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The way my brothers eye me makes it clear they know exactly what I’m thinking. My suspicion is confirmed when Leo clears his throat and says, “About that. I have information about the girl. Georgia.”
My head snaps up from my computer screen. “That was quick.”
“My hackers worked through the night.” He takes his phone out of his pocket and pulls up the report. “Her full name is Georgia Doukas. She was born and raised in Brighton Beach, just her and her father, Maurice Doukas. Her mother died of cancer when she was four. Her father runs a small restaurant four blocks up from the beach. It was a popular local spot for a long-time, before the neighborhood turned.” My upper lip curls in disdain. Two years ago my father lost his hold on the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn, and it became Antonov territory. Oleg is the reason that the drugs and street thugs moved in. He takes the protection money that local businesses are forced to pay him, rather than keep his streets clean. “Since then, their business has struggled,” Leo continues. “Georgia was studying visual art at Brooklyn College, but dropped out of school to help her father at the restaurant.”
A bitter taste fills my mouth. Losing her mother, and then having to sacrifice her future for the family business, is no easy pill to swallow. I should know. I’ve experienced some of the same disappointments.
“The Antonovs were regulars at the restaurant. They’d take meetings there, swing by for an espresso, dinner. Maurice knew they were bratva, but he tolerated them. What else could he do? When things got bad, Oleg offered Maurice a loan. Seems Maurice put off accepting as long as he could, but about three months ago, with the creditors banging down the door, he finally accepted.”
I drum my fingers across the desk. “I know where this story is going.”
“You do.” Leo shakes his head in disgust. “Dad got behind on his payments, and that’s when Oleg’s guys paid him a not so friendly visit. They gave him a couple of warnings, one of which resulted in a broken leg. Finally, Antonov’s goons hung him out a window. And that’s when Georgia stepped in. She made a deal with Oleg to work for him as a maid for the next two years. In exchange, Oleg forgave the loan and allowed her father to live.”
“A raw deal, if you ask me.” My blood pumps hard and fast. The desire to pummel Oleg’s face thrums through my veins. He didn’t take Georgia to work as a maid. He wanted her for very different reasons. Oleg’s dark appetite for young, vulnerable women is no secret—he had twisted plans for Georgia that had nothing to do with her dusting and polishing. I’m no saint, but I don’t believe in forcing women to spread their legs for me—they’ll come willingly or not at all.
Daniil’s brows knit together, betraying his doubt. “So her story checks out. She is who she says she is. That doesn’t mean we can trust her.”
If it were anyone else, I might agree that she’s a liability, a loose end that knows too much. Just the fact that I’ve used Kira’s name around her could be a problem, but I saw for myself the hatred burning in her eyes, and I know in my gut she’s not loyal to him.
“She was willing to risk her life in order to escape Oleg. That’s all the assurance I need.” I don’t have to explain myself to anyone, but I need to be smart. I run a multi-million-dollar international empire. I can’t be thinking with my dick.
Leo leans forward propping his elbows on my desk. “She lived inside the Antonov compound, she must know things, you even said so yourself. It’s time that we question her… properly.”
My vision turns black. I don’t like the idea of torturing my little captive.
“Or,” I say, my brain churning with a new idea that doesn’t include whipping her feet with an electrical cable. “We use her as our insider. We send her back to work for Oleg.”
As soon as the words spill from my mouth, I question my sanity. Is sending her back to Oleg any better? Maybe not, but it’s smart business.
“Well, shit.” Daniil’s head snaps my way, his eyebrows raised as the pen in his hand clatters to the floor. “How does that work?”
My foot beats an anxious tempo beneath the desk. “Once he’s out of hiding, Oleg will expect his loyal staff to come back to him—Georgia included. No one knows we have her now. If we send her back, she could truly be our eyes and ears on the ground to help us find Kira.” I pause, holding eye contact with my brothers. “Oleg lusted after her—she can use that to her advantage to get close to him.”
My plan makes sense. It’s what any other pakhan would suggest; it's the best way to infiltrate Oleg’s empire, and find out where he’s hiding Kira. So why does my stomach sour at the thought of sending Georgia back into the viper’s nest?
Daniil shakes his head as a humorless laugh escapes from his lips. “You think that little wisp of a girl can play Oleg Antonov? He might be a nightmare, but he’s no dummy. He’ll know something is off when she offers to spread her legs for him.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Leo tilts his head in thought. “Oleg is a drunk who can’t think straight when it comes to pussy. She just needs to lead him on long enough to get him talking. Anyhow,” he adds with a heavy sigh, “Mama would have wanted us to find Kira… at all costs.”
I rise to my feet, pacing the room as I think through this plan in more detail. “Here are the ground rules. We don’t send her in until we’ve trained her as well as any other operative. She has to know how to protect herself with a gun, in hand to hand combat and in any other way necessary. If this plan fails, Oleg Antonov will exact his revenge on a young woman—and that responsibility will weigh on our heads.”
Daniil shakes his head. “You better be damn sure you can trust her.”
“I trust my instincts. That’s what matters.” I snatch my blazer off the back of my office chair, buttoning it up and slipping my phone into my pocket. “I’ll go talk to Georgia.”
My brothers exchange a look. “Now?” Daniil asks. “We have other matters to discuss. Yulian can talk to her.”
“She’ll argue with Yulian,” I point out. “She needs to know who is in charge, and that we’re not fucking around. I plan on setting her straight before she gets any more fantastic ideas about escaping.”
The truth is I need to see my little captive again.
The thought of tossing Georgia to the wolves—or to one big bad wolf in particular— causes my chest to tighten. But it’s the price of doing business in the underworld, and whether or not Georgia likes it, this is where she’s landed.
Chapter7
ANDREI
I spy her before she sees me. Georgia is in a red sundress, curled up in one of the oversized armchairs by the window, basking in the afternoon sunlight. She looks so peaceful and innocent, her nose buried in a book, as if she’s found a moment of respite in the storm. I hate to be the one to ruin it for her, but I will anyway.
