Page 39 of Beautiful Enemy

“Well?”

“Yes, I want to meet. Myself for Nadia. It’s a fair trade.”

“Is it? See, Erik, I don’t want you dead. I want you to suffer. That’s why I stole Nadia and not you. So, I don’t see why I should make a trade at all.”

“You cut off her finger.”

“And she screamed while I did it.”

I can justfeelErik’s anger through the phone. “Just you and me. We’ll meet up. We’ll discuss.”

“I’m not sure what there is to discuss,” I say, leaning against the wall. It feels good to be in charge.

“I will kill you eventually, Dante. You can’t hide Nadia away forever. And when I do find you, I’ll kill you. But you have a chance right now to end my life. I’ll give myself over and you can end me. There doesn’t have to be any more wars. You can continue with your life and I will be dead. All I ask is that you leave Nadia and Anya alone after that.”

“Mmm. It’s a good deal. How about this: You, Sergei, and Viktor show up at a place of my choosing. I want to look you all in the eye. And then we can talk more.”

“Is this a trap?”

“How can you ask me such a thing?” I smirk. Erik is just too easy sometimes.

With a low sound, Erik says, “Fine. Where do you want to meet?”

We meet in a junkyard. It’s secluded. It’s neutral territory. And it’s a good place for a gunfight if it should occur.

I arrive with Finn and Aiden. Matteo stayed back at the ranch house to keep an eye on Nadia.

Erik arrives with Viktor and Ivan. Sergei isn’t with him. Interesting.

“So, I’m here,” Erik says.

“Drop your guns on the ground.”

“Only if you drop yours too,” Viktor says.

I look to Aiden and Finn, who shrug, then turn back to Erik. “Deal. We are here to talk. Nothing more.”

We all lower our weapons to the ground. Granted, I have a spare gun in the waistband of my pants but they don’t need to know about that. Knowing Erik, he has a spare gun hidden somewhere too.

“So let’s talk,” Erik orders. “Give Nadia back to us and in exchange, you can have me.”

“Why isn’t Sergei here?”

Erik blinks. “What?”

“I told you to bring yourself, Viktor, and Sergei. Nadia’s brother-in-law, her future husband, and her father. But her father isn’t here. Instead, you brought that fuckface.”

Ivan scowls. “I am a trusted member of this team. I am not a fuckface.”

“Look like a fuckface to me,” Finn says, making Aiden snicker.

“Enough,” Erik says. “It doesn’t matter why Sergei isn’t here. He just isn’t.”

“Did he not want to come to bargain for his daughter’s life?”

“He was busy.”

“Too busy to come bargain for his daughter’s life? I cut off one finger. I can do another. I can cut off every inch of Nadia until there’s nothing left of her.”

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