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Once her breathing evens out, I slip from under the covers and pull my clothes back on. The sun has completely gone down, and the only light from outside the windows comes from the tall buildings surrounding the hotel. We’re not far from the beach, and I’ll have to take Delaney before leaving tomorrow.
One night is long enough to stay in a city I’m not supposed to be in. I’ve never gone against Gavril’s direct orders, but he betrayed me the moment he promised Delaney to Ivan, so I don’t give a fuck. I tuck the handgun in my jeans’ waistband even though I know it will be taken as soon as I walk into Bratva territory. I’ve haven’t given the Miami brotherhood any warning about my arrival. I couldn’t chance someone tracing my calls. I’m going in entirely empty-handed. No one knows where we are, and if things go south tonight, I’d be shit out of luck.
Gavril would use me as a perfect example of what happens when people don’t follow his orders. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take to free Delaney. I take the elevator down to the lobby and walk out the front door. The streets are busy with tourists walking from bar to bar. I take a right and follow the sidewalk. I picked this hotel because it’s close to the Miami brotherhoods meeting location. They had a meeting scheduled an hour ago in the basement of one of their dry cleaning operations. I’m hoping to catch the end of it. Being in charge of security and intelligence pays off sometimes. The foot traffic slows when I turn another corner. There aren’t any bars on this stretch of road, just a few small food joints and the dry cleaning business.
I cross an empty piece of land to the back alleyway of the dry cleaning business. There’s a man standing at the back door. He’s dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a button-down shirt. I don’t recognize him, so he must be a Six, an associate who does the dirty work before he can move up in rank.
“Are you lost?” he asks me as I approach.
“No, at all. I need to see Romen.” I shove my hands in my pockets and stop a few feet in front of the guy. We’re about the same size, but he’s a few years older than me. He looks me over, taking in my jeans and t-shirt. I pull the collar of my shirt down enough so he can see the stars that decorate my chest. “Boston brotherhood.”
The man’s eyebrows fume together, and he takes a step towards me. “You got a lot of nerve coming here.”
His hand moves to his waistband, but I’m faster. I snatch my pistol from the holster and crowd the man’s space. I keep the gun leveled directly with his forehead as I fist his shirt with my other hand. I was hoping it wouldn’t be this difficult to meet with the Miami Pakhan, but it’s obvious they’re out for blood. Ivan really fucked over the entire Boston Brotherhood this time. The man’s face turns red with rage.
“You’re a dead motherfucker.”
“Yeah, yeah. Call for your Pakhan. I know he’s inside.”
He looks like he wants to take a swing at me, but that would be stupid. He’s not in any power position, and I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on this low ranking Bratva member.
“Hey Romen!” he calls. “Can you get out here?”
The meeting must be taking place right on the other side of the door because it’s not long before twenty men come pouring out of the laundry mat with guns drawn. No one makes a move as the last man walks outside: Romen, Pakhan of the Miami brotherhood. A long scar runs down the side of his face, and from what I’ve heard, his journey to the position of Pakhan was not easy.
“You have some nerve, no?”
I release my hold on the Six and tuck my gun back into the holster. “I just came to talk.”
“Why would I want to talk with someone from the Boston Brotherhood when I could just kill you?” Romen spits. His Russian accent is thick.
“Because I have something you want.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“Ivan.”
He glares at me but doesn’t say anything. He looks to the Six in front of me.
“Take his weapon.”
Fuck. I put my hands up as the man yanks my pistol out of the hoister.
“Now we can talk.”
*****
“What time do we have to leave?” Delaney asks as we walk back to the spot where we’ve set out two beach towels.
“We have a couple of hours,” I say, reaching down to grab my phone out of my pants that lay forgotten in the sand. As soon as Delaney woke up, she was adamant about going to the beach before we left. I didn’t tell her where I went last night, but I have a feeling that she knows I left.
