Every man in the room is standing when I enter and take my chair at the head of the table. I sit and the others do the same, except for two of Volchya’s top enforcers, now my personal guards, standing on either side of me.
Lev sits to my right as council and Alexei to my left. Down the line comes the other brigadiers. Misha, who’s been promoted to take over my crew. Across from him is Viktor, one of Yuri’s men whose loyalty was to Volchya and not my father. Then comes Petrov, promoted to take over for Dimitri. Pasha sits at the far end of the table, quiet and nervous.
He doesn’t need to be nervous. I’ve never had an issue with the accountant, but the main reason I’m keeping him is because he knows exactly where my father hid and laundered his money.
I turn to Lev, “Tell me about Sergei.”
Lev shrugs. “Not much to explain. Sergei’s smart. He understood his time was up the moment he heard aboutGrigori’s sudden disappearance. He took the payoff and is packing a bag right now for Marbella. He’ll enjoy his money in Spain; they won’t ask questions there. We won’t hear from him again.”
“Yuri?” I look over at Alexei who I’d left in charge of handling him.
“Yuri’s pissed no one trusted him.”
I grit my teeth. “Let him stay pissed. Where is he?”
“He’s gone.”
“How do you know?”
“I sent men to make sure he left the city. He won’t return, he has too much family here. He knows their safety can’t be guaranteed if he defies orders.”
“Good.”
I reach for the Vodka, but gesture to Pasha before opening it. “Dimitri’s widow?”
Pasha blinks as if he’d forgotten where he was. “Oh right. Maria is provided for. I paid her from theObshchak. She won’t have to worry about money again.”
I nod and so do the others. I open the bottle, pour a shot and pass it around. Glasses fill around the table and then we stand, paying tribute.
“Dimitri.”
In one shot we down our Vodka and just like that, Volchya moves on. I don’t waste another minute. “Petrov. Vostrik and Novy Kamen are yours. We’re taking them back. Do whatever you need to make that message clear to anyone, any business that’s confused about who makes the rules.”
Petrov’s lips curl into a half smile. “Consider it done, Pakhan.”
“The message from this morning,” Viktor begins. “What if the Albanians decide to make trouble?”
“They won’t. They didn’t have enough time to expand orrecruit. They don’t have the numbers for a war. They never will, as long as I’m around.”
Misha grins. “Wish I could see the look on this bastard Luan’s face when he gets your message. Must be gold.”
“Yeah?” I ask, raising a brow. “I’m glad you volunteered. Send a couple of your men to keep an eye on the Albanians. I’m expecting Luan and his associates to have a hard time accepting this message. Make it easier for them to understand.”
Misha nods, understanding the assignment. I glance around the room; fully aware they expect to be dismissed soon. I lift my hand and point toward the door. Nala is out in the hall waiting with one of her potential bodyguards. I still need to vet a few more candidates to make sure she has the best.
No one moves except for Maksim, the enforcer to my right. The others know better than to leave without me giving them the clear. The door opens and I’m standing before she fully steps into the room. Maksim steps aside as I cross the room to meet her, placing my hand at her back. I guide her toward my chair, stopping beside it to keep her behind my shoulder.
I know she’s nervous with everyone staring at her. Still, she follows the rules, standing quietly, eyes lowered, her attention on me alone. Definitely not the men watching her.
“This is Nala,” I tell them, loud and clear. “She’s under my personal protection.”
I sit. She stays standing at my side, showing her obedience. There will never be an excuse now that no one knew who she belonged to. I keep my focus around the table, making sure everyone understands. Viktor’s gaze lingers a second too long, sweeping over Nala’s body. He corrects himself quickly, eyes dropping to the empty Vodka glass in front of him.
“Make sure your people understand who she is.” I lean forward, forearms on the table. “That she’s not available, willneverbe available.”
Silence greets my announcement. As I expected. I tap a finger against the table, calling out, “Meetings over.”
Afterward Nala and I head back to the penthouse. I lead her inside and notice she’s still moving slower and carefully. It’s not obvious, but I notice it because I know it’s from earlier. The memory hits me, Nala pressed against the shower tiles, water streaming over us while I fucked her like an animal and even with all the whimpering and gasping, she never once told me to stop, just kept taking my cock.
