Page 31 of Disgraced (Russian Sinners 3)

“It could cost us everything. Last ten years of work down the drain.”

What the fuck was he talking about? Dimitry, Nikolai, and I did all the work. He just reaped the fruits of our labor and sacrifices, trailing behind us. In my book, Vlad was just as dirty and unscrupulous as Boris. Except he preferred not to get his hands dirty. He didn’t mind dirty deeds, selling women or children, as long as he wasn’t doing the hard labor. My brothers and I had to do the killings, beatings, and set some moral standards within our organization, like protecting people from being sold like stock.

“Vlad, I don’t have time for your crap today.” I stood up, signaling him this conversation was over. I wasn’t in the mood for this.

“Fine,” he muttered, and I had to hide my surprise at his quick surrender. “We’ll regret this, you’ll see.”

I didn’t think so. I couldn’t wait to be rid of the taint of this world and people like Vlad. Scarlett might have been the daughter of a Boston mobster, but she wanted nothing to do with it either. She didn’t tell me any of that, but her claim that she wanted a simple life was declaration enough.

Vlad followed my lead and headed out the door, me at his back. I got the strangest feeling that he’d cause us too much trouble and I should just wring his neck now to save us all future problems. But Dimitry would wring my neck then for sure. He promised Vlad safety when he betrayed Boris, and Dimitry was a man of his word.

Michail was just headed back to my office with a bullshit excuse so I stopped to talk to him. Vlad glanced back, but I ignored him. Michail did too although we didn’t start a meaningful business conversation. I didn’t want Vlad part of any of my businesses or discussions. From the peripheral, I saw him linger for two seconds before giving up, leaving out the door.

“All good?” Michail asked.

“Yes, I just wish we’d kill the bastard. I have a bad feeling about him, had it for years.”

“I could kill him for you,” Michail suggested and it was awfully tempting.

“Not yet, Michail, but maybe one day.”Hopefully, one day soon!

* * *

It was a long day and it was late when I finally got back to my penthouse. This one in Moscow was very similar to the one in St. Petersburg with views of the city and a convenient location. But none of it mattered to me, I just wanted to come back home to my woman. After having her with me every night for the past week and a half, it felt strange coming home to an empty place.

I spoke to Scarlett briefly before she went to sleep. It felt wrong not having her with me every day or not in my bed. She had become important to me, the need to see her strong and consuming.

I dropped my keys onto a basket at the door and loosened my tie. I went straight to the bar and poured myself a glass of whiskey. Yes, I was Russian but preferred whiskey to vodka any day.

Just as I took a drink, my phone rang and I immediately hoped it was Scarlett. I frowned, noting it was an anonymous number.

I pressed the answer button, although I wasn’t in the mood for a conversation.

“Da?” I answered in Russian.

“Sergei, I have left a present for you on your kitchen table,” an unfamiliar voice spoke back in Russian. The voice sounded familiar although I couldn’t quite place it. I immediately straightened, scouting my penthouse. Pulling my gun out of the holster, I kept it in my hand, my eyes darting around the place. The building and my penthouse had tight security. Nobody should have been able to get into the building, even less into my penthouse.

Apparently, the security is not so tight, I thought wryly to myself.

“What do you want?” I asked in Russian.

“Take a look at the pictures,” he continued, completely unfazed while each hair on the back of my neck stood straight. It wasn’t a familiar feeling to me. “We have a proposition for you. Your little girlfriend has a mutual friend. You get us her friend, Anastasia, and we will leave your woman alone.”

At the kitchen table, I saw a yellow envelope. I dumped the contents of it. What I saw made my blood run cold. They were pictures of Scarlett, mostly with me over the last week.

“See the girl circled,” the guy continued, and I swore he would be dead. Whoever it was, I would find him and kill him with my bare hands. Nobody threatened my woman. I focused on the pictures and found the one he was referencing. It was the girlfriend I saw in the lobby, the day Scarlett ran into me. The green-eyed, dark-haired woman. All I knew was that her name was Anastasia. “Deliver her to me, and we’ll leave your woman alone. You have forty-eight hours.”

“Who are you?” I questioned him, barely holding on to my senses.

“We are your father’s friends,” he responded and my heart froze.It can’t be.Nobody knew who my father was. I made sure I kept the secret and destroyed any evidence except one related to who my parents were. And that last piece of evidence sat in my safe.

“You are lying,” I hissed, fury boiling within me. “He’s in prison.”

“He sends his regards,” the man retorted sarcastically. That couldn’t possibly be. “I’ll send the meeting location and time details. Don’t make us go after your woman.”

He hung up, and I ground my teeth so hard, my molars were complaining at the insult. If my father orchestrated this, shit was sure to follow. Because the only thing my father was good at was destruction. The question was did he know I was his son? I didn’t think so but then how did the blackmailer know?

I glanced at the clock. It was past midnight, but fear gripped my heart for Scarlett. I dialed her up, and each ring cost me years off my life.

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