“There’s no way, Kane?” he asks, after a moment of calming his shit down.
“We could split the shipments,” I offer. I need this to sound unappealing. “We could do eight on Monday, and then try for the other four the following Thursday.”
“Only twice a month.” I grit my teeth wishing I could lie and say yes. But I can’t. He’d know. I’m sure he already knows this answer.
“Technically there are four. But like I said, the one is the verification day. I wouldn’t risk that, boss.”
“What about the fourth?” he asks.
“It’s a longer trip, two stops before hitting Russia. It has more risks in getting caught, but also in losing some of the shipment.” Some of the shipment. By that I mean the women will die. Being trapped in a box, sleeping in your own filth. Jesus, the others are only 10 hours. But even that thought makes me fucking sick.
“Losing?” He wants me to clarify. As if he doesn’t understand how horrific that would be.
“It’ll be days with no water,” I say simply.
“Hmm. And they’ll need another dose.” He seems to be weighing the risk in his head, and it pisses me off. I look down at Ava. Her eyes on the blanket. She looks hopeless. I fucking hate it. I wish he’d let me get off the phone so I can talk to her. I need her to know I’m not going to let this happen.
“Alright, Kane. We’ll go with your plan for now, but we’re going to have to shake things up and get more women sooner. The timetable has changed. I’ll have to dump one of the girls before Monday.”
Chills run down my skin and I speak without thinking. “Bring them.”
“What’s that?” he asks, with irritation in his voice. He doesn’t like that I made it a statement and not a request.
“I can take one with me. To practice.” I clench my fists and restrain the sickness threatening to climb up my throat. “And we should test the Valettis on how they’ll handle them. I think that will be a good gauge on whether or not this will really work with them.”
“Smart thinking, Kane. And to think I wasn’t sure you’d do well with this role.” I press my lips into a thin line. “I’m proud of you, Kane.”
“Thank you, boss. I want to make sure you know how seriously I’m taking this position.”
“I can tell. And Kane?” he asks.
“Yeah, boss?”
“Don’t fuck up this meet tomorrow.” His words come out hard.
“Of course not.” Anxiety shoots through me.
“If they aren’t on board with the shipment, we’ll simply end the relationship there. So make sure you’re ready for that.”
“Got it. I’ll be ready.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then. I’m looking forward to it.” I can practically see the wicked grin on his face.
“Me, too,” I answer, as I hear the click on the other end.
Tomorrow. It’s going down tomorrow.
Kane
My fist bangs on the front door with a hard knock that echoes in my head. Anxiety and adrenaline are coursing through me. It was different on the phone. I was calm. I was calculated. Now I need to figure shit out. This setup is fucked. I have no one. My best bet is to trust the Valettis.
I need someone. I need backing. I can’t go in there guns blazing and take out Petrov’s entire crew by myself. That’s a fucking death wish. I’m not stupid. I’m going to need help, but I have no one.
I kept thinking on the drive over, what if I’m reading Vince wrong? What if he’s set with doing business and Felipe was a one-off? Like maybe he gets his kicks from randomly knocking off pricks. He could have the same feelings as Abram. That same nonchalant attitude that fuckers are gonna die in this business, so it doesn’t matter.
I’m not sure how Vince is going to react. I’m not sure how much I should tell him, either. I guess I’m about to find out.
As I hear someone walking toward the door, I take a glance at Ava. Her shoulders are squared and her eyes are forward. I reach down and take her small hand in mine. She faces me with a small smile, but I can see she’s worried. I lean down and give her a small kiss. I know the conversation this morning was upsetting for her. I told her everything, though. And I promised I’d get her out of this shit.
She’s a smart girl though. There’s no doubt in my mind she’s questioning whether I’ll be able to make it happen or not.
I debated on whether or not I should bring her with me. But I want her to hear. I want her in on this. It’s not good to have women involved. But she’s a part of this, and she deserves to know.
Besides, this is just me and Vince. Maybe another man or two. If they try anything, if I think anything is going to happen to her, they’re fucking dead. I can’t take out 20 men on guard, but I can sure as fuck kill two or three pricks if I have to. I told her to just stay behind me if she’s not feeling safe.
I’ll protect her. As far as I’m concerned, she’s mine.
The door swings open and a man I recognize from the initial meet at my hangar answers. He’s a bit taller than Vince. Looks just like him though. If I had to guess I’d say he’s Vince’s brother, but I don’t have to. He introduces himself right away.
He smirks as he says, “I’m Dom, Vince’s brother and the bookie.”
“Nice to finally be introduced to you, Dom.” I give a tight smile back.
“Come on in.” He opens the door wider and takes a look at Ava. She’s wearing the collar I got her, and I watch the smile on his face falter as he sees it. I wasn’t going to put it on her, but the thought of running into one of Petrov’s men without something that displays what she is to them...well, that shit wouldn’t end well.
“Ava, come on in.” His eyes soften some as she smiles up at him.
“Thank you, Dom,” she says in a soft, sweet voice. I place my hand on the small of her back and lead her in front of me. Dom’s eyes harden and narrow as he watches me. I know he’s wondering what the fuck is going on. Quite frankly I’m wondering, too. There’s something between us. Given the situation, it wouldn’t be right of me to say she’s my girl. But that’s exactly how I feel. She’s mine.
We walk in relative silence through a large foyer and down a hall to an office. The first thing I do is count how many men are in the room as Dom shuts the door behind us.
All eyes are on me when I walk in. Dom’s behind me. Vince is at the desk. I recognize Tommy to the right, leaning against the wall, and I assume the older man in the chair to my left is Mr. Dante Valetti, the former Don, and Dom and Vince’s father. I give them each a nod in greeting.
“Mr. Valetti,” I say, extending my hand to Dante.
His brows raise and he shakes my hand firmly. “Kane. It’s nice to have you here. I’m sorry for your loss.”
My chest tightens with pain. I respond with a small, “Thank you.” I walk Ava over to the chair and settle her in the seat. They’re the only two, but I don’t mind standing.
“You want Ava to stay?” Dante asks. Before I respond, he addresses Ava directly. “No disrespect, Miss Ivanov. We usually try to keep women away from business matters.” It gives me pride that they’re talking to her, but she goes still at the question, and looks to me rather than answering.