Chapter Eighty-Three

Chapter Eighty-Three

Adrik

I couldn't keep my eyes off Sephie even on the elevator down to my office. This is going to be the longest meeting ever.

"Am I expected to remember everyone's names? Because that's not a thing I do," she asked, chewing on her lip.

I laughed. "No, love. You have me. That's a thing I do. You don't need to."

She cut her eyes up at me, a mischievous look in her eye. "I knew I kept you around for a reason," she said as the doors opened. She walked off the elevator like she owned the place. I've never been more turned on in my life.

Armando was already in my office when we walked in. He had a habit of being extra early to large meetings to make sure last-minute details were taken care of. I appreciated it about him, as it meant fewer details for me to have to worry about. He looked up from the papers in his hand as Sephie walked in. "Sephie, my dear. You look beautiful as always, cara mio," he said, opening his arms for her.

She walked to him. "Mando. It's so good to see you," she said as she hugged him.

"It's been too long. I've missed you, but I'm very happy you decided to come today," he said, kissing both her cheeks. Sephie was right. Giana had kept herself away from us so far. Armando had taken her to his house over the weekend again, so it had been a few days since I'd seen him, even. Things seemed calm for the moment, so I wasn't complaining.

She stepped back, looking between both Armando and me. "What are the specifics of this meeting again?" she asked. She already knew the answer to that question. She was giving Armando a reason to talk to her. I turned, so he couldn't see me and winked at her as Armando began filling in details about the meeting.

Armando was still talking twenty minutes later when Viktor stuck his head in the office. "Everyone is in the conference room," he said. He gave Sephie a high five as she walked by. "You look like you're about to run this meeting, sestrichka," he said in Russian as we walked to the conference room.

"I am the goddamn princess," she said, her gorgeous smile across her face as she walked into the conference room. I saw her hesitate once she glanced around the room. She turned to me, saying in Russian, "Second man from the end on the other side of the table owns the restaurant I used to work at," she said. I could feel she was still calm. I think it surprised her to see him here more than anything.

I still stopped her before we walked any further. "Is that a problem? I can get rid of him if it is," I said.

She smiled shyly at me. "He's fine. He's a nice guy. I just didn't expect him to be here," she said. "But thank you for always being willing to destroy anything that might be a threat to me."

I kissed her temple as we continued to the table. "Always, my love." I kept my eye on the man she had pointed out. He was clearly surprised to see Sephie walk into the meeting. Even more surprised that she sat down next to me. I pulled her chair next to mine, stretching my arm across her lap. I nodded to Armando, who started the meeting.

We were pitching the idea of the building to several restaurant owners, hoping they would sign a contract signifying they would lease space once the building was finished. There was space for at least five restaurants, with the potential for splitting the space up into smaller restaurants if necessary. The location was in a great part of town, so it should've been an easy sell. A few of the restaurant owners were hesitant, however. The owner of the restaurant where Sephie used to work was one that was hesitant.

"What kind of guarantees do you have that the building will be full? And what kind of taxes are we going to be hit with if we lease space in this building?" he asked. The tax question was more about which boss that part of the city belonged to. The building was in Armando's area of the city, thankfully, so we didn't need to go into details about how that wouldn't matter very soon. Two of the other restaurant owners nodded in agreement to his question. I wasn't sure what areas of the city they were from, but I imagined they were being charged extra taxes right now.

"We already have 30 percent of the office space leased, as well as 50 percent of the apartments sold or leased. We haven't even broke ground on the project yet. The building will be full by the time it's finished. As for taxes, I don't charge unfair taxes in my area of the city," Armando said.

Sephie stood up, going to a map showing the location of the building. "Gentlemen, I don't know the location of all of your restaurants, but I do know where yours is, Kevin. You've got at least fifteen other restaurants within a five-block radius of your restaurant. Those are just the ones I could remember off the top of my head. I'm guessing it's a similar situation for the rest of you, give or take." She pointed to the map. "This building will be here." She ran her finger over an entire block of buildings on the map. "These buildings? Apartments. There's one bodega, but no restaurants." She moved to the next block. "These buildings? Office space. Two more bodegas and one coffee shop. No restaurants." She continued for three more blocks around the location of the new building. "So that makes five restaurants total in this five-block radius, not counting the restaurant space this building will provide. I'm not the best at numbers, but even I know those are pretty fucking good odds. You'd be idiots not to jump at this chance, but by all means, keep hesitating if you hate making an easy profit."

