Page 10 of Possess Me

“No problem. The weekend will be a nice change.” She moved toward the door, securing the ladder, leaving me with so many questions.

The beauty certainly had a story of her own to tell.

CHAPTER 4

Vissarian

When Ms. Zimmerman moved away,I chuckled.

What was the saying? All work and no play made for a dull, useless lump of a human being? Maybe I’d need to change that.

I made a drink before sitting down, listening to the sound of the engines roaring to life. I could spend a good portion of the day determining what made her tick, but sadly, there was business to consider. A trip that I wasn’t thrilled about facing me.

There were too many questions that needed answers.

I sat back, enjoying the drink, trying not to think about anything for a few minutes. I rarely had any personal space or peace, constantly working.

When the captain started to taxi down the runway, I pulled out my phone, dialing Mikhail’s number. My cousin was like a brother to me. We were very close, some calling us far too much alike for our own good.

“Don’t tell me. You missed your flight,” he teased.

“It’s a good thing you’re family and several thousand miles away.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’d beat your ass.” We’d been close growing up, exploring the streets of Las Vegas as young boys, getting into trouble just one of many enjoyable games. Living in a Bratva household had created a sense of honor and respect, loyalty a requirement for the soldiers who’d worked for both my father and the then-Pakhan and my uncle, Boris Dmitriyev.

Things had been different in the early days, employees armed and dangerous, our business activities heavily involved in illegal drugs and weaponry. Mikhail and I had been trained to become assassins, ruling Las Vegas as we would a war zone, which was what we’d left in Russia.

Now we were businessmen and women, almost entirely legitimate. While fortunes had been made early on the cash enabling our empire to expand into resort and casino development, we were now considered one of the richest families in the world.

And the most powerful.

We’d recently formed an alliance with another powerful organization, a Sicilian Cosa Nostra, their history as long as ours. Now we ruled the world of gambling, second to none. That meant we still had our share of enemies on both sides of the law. It made for very colorful interactions, but we were usually able to use marketing and stock options to win a fight.

However, our success in legitimate acts of business didn’t mean I wasn’t a trained killer capable of doing heinous deeds. I’d done more than I could count in my past. Not usually for sport or a lust for violence, but for the protection of my family.

Granted, there’d also been a period when I’d been considered rogue, killing indiscriminately, for vengeance. At least I’d satisfied the need for the stench of blood.

For the most part.

The thought always brought a smile to my face and it was a basic fact I teased members of the Costa family with. They didn’t have the full understanding of why I hated Italians, something that I’d managed to temper over the years. Which was a good thing, or I would have killed one or all of them in my sleep.

At least I was in a better mood than before, able to joke. Perhaps not only seeing but acknowledging and hungering for a beautiful woman meant I wasn’t as dead inside as I’d believed myself to be.

“Ha,” he said. “I’d like to see you try. Have you spoken with Ludolf Hoffman recently?”

Ludolf Hoffman, the German leader of the Hoffman Group. A contingency of Europeans who dabbled in business on both sides of the law, while not considered a crime syndicate given the makeup of their members.

Their reputation was still brutal and, in a way, they mirrored our organization using various alliances of their own. That didn’t mean I believed we should trust them. Just the opposite.

“Not since I confirmed the meeting three days ago. Remind me again why we’re considering joining forces with yet another organization? You know how I feel about alliances. Also remind me why the fuck you asked me to do this shit. You know how I feel about tropical locations.”

We’d formed one with a Cosa Nostra syndicate out of Reno. Now we were intricately involved in each other’s business operations. It was a thorn in my side, but I’d softened as of late. Maybe I was getting old. However, the choice of entering into a contract together had been based on a different necessity. One of family, since my younger cousin Liliana had fallen in love with the firstborn son, Giovanni.

A match made in heaven. Truly. A shocking development, but one we’d managed to use to our advantage.

However, the Costa family had nothing to hide. All skeletons had been laid out in the open.