Nine hundred and fifty thousand dollars for two hundred kilograms of cocaine. There was one mob who’d do something that crazy: the fucking Italians. They’d done it for years and never bothered with the repercussions that followed. Cheap crooks who wouldn’t hesitate to sell low-quality shit at an affordable price just to keep the cows trooping in. And Bryd here was one of the fucking cows. When the cows ran into problems, they’d clean up, bury, and continue selling.We preferred to deal smarter. Smarter meant more quality. And more quality meant more price.I dropped my pen, sitting up with an annoyed glare. He had my full attention now, and for that, he was going to have to pay somehow if he wasted my fucking time.“So, Colombo’s offering you less, and you’re considering it. Only a fucking crook will sell that amount of coke at that price. And only an idiot will fall into that fucking trap. Listen here,Byrd. To help you, I’m going to do the math, and I’m not going to fucking repeat th
“He’s lying. That’s all I need to know.”Arlo frowned, leaning forward to sneak a peek at my phone. “He told you that?”“No. He said there was a mix-up somewhere. His figures match. Everything’s good from his end. He thinks I was born yesterday. Probably thought he could play smart, cover his tracks, and pretend like he didn’t fucking steal from me.”I chuckled, and a grimace formed on Arlo’s face.“I hate it when you fucking laugh,” he sighed. “I’m going to have to get another carpet again, aren’t I?”“Yeah. And I’ll need a new set of gloves.” Pointing at the wall with a finger, I grabbed another folder, opened it up, and pushed it toward him. “And fix up that paint, too, while you’re at it. Get Amir here now, however the fuck you want to do it. I don’t fucking care if you have to tie him up. Also, I need names, Arlo, and I need them now.”“Names of…?”“Debtors. Who’s fucking owing because today’s their day to pay up every single dime.”Randomly, he flipped through the pages of the d
SerenaThe rain had stopped falling about an hour ago, but the air was heavy with wet earth and ozone. Tiptoeing, I grabbed the window and closed the shutters. Droplets clung to the window, glistening like silver tears, but the smell of vanilla was more interesting than gazing at nature’s perfect view of pitch-dark starless skies.Alone and busy, I stood in the kitchen after what seemed like long-stretched minutes of deciding whether or not to bake Jay’s cake. It was his big 17th, and I wanted to make something special for him, something he’d really enjoy. And since I enjoyed baking, and he preferred eating, a cake was going to have to do. It was either that or a 75-inch Ultra flat screen and an Xbox.Nibbling on my lip, I tugged on the sleeve of my pajama shirt, staring at all the ingredients laid out on the counter: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla extract, baking powder, and milk. I put on my apron, tied my hair back, and took a deep breath, ready to get started.Before our fami
TimurI sat on the couch in the dainty living room, Arlo standing beside me and Kristian and Vasili by the door. Everything was more her than Oliver: the colors, textures, and smell. She owned the space, and her composure and confidence were the indicators.Placing the basketball cake on the center table, she took the seat opposite mine, crossing her legs with elegance and chewing her bottom lip with her nerves all over the place.Raising her head, she looked me in the eyes—a sparkling pair of blue eyes that reminded me of the reflection of clear skies on the vast ocean. She was not tall, but when she squared her shoulders in a feeble attempt to appear fierce, her height edged upwards.“You claim that you’re my father’s friends, and yet, I don’t even know your names.”I shouldn’t have been surprised that she wanted an introduction. She looked like the type, anyway.“Timur Yezhov. Not exactly pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Serena Skye, given the circumstances.”“Arlo.” Arlo ra
“This…this is outrageous!” Waving the paper midair, eyes zeroed in on me, glaring with instant anger. “My dad died last year, so you can’t get anything from him.”“We are well aware of that because he stopped paying last year.” Eagerly, Arlo gestured toward the contract. “Read the last line.”She did.And she jumped to her feet, red-hot with anger. She was trembling with tears, the prickly pines emerging from within as she got ready to defend her home and her brother with everything. “No.”I sat back, assessing her while she faced my underboss.“Technically, yes. Oliver signed that contract.”“And I don’t care! You…you guys can’t do this. It’s evil. How can his debt pass on to his male blood relative? It washisdebt, and we knew absolutely nothing about it. Jay doesn’t know a thing. Please, I’m begging you. He’s only seventeen. He’s still a child.”“Child, my fucking foot. I cut a man’s finger off at fifteen. Your brother’s already fucked a woman, and you wouldn’t even know.”Realizing
Serena“Who were those men?”That was the first thing Jay had asked five nights ago after the unannounced visit of the men in black.Quickly, I’d wiped the tears off my cheeks with the back of my hands. My feet stopped moving, pausing by the counter. I was about to put the cake away, ready to chuck it inside the fridge, when he stormed into the house, confused, concerned, and angry at the same time.I’d wished him a happy birthday, but Jay didn’t care, not about the wish or the cake I’d spent hours baking. Instead, we’d spent the wee hours of his birthday talking about the Russian mafia and the debt our late father owed.We sat in the living room tonight, the same cloud of gloom and uncertainty hanging over our heads as more rain pelted the glass windows. He parted the curtains with his fingers again—for the fifth time exactly—and the view was the same: rain, dark, cloudy skies, billows of what appeared to be dusty wind, and a black truck with bright white headlights.“They’re not goi
