Page 133 of Silenced

I set my lawyers on the job, but that doesn’t diminish the trauma she had to go through.

He snorts then cuts a glance to his left where, I’m assuming, his wife is.

He isn’t wrong about Maria having a ‘feral’ presence worthy of an Oskal.

If I did give her this store, I wonder, would she terrify the clients?

Tone contemplative, Pavel scratches his chin as he inquires, “The shooters are the armed robbers?”

“According to my intel, yes. Not only do they need the cash for the Colombians,butLinton is putting their necks on the line as this is their fault.”

Linton is the head of B4K.

“It wasn’t a sanctioned shooting, then.”

“Apparently not.” I study him. “What were you doing on their turf anyway?”

He grimaces. Flicks a look at Maria. “I don’t remember.”

My brow lifts as I sign, “Another woman?”

“That night’s fuzzy,” is all he says, but his eyes tell me another story.

If he did have a whore on the side, his presence across town would make sense.

Still, if Maria finds out he’s cheating, I wouldn’t be worrying about my small intestine, just my balls.

She’s fiery as hell, beautiful as well as twenty years younger than Pavel… It’s not my place to judge my men’s decisions when it comes to their personal lives, but he’s a dumb fuck for sleeping around on her.

“So, my options?” Pavel queries, unaware of my train of thought.

“We let the robbery go down and facilitate their arrest.”

“Or?”

“We let the robbery go down and have cops on our books kill them in jail.”

“Or?”

“We let them flee, kill them ourselves, then steal their takings.”

Again, he whistles. “I like these options. This your idea of grapes?”

I smirk. “Better than grapes, no?”

“I can’t disagree,” he concurs, but his gaze turns distant. “Those B4K punks are getting too big for their britches.”

“I know. But they’re quieter since the fire.”

“Happened to overhear that you started a war with the Albanians too,” he inserts smoothly. “You’ve been busy since I got shot.”

“You overheard incorrectly. I didn’t start shit with them. I triggered a revolution in their ranks.”

A snicker escapes him. “It’s all in the technicalities with you, Niko.”

I hitch a shoulder. “You know it. So, come on. Time to make a decision. We’re running out of time to change my plans.”

“What would you have done if I didn’t answer the phone?”

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