Page 206 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
Happy we’re not being eavesdropped on, Parker says, “The transfer was completed as scheduled yesterday morning.”
“Then what caused the delay in the exchange of assets?”
He shrugs in a non-answering type of way. Mercifully, his non-verbal reply is backed up with words. “They’re cautious after your arrest. They’re suggesting we delay the exchange by a few weeks until things settle down.”
“That was not the agreement. I paid the required amount, so I want the exchange to occur as scheduled.”
“It will happen. Just not this week.”
Fury scorches through my veins, warming my body from its furious heat, but before I can voice my annoyance, Parker adds a stipulation to our negotiations I never saw coming. “They’re requesting to meet with you before the exchange occurs.”
“When?”
“Now.” Parker’s reply is almost drowned out by three quick taps hitting my hotel room door. “That will be them.”
A heavily tinted black Escalade takes me to a massive steel warehouse on the outskirts of Henderson, Nevada. It’s a one-level complex tucked away from the main roads, inconspicuously hidden from prying eyes. I’ve always wondered how far Col’s underground fight circuit stretched across the country. Now I know his demographic reach is impressive.
When I step out of the back of the car, two burly men with automatic weapons strapped to their waists move toward Parker and me. My jaw muscle tenses when one of the gentlemen, a large Samoan man, begins frisking me. “I was searched before entering the car, yet you feel the urge to do it again upon exiting. Paranoia causes costly mistakes.”
He grunts but continues his vigorous search. “I can guarantee you that that’s all me,” I sneer when his extensive search pats over my crotch on more than a half dozen occasions. “If you don’t believe me, ask your mother for confirmation.”
The brute’s nostrils flare as he rises to his feet. The width of his shoulders is double mine, and my eyes only hit the bottom of his chin, but nothing will have me missing the furious blaze igniting in his eyes from my taunt. He has a very short fuse that’s ready to explode at any moment. If he were ever part of my empire, his short fuse would warrant an immediate termination. Keeping him on would be a costly mistake for any business capitalist.
Our intense stare-down is interrupted by a deep, accentuated voice on my right. “Casper, that’s enough. This is not how you treat family.”
Casper’s head immediately balances on his broad chest. When feet padding across a concrete floor sound through my ears, I shift my head in the direction the voice came from. The thump of my heart kicks up a gear when I glance into a pair of eyes that are a replica of Isabelle’s in every way.
“Isaac Holt, it’s a pleasure to put a name to the face I’ve heard many great things about the past five years.”
Vladimir’s Russian accent is as thick as the gel holding his hair back. For a man at least in his seventies, he’s a fit-looking gentleman. His face is void of the wrinkles most men his age have, and he stands at approximately six-foot-two or three. His build is similar to mine, although he’s a little rounder in the mid-section.
I keep the riled expression off my face when he places his hands on my cheeks to cradle my head like you would a child. “I heard your meeting with Albert was…” he stops talking to find an appropriate word to express my botched meeting with his right-hand man, “… flagrant. I assure you the FBI will not bother you while you’re in my house. Vegas is my home, and you, my friend, are always welcomed in my home. You also have my guarantee that the error shown by my men that day was taken care of.”
I was arrested the morning after attending a meeting with Vladimir’s right-hand man, Albert Sokolov. The men who flanked Albert assured me our meeting was being held in a secure premise. If my arrest is anything to go by, their intelligence was severely lagging that day.
“It was nothing I couldn’t handle.” I stare into a set of eyes that are identical to Isabelle’s while saying, “The FBI doesn’t have the authority to say who I can or cannot dine with.”
Vladimir grins. It’s a smile that shows the conniving, vindictive man he is. “I’m glad to hear that, Isaac, as I’m very much looking forward to the adventure we’re about to undertake.” He gestures for me to follow him into an office at the side of the warehouse. “So why don’t we get down to business.”
When he shuffles away, Parker tilts in close to my side. “Are you sure you want to do this, boss?”
“It’s too late to back out now.” I shadow Vladimir into the office that’s going to push my empire in a direction I never saw coming. It will now forever be seen as a syndicate in the Russian mafia crime entity known as the Povov Clan.
CHAPTER22
ISABELLE
Idrag my overstuffed suitcase out into the entryway of Regan’s apartment, grunting for every inch I travel. I wasn’t sure what to pack for a fundraising gala, so I was a little obsessive with the number of accessories and shoes I crammed into my bags. Noticing my struggle, Brandon grins a lopsided smirk before assisting me the last four feet.
“You do realize we’re only going away for three nights, don’t you, Izzy?”
Hugo’s cheeky question doesn’t warrant a reply, so I don’t give him one. Instead, I roll my eyes and stick out my tongue. He smiles a megawatt grin before winking, loving that I responded to his taunt even without words.
“Is this everything?” Brandon’s eyes float over the large suitcase and five carryon bags dumped at his feet.
I nod. “Yep.”
“All right, I’ll take them down to my car.”
