Just as I suspected. “Why am I hearing rumors that you’re meeting with her in Montenegro?”
Two heartbeats passed before he flung out a string of curses. “I’m going to kill that motherfucker when I get my hands on him.”
“Care to elaborate?” I demanded.
“My father’s in Montenegro.” Clearly he wasn’t happy. “Don’t worry, that meeting won’t happen, because I’m going to murder them both.”
I considered his words for a second before saying, “This could be our chance to set Sofia up.”
“Are you saying let it happen?” Winston chimed in just as Danil’s phone sounded, signaling a sent message.
“Yes.”
“I don’t know if I can let it happen. My father’s dabbled in human trafficking in the past, and I’m certain it’s the reason behind this meeting. I can’t have that connected to the Popov family name.”
Fuck!
“How long has he been involved?” I asked, debating whether it’d be wise to fly to Montenegro and try to corner Sofia myself.
“I’m not sure. I’ve only learned about it in the recent years,” Danil admitted. “It’s the reason I had him removed. He was doing it behind everyone’s back.”
Just as I ended the call, my phone buzzed again and I glanced at the screen.
Alexei: You in?
A reflection of golden locks caught the corner of my eye and my decision was made.
The next day, with Liana by my side, we were parked on the outskirts of Budva Riviera in a black van. A large oak tree and the night’s crescent moon provided us with decent cover.
Alexei’s intel was that Danil’s father and Sofia were meeting here—a state-of-the-art warehouse with a soundproof basement, according to blueprints we managed to get our hands on. Whoever our source was, they didn’t want to be found.
Danil claimed he’d never heard of the building and insisted that his father wasn’t en route to Montenegro. In terms of Sofia, we hadn’t gleaned any additional information on her whereabouts, so it was possible she was already here.
“Why would Mother be in Montenegro?” Liana questioned, her eyes darting to Alexei, who sat sandwiched by two of his men. Clad in all black—jeans, T-shirt, and combat boots—she was in her element and ready to fight. “Are you sure your intel isn’t fucked up?”
Alexei’s expression remained unchanged. “I’m sure.”
“But I’ve never heard any talk of—”
“I. Am. Fucking. Sure.”
She glowered at him. “Don’t get all pissy with me. I’m just telling you, Mother stayed away from the Balkans.”
“Well, she’s not staying away anymore,” he snapped.
Her pretty features twisted into a scowl, but I had to agree with Alexei here. Was Liana the best judge of character when you took into consideration her relationship with her mother as well as her overt lapses in memory?
“Jesus, iceman. Relax.” Folding her arms over her chest, she inadvertently pushed up her breasts, drawing my eyes to them. “I need a weapon,” she declared.
Fuck, this was so fun to watch. I wouldn’t mind some popcorn to go along with it.
“Over my dead body,” Alexei retorted.
She shot him a scowl. “I’ll be happy to arrange that.”
I ran a hand through my hair, pulling on the ends. I was starting to question my decision to bring her along. She was a bit too eager to draw blood. None of this seemed to worry her. The woman was reckless.
Alexei’s gaze flicked up, catching Liana’s, heavy and emotionless, as if he were looking straight through her.
“You can try to die in the process.”
Her features turned sour. “Listen, you might have been the shit twenty years ago, but now you’re just an old man.” Her eyes slid down his body, and jealousy raced through me. I didn’t like her looking at another man, even though this one was madly in love with my sister. “Is that the beginning of a beer belly I see?” My lips twitched, glad to hear she found him lacking. “Besides, I don’t see a single surveillance camera on this building,” she pointed out. I’d noticed that too—a clear red flag. “I can see it on Kingston’s face, he agrees.”
She was really egging him on now.
He grunted. “I’m going to shut you up before we go anywhere.”
My nostrils flared at his tone despite the fact that it wasn’t exactly unwarranted. Alexei must have noticed it, because surprise flickered in his gaze.
His phone vibrated. “Okay, time to move.”
I pulled out my spare handgun, handing it to her. “Don’t shoot one of us by accident.”
She smiled sweetly as she took it in her expert hands. “I’ll try to exercise restraint.”
“Jesus Christ,” Alexei muttered under his breath, reaching for the door and shaking his head in disapproval. He exited first, then his men, followed by Liana and myself.
I grabbed her forearm, the softness of her skin suddenly making me forget why I stopped her in the first place.
“What?” she hissed, glaring at me.
“Stay close.”
She rolled her eyes. “I work better alone.”
I was certain she was doing this on purpose, just to drive me crazy.
“Liana,” I growled. “Promise me.”
“Fine. I promise. Happy?”
An instant later, our feet pounded against the pavement. Gloomy silence hung heavily around us. We stopped behind a big metal door, and I motioned to the hidden camera.
We checked our weapons, Alexei’s already aimed at the only window in the warehouse.
“Why are you so stiff?” Liana’s question cut off my focus. “It’s like you’ve got something jammed up your ass.”
“Why are you looking at my ass?”
Alexei flicked his eyes up to the sky in a silent prayer.
“Something’s off.” Liana tilted her head to the warehouse’s industrial doors. “Nobody’s around.”
“Tell us something we don’t already see,” Alexei grumbled. I’d never seen anyone get to Alexei like this. It’d be entertaining if our lives weren’t on the line here.
“Maybe they were tipped off,” I said, looking around for anything amiss. “Danil didn’t want whatever his father’s deal with Sofia was to stain their family name.”
A heavy silence fell over us, and I sensed when Liana stiffened. “What is it?”
Her delicate brows furrowed. “I… I think I heard someone cry out.”
Alexei cocked a brow. “Are you sure?”
She held her breath, pressing her back against the building. “There it is again,” she said hurriedly, her eyes darting between us. “You guys should have your hearing checked.”
Alexei rolled his eyes.
“Okay, let’s head in,” Liana announced in a clear voice. “I’m tired of you babies slowing me down.”
“Dumb ways to die,” I muttered.
Alexei shot us both a glare that said he’d love to make us hurt.
Man, this expedition was so much fucking fun. Even if it failed and Sofia Volkov walked out alive, I didn’t think I’d be forgetting it anytime soon.
Chapter 45Liana
Alexei Nikolaev was a killer.
I recognized one when I saw one. After all, I grew up surrounded by them. His tattoos screamed Don’t fuck with me, but I was inclined to poke the bear. Maybe I’d developed suicidal tendencies somewhere along the way.
In his black uniform that hugged his muscles, you could say he was beautiful in a lethal kind of way. But one look into his eyes and game-fucking-over. Those were Medusa eyes that could freeze your heart and soul.
And it was exactly that which made me recoil.
I recognized the brokenness and darkness that stared back at me. I saw the same in Kingston’s eyes. And every time I looked at my reflection. I refused to back down, watching my own nightmares play in that pale blue gaze of his.
“Okay, you two,” Kingston interrupted. “Stop this bickering and get moving.” I huffed and Kingston stepped forward, unapologetically invading my space. “Are we going to have a problem, Liana?”