Page 34 of Cruel Juliet

“I hate wasting time.”

“Good. So do I.” I straighten up a fraction. “You’ve seen what I can move in this city. Drugs, tech. Black market goods.”

“I’ve heard.”

“Then you know I can handle more.”

“How much more?”

“However much you need to move,” I say. “You partner with me, and your weapons will slide into the city unnoticed.”

“Sounds almost too good to be true.” He raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Where’s the catch?”

“Exclusivity. You bring your shipments to me and only me. I push them through my network and make sure they reach their buyers.”

“What about your exclusivity to me?”

“Anybody else tries to bring stock into New York, it’ll vanish,” I say. “No weapons but yours make it through.”

He leans back, pensive. His fingers start tapping on his glass. “What do you take?”

“Twenty percent. In exchange, you get secure storage, smuggling, and clean distribution. No leaks, zero heat from the cops.”

His brow lifts. “That’s a heavy slice.”

“It buys you peace of mind. You won’t find better.”

Misha studies me for a long time. I can’t be the first person to come to him with a deal for his guns. No doubt he’s got other offers on the table. But I’m the only one who can make good on my promises, and he knows that.

“Say I buy in,” he replies eventually. “Say I trust you. There’s one problem.”

“What would that be?”

“You’re at war.” He doesn’t mince words. “The Danilos want your head. They’re a big family.”

“They’re nobodies without Anatoli.”

“So you say, but word on the street is different.” His gaze hardens. “I don’t walk into burning buildings unless I lit the match myself. And you, Gubarev, are on fire.”

I don’t blink. “Wars end.”

“They do. But I won’t be found on the losing side.” He tosses back the rest of his drink. “I hear Nikolai Danilo himself is in New York. Word is he came to handle you personally.”

“You seem to put a lot of stock in rumors.”

“I don’t dismiss them.” He shrugs. “And neither should you. If theirpakhanis here, your streets are compromised. Partnering with you makes me a target. I need to know if you’re a man who’sabout to fall or the one who will still be standing when the smoke clears.”

I set my glass down hard. “If Nikolai thinks he can set foot on my streets, he’ll regret it.”

“I believe you.” He regards me with an even look. “The thing is, I think he believes you, too. Which makes me wonder what it is that he wants so badly that he’d risk your wrath.”

My jaw tightens. “Something that belongs to me.”

“Your wife,” he guesses.

“She’s mine.” The words rip out of me. “They’ll never take her. Not while I still breathe.”

One eyebrow floats up, but all he says is, “What does she think of that?”