She hasn’t asked me what I’ve come down here to do, so I’m sure she noticed my absence last night. Maybe my talk with her yesterday paid off. With the life we live, it’s always better if women don’t ask questions. My phone vibrates, and Mikhail’s name flashes across the screen.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, turning away from her to walk a few feet away.
“Hello?” I answer once I’m out of earshot.
“What time are you getting back?” Mikhail asks.
“We’ll be back by six.”
“So do I need to feed that demon cat again? I’m leaving your place now.”
I chuckle. “No, she should be fine until we get there.”
“Where the hell are you anyway?”
I look around at the crowded beach. Surfers paddle out to the waves. A hot dog stand is close by with a line of ten or so people. I shouldn’t tell anyone where we are, considering I’m not supposed to be here, but I trust Mikhail. I trust he’ll keep his mouth shut unless Gavril asks him directly, then he’ll be obligated to tell. That won’t happen. Gavril doesn’t even know I’m gone.
“Miami.”
A beat of silence passes. “You’re joking.”
“Nope.”
“Gavril will have your balls if he knows you’re in Miami territory with all the shit that’s going on right now.”
“That’s why he won’t find out.”
Mikhail lets out a frustrated breath. “Why the fuck would you go to Miami?”
“I can’t tell you that.” I look over at Delaney in her bright pink bikini. She’s lying on her back with one arm shielding her eyes from the sun. Her flat stomach moves up and down with each breath she takes. That long black hair is covered with bits of sand, and I smile when I think about how frustrated she’s going to be when she has to get that shit out.
“Your death sentence, man.” He hangs up, and I make my way back over to our towels. Delaney removes her arm from her eyes as I approach. She sits up, and I sit behind her spreading my legs so she can lean her back against my chest. Her skin is warm against mine, and she smells like saltwater and strawberries. I wrap my arms around her waist to keep her close to me.
“You think I can get tan in two hours?” she asks.
I chuckle. “You can try, but if anyone asks...”
“I know, I know, this never happened.”
I land a kiss on the top of her head.
“I feel like I’ve known you my whole life, but I still don’t know that much about you?” she says.
“What do you want to know?”
She thinks about it for a moment, and I wait patiently for her response. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Black.”
She shakes her head. “Doesn’t count black isn’t a color.”
“Fine then, red.”
“What’s your favorite movie?” she asks.
“It’s been a long time since I watched a movie.”
“You’re bad at this, ya know?”
I laugh.
“How many women have you been with?”
The question stops my laugh dead in its tracks. “It doesn’t matter.”
For how confident and self-assured Delaney seems to be on the surface, I see her insecurity. She’s good at keeping it hidden from other people, but she craves validation.
“So a lot?”
I let out a sigh and shift so that I can look at her. As soon as I do, she averts her eyes to the sand.
“None of those women matter to me. No one compares to you, and I don’t want you to think about it.”
My words are true. I don’t care about any women that came before Delaney. They are the last thing on my mind when I’m with her. She sinks back against my chest.
“Okay.”
I hold her tight against me as we watch the kids in front of us play in the sand. One is building a sandcastle while another one keeps running back and forth from the water. The breeze lifts Delaney’s hair, and I hold back my laugh as pieces of sand blow with it.
“We didn’t use a condom last night,” she says quietly.
“I know.”
She turns around to look at me in shock. “Why?”
“I told you that you’re mine.”
“Alek-”
“What?”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing, Bunny.” It was stupid for me not to use a condom last night, especially when she’d made it perfectly clear she doesn’t want kids. I got caught up in the moment, but I have to admit the thought of having a claim on her is appealing. I’m guessing that wouldn’t go over well if Ivan found out his fiance was pregnant with my child. Then what choice would there be except for me to marry her? Her face is filled with a mix of shock and hurt.
“We’ll get you the plan B after we leave here.”
“And what if that doesn’t work?”
I kiss her forehead. “Then we’ll figure it out.”