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With more obstacles in this world than River has ever known.
He’s just one more obstacle that I will overcome.
I can’t fucking wait.
CHAPTER 17
Anya
When we pull up, I see five men all smoking and leaning against their cars. River gets out of the car first and walks around to open my door. When I get out, his hand slides to my lower back as he leads me toward the group of men. I grit my teeth at his possessiveness but allow it.
My security dropped off tailing us about ten minutes ago, at least that’s what they’ve made River believe. They’ll be far enough away to go undetected, but both are extremely talented with a sniper rifle.
I make sure not to step in any of the puddles from the rainfall that evidently happened before we arrived.
All the men turn to me, but Igor speaks first.
“Hello,” he says to River in a very thick Russian accent, but he keeps his gaze on me.
“This is Anya Ivanov,” River says, introducing me.
“Russian?” the man says to me. “Privet.” He nods.
“Privet.” I greet him back. He goes to say something else, but River cuts him off.
“English, if you both wouldn’t mind,” River commands.
Igor looks at me and nods before he says to River, “Of course. I wasn’t aware that we would have guests.” And I’ve been around enough pissing contests to know that I’m not welcome simply because I’m a woman.
“I wasn’t aware this was your meeting to dictate who comes and goes. Do you want the guns or not?” River replies as he lights a cigarette, and I do all that I can not to sneer at it. Disgusting.
Igor considers this, but there’s really nothing to contemplate. A man like him wouldn’t have flown all this way, with a security team of four men, if he didn’t want this business. “You know I like what I’ve seen.”
“Forty million for the lot.” River smiles at him, but it’s not a friendly smile. If he even has one of those. It’s more of, who the fuck do you think you’re talking to.
“Hmm.” Igor muses while he takes a puff of his cigarette. His gaze slides to me again as he gives me a once-over. “You aren’t related to Aleksandr Ivanov by any chance?” he asks me, ignoring River for the moment.
“My brother,” I confirm. He nods and smiles. His men whisper something.
“Not just a pretty face, then,” Igor remarks. River’s hand presses into my back, and I know it’s a warning to “be good.” My gaze hits his, and his autumn eyes are screaming exactly that. Why do I give a fuck if he loses forty million? Or perhaps it’s a reminder that Igor might be fishing, looking for a bargain or weakness within River to favor this deal.
Igor continues. “Your brother was back home not long ago, looking for a girl.” I go to step forward, but River takes hold of my arm. It’s on reflex. It’s the first amount of valuable news I’ve heard since the day Alek went missing.
A girl?
My brother?
Impossible.
“How do you know it was him?” I ask Igor. He looks back at his men and says something in Russian. I can’t pick it all up, but I got the part about him wearing gloves.
“Strong man, wears gloves, and hates to be touched,” Igor says.
“When?” I demand.
“Two weeks ago,” Igor replies casually, smiling to reveal a gold-plated tooth.
“Who was the girl?” Because that’s the most unlikely part of this entire story.