Timur Rafayel dealt the cards with that familiar glint of mischief in his eyes, but his face remained calm. Clicking my tongue distastefully, I leaned backward on a chair, folding up my sleeves. We sat across from each other, the low rumble of thunder muffled in the background. It was supposed to be one of those rare99 moments when we had some peace, no business to deal with, no chaos to clean up—just a game of cards between brothers—until the clouds gathered. “It still bothers you, doesn’t it?” Rolling the cigar stick between my fingers, I trimmed the end with my cutter. “Sometimes.”6 “And the dreams?” I fixed the cigar between my lips, bouncing my feet up and down the rug. “Stopped about a year ago. Stop talking, and let’s play.” Fucking lying through my teeth. The dreams hadn’t stopped. Not since that night after I was literally tied to a chair and forced to watch one of my father’s techniques for truth extraction. The aggressive thunderclaps, the artistic splash of re
“Fuck! I almost had him,” Rafayel cursed, dropping his cards beside mine.“My apologies, but this is important. Level one shit,” Arlo said, looking anything but remorseful for interrupting our moment.I didn’t mind because I knew he had something—he always did.He stopped in front of me, flashing his phone toward me as if I could see the screen. A sly grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Got updates on the Skye siblings.”The Skye siblings.Truly, level one shit.“Good or bad?”“Somewhere in between. They barely leave the house. They’re scared. Real scared.”Satisfied, I approved the update with a nod. Of course, they were scared. They knew exactly what was coming and couldn’t run far enough. But Arlo wasn’t done.“But that young one,” he continued, his eyes narrowing slightly, “Jayden.”“The boy?”“He’s got eyes of fire. They know we’ve been watching and are gonna try to run. I see it.”I sat up straighter, grabbing the cards. “Then let them.”He paused, and Rafayel raised a ques
AndreiThe bass thrummed through the floor, pulsing like a second heartbeat beneath my feet. Neon lights flickered in rhythmic flashes, painting the private lounge in hues of red and gold.We were at Moroz Lounge, one of our newest investments in New York, and Egor had put me in charge of it. I always came here at night when I needed to wind down, and Dobryn was in charge of supplying the women who would entertain us.Tonight wasn’t any different. Dobryn had a group of girls over, two women for each man. They draped over the plush leather seats, their laughter a soft hum against the pounding music as they did their best to catch our interest. It was always like that, every woman around here trying to please us; some of them would lay on their backs and allow us to walk on them if it meant they could win our favor. It was boring as fuck having to deal with that.One ran her fingers along the sleeve of my jacket. She had a sly smile on her face as she whispered something I couldn’t even
GiselleAndrei’s mansion was nothing short of breathtaking. Its sheer size was overwhelming: a sprawling estate tucked behind iron gates and guarded walls. Every inch of the place screamed wealth.Inside, the ceilings stretched high, adorned with intricate chandeliers that cast a dim golden glow over the grand hallways. The floors were polished marble, and the entire place was expensively furnished.Everything was sleek, modern, and expensive–from the deep mahogany paneling to the leather furnishings, to the heavy drapes that kept the sunlight at bay. It looked and felt like it was designed to intimidate, just like its owner.Anyone who walked in here could guess his personality. It felt like he was woven into every detail—the sharp lines, the absence of unnecessary decoration, the dominance of black and charcoal tones. Cold. Untouchable. Dangerous. Even the artwork on the walls was carefully curated, a mix of classic oil paintings and abstract pieces, all in moody shades of gray and
She laughed, but it was mirthless—a blend of fear and disbelief. “How am I supposed to believe you’ll keep me safe?You’re just like them. Just as cruel and soulless as the rest of those vultures. How do I know this isn’t some sort of trap?”“You just have to trust me.”“No, I can’t just trust you, Andrei. Not after everything has happened. I need to know why you care enough to try and keep me safe.”“You’re right. I’m just like them, soulless and cruel, but your father worked for me, and I respected him very much. He was kind and loyal. That isn’t something you find easily in the mafia,” I explained, holding her gaze so she could see that I meant every word. “He died working for me, which makes you my responsibility now.”She let out another humorless laugh. “Great speech. You expect me to believe that? Like you said, you’re just like the other guys. All of this could be a show just to get information from me.”I didn’t expect her to believe me, but I meant every word I said. It was t
