Page 5 of Deadly Offer

“You know I love you,” he said, the words coming out huskier than intended. “But I’mnotyour property.”

Something flickered in Nikon’s eyes—vulnerability, perhaps, before it was quickly shuttered.

“I do these things because I love you.” The words emerged rough-edged, as if dragged unwillingly from somewhere deep. “You’ve seen what happens to people in my world who aren’t protected.”

Images of the warehouse standoff flashed through Reuben’s mind; Ramiro’s gun, Grigorii’s calm calculation, the knife’s edge between life and death.

Before Reuben could respond, footsteps approached the alcove. “Mr. Matvei, my apologies.” One of the security staff appeared, his expression neutral. “But your brother Alexei is on the line. He says it’s urgent. About Miroslav.”

Reuben felt Nikon’s entire body tense, saw the subtle shift in his eyes that most would miss. After months of studying Nikon’s every tell, Reuben knew this one meant trouble.

“Go,” Reuben murmured, smoothing Nikon’s tie back into place. “I need to return to the table, anyway.”

Nikon’s eyes searched his face for a beat before he nodded. “We’ll finish this conversation later.” His voice dropped lower, sending a wave of heat through Reuben’s groin. “In my office.”

As Nikon strode away, Reuben allowed himself a moment to breathe, and to push down his growing arousal. The poker room’s ambient sounds filtered back in; cards shuffling, chips clicking, and ice cubes settling in glasses.

When Reuben returned to the table, he read the slight changes in the players’ postures. Donovan’s renewed interest, Mr. Hui’s careful neutrality, the other players’ studied focus on their cards. Every tell, every facial tick told its own story.

“Shall we continue?” Reuben’s hands moved on auto-pilot as he once again shuffled the deck of cards.

Chapter 3

Nikon’s pinky ring clinked against his whiskey tumbler in a steady rhythm as his three brothers filed into the sleek conference room of Alexei’s newest acquisition; a gleaming fifty-story office tower in the financial district.

The choice of venue was typical of his diplomatic brother; neutral ground draped in corporate legitimacy. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, neighboring steel and glass towers stretched toward the slate-grey sky, their reflections dancing across the dark wood conference table.

Nikon lifted the glass to his lips without drinking, using the motion to study Andrey’s muted reflection in the window.

Strange.His youngest brother typically strutted into these meetings, ready to challenge every decision.

“Dmitrii Miroslav’s network has expanded by thirty percent in the last quarter.” At the name, Nikon’s finger paused, its rhythmic tapping against the glass, a moment’s hesitation before resuming its steady beat. Alexei’s crisp voice continued as he distributed tablets, showing detailed analytics. “He’s been specifically targeting our high-value clients.”

A muscle twitched in Nikon’s jaw. The argument with Reuben yesterday still burned under his skin, making it harder to maintain his usual iron control. “Show me the numbers.”

“Here.” Alexei’s finger swept across his screen, projecting figures onto the wall. “Three of our whale clients have already jumped ship. James Donovan being the most recent.”

Ah.That explained Donovan’s particular interest in Reuben last night. The thought of that man’s eyes on what was his made Nikon’s grip tighten on his glass.

“According to your security feed, your boy, Reuben, caught Donovan’s attention.” Grigorii’s gravelly voice carried a note of warning. He tapped the tablet in front of him, bringing up time-stamped footage from the previous night.

“My security feed?” Nikon’s voice dropped several degrees. “Since when doyouhave access to my poker room surveillance?”

“Since your casino security man flagged unusual activity from a known Miroslav associate.” Grigorii’s expression remained impassive. “Miroslav’s getting bold, sending his men to scout talent right under our roof.”

“Reuben handled it.” The words came out sharper than intended.

“Did he?” Grigorii leaned forward, battle-scarred hands clasped on the table. His eyes flickered to another segment of footage showing Nikon’s intervention. “Or did you handle it for him? Because from what I see here, you swooped in the moment Donovan started asking questions.”

The implied criticism scraped against Nikon’s nerves. “You have something to say about how I manage my people, Grigorii?”

“Yourpeople?” A bitter laugh from Andrey. “Is that what we’re calling him now?”

“Enough.” Alexei shot his twin a quelling look before turning back to Nikon. “The point is, Miroslav’s making moves. Strategic ones. He’s not just stealing clients, he’s identifying our vulnerabilities.”

The word‘vulnerabilities’broke through Nikon’s careful mask. He tapped the sharp edge of the bottom of his glass against the table.

“So, Miroslav thinks he can use Reuben to get to me?” The observation came out cold, clinical, as he lifted the glass back up to his lips. “Let him try.”

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