Page 88 of Forbidden Vows

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve had eyes on Ian since he was brought here,” Tommy replies with a wry smile, then gives Ian a friendly nod. “Glad to see you’re not dead yet.”

“I’m a persistent SOB, what can I say?”

“This isn’t a courtesy visit,” I mumble. “What is it, Tommy?”

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Slow enough to get my anxiety crackling again. “I’ve got some information from my NSA contacts,” he says. “You’re not gonna like it, though.”

“About his activities?”

“And his whereabouts. I’ve got a line on him, Anton. But we need to be really careful about how we proceed here.”

“Why?”

“He moved the Donovan sisters deep into Triad territory last night. I don’t know all the details, but I do know you can’t just go in there, gung-ho, and shoot your way through,” Tommy replies.

Andrei frowns. “Can’t you find out? You Camorra boys have some favors to curry with the Lee clan, from what I recall.”

“That’s why I’m here. I’m meeting one of the Lee boys for coffee in about an hour,” Tommy says, then narrows his eyes at me. “Think you can come with me but refrain from causing a scene? We need him to tell us what he knows. I can’t get in hot water with the Triads, Anton. Regardless of our treaties and agreements, we have to be careful and play nice.”

Sergei is hiding in Triad territory precisely because he knows how hard it is for us to penetrate the Chinese web. The Russians and the Chinese are great at doing business together above the line, but when it comes to shit off the grid, we’ve had some bloody skirmishes over the years.

“Our history with the Lees doesn’t exactly work in our favor,” Andrei reminds me.

“I’ll do it,” I say. “I’ll go with Tommy. You gather the Bratva council. See who shows up. Whoever is unable to meet you at the Upton Conference Center will probably be too busy supplying Sergei with tactical and financial support.”

“That will give us a good idea if there’s anything left to salvage,” Andrei mutters.

“And, most importantly, we’ll be able to see how much damage Sergei has already done to the organization. At least I’ll know what I’ll be coming back to once I save my wife and put a bullet in that fucker’s head,” I reply.

Something will shake loose from somewhere. And when it does, it will reveal a trail for me to follow. That’s all I need. A trail, a scent. And then he’s all mine. I would’ve forgiven any attempt on my life or my businesses; competition among the families is often fierce. I understand a man’s rabid desire to succeed more than most.

Sergei isn’t playing with my life. He’s playing with my wife’s and our unborn children’s lives.

I cannot forgive that, nor can I respond with anything less than every ounce of lethal force I have at my disposal.

Howard Lee doesn’t look happy that I’m joining his coffee date with Tommy. As soon as he sees me and Tommy walk through the café door, he gets up from the table, ready to bolt.

“Tommy,” I warn my friend.

“I got this,” he replies and goes ahead of me.

I can’t hear what they’re saying to each other, but I wait with whatever shred of patience I have left. Tommy was right about one thing—I cannot burn every bridge to get to Sergei. Some of them must be crossed, and that requires paying a toll.

Looking around, I notice the place is quite busy. These people don’t have a clue about what’s going on here. Howard Lee came in with a neutral position in mind; it’s not a trap. He really is here to talk.

Finally, Tommy gets him to sit back down. I join them, but I can tell that Lee is still extremely nervous about my presence.

“Hey, Howie,” I say with a casual smile.

“Just listen to what he has to say,” Tommy tells him.

Lee nods once, then shifts his focus to me. “Mr. Karpov.”

“Anton, please,” I reply. “We’re friends here, I promise.”

“Surely, you understand the delicate situation I’m in,” he says.

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