Page 19 of King of Desire (Kings of Las Vegas #2)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Triston

Ryker and Rush flank me as I stand outside the address that Killian gave me. He’s gone, stationed outside Dimitri’s home.

Women are off-limits in this game of real estate and crime. It’s one of the unwritten rules, but if Dimitri is going to play dirty, then so am I.

My gut churns that I made Honeyeh a target by bringing her to the benefit last night. But I put those thoughts aside. Right now, all I need to be is powerful. Decisive.

I bang on the brothel door, the sound echoing through the establishment. But no one answers.

Behind me, I see a few men appear in the alley. But they don’t look like Bratva.

Glancing at my watch, I note the time. It’s just after five. The auction is supposed to happen in less than an hour.

I raise my fist and bang again.

Again, no one answers.

Pulling out my phone, I do a quick search of my contacts. Finding Dimitri’s name, I place the call, waiting as it rings several times.

My teeth gnash together as I bang on the door a third time.

Finally, the phone picks up. “Triston Smith.”

“Dimitri,” I growl back.

“Why are you banging on my door?”

I look up at the camera positioned just above the door, glaring. “Because,” I push out, my jaw still locked. “You’ve got something that belongs to me.”

“I do?” he asks, and I can’t tell if he’s sincerely asking or taunting. “What would that be?”

My fist clenches at my side. “Open the fucking door, Dimitri. Or?—”

“Or you’ll what? Takeover another one of my casinos?” I hear the vitriol in his voice. “You’re not stepping foot in my establishment.”

I let out a growl. “That’s a mistake. Whatever is happening with us business-wise, you’ve made it personal, so you’d better?—”

“Personal? What the fuck are you talking about?”

This time, he sounds genuinely surprised. I blow a slow breath out through my nose, trying to decide how to proceed. Finally, I just go for direct. “Honeyeh. I want her back and I want her now.”

“Honeyeh? The virgin?”

I let out a snarl. How did he learn that the woman I passed off as my girlfriend is a virgin, I’m going to find out, but first… “Now.”

The door buzzes, unlocking. I push it open, Rush and Ryker following just behind me. But we’ve barely made it through the door when we’re being patted down.

Both Ryker and Rush have a pistol, both of which are removed.

I feel like I could tear Dimitri apart with my bare hands, but I draw in several deep breaths, attempting to keep calm.

Dimitri is surely armed, and I am not.

We’re led down a narrow hall, the guard stopping by an open door. “Those two wait outside,” he says in a thick accent.

Ryker steps up next to me. “No. This is a family matter, he’ll see the family.”

Ryker’s words help me focus, knowing I have my brother’s support.

“It’s all right, Ivan. See them in.”

Ivan steps to the side of the door, allowing us to pass.

Rush moves between me and him, clearly acting as temporary guard.

I am the man in my family who keeps our business moving forward. Makes the deals, plans for the future.

But in this moment, I understand how important family is to my success. They prop me up in those moments I need them.

I never think of it this way. I’ve always seen myself as the man who breaks the water, how I take the full force of the wind.

And I am. But I do so with their strength at my back. It’s something I’ve forgotten and in losing it, I’ve lost part of myself. The part that finds joy.

My father may have been a complete piece of shit, but my mother managed to raise men who are strong and committed.

Thinking of her makes my chest tighten. A good woman can’t be underestimated.

I stop in front of Dimitri’s desk. He’s a roughly handsome man with a crooked nose and a sharp jaw. We’re equal in height, but he outmuscles me.

And these Russians can never be underestimated.

I straighten my spine, expanding my shoulders. “Why do you have Honeyeh?”

“She came to me.” He holds my gaze, his own steady.

But my knuckles rap on the desk. “Lie.”

His hands come up. “Something about a surgery she needs to pay for.”

I want to tell him to fuck off. That she would come to me if she needed money, but my gut twists.

Because last night I nearly fucked her, then packed her in my car and dropped her home with barely a word. Fuck.

But what are the odds that Honeyeh would end up here? In the den of the man I’m moving against. “You’re telling me that she just ended up here? With you? On accident?”

“I have a regular girl who brought her.”

Brittany. The tramp in the short skirt last night. She had all the markers of a whore. Why had it not occurred to me that she worked for Dimitri?

I take in a deep breath. “It’s a mistake. Honeyeh belongs to me.”

Dimitri tsks, his finger waving. “This is America, my friend. She is free to sell herself if she wishes, just like you are free to just take my best casino.”

Ah. So this is about me.

Glad we’ve got that out in the open. “What is it you want?”

“I want to make money tonight since I’ve no longer got my highest earning business.”

“There is no fucking way that casino is your highest earner. If it was, your board would have never ruled in my favor.”

“You’re taking what doesn’t belong to you,” he snarls.

I can see we’re about to hit an impasse. From out in the hall I hear men filing in, getting ready for the auction.

I cannot give Dimitri his casino back. That deal has been months in the making and is the key to us doubling our profits here in Vegas.

But that all feels hollow if I have to watch Honeyeh be sold to another man. Fuck. This is why I don’t get involved with women. She’s clouding my judgment and making me want to compromise in places I shouldn’t.

My hands come to the top of his desk, and I lean forward, my eyes holding all my vitriol as I stare up at him. “You want to hit me back, you take on my businesses. Not my woman.”

“Opportunity,” he rumbles. “Russians never pass one up.”

I stand straight again, rolling my shoulders. I pull out my phone and dial Killian all while I stare at Dimitri.

“T?” Killian rumbles.

“You’re on speaker,” I tell him. “Where are you?”

“The sweetest little park on Tremont.”

It’s Dimitri’s turn to snarl as I hang up the phone. He’s gotten the message. Killian has his nanny and daughter in his sights. Did he not expect this move? Killian warned him the last time we tangled. “We can involve the women or not. Your call, Dimitri.” I’m poking a big fucking bear.

Major deals are on the line. When Mason pulled Dimitri’s access to the tunnel, this is the man who blew up a club.

There will be a price to pay, I know it. Then again, Dimitri was always hitting back, I’ve likely just moved up the timeline.

Perhaps I should have talked to Mason today. This is the very operation he wanted to shut down. I’m starting to see his point.

But I’m here now, watching Dimitri gnash his teeth. “It will destroy my reputation if I cancel the auction now.”

“I’m sure you’ll recover. You’re savvy like that.”

“I’m savvy in a lot of ways,” he spits back. “Are you certain you want to do this?”

Dimitri is descended from hard men who commit unspeakable acts. But me? I’m descended from royalty. “Give me Honeyeh.”