fixed on Boris, relishing the way the vein in his forehead starts to pulse. The soft rustle of my men filling duffle bags with packs of white powder is music to my ears. AndI can just imagine the tirade the Russianpakhanwill go on as soon as we walk back out that door.

Glaring at me with unbridled fury, Boris clenches his hands into fists. “You won’t live much longer if you keep poking the bear,” he warns, the threat ripping from his throat like a snarl.

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I joke lightly. “After all, I’ve already faced yoursecret weapononce. I think I can handle myself.”

From the corner of my eye, I catch Lance’s sharp look in my direction. And I can hear the hundreds of questions I know he’ll never get around to asking.

But that doesn’t change the fact that I never told him about Natasha—just like I promised I wouldn’t.

To my surprise, Boris’s expression looks more troubled than angry.

And the tension between us grows.

I wonder whether Natasha told her father about our deal. She must have told himsomethingif she came home without having succeeded in her mission.

But if she did, Boris says nothing about it.

And I’m not about to break my vow of silence. True to my word, I’ll keep her identity a secret for as long as our deal stands.

“We’ve got it all,” Daniel says, and my men start filtering from the room.

“Well, gentlemen. It’s been a pleasure. Boris, give my regards to the family, won’t you?” I give him a cheeky two-fingered salute as I rise from my chair and back toward the door.

Lance joins me, keeping his eyes and his guns trained on the men at the card table to ensure they don’t get smart and try anything.

“You’re dead, King,” Boris says flatly. And I can just detect the hint of pride that flashes through his eyes as his lips curlinto a menacing smile. “You might think you know my secret weapon, but your days are numbered now.”

“Perhaps,” I quip, pausing in the doorway to get in one more jab. “Then again, so are yours, old man. And my offer still stands. I’ll gladly back off if you’ll give me one of your beautiful daughters. Just think, instead of a nuisance, you could consider me an ally—a son-in-law even.”

“I would rather burn this city to the ground,” Boris growls.

Releasing a soft chuckle, I give a shrug. “Suit yourself, pops.”

Then I turn and follow Boris’s product out the door.

9

NATASHA

It’s more than a little embarrassing that I can’t stop thinking about my night with Killian.

I didn’t get back home until the early hours of the morning, and then I couldn’t fall asleep until well past the time I would normally get up.

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