“I’ve got my eyes on her,” I said.
“Yes, sir. It’s not about where she is now, it’s where she’s going tonight.”
My ears immediately perked up.
“Boss, we got into her phone,” he explained. “Little Miss Lebedev’s going out tonight to Club Enigma, with her sister Elena and those other two—Kate and Autumn.”
“How very interesting.” I felt my lips curve into a thin smile. “A family day out for the ladies. And where is Alisa?”
I knew I shouldn’t have cared, but it still stung not to have what I was promised.
“Still on her honeymoon with Dante. Maldives, last we tracked.”
“At least someone’s having a good time,” I muttered, remembering how Dante took over my power at the prosecutor’s office after taking my woman. “Get me a table at Enigma tonight. Call the manager, tell him Arko Pavlov’s asking, and he’ll make sure I get a corner booth. Get me one in the shadows.”
“As you say, boss.”
I hung up, started the engine, and pulled away from the curb. Let the Lebedevs think they had me crushed already, neverto be thought of again. Tonight, I’d show them that I wasn’t a man to be underestimated.
***
“Drop me off at the back,” I told my driver when I noticed the lines at the front of the club. Even skipping past those people and walking up to the bouncers in the front felt like a task I didn’t need to undertake.
“Of course, boss,” my driver nodded as he took the turn into the alley that would lead us to the back of the club. “And should I wait right here?”
“Yeah. Wait up at the back. And you called the safehouse?”
“Yes, boss,” my driver nodded as he came to a stop. “The papers are ready, and your men are working on setting the plan for tonight in motion. Once contact is made, you’ll have twenty minutes before they act.”
“Perfect.” I waved him off when he made a move to exit the car and stepped out myself. He rolled down his window for any last instructions.
“Stay right here. Stick to the plan. Things don’t always go as we expect.”
“I know the drill, boss.”
“Of course you do.” I gave a single nod before heading to the doors. I trusted my men, but there were variables I couldn’t predict tonight. Everything depended on how well Beatrice’s bouncers did their jobs, and for my sake, I prayed their brains were as small as their bodies big.
When security saw me, they instantly opened the door for me, letting me pass.
One of them walked with me, step by step. “Your table is ready, Mr. Pavlov. Quite in the shadows, space for just one. We understand you want no company tonight.”
“Yes, just need to clear my head,” I lied smoothly, sliding a hundred-dollar bill into his hand before taking my spot in the corner booth.
The nightclub was pumping, hundreds of bodies crowded everywhere, people dancing and weaving through the tight space, intent on having the time of their lives. Which meant the crowd was basically drunk and unfiltered, making it easier to blend in.
The lights flashed to disorient, to make people forget time, forget themselves. Any other night, I would have used a night like this to let loose, but tonight, I had to stay as sharp as I could. When the waitress came by, I ordered myself a sparkling water and lime.
Beatrice, her sister Elena, and their sisters-in-law, Kate and Autumn, weren’t here yet. My table was dark, secluded, and with a perfect view of both the main entrance and the VIP area where the Lebedev women would undoubtedly be seated.
A few single women walked by my table as time passed. Some batted their eyelashes. Some gave me a look over their shoulders. I ignored them all. I hadn’t come here to fuck some random club girl desperate for some cheap fun.
I settled in to wait and kept my eyes fixed on the door. The Lebedevs had always been a thorn in my side. They were old Russian money, old Russian blood, mingled with Italian connections through the Vadim family. It was simply too much power concentrated in too few hands.
Our Bratva had been at odds with them for generations over territory disputes, business conflicts, and the occasional blood feud. But we’d maintained a certain… equilibrium.
Until Marc Montes fucked it all up. The man had been useful until he wasn’t. A prosecutor on my payroll meant cases disappearing, evidence going missing, and witnesses suddenly developing amnesia. He’d been good at his job until the Lebedevs got involved.
And now Dante had the Montes girl, and in the process, made me look weak.
