Page 21

“What’d you think of that place?” I ask Ella as we walk back to the hotel, hand in hand.

She looks sun-kissed after all our travels, with a golden blush to her skin that highlights the streaks in her hair. It’s a good reason to take her on vacation, if I needed another excuse. This isn’t a vacation, though; this is business, and I’m riding high. She is, too, if the perpetual smile on her face is any indication.

It’s the second week of our jet-setting trip to explore more locations for Luka’s casino expansions, and we’ve been hitting it out of the park. Without the burden of expectation that comes from trying to establish my own place in this world, I’m able to truly enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

“It was nice, but you know the one I was thinking of…”

“No, Ella. It’s not happening.”

She pulls her hand from mine and stops dead in her tracks. “It’s the best spot. I know you think it’s too dangerous—"

“Because it is. You got attacked there, remember? It’s their turf.” The Abashins. The bastards who hit us at the hotel and nearly wrecked my life by scaring Ella away.

“We don’t know that for sure. They might’ve just been lashing out to scare you off and now you’re giving them what they want? That doesn’t sound like you. You’re holding back because of me, and I’m not going to let my presence get in the way of business. That’s the last thing I want.”

She stares me down, absolutely fearless, and fuck I love this stubborn girl. Even when she’s a pain in my ass. She’s not going to let this go, I can tell from the flash in her eye, and she’s got a good point. If it weren’t for her, I’d be scoping out that spot right now.

Because I’m an idiot who can’t say no to her, I relent. “Fine. We’ll scope it. But if I get a hint of something suspicious, we’re out, got it? No arguing at that point.”

She nods, suddenly sweet. “Of course. Whatever you say.”

I’m not fooled by the sudden shift. “Promise?”

With a sigh, she relents. “I promise. We’ll go and check it out, but you’re the boss—if something feels shady, we’ll bail. Feel better now?”

“Only a little.” I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger. This could go really badly. Despite my reservations, Ella is looking at me with sparkling eyes and a smile I’ll never do anything to dim, so I call for the car and pray I don’t regret this.

We climb in and take the ride down the coast. The closer we get to the city, the more Ella leans on me, slipping her arm beneath mine and resting her hand on my thigh. I’m not complaining, but I hate that she’s nervous. This was her idea, though, and I have to trust that she knows what she’s doing.

“Where are we headed, exactly?” she asks, pulling away from me for a moment to peer out the window. “To the property or…?”

“Not yet. We need to do some research first.”

I shoot off a few texts and wait for the responses to roll in before I direct the driver to a more precise location than the city. Ella’s fingers tighten on my leg and I smooth my hand over hers, twining our fingers together. Hers are cold.

“What sort of research?” She pulls out her notepad and a pen from her purse and flips it open, poised to take notes. Always in business mode.

The city is alive in the sunshine. There’s something fresh about it, from the high rises to the shops lining its streets, and it’s hard to imagine a place like this having the sort of underbelly we have back home. But it does. They all do. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look, even in the middle of the day.

This is where our arrangement becomes difficult to manage. When she came back, we’d agreed that she’d only work on the business side of things and stay well away from the Bratva side. In this case, the two are entwined in a way that makes keeping out of the Bratva side impossible. No matter how legitimate a business she and I might try to run together, the Milov last name comes with certain associations. And difficulties.

I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth before responding. “We need to get an understanding of the groups working in this territory. That means—"

“Bratva,” she finishes for me, pressing her lips between her teeth.

The car rolls to a stop, and I hop out first, scanning the street for signs of a threat. It's not easy in a place like this, where tourists crowd the sidewalks and there are about a hundred shops where someone could be hiding. I take her hand and help her out of the car, studying her features. Any hesitancy, and we’ll get right back in the car.

“Tell me now if you want to bail,” I say, catching her chin when she ducks her head. I search her eyes for the truth. “There are so many other places to buy.”

“This is the spot.” She stands on her toes and presses a quick kiss to my lips that has me instantly wanting more, right here in the street.

We make our way down the street toward new construction, and I double-check the address on my phone. The building is white stucco with a bright red door, bordered by pots of climbing roses. Two sets of tables and chairs are pushed up against the nearest wall, and the door is open to let in the late afternoon heat.

Before we reach it, I pull her to a stop and lower my voice. “This is Bratva business. When we step through that door, I need you to always do as I tell you. I’m not trying to be controlling; I’m trying to keep you safe. The only way this works is if I know you can do what I need you to.”

Her eyes drop to the place on my hip where I keep my gun. “You mean like, shoot someone?”

“No,” I say. A firefight in that place would be a nightmare, and I haven’t had the chance to convince Ella she needs to get to the firing range or to carry at all times. Kind of went against the promise to keep her out of Bratva shit. “Just know everyone in there is dangerous. It won’t come to violence if we play it right.”

“In the end, it’s just business.” She says it like a mantra she’s been repeating to herself. “I can do business.”

I kiss the top of her head. “I know you can.”

We step from the brilliant sunshine into the café's shade, immediately greeted by the smell of strong coffee and sweet baked goods. Her hand tightens around mine as every head in the place swivels to face us. I quickly identify the biggest threats: a young, brawny guy behind the counter, an older man with a carefully relaxed posture at the corner table, and a sharp-eyed woman at the till. Russians.

