“You’re like fucking fire, Jane,” he said.
His lips went to her neck, and she cried out.This was dangerous and scary, but it felt so good.Jane was happy to be where she was in this very moment, with Alexey.She would die for him, that she knew for certain.He was everything to her.
Jane knew she was falling for Alexey, and it was the scariest feeling in the world.
****
Alexey stepped outof his car and glanced across the parking lot of the abandoned diner.They were out in the middle of nowhere.He and Vincent Morello.A meeting Vincent had called.
Alexey had been tempted to miss it, but Vincent wanted to call a truce.Vincent was not only leaking wealth, his allies were fleeing from him.He was only as powerful as his connections.
Alexey was more than happy to keep this war between them.The damaged casinos could be fixed.The women that had been killed were easily replaced.Nothing had been hit too hard.
“You’re a fool,” Vincent said.
Alexey laughed.“You don’t start negotiations by calling your enemy a fool.”
Vincent didn’t look too great.They had enjoyed many meetings over the years.He never liked the man opposite him and often felt like he was a fucking snake, waiting to strike.He fucking hated him.But taking out Morello was not the most ideal situation at the time.
“You called this meeting, Morello, I suggest you start talking.”
“I want the girl,” Vincent said.“The girl, and everything goes away.”
Alexey shook his head.“You want everything to go away.The girl lives, she stays with me, and you remove the price you have on her head.”
“Not going to happen.That bitch killed my son.”
Alexey smiled.“That bitch saved my fucking life.”
He saw Vincent’s hands clench into fists.
“I wonder if you have told the rest of your crew that you’re choosing a war your son started.I mean, Frank, was he really a good boy?Last I heard, your little clan was getting tired of all the bullshit and trouble he had breathing down his neck.”
Alexey watched Vincent, and it was then he realized that Frank was acting on his own once again.Vincent was treating this as an attack.
Alexey laughed.“They don’t know, do they?They don’t know that the girl you seek to kill helped them all.Killing Frank stopped them from killing me.It was an attack on the Baranov Bratva and nearly destroyed our very unstable alliance.”
“It was not her place.”
“But you didn’t give the order, and it was not Frank’s place to be there,” Alexey said.“There is only one way this will go, you back off and leave the girl alone.You keep coming, and you’re going to regret it.”
“I could just kill you now,” Vincent said, but his hands were still at his sides.
Alexey smiled and took one step in front of another, then another, until he was toe-to-toe with the man in front of him.
“Go ahead, do it.Do you think that will end well for you?If you kill me, you think my boys will let it go unpunished?I’m not my father, Morello.I’m no coward.You’ve got too much political bullshit to make that call.”
He stared at Morello, and he didn’t back away.
Alexey never thought it was going to happen, but he watched as Morello finally looked away.Vincent Morello was a coward.He was happy to play the big man when he thought he was the only big man around, but he was nothing.
Alexey stood his ground and watched as Vincent Morello went back to his car, climbed in, and then pulled away.
It was not a very promising meeting, and it pissed him off that Vincent had wasted his time.
Less than ten minutes later, Alexey caught sight of Makar’s car coming toward him.His friends arrived, and from the look on their faces, they were not happy.They looked pissed off, as they all climbed out of the car, including Nikolai.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”Igor asked.
