“Patience.” Kozlov’s voice is calm and measured. “Jake has until Sunday. Let’s see if he manages to scrape together the money.”
So, they still have eyes on Emma’s brother.
“And if he does come up with the money?”
A pause. Then, with casual cruelty that makes my blood run cold, “Kill him anyway. Can’t have him telling anyone where his sweet little sister went.”
Dimitri laughs, a low, ugly sound. “Gladly.”
So, the deadline was never real. Jake’s dead no matter what he does. I need to get word to Chase.
Igor’s voice cuts through my thoughts. “You coming or what?”
I uncurl my fingers slowly, stand to my full height, and follow him back down to the guards’ quarters. Through one open door, I glimpse an unmade bed, clothes strewn all over the floor, and beer bottles crowding the bedside locker.
“Been bringing in extra muscle lately,” Igor says as we walk. “Some of them seem to think they’re living in a frat house.”
We push through a door into thick cigarette smoke hanging in layers, and my sensitive shifter nose wrinkles in disgust. If I didn’t hate these men before, I do now.
The three men hunched over a poker table look up, cards paused mid-shuffle. The one facing me lifts his head, a fat cigar dangling from one corner of his mouth as he looks me over. From the glasses on the table and the beer bottles littering the floor, it looks like they’ve been playing all night.
No wonder Kozlov wants new staff.
“This is Bodhi Lennox,” Igor says. “Kozlov’s putting him on the private security detail. He’s in charge of the girl.”
Eyebrows raise. There’s surprise at the new appointment. They’ve heard the name, but it’s not normal for a new member of the crew to be put in charge of a prized asset.
“Oh, I’ve heard about you,” one says. “And your Dad.” Sitting back, he clasps his hands together on his barrel chest. “Pavel.” He nods to the men at the table. “Rico. Snake.”
I give them a curt nod, taking in everything I can without looking too eager.
Pavel’s the alpha of this little pack, calm and solid. Snake has the twitchy energy of someone who enjoys violence a little too much. He’s not here for the money but for the chaos. Rico, who watches quietly, cards forgotten, eyes sharp, falls somewhere in between.
“So why you?” Snake asks, narrowing his eyes. He turns to Igor, his tone getting pissy as he realises this is essentially a demotion for him. “Why him?”
Igor stares at the young man, who turns in his seat, looking for support from his friends.
“You think you’re impressing Kozlov with this,” Igor says, gesturing to the table full of cards and booze. As Snake stands, brows drawn down and anger etched into every line of his thin face, Igor doesn’t react. In fact, he sighs, clearly used to his attitude and tired of dealing with it.
“Sit down, Snake,” Pavel says, throwing his cards down onto the table and stacking up his money. “It’s just till Saturday.”
Snake doesn’t sit, but he does take a swig from his beer bottle before angrily snatching up his phone and sliding it into his back pocket. “I’m not taking orders from a newbie.”
“Fine. Then you’ll take orders from me,” Igor snaps. “Anyone has a problem with that, take it up with Kozlov.”
Snake’s eyes narrow, but he drops back into his chair with a shrug that promises this isn’t over.
“Piotr says he wants to work the blue wing,” Snake offers, a knowing smirk playing at his lips. “I’ll swap with him.”
Absolutely no fucking way. Piotr is not getting anywhere near my mate.
“Piotr can say whatever he wants.” I hold Snake’s gaze until he looks away. “But Kozlov gave me this job, and if Piotr has a problem with that, he can take it up with me directly.”
The room goes quiet. Now they know I’m deathly serious.
Good.
Let them think whatever they want if that fear keeps them away from Emma.
