Page 95 of Scarlet Vows

There aremajor inroads that’ve been made into the Jewel of Russia vodka. It goes down easily, so I make sure I measure each sip and swallow.

I can drink most under the table.

But this isn’t a drinking competition. It’s a balancing act of wits and deals and me trying to untangle the truth at the heart of why Santo is here, indulging me.

He wants something. I’m more than aware of that.

The big man would never have lit up at the restaurant that time when he found out who I was outside of my connection with Demyan.

And I don’t think he’d have given me his business card.

The card I have contains his personal contact information.

That’s his private card. Demyan has a couple like that. His personal one and his generic business one, as well as the one that gets certain people through to a different level in his organization.

I know how those games are played.

My question is why he’s interested in me. Or, I should say, my bratva. What it is that I can bring to his table.

So I stay on the right side of sober and make it look like I’m imbibing more.

We’ve discussed a lot of nonsensical things, small pieces we don’t need to be one-on-one for, and finally, he asks about my deal with Simonov.

I take a sip of the smooth vodka. “I have no personal deal with the Simonov Bratva. But my bratva and Simonov? Now that’s a different story.”

“You don’t see yourself as your bratva?” He leans back in his chair, making it creak as he refills his glass to the top.

Santo downs it easily and then has another. He’s got a hundred pounds on me easily, and none of it is fat, so I just take another sip and allow him to top my glass up, too.

I know that strategy, which is why I’m aware of each and every mouthful I consume.

“Did I say that?” I ask. “I’m positive I didn’t.”

“In a matter of words.”

“Your interpretation,” I say, considering him.

He wants honesty. He wants a lot of things like it’s oxygen, and he needs to suck it all down to emerge a survivor, the winner, the man.

If I play strong man like he does, it’ll end in another confrontation like we had over Alina. That one I’ll do again and again and carry out my promise to him if he dares to try to cross the line or put a hand on her. But this? No. Doing that here makes me not just look weak, but weakens my position.

And I don’t know what that is.

Yet.

“All I meant was I’ve had no personal run-ins with the Simonov pakhan or any of his people. My bratva have beforemy time. And the facts are the facts. Simonov is fighting us for territory. And we aren’t inclined to give that up.”

“Kill them.” Santo throws back some vodka like it’s water.

“Wars should only happen when there are no other options. Right now, I’m looking into options. You have history with Simonov, where you were both left on opposite ends of things. It seems to put you in my camp or on the same side.” I look at him closely. “Don’t you think?”

“So you want me to help you?”

“Depending on your terms, it makes sense if we work together on this.”

“Support for what I do? Carte blanche to carry out things where I won’t earn retribution from you?”

“If you let me know your plans, and I agree, yes.”