Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83221 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
I take out my phone to send a red alert.
Krasnaya trevoga
Unlike Volkov’s men, greater in number but languid under the leadership of their aging pakhan, my brothers obey on command. All are eager to show obedience and homage to their new pakhan.
Volkov stares around the room with those narrowed eyes of his for a few beats before he eyes me carefully and gets to his feet. Without another word to me, he gestures for his guards to escort him out. I’ve already dismissed him as I turn to my phone and send another text.
I tap the computer screen in front of me and wait, drumming my fingers on the mahogany table.
“Another drink, sir?”
I nod without looking at the waiter, scrolling through my notes in front of me. “A bottle of Stolichnaya Elit and a platter of appetizers. And send all staff out unless I signal you directly.”
In my peripheral vision, I see him nod. “Right away, sir.”
Quietly, he evacuates all staff from the room of. I pay my employees well to be discreet and obedient, so they know the routine.
Aleksandr is the first to arrive. I wave a hand to greet him at the door, wordlessly point to the seat beside me, and turn back to the computer.
“Heard the news. Bad fucking luck.”
I grunt in reply. “Luck has nothing to do with it. Sit.”
Aleksandr takes a seat, leaning back and opening up his cell phone. While the rest of the world uses their phones to scroll social media and take selfies, Aleks runs an empire.
He scowls at his phone, his fingers dancing over the screen.
Aleks is younger than I am and in impeccable physical condition. Like all of us, he battles demons, but Aleks schools them under the weight of a barbell. The combination of brilliant techie and sheer brutal strength is useful in our line of work.
He looks nothing like me, which sometimes comes in useful. All of the Romanov men were adopted, a part of our father’s intricate plan to build an empire.
It worked, for the most part.
Aleksandr sits brooding, as his fingers fly over his phone screen. He mutters to himself and stifles a groan. Today’s news fucked up our plans. But the Romanovs always find a way to prevail.
I tap my computer monitor and pull up the video feed. Viktor is the first that shows on screen, followed swiftly by Kolya, Lev, Nikko, and the rest.
“We have a situation.” I quickly bring them up to speed.
“This morning, I got a call. Irina Smirnova was found dead, strangled in her sleep. Of course they have no fucking leads, but we know who was responsible.”
Nikko scowls at the camera, his arms crossed over his chest. He’s glistening with sweat and I can see the walls of his home gym behind him. Nicknamed “The Steel Serpent,” Nikko’s our head assassin. “Volkov.”
Kolya finally breaks the silence. “Being engaged to you’s a fucking death sentence.”
Kolya, our group mastermind, served with my father in the army. Though younger than my father, he’s older than I am. I respect his brilliant strategic mind.
Our laughter quickly dies because it’s true.
He shakes his head at the camera, running his fingers through his short hair streaked with silver. “We don’t have much time to arrange another marriage, Mikhail.” Kolya’s voice is grim. “If we hit that deadline and you’re still unmarried, we know the consequences.”
The destruction of our assets, the possibility of attack from our enemies, the potential threat they could use leverage against the few people that mean anything to us. Even my tribe of panthers isn’t enough.
We’re on the cusp of war if I don’t have a wife, a war we’re not equipped to win.
Kolya continues. “No one in our circles will agree to another arrangement, Mikhail. We’ll have to find someone else.”
I nod, stroking my chin as I think. The waiter brings our food and pours vodka into shot glasses.
“You have our support and protection, brother,” Nikko says, his sober, earnest eyes meeting mine on screen.
I nod. “Thank you.”
“We’ll find you a wife,” Aleks says. “Secretly, of course. We have a network of contacts and resources that can help.”
The rest agree.
My phone buzzes with a text. I feel my eyebrows rise with surprise.
The timing couldn’t be better.
CHAPTER FOUR
Aria
It's laughably easy to find the online scheduling software the Romanov assistant uses.
So maybe I planted a little bug. Practically child’s play. And when she opens up her computer to the calendar for the day, previously color coded and organized perfectly, she’ll see a blank slate.
I feel a little guilty causing someone else anxiety, but I’m desperate. And she must know who she works for.
I can’t spend another second wondering when they’ll find me. At this point, I’m not even sure who “they” are because the system of corruption runs so deep and wide. I imagine everywhere I turn, everywhere I look, masked or hooded men and women are ready to take me. After the newspaper article…I’m confident it’s not just my imagination.