Damn. Sure is, nearly five hundred grand to be exact to an offshore account.
His response takes a minute, but it confirms exactly what I thought. Andrei was the one that purchased Dani—aka Jess—from Anthony, but Andrei never received his purchase because we rescued them all before that could happen. So not only is Andrei the fucker that purchased her, he’s also the one that’s been infiltrating his men into these trafficking rings and calling the shots.
I pocket my phone and take out the knife on my hip, coming around to stand behind Derek.
Clapping a hand on his shoulder, I lean down and whisper, “I said I’d protect you from him, but I never promised to protect you from myself.”
Dragging my knife through his flesh, I slit his throat ear to ear. His blood sprays and it’s the sweetest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. His gurgles are music to my fucking ears, but it’s short-lived as he quickly bleeds out.
“That’s what you get for hurting Dani andthinkingyou could take what’s mine.”
Eighteen
Andrei
One week later
“WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?” I pound my fist on the dining room table, my patience running thin.
Vivian and Marco both jump at my outburst, each on either side of me. Vivian is wearing the tight red dress I purchased for her after a night of pleasing the newest members of my crew. She has bruises on her arms, but her face is flawless. I stopped fucking the bitch awhile ago despite how much she begs to please me. She thinks fucking my men will make me jealous? Fuck that cunt.
My current problem is that Derek has been missing for too long. He was supposed to bring me the woman last week. I was surprised that the woman he’s been pining over was my missing purchase from Anthony Romani, and somehow she’s escaped my grasp—again. But soon she’ll be mine, that I have no doubt.
My men called me when they found where she lived and the last known location of Derek, but they never returned. Some fucker is taking my men out and I’m dying to get my hands on whoever it is.
Vivian reaches over and places her hand on my arm. “My love, calm?—”
Whack.
“Keep yourshlyukhamouth shut. I don’t want to hear your pitiful sentiments right now.” (Whore.)
Vivian holds her cheek, eyes cast downward, and stays quiet.
“Chert voz’mi. This cunt is proving to be more problematic than I would like. When she gets here, Vivian, you’re going to teach her exactly what it takes to be my mistress.” (Fucking hell.)
“Yes, Sir.”
“Marco, what’s the latest update?” I ask, cutting my steak. I focus on my food while I wait for Marco to give me a report. When he doesn’t say anything, I rest my hands on the table and peer over at him.
“What is it, Marco? Out with it.”
“S-sir, we traced Derek’s steps back to Club LAX. The men that were with him that night said the woman was there with a few other people.”
“Well, who are they and how do they know her? This better be relevant information, Marco.”
“Our contacts with the police department were able to pull their security footage from a fight that occurred last week. They may have took liberties and pulled further back from the night Derek was there.”
“OK, I’m listening. Continue,” I say as I eat my steak.
“We ran the footage through our facial recognition software and found some things that may be of interest to you.”
“Chert voz’mi, Marco,” I all but growl, my face heating in aggravation. “Out with it already. I don’t need you to build up the fucking story to keep me on the edge of my seat. Just fucking say what you need to say, god dammit.”
“Y-yes, Sir. There was a confrontation outside the club involving Derek, the girl, and her friends. But what’s really interesting is the company she keeps.”
Marco pauses, and I cut him with a sharp look. He startles and grabs something from his pocket before passing it to me. I study the photograph. The security footage image is slightly grainy, but the faces are clear as day.
“The two men in this photo from the recording are Jaxon and Kayden Stonewell. You may be familiar with their names, as the Stonewells are some of the richest men in the state. Jaxon is a finance mogul and a prevalent name in the industry. The other woman is Melody Stonewell, Jaxon’s wife.”
