Llir, Tarek, and Elira had settled in upstate New York and he made the trip up to see them every few weeks. He was going to be an uncle and that had him both excited and scared to death for his brother. If their father found out about the baby, he’d wouldn’t rest until he got his hands on him or her. His dad had a strange belief that every member of the Tirana family belonged to him, like an object he owned. Altin hated that and he knew first hand that his brother did too. It was why he left Albania. Llir wanted freedom for himself, Tarek, and Elira, and staying hidden away in upstate New York was the only way he’d be able to stay safe from their father’s ever-growing reach.
Besides picking up his to-go order of a pastrami on rye, Altin had set up a meeting with one of his father’s business associates, Jeffrey Milborne, at his favorite little deli. He was one of the Tirana Syndicate’s top buyers and he wanted to purchase a large number of arms, that Altin knew would serve him well in pleasing his father. That was his end game, really—making his father happy. That way, he’d be able to continue to slide under the radar and find his way to escape the clutches of his tyrannical family. He thought that might happen when his father took ill. He wasn’t expected to make a full recovery and even appointed Llir as acting head of the family. But once Llir stepped out of line, his father made a miraculous recovery and took back full control of the family. He always believed that his father had made up his whole illness and after his recovery, he believed it even more. His dad was always doing things like that as a way of testing his three sons. Llir failed his father’s test and had to flee Albania. He had to live in fear, constantly looking over his shoulder and Altin knew that same fate could belong to him if he so much as stepped a toe out of line, as the new heir apparent.
He looked around the almost empty diner for his contact and didn’t see the guy that he usually met. Jeffery Milborne was an older, overweight man who was pretty hard to miss. Altin checked his watch, wondering if he was early for their meeting only to find that he was ten minutes late. Maybe the old guy got sick of waiting around for him to show, but he had a very busy morning and had to take the two sexy blonds, he had in his bed, home before he ran across town to make this meeting.
“Altin Tirana,” a woman with long dark hair sat in a corner booth, calling him, waving him over. He crossed the diner and stood at the corner booth, looking her over. Her brown eyes danced with amusement and he nodded. “I’m Blake Reid, Mr. Milborne’s business associate. He sends his regrets, but he’s sent me to meet with you to make the deal.”
“Pleasure,” Altin said, holding out his hand to her. She took his hand and smiled up at him.
“You’re not exactly as I expected,” Ms. Reid admitted.
“Oh,” Altin breathed. “And what exactly were you expecting?” he asked.
“I’m not sure exactly,” she said. “You are younger than I thought you would be.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t do anything about my age,” he said. “But if it helps, I’m twenty-six and very well versed in my family’s business. How can I help you Ms. Reid?” he asked.
“Mr. Milborne is looking for a shipment in the next few weeks. Is that a possibility?” she asked. Altin thought it was pretty damn cute the way she whispered the word, “Shipment”.
“I think that is something I can take care of for Mr. Milborne. He’s one of our top clients and I always try to accommodate his timelines. How about you send me over exactly what you’re looking for, via secured email and I will see what I can do.”
She nodded, smiling up at him again. She seemed to know how to work her sexy smile and good looks. Altin didn’t miss the fact that he was attracted to her. It had been a long time since he had been interested in any woman, but Ms. Reid seemed to do it for him. Usually, he picked up women to take them back to his place for a quick fuck. That was all he wanted from them and that seemed to work for the women he met. But Ms. Reid didn’t seem like the kind of woman he could pick up over coffee and ask her back to his place. She was his client’s associate and that made her off-limits. The problem was, Altin didn’t do well with limits. Hell—he had no limits at all.
Ms. Reid turned to leave the diner. “Better yet,” he shouted after her. “How about you meet me for dinner tonight?” She placed her hand on the door and stalled, looking back over her shoulder at him.
“Dinner tonight?” she questioned.
Altin shrugged, “Sure,” he said. “You do eat dinner, right? I mean, I have been in America for a while now, but I’d never want to assume that American women eat dinner.” Her sexy smirk let him know that she liked his teasing—thank God because he had nothing else. If she turned him down, he’d be dining alone again.
“You are correct, Mr. Tirana. American women do eat dinner—well, most of us. I’d love to have dinner with you tonight,” Ms. Reid admitted.
“Great,” Altin said, trying for casual but feeling anything but. “I’ll have my assistant call you with the details. I’ll also send my car to collect you, if that is all right with you, Ms. Reid.” He left out the part where he’d be in the car too, giving them both more time to get to know each other better. Altin could tell that she wanted to balk at the idea of him picking her up. She looked like a smart woman and she was right to mistrust him—most smart women did. Most smart women didn’t even give him a second look after they found out who he was and what his family did. But that was back in Albania and here, in America, women seemed to like the air of danger that seemed to hang around him.
“Fine,” she agreed, surprising him. “Have your driver pick me up at seven. I have meetings for the rest of the afternoon.”
“Will do,” he agreed. “I’m looking forward to our date, Ms. Reid.”
“Dinner meeting, Mr. Tirana,” she corrected. “I will see you later.” She turned and left the diner, not bothering to give him a second look back.
“Count on it,” he whispered to himself. “Count on it.”
Blake
Blake wasn’t sure if she’d be able to keep up this rouse for much longer. Her assignment was to bring down a major American arms dealer and her supposed boss, Jeffery Milborne. She had started “working” for him about a year ago. He was her assignment and her target. Every time she got close to being able to take him out, something else came up—or in this case, someone. Altin Tirana was a handsome distraction, but a distraction, nonetheless. She shouldn’t be going out to dinner with him, but what choice did she have? Her boss was listening to the whole damn conversation over her wire, and he was thrilled at the possibility of finally putting the Tirana Syndicate on his trophy wall. Wasn’t that what she joined the CIA for? The intrigue was thrilling but bringing down the bad guys was her major reason for joining the government agency and not branching out and going rogue, as her father had.
She was just nine years old when she found out what her father did. He was specially trained by the US Army only to throw his life and career away when a top American mafia family made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. The Milborne family enticed her father into their syndicate and by the time he realized the danger he put his family in, it was too late.