Chapter 13

Kraven

"Wow, boss. Did you get any sleep at all?" Konstantin asked as he barreled his way into my office.

"Some." Hell, maybe I dozed off but that was about it. I'd sat in the chair, drinking cognac and watching Penny sleep. After getting over the initial desire to taste every inch of her before fucking her like a wild animal, my mind had shifted to memories, ones I shouldn't have allowed myself to have. While Penny didn't look anything like the only woman I'd ever cared about, she had the same spunk, the same verve for life.

And the same laugh.

Penny also refused to bow down to my antics or my supposed authority, which was exactly the way Katarina had behaved.

It was unnerving since I'd lost my sweet love years before. So much had changed since then that I could no longer remember the boy it felt like I'd been then. Jesus.

Which of course wasn't true. Not only had I been born older but with Vissarian in my care, I hadn't been allowed to act like the playboy of the western world.

"Well, you look like hell. Maybe we should clear your schedule."

I glanced at my counselor, gritting my teeth. "You know I can't. David must be found and I have a bad feeling whoever Sheldon is friends with is planning on doing everything he can to bring down my empire." I was hopeful by now Breck had gone crying to Daddy, which could mean I'd hear from Sheldon soon. Or the powerful politician would ignore what happened, giving into his fear of the South American dude.

That troubled me almost as much as everything else.

"Why now? I don't get it."

"Yeah, well, real estate on the strip is quickly disappearing, the majority of old hotels torn down, replaced with magical theme park-style resorts."

"You think he wants the casinos?"

"If I knew that, I'd be a very rich man."

Konstantin grinned at me. "You make more money than God."

"Oh, that's right. I do." It was a standing joke that I used mostly when I was perplexed about something. I had my feet on the desk, my third cup of coffee in my hand and still, there was zero clarity as to what the fuck was going on. I didn't like feeling out of control and it wasn't good for business. This was the busy tourist season, the time when I made the most money. I couldn't have my eye off the ball for one second.

A timid knock on the door drew our attention.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Sokolov, but there's a phone call for you and the man says it's vital you talk."

"Take a message, Linda. I don't need another salesman."

She looked sheepish. "He told me to tell you his name is Diego Santos from Los Angeles."

It took a few seconds for the name to ring a bell.

Santos.

Well, shit. How fascinating.

When it did, Konstantin and I locked eyes. One of the smartest things to do was to keep a list of those who were on the same level of power as I was, including men and woman who had nothing to do with organized crime, more like white color crime. There were very few wealthy businesspeople who hadn't used the gray area more than once.

And Diego was powerful indeed, as ruthless as they came. As one of two leaders of the Santos regime out of Los Angeles, he had a solid hold on several western states, his diamond industry twice what mine was at this point. He and his twin brother, along with their wives owned two movie production companies making close to a billion dollars plus a music studio and production company as well. If anyone could make the world of mafia leaders looks suave, it was the two men.

What I found fascinating was that their wives were heavily involved in their businesses, equals on several levels. That was the way of the future, not the way my father and his father had believed in.

"I'll take it, Linda."

"Yes, sir."

"What does he want?" Konstantin asked.

"Well, we do know the various cartels from Mexico and South America prefer the warm, sunny state of California where the women are beautiful and the beaches bountiful."

"You sound like a spokesman for the California tourist industry," he said, grinning. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Not at this point. Make certain there are no issues in any of our locations. I may need to do a sweep later today."

"Will do."

"And find out what the Morelli brothers have been up to. Put a tail on them. I don't like the fact their name surfaced again."

"You really think they're involved?"

"Our dead buddy Steve was a high roller in their world. They took a significant hit when part of the man's body parts showed up in their huge aquarium."

He grinned evilly. "Yeah, so what?"

"So, they're the kind of men who refuse to take shit from anyone. Not too bright but they are savages. Besides, I don't like coincidences and the fact my lovely guest worked for them could mean two things." I didn't need to spell it out for him.

"Understood. Let me see what I can find."

As soon as he left, I picked up the phone. "Mr. Santos. How nice of you to call."

He laughed, the deep baritone not surprising. "I think we can do away with formalities, don't you, Kraven?"

"That will be fine. What can I do for you, Diego?"

"Are you aware of a man named Emiliano Cabrera?"

"A former South American thug who overthrew at least two ruthless drug lords in Colombia and Brazil. I hear he chops up and grills his enemies, serving the delicacy to his buddies at dinner parties." If the guy was an issue, I was surprised Diego hadn't asked their birth father, the true king of the South American Cartel world to take the man and his regime to task. Maybe there was a story behind the reason why. It wasn't my place to ask.

"Then you do know him. Yes, his reputation is savage. It would appear his star is on the rise, something we should all be concerned with."

"And why is that?"

"Because he's solely responsible for several hundred deaths in his own country and Texas. He uses a biker gang to distribute Gray Death."

