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I didn’t see a point in chasing after any loveless marriage, and that wasn’t what I envisioned for us. I wanted to be more, to know that she would always be by my side, no matter what. I couldn’t ask her to dive into my world, but to have her loyalty and trust, that would mean the world to me. That was why I took her in the first place.
Rolling up to Erasmo’s mansion was the swift end of my daydreams, and I urged myself to stay on track. While I was at work, I had to stay focused. I couldn’t lose myself in my personal life—that was when things became dangerous and complicated.
I pulled up to the front and found the boss standing outside with a coffee in his hand while he inspected the flowers that hung over the porch. He glanced over at me as I got out, yet he returned his attention to the roses in front of him.
“You asked to see me, sir?” I asked, adjusting my tie to make sure it wasn’t lopsided.
Erasmo hummed. “Yes, I did. That Levov girl you grabbed, she’s still at your place, yes?”
Afraid of what he would request of me, a rush of panic moved through my system, but I silently told myself to hold it together. To not let him see it. “Yes, Anastasia Levov is still in my possession. Not without a fight, of course.”
That seemed to amuse him as he chuckled and nodded. “Good. I have a job for you regarding the Levovs. I need you to take over surveillance long enough to gather intel for any future needs. Their kingpin should be meeting with some associates at one of their clubs. I’ll have the details sent to you.”
“Of course. I’ll head there now,” I said, quick to obedience.
“Keep your distance until they’re secured inside, then continue the trail in the club. Blend in, and don’t make any connections to the Capris name. Understood?”
“Understood. I’ll report back with my findings.”
With a final nod, Erasmo waved me off and returned to his flower inspection.
Not waiting to be told twice, I returned to the car and drove off. Not long after, coordinates popped up on my GPS, and I got right to it.
I let go of a breath, glad that Erasmo didn’t dig any deeper into the topic of Anastasia or the progression of the kidnapping. I didn’t know how to tell him I eloped with her, given that she was his one bargaining chip in the game against the Levovs.
He would surely find out eventually, but for now, I wanted him to assume nothing was out of the ordinary.
I already knew I was playing with fire by capturing a Levov—I didn’t need to worsen my odds of survival by going against my boss.
***
While having the freedom to roam on a surveillance job beat standing outside of a restaurant for hours, sitting in the car was almost just as bad. It was painstaking and monotonous, but I had to focus.
The club was busier than I expected, given that it was the middle of the day on a Monday, but it seemed the Levovs had their regulars regardless.
Hidden in a row of parked cars on the street, I kept my eyes peeled for anyone of importance. Coming or going, I needed to keep track of it all.
But since nothing of interest had popped up, I found myself thinking more about the precarious situation I was in.
I had no doubt they would bring nothing short of hellfire onto me if they even caught a whisper of my name concerning Anastasia. Whatever force necessary. There was no mistaking that.
But an idea struck me. It was still a death wish, yet it beat sitting around and waiting for them to strike.
Nothing was stopping me from reaching out to the Levovs first. If I did, explaining what happened and our history, then maybe they’d go easier on me and Anastasia. If I could bridge a connection, then there was a chance I could avoid a full-on war.
But to accomplish that, I would still need Anastasia’s loyalty. I would be depending on her not selling me out and hoping for a way out.
If I kept her happy and offered her the chance to speak to her family again, then there was a chance I could convince her to stay with me. That there was a connection between us worth keeping.
Yet, if I did manage to bridge that gap, I still had to consider Erasmo’s intentions of bringing the Levovs down. He wouldn’t like me siding with them, and I was certain the Levovs wouldn’t take too kindly to the fact that I was working with their active enemy.
Calling it a dangerous situation was an understatement, and there were far too many moving parts for me to keep up with.
That pressure weighed heavily on my shoulders, but I knew that shielding Anastasia was the most important part. Regardless of what side I was on, she was the one I wanted.
My train of thought dissolved the second I spotted Andrei as he climbed out of a tinted SUV and straightened his shirt before heading inside with several men behind him. They chatted as they went, and I could only imagine they were the associates Erasmo had mentioned.
If not, then surely more would be showing up soon. Before I got too trigger-happy and barged inside, I sat back and waited for others to roll up.