I heard Viktor clear his throat at the door. I knew he was trying not to laugh. I had casually rested my chin in my hand to hide my smile when she got up because I knew whatever she was about to do was going to be great. I glanced at everyone's faces as she walked back to sit down. My business associates were all trying not to laugh as well. The restaurant owners who were on board originally were also trying not to laugh. The ones who were hesitant all had the look of being foolish across their faces. Armando caught Sephie's eye as she sat down, winking at her.

The meeting continued. All restaurant owners were on board by the end of the meeting, all signing contracts to lease space in the building once the building was finished. As the meeting concluded and everything was being finalized with the lawyers in attendance, several of my business associates, including Neal, came up to me and Sephie. "Can she please come to every meeting?" Neal asked, finally able to laugh. The others agreed with him, making her blush. They kept laughing amongst themselves as they talked with each other and the restaurant owners. The owner of the restaurant she used to work at, Kevin, walked up to her as well.

"Sephie, it's good to see you again," he said, extending his hand to her.

"Hi Kevin. How are things at the restaurant?" she asked. I knew she was likely curious about Max.

"They're good. We had a rough patch after you left, but we're recovering now. Staffing issues," he said, dismissively.

"Chef issues, you mean?" she asked.

He laughed. "Of course, you'd know. Yes, chef issues. It's been taken care of now and business is picking back up. Numbers at the bar are almost back to normal now," he said.

"Good. That makes me happy to hear. I hope no one died while you resolved the chef issues," she said.

"Oh, you know know. It was very dicey, not gonna lie," he said, chuckling. "I'm glad to see you doing so well, Sephie. I was very sorry to see you leave the restaurant, but clearly you were meant for bigger and better things. Mostly convincing stubborn restaurant owners to take advantage of great offers in front of them."

"Oh that? That's just a normal Monday, Kevin," she said sarcastically. One of the lawyers interrupted their conversation, pulling Kevin back for more signatures and paperwork, leaving Sephie and I alone.

I stepped closer to her. "I'm glad you decided to come, my love."

"You're just saying that because you can't stop looking at my ass in this skirt," she said as she turned away from me. "Seriously. Look at it. It looks amazing," she said. I stepped closer to her, my lips close to her ear. "Careful, love. I'm not above bending you over the desk in my office before everyone has a chance to leave." I heard her breath hitch. "Shit. That backfired." She turned to face me, her eyes showing a mix of lust and worry. "You're so much better at this than I am," she said. She glanced around the room, then quickly pressed her lips to mine.

I laughed quietly, brushing my cheek against her neck. I knew that feeling my facial hair on her neck turned her on, but this time I felt her response. I groaned under my breath, causing her to look at me, somewhat surprised. She searched my eyes for a just a moment, then let out a small gasp. "You felt that too?" I nodded. "We are in so much trouble," she said, giggling.

My business associates began exiting the conference room, leaving just a few, along with Armando. Sephie noticed Armando having an impassioned conversation with another associate in Italian. I glanced at her and she immediately made herself look busy to get closer to them. I watched her get closer so she could hear, but she stayed out of sight of even Armando. The man he was talking to was more of an associate of Armando's than mine. This was the first project I'd worked with him on, so I didn't know him as well as the other men in the meeting. Armando trusted him though, so I allowed him to be brought on as an investor. He was a very wealthy man. Armando said his family had done business with him here as well as Italy.

It sounded like they were arguing, but Italians were a passionate lot, so what sounded like arguing might've just been normal, everyday conversation. It was the same for Russians. What sounded like us threatening your life was most likely completely benign. Sephie continued to listen to their conversation until they were finished. She had gathered up some papers and walked away from them, so as not to arouse suspicion when Armando and the other man left the conference room.

She walked back to me. She looked slightly tense. I went to ask her what was said and she simply shook her head. "Not here," she said in Russian. It must've been a serious conversation, then. That didn't make me happy. She must've felt my anger because she placed her hand on my chest. "Not yet, either. It might be nothing." She smiled sweetly at me, then turned to walk toward Viktor, motioning for me to follow her.