AndreiGiselle sat stiffly beside me with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed ahead of the road as if she was still trying to make sense of what had happened. She hadn’t said a word to me since we left the police station, and I had no idea if it was best to enjoy the silence or be weary of it.It was almost five a.m., still pitch-black outside, and the glow of passing streetlamps cast a glow on her face.I stole a glance at her, my lips curling with a smile at how beautiful she looked even while she was seething.“Why did you lie that I was your fiancée?” she asked, finally turning to face me.I navigated the car into the Yezhov estate. “Because you are, at least for now.”She winced as if I’d said something hurtful to her. “Do you even understand what you’re doing? What happens if the police finds out you lied? That would make you an accomplice and me a criminal.”“Well, would you have preferred rotting away in their cell and being interrogated every day for who knows how long, five
I wasn’t sure how long I had been sitting here, but it felt like hours. My pulse had yet to settle, and it beat a relentless rhythm against my ribs.The door creaked open, and a man stepped inside, carrying a folder under his arm. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp features and calculating eyes. His badge gleamed under the harsh fluorescent light: FBI.He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, flipping open the folder. “Giselle Rae.” His voice was calm butfirm, as if he already knew every answer I could give him. “I’m Special Agent Mark Fetcher.”I swallowed. “I’d like to say it’s nice to meet you, Agent Fetcher, but I’d like to know why I’m here.”“Well, Miss Rae, how quickly you leave here will depend on how you cooperate with us.” He tapped against a sheet of paper. “Your father was involved with Tyfun-1, a synthetic substance that, if used, can cause irreversible damage to the human body.”“I know nothing about the substance or my father’s involvement with it,
GiselleI jolted awake, my heart throbbing against my ribcage and a trail of sweat running down my temple.Sleeping had become elusive. The nightmares were haunting, and it was impossible to forget Dad in the state I last saw him—lifeless, drained of color and life. Most nights since he died had been like this: me waking up from one nightmare or forcing myself to remain awake so I wouldn’t have another.But tonight was different. It wasn’t the nightmare that woke me up; it was the thudding on the door—or maybe not. Maybe I hadn’t heard anything, and I was dreaming.I listened for a moment, but there was nothing.Right, I really was dreaming.It was thirty minutes past one in the morning. No one would be knocking on my door that late. My mind tried to reel me back to thoughts of the Russian mafia. What if they were here for me? They wanted something, and knowing them, they would stop at nothing to get it.I sighed, refusing to let the thought bubble any further. That wasn’t entirely im
AndreiGiselle looked just like her father. They had the same eyes, the same raven-black hair, and, most of all, she’d inherited his defiance—all that stubbornness that made him loyal to a fault.But she was also different in every other way.I could tell how innocent she was just by looking into her eyes. She was pure and soft, a quality that would get her killed in a world like ours.She was everything I hated, but when she stood her ground in front of me today, knowing I could kill her if I wanted and fighting to hide her fear, something in me had shifted in a way I didn’t understand yet. I hadn’t stopped thinking about her since I got back from the funeral that evening.There was something about Giselle that I found hard to ignore, and whatever it was, I wasn’t quite sure I liked it. My job was to gather information about the whereabouts of the Tyfun-1 from her, nothing more.I leaned back in my chair, the dim light from my desk lamp casting sharp shadows across the room. My finge
The cemetery was empty now. Only the sound of the evening breeze rustling the trees and the chirping of birds returning to their nests kept me company.As the sun dipped lower in the sky, I stared at the freshly turned soil. The air smelled of damp earth and dying flowers, and a hollow ache settled in my chest. Everyone had left except me and him.I could leave, but he was stuck here forever.As much as I wished I could remain here with him, I couldn’t. He wouldn’t want me to put my life on hold; he’d want me to be strong and achieve my dreams, and I was going to do just that.The only problem was that I knew his killers were out there, roaming freely. The police had not yet found a single clue about who killed him and why, and I realized I would never fully find peace if no one was punished for this.Sighing, I rose to my feet and smoothed out the black dress that was supposed to be for our date, and then I smiled at my dad’s grave. On his gravestone, I had them carve,Here lies Peter
Reading something pre-written wasn’t going to suffice.I crumpled the paper, squeezing it harder than necessary, and conveyed what I truly wanted to say.“I always knew death was inevitable, but I never thought I’d have to stand here and say goodbye to my father so soon.” I paused and drew a shaky breath. “My father, Peter Rae, was many things. A provider. A protector. A man who carried his own demons but still tried to shield me from them. He was far from perfect, but he was still my father who loved me very much, and now he’s gone.”A sob from one of the well-wishers distracted me. It was my father’s youngest sister, Aunt Bianca. She was the only one of his siblings who didn’t fear him or judge him so cruelly, and she was the only one of them who showed any real pain at his death. Dad would be happy to know that she was here to send him off. I doubt he’d be happy to know that Mom couldn’t make it.“People say that time heals all wounds and that grief fades. But how do you heal from