Page 62 of Fixate
“Pharrell,” the leader bit out. His voice was meant to be a whip of strength against the man beside me.
I frowned, hating how they were trying to attack him already. Pharrell's hand moved to my knee. It was as if he could sense I was upset.
I took a deep breath, then listened. A conversation ensued that made my blood boil. The Bratva demanded repayment for the lives lost.
They didn't care that Stasia had betrayed her husband because she had always been loyal to them. And as far as their rat went, he was simply doing his job. They couldn't see how any of it was wrong.
They didn't want to anyway.
When the conversation became heated, Pharrell asked me to step into the hall. I raised my brows and didn't move. Technically, I was breaking orders by not following his request.
But I also couldn't find it in myself to leave him to face whatever was going to happen alone. He needed support. Andwhile Pip probably had a good shot, I didn't want to depend on him to keep the man I was caring for safe.
The man that I was obsessed with.
“There's nothing that can be done about the past, Vlad. All we can do is move forward. How would you like to handle that?” Pharrell asked the leader.
Vlad chuckled, though it wasn't in amusement. “Nothing to be done about the past? Yes, there is revenge. That is something that can be done about the past.”
The sound of guns clicking threw my attention to the men behind the table. The twins who were sitting had perfectly blank faces. Neither of them moved a muscle. But the ones in the back had guns trained at us.
I cursed myself for not being ready. If I moved now, they would surely put a bullet through my brain.
Pharrell hummed softly, then tapped his finger twice on the table. “You seem to have forgotten who you're dealing with, Vlad. I'm not one of your street thugs you can intimidate with those little Berettas.”
I turned my head to look at Pharrell.
Being a part of the Romano family for ages, I knew what it looked like when a man was confident, when he felt assured that this wasn't his end. I also knew what they looked like when there was no hope.
Pharrell was definitely in the first category.
Vlad cocked his head to the side. “Do you have any last words?”
Pharrell mimicked the movement and tapped the table twice again. Little red dots appeared on Vlad’s forehead.
More popped up on the forehead of each Bratva member.
Pharrell leaned back at his chair taking a relaxed pose. “As you can see, I came prepared. I wondered if this wasn't going to be a civil discussion. Of course, The Restaurant would be upsetby any blood shed here. I could possibly be banned from their services. But it would be worth it to deal with an asshole like you who can't follow the rules in the first place.”
Venom poured from his lips with each word. They landed on their mark as Vlad's expression fell. His confidence waned as he lifted a hand to motion for the two men to drop their weapons.
The red dots remained though, making it clear that our guys, whoever they were, were not going to stand down.
“Now then, where were we? I would like to get started with this negotiation. Are we to be allies or are you wanting a war, Vlad?”
Vlad's jaw clenched. He looked at the dots on his men, then back at us.
He dipped his head once and said, "Allies, but I will not help you in any way. This allegiance is merely to not kill you."
Pharrell pushed his chair back and stood in motion for me to follow.
“That's fine. So long as I don't have to watch my back thinking that you're going to stab me, we're good. What happened to Stasia is horrible. I loved her.”
His voice caught.
“She chose to back him up. I loved my wife, and I would do anything for her. There was never a time when I questioned her loyalty. Not until she stood wrapped around another man walking me into a trap. That's when all love I had for her was lost.”
I watched Vlad while Pharrell spoke. He didn't lose his angry expression, but there was a slight shift in his gaze as if he somehow understood and just didn't want to admit that Pharrell was right.
