16. Chapter 16

sixteen

Leonid

5 years later

W ill I see you again, Leonid- san ?” Akiko purrs, sliding her long, jet-black nail down my chest. Her petite body is still glistening with sweat, the detailed tattoo that shows her ties and promise of loyalty to the Sumiyoshi-kai Yakuza runs from her back down to her ass, a stark contrast to her creamy skin.

I peel her hand away from my chest and climb out of bed.

“No,” I answer, as I pull on my pants.

She pouts, her full lips gleaming in the dim light of the bedroom. “But I thought we had something special.”

I snort, buttoning my shirt.

“You’re Hiroshi’s mistress. There’s nothing special about that.”

She sits up, the sheets falling away to reveal her pert breasts. “But Leonid- san , I want you. Not him.”

“What you want doesn’t matter. This was a one-time thing. Don’t make it more than it is.”

Akiko pouts. “You don’t mean that, Leonid- san .” Her eyes narrow. “If you don’t accept me, I’ll tell Hiroshi you rape me. He’ll kill you.”

Pulling on my suit, I bark out a laugh. This little cunt thinks she can threaten me?

I stalk toward her, my hand snapping out to grab her hair, yanking her toward me. She yelps in surprise, her naked body colliding with my clothed one.

“Listen carefully, kiska ,” I say. “You don’t threaten me. Ever . I could snap your pretty little neck before Hiroshi even picks up the phone.” I lean in close, my lips brushing her ear. “You’re nothing to me. Just a warm hole to fuck when I’m bored. Remember that.”

She trembles, her eyes wide with fear. Good. Fear is respect. Fear is power.

I straighten up, adjusting my cufflinks. “Now get the fuck out of my sight. And if you ever try to threaten me again, I’ll make sure Hiroshi knows exactly what his little whore has been up to.”

Akiko scrambles out of bed, snatching her clothes. “ Kutabare! Bakayarou! ” she hisses.

I ignore her, pouring a drink.

The door slams. I down the vodka in one gulp, enjoying the warm tingle down my throat.

Women like Akiko come and go, thinking their pretty faces and tight pussies give them some kind of power over me. But they’re all the same in the end.

None of them interest me. Not really.

Except Red.

“Blyad !” I slap myself hard, trying to shake the thought of her from my head.

What the fuck is wrong with me, still thinking about some woman I fucked five years ago? A woman whose face I’ve not seen?

Irritated, I pour myself another drink, the vodka sloshing over the rim of the glass. I down it in one burning gulp.

I glance at the clock. It’s 3 AM. I should try to sleep, but I already know it’s pointless. There hasn’t been a night of decent rest since Ludis crawled out of whatever hole he was hiding in.

My phone buzzes on the table, and I snatch it up, my jaw clenching as I see the message. Another fucking cyberattack, this time on our offshore accounts.

“ Yob tvoyu mat’ ,” I growl, hurling the phone across the room. It shatters against the wall, but it does nothing to ease the rage boiling in my veins.

Ludis. That suka has been a thorn in my side since he showed up, all smug smiles and vague threats. And now he’s hitting us where it hurts—our money.

I pace the room, my mind racing. The shootout in front of the hotel last week, the hacked accounts, the rumors of a new player in the drug trade… It all reeks of Ludis’s interference.

But the prick is like a ghost. Every time I think I’m closing in, he slips away, leaving nothing but chaos in his wake.

I need to find him. Need to end this once and for all. Before he takes everything I’ve built and burns it to the ground.

I pour another drink, my hand shaking with barely contained fury. As I raise the glass to my lips, I catch sight of my reflection in the window.

Cold eyes, hard jaw, a face carved from stone. Just like my twin.

I sweep the photos of the jewels and rare stones aside, my eyes locking on the last piece. The Blood of the Nile, they call it.

The centerpiece of tonight’s long-awaited auction, this fucking ruby the size of a fucking golf ball, red as the blood spilled to possess it.

Legend has it this rock once belonged to Cleopatra herself, passed down through the centuries, leaving a trail of corpses in its wake. It’s been the obsession of every would-be kingpin and corrupt government official for decades. And now, It’s in my possession.

I dial Maksim’s number. He answers on the third ring. Mudak.

“ Da ?” he says, his voice rough with sleep.

“Tell me everything’s set for tonight,”

“Yes, Pakhan . Just like it was when you asked me six hours ago.”

I give a scornful laugh.

Maksim’s the only one who can talk to me like that and keep his teeth. But that’s the privilege of being my right hand. He handles the details. I handle the big picture.

We’ve been planning this for months, every detail meticulously arranged.

“Good. I don’t want any surprises. Not with this much money on the line.”

“Relax, Pakhan ,” Maksim says, dropping the formalities for a moment. “We’ve got this. The Blood of the Nile is about to make us very rich men.”

“Richer, you mean,” I correct him, but there’s no bite to it. “What about our special guests? The Arabs, the Chinese?”

“All confirmed. They wouldn’t miss a chance to bid on a piece of history like this.”

I nod, satisfied. “And what about the Caldwells and the other gang trash?”

“Those Irish svolochi ? Please. Last I heard, the Caldwells are so far up Shit Creek, they’re drinking the water.”

“Music to my fucking ears,” I say, savoring the image of Maxwell Caldwell drowning in his own incompetence. “What about the others? The Italians? The Triad?”

“The Italians are too busy shoving their heads up Putin’s ass to be a problem. And the Triad? They’re more interested in the heroin than the ruby.”

I nod, satisfied. “Good. The fewer scavengers sniffing around, the better.”

Maksim sighs, and I can practically hear him rolling his eyes through the phone. “You worry too much, Pakhan . You’re starting to sound like Aleksei.”

I scoff. “Aleksei’s a paranoid old woman. I’m just protecting our interests.”

“Same difference,” Maksim says with a laugh. “Seriously, though, we’ve got this. The Black Raven Club is locked down tighter than a nun’s snizu . No one’s getting in or out without our say-so.”

I allow myself a small smile. Maksim’s right. We’ve planned this down to the last detail. I should relax.”

“Fine. I’ll see you at the club. At 8 o’clock sharp. And Maksim?”

“Yes, Pakhan ?”

“Dress appropriately.”

“For fuck’s sake, maybe it’s time you found a wife…”

I hang up before he can add another word.