“Tell you what,” I say. “I’ll try to wait, and if I can’t I’ll shoot him in the knees first, make him suffer.”
“Thank you,” Andrius says, deadly serious. “Tell him it is from me.”
“Done. And before I remove him from this earth, I am going to take apart every facet of that fucking rotten empire those backward Siberian-spawned fucks built here in London. Every facet, that is, except for the part Allyov relies on, and that I will take over … for now. Long term, who knows. So, my friend, thanks for speaking to the Greeks. Keep things quiet for now from Allyov because I don’t want him to know. He might try to stop me, and that won’t do. Once it’s a done deal, I will level with him and make an offer. And consider this part vengeance for what Kyrylo did to your family, and what Popov did to you. I won’t let Allyov know we talked, and I won’t put you in danger.”
“Zav to yoha, zda rhovya.” Andrius says.
He’s saying cheers to my health basically. I tell him to get back to his wife and child, and hang up.
For a long moment, I stare at my desk.
I need information. Information on Popov and how far and deep his tentacles go, and information on the Italians running things down here. Both business and personal, so I can decide whether or not it would be a good thing for Michael to marry the girl he’s knocked up. Also, who knows what I might turn up. I’m not above blackmail if it gets me what I want.
I’m not above anything much, if it gets me my way.
What was it Margaret said about Cassie? She’s got hacking skills?
Fuck.
Serendipity is a beautiful bitch.
I get up, march out of my office, down the corridor, and into Margaret’s now empty workspace. I unlock the top drawer of her filing cabinet, where I know she’ll have put the files for Bridge Tech, and sure enough there it is.
I take out the page I want and head back to my own office.
Closing my door, I pour a glass of brandy from the decanter on the sideboard and sip at it as I contemplate all the ways I can make Popov’s death as painful as possible.
It seems my few years acting as a legitimate businessman in this country are about to end abruptly. I stare at the picture of Cassie and wonder just how deep she hacked into those government systems? A girl who could do that could certainly get into Popov’s business, of that I’m sure.
I rub my pointer finger over her pouty, downturned mouth. It seems Cassie might have more than one thing I want. She’s unlucky in many ways. Things would have gone better for her if I’d never noticed her, but I did, and now she’s back on my radar, and it can’t be anything but fate.
Little miss sunshine isn’t going to want to do what I need from her, but I can be very persuasive. As I stare at her, something long dead inside me roars to life. Something primitive, possessive, and vicious.
I tried to pretend I was a civilized man. An ordinary man, but I am nothing of the sort.
My inner demon is snapping at my skin, demanding to be let free, and I’m in just the mood to let him out.
I’m going to war again, and every warrior wants his spoils. Cassie is about to become mine.
I need a hacker, and I want my blonde barista. I’m determined to have both.
I’m not above simply taking her and making her mine. She’ll fight me at first, but I can be very persuasive, and she wants me. She wanted me when she was engaged, and now, she’s all alone.
All alone, and full of things I need in my life. All alone and vulnerable. She’s been careless, not kept herself safe. One might even say that what’s about to happen is her fault.
They call me King K, and every king needs his queen. Will Cassie be mine?
My little miss sunshine has no idea what’s about to hit her.
**
Thank you so much for reading.
Continue Konstantin and Cassie’s journey in THE KING [Bratva Blood Book I]. It is free in KU.