“This place?” Ella leans in, her voice for my ears only. “It’s just a coffee shop.”

“And we’re just a casino,” I remind her, leading her up to the register.

We order two coffees and a morning bun, feeling the stares of everyone burning into my back as we make our way to a table against the far wall. The tension in the place makes my skin prickle. One wrong move and this could get ugly, but I’m banking on the time of day and half of the crowd in here being tourists saving us from that.

“What do we do?” Ella asks, picking at the bun.

I drink my coffee and relax in my chair with an ease I don’t feel. “We wait. Give it a minute.”

It takes five. The old man in the corner gets up, and I set my coffee down, freeing my hand to reach for my gun if necessary. He has a whispered conversation with the woman at the till, then takes her place as she heads toward us, wiping her hands on her apron.

She addresses Ella, which makes my skin crawl, but I fight the urge to jump in because I have to trust her, even in a situation like this. “Husband?”

Ella flushes pink and shakes her head from side to side. “No, he’s my…”

“I’m hers,” I supply, and get rewarded with one of Ella’s glorious smiles. “And you must be Kira. I’ve heard so much about you.” Like how she’s the ruthless second in command of her family with as much blood on her hands as any mafia boss.

She switches her gaze to me and gives me a once-over. “Come with me. Both of you.”

Ella waits for me to nod before getting to her feet. We follow Kira through a door into the kitchen, where workers roll and cut dough, and into a surprisingly large back room. Two men rise from a couch at the center of the room, setting their cups down on the coffee table in front of them. Kira waves them off.

“Make it quick. What’s this about?” Kira asks. Despite the fact that we’re surrounded by chairs and couches, she doesn’t ask us to sit, and she and the two men remain standing.

We’re outnumbered, which I hate, but our relationship with this family is, at this point, neutral. I wouldn’t call on them for support or anything, but they’re not actively trying to stick a knife in our back, either.

“The city. Whose is it?” I get straight to the point because the two men are splitting up, taking a stance on either side of Kira, but a few feet back, blocking our exit.

She cocks her head to the side, not missing the way I tuck Ella in next to me close enough to feel her. “Ours, obviously.”

“But not only yours,” Ella says, without a quiver of fear in her voice, because my girl is something else. Still, I don’t like the way she draws Kira’s attention.

Kira’s eyebrows rise and two lines appear on her brow. “Who says?”

“We know,” Ella continues, stepping out from my shadow. “Since the Abashins tried to take us out. This territory must be split at least two ways, but I’m betting on more.”

“Are you?” Kira steps in toe to toe with Ella, her voice cold enough to crack. “We’ll chase them out soon enough. And the Italians, too.”

“Multiple groups,” I say, mostly to myself. It’s better for us, honestly. Means there are turf wars going on and things are still in flux. This is a new territory, so one family is not completely entrenched. “Where’s the line?”

One of the large men scoffs, but I don’t take my eyes off Kira. She’s the real threat in any room she’s in. “You’re standing in it. Everything from here, west to the shore, is ours. The east side? That’s fractured. Anyone’s game.”

“It’ll be ours soon,” one of the goons chimes in, earning a sharp look from Kira that shuts him up.

Bluffing. With multiple warring groups, it can take years to settle a slice of land worth fighting over. This shit just got a whole lot more complicated because our property lies on that eastern shore.

“That’s just in the city proper, right?” Ella asks, all innocence. “I’m assuming the undeveloped zones at the edge aren’t part of this?”

Kira scoffs. “Don’t tell me the fucking Milovs are thinking of moving in.”

The brutes advance one step closer, and I’m this close to throwing an elbow in the nearest one’s face. This whole thing can go sideways in a snap, and I’m betting all three of them are armed, while on our side, it’s just me.

“We’re just looking for a honeymoon spot that won’t start a turf war,” Ella says with a laugh, nudging me.

Kira’s eyes flare with surprise, and she looks between us again. I slip my arm around Ella’s waist. “Only so much security I want tagging along. Unclaimed territory is the safest spot for it.

Luckily, it’s not hard for me to act completely besotted with Ella, because I already am.

Smooth thinking on Ella’s part, but is it enough? If Kira doesn’t buy it, I'll need to be quick on the draw. Seconds tick by in silence, and a bead of sweat runs down my back. I can shove Ella behind me against the wall and stand in front of her to fight. Or, I can push Kira backward and bring the fight to the center of the room, as far from Ella as possible.

“Lucky for you, lovebirds, it’s a no man’s land out that way. Just keep your family out of this part of the city.” She points a manicured finger at me, then at Ella. “Or they’ll be down two members, no matter how in love they are. Now get out of my sight.”

“Pleasure doing business,” I say with more than a touch of sarcasm, backing out of the room with Ella behind me. I don’t turn until I shut the door on the three of them.

We beeline out of the cafe and onto the street without stopping, because I wouldn’t put it past them to jump us, thinking we’d let our guard down. Neutral or not, they’ll take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself, and taking down a Milov is always an opportunity.

“We did it,” Ella gasps, throwing herself into my arms.

I scoop her up and spin her, kissing the top of her head and breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. “You did it.”

Bratva or business, Ella just fits into my world like she’s made for it.