Now I pulled my feet off the desk, sitting up and taking more interest. "It's already in Vegas."

"LA as well. However powerful and deadly the drugs are, we also think he's involved in something more… dangerous."

"Such as?"

"I'd prefer to talk to you in person about it as well as a business opportunity. Would you be available tomorrow for a meeting?"

While it wasn't unheard of for one crime syndicate to ask another for advice or even assistance, when it came out of the blue, that told me there was more to be concerned about. "I think I can arrange that."

"How about somewhere around noon at your office?"

"That would also be fine. I'll text you the address."

"No need, Kraven. I know everything about you."

Now that was unnerving. "I'll see you tomorrow." As I ended the call, I already didn't like what my gut told me was about to happen. I had a very bad feeling the city was in for a bloody battle or worse.

What the fuck was going on?

I pulled up my laptop, using the internet instead of delving into using one of my dozens of reliable contacts or databases my corporation was attached to. I'd tried to keep up with cartels around the world more than anything because there'd been a huge uptick in them over the last few years. Not only with Gray Death but heroin, fentanyl, opioids. To the Mexicans and South Americans, drugs were the fastest way of churning out money.

I navigated to an online newspaper from the southern part of South America. While many of the communications had been taken over by cartels, the shit printed little more than worthless propaganda, the paper stood out for its accurate reporting.

The headlines were bold, images of horrific massacres a thing of the norm. While I only spoke passable Spanish, it would seem the various regimes were either succumbing to the bloodshed or growing in power. Plus, it seemed several were joining forces. I made a mental note to ask the Santos boys about that when they arrived. I'd long ago heard the two countries were going to shape crime syndicates in the future.

Perhaps now was the time.

I flicked off the screen, realizing I shouldn't be focusing on business in another country and wouldn't, other than half the diamonds that I purchased were brought through the waters nearby. And some of the diamonds came from South America. Another puzzle that added to the stressful situation.

I drummed my fingers on my desk, my thoughts once again drifting to Penny. The fact she'd been right there, saving my life still weighed heavily on my mind. Perhaps the best thing to do was to spend some time with her, gaining her trust. I couldn't afford to allow any aspect of my business or my life to be compromised.

As I headed out, I decided why not spend the day with my beautiful guest? She continually asked questions, so giving her a grand tour wasn't a bad idea. I was smiling as I headed into the elevator, eager to see her flashing eyes once again.

Plus, if she was an innocent bystander and nothing more, perhaps she still knew more than she believed.

The entire time the elevator was heading to the top floor, my cock was throbbing. I was in a good mood, which was the opposite of what I normally felt when challenged or bothered. By the time the steel box made it to the top floor, I was chuckling from the various images of her distrust and defiance.

After pressing my hand against the keypad, I shook my head. She was a fireball wrapped in cheap clothing. I only hoped the items I'd had purchased for her had arrived. If not, there was going to be hell to pay.

As soon as I entered, I heard laughter, two voices and I was immediately on alert. I took long strides toward where I thought the sound was coming from, shocked when I noticed how casual my soldier was with my woman.

Yeah, so I was being possessive. Misha knew better than most that I was a private man, my possessions very important to me. They were both casual, Misha even pulling off his jacket and tie. Both he and Penny were chatting as if they were old friends, both ignoring my presence. And Remington did little more than lift his head.

"What the hell is going on here?" I realized I was barking, acting as if I owned both of them, but carelessness in actions is what got people killed.

Misha immediately stiffened. "I'm sorry, sir. Penny, I mean Ms. Valentine offered me coffee."

"And you fucking accepted? You're supposed to be on duty." I was shocked at my intense reaction, the way I lunged toward him, grabbing him around the throat and slamming him not once but twice against the wall. Items clattered. Remington barked.

And Penny didn't hold back in her anger.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she bellowed. "Let him go. He did nothing wrong, you beast of a human being."

"He was on duty. He had one job. To protect what belongs to me."

"And I've told you I don't belong to anyone. Get that through that blockhead of yours," she spit out.

"You don't understand what's at stake."

"Yeah, I do. You need to give orders to make yourself feel big, forcing this nice guy to fucking work the nightshift after working a long day yesterday. Did you even give him a break to eat? Did you allow him to have a bathroom time? My God, he's loyal as hell to you yet you treat him like shit. Well, fuck you. Come on, Remington. We need to be around decent people."

With that, she scampered out of the room but not before hissing as she glared at me.

I backed away from Misha, hating my reaction.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again. I was just caught off guard and she was very pleasant to me."

Sadly, she'd crossed another line and she'd eventually need another taste of punishment. No one talked to me that way, especially in front of my men.

"Go get some rest, Misha. We'll talk later." I stood where I was, wondering what the fuck was wrong with me.

Yet there was a clear and easy answer.

The woman who'd saved my life had just rocked my world.