"Viktor, can you make sure the guys come to the office once everyone is gone? And can you also make sure Armando stays away for a bit?" she asked him sweetly, still speaking Russian. I always had the impression that she thought of Viktor like a father figure. He was the oldest of our little family, as he was a few years older than I was. She would tell the other guys what to do. She would even tell me what to do sometimes, but she always asked Viktor like she would a parental figure. It was always sweet to witness. He never denied her. None of us did. But you could see his heart melt every single time she went to him with a request.

"Of course, sestrichka. I'll have Chris and Keith distract him," Viktor responded.

"You're my favorite, Papa Bear," she said, grinning at him.

It took a few minutes for everyone to finish their conversations and leave the conference room. It took longer for them to leave the building, which meant Sephie and I had a few minutes alone in my office. While I had my own thoughts about how we could spend that time, I somehow managed to control myself.

As we waited for the guys to show up, I asked her about the conversation between Armando and his associate. She knew I didn't like surprises, so she told me what she'd overheard, taking her normal spot on the edge of my desk.

"I never caught the other man's name, but he was asking Armando about the Mexicans. He made it sound like Anthony and Lorenzo had reached a new deal with them. They still think they can bypass Trino, clearly. He also sounded like he was trying to talk Armando into switching sides, basically. That's what they were arguing about when we first heard them. Armando resisted at first, but by the end of the conversation, I couldn't tell if he was just agreeing with the guy to shut him up or if he was actually considering it. I couldn't see his face. I need to see a face to be able to get more information, but it's Armando, so I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. He doesn't like any kind of confrontation, so it's possible he was pretending to consider it just to be done with the conversation," she said. As she was talking, she had taken her heels off and stood to place them on the floor by my desk. When she stood up from bending over, I grabbed her and kissed her passionately. I felt her knees go weak, so I pulled her tighter against me, holding her up. I was almost desperate for her. My tongue forcing its way into her mouth, not giving her a chance to resist. She was momentarily surprised, but then I felt her match my passion. She knew that she could quiet my demons like no other and she was always willing to do so. My lungs finally began to protest the lack of oxygen and I had to stop.

As I caught my breath, I leaned my forehead against hers. "I need help controlling the chaos," I said.

She put one hand on my cheek, her eyes searching mine. "I think I can help. I have an idea," she said. The guys walked in, preventing her from saying more. They all had serious looks on their faces. Sephie rarely asked for all of them at once, so they knew this was important. They walked in and all took a seat. She kissed me gently once more, then walked to the door and closed it. The guys knew it was definitely serious then.

"That's not good," Misha said.

"It's potentially very bad, yes. Or it might be nothing. We don't know yet," she said as she walked back to me.

"Sephie overheard Armando talking to one of his associates after the meeting. They were speaking Italian, thinking that no one could overhear them, but Sephie got close enough to hear their conversation," I said.

"I couldn't see Armando's face though, and that's a big missing piece of whether this is potentially very bad or not bad at all," she said.

"What were they discussing?" Ivan asked. He was tense, just as they all were. Armando was already on thin ice with the guys because of Giana.

"I heard them talking about the Mexicans," she said. A couple of them cursed under their breath. "It sounded like Anthony and Lorenzo have struck a deal with the Mexicans, still trying to bypass Trino. I don't know the Mexicans, but they don't seem terribly smart. The other man, I don't know his name, was basically trying to convince Armando to switch sides. At first, he resisted, but by the end of the conversation, it sounded more like Mando was considering it." More cursing from the guys. "Before you get all murdery, this is where not being able to see his face comes in. We know Mando hates confrontation, so it's possible he was just pretending to agree with the guy to end the conversation. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt here, but I don't know," she said, crossing her arms.

"Are we going to wait to see if Armando comes to you with this one?" Viktor asked.

"I do want to see if he comes clean, but I'm not willing to give him very long to do it," I said. I pulled my phone from my pocket. "I think Trino needs to hear about this." I put my phone on speaker and leaned against my desk. Sephie moved next to me, doing the same.

"Jefe, que pasa?" Trino answered on the first ring.

"You're not going to like this, Trino," I said.

"I love it when you get straight to the point, Jefe," Trino said, laughing.

"Sephie overheard Armando talking to one of his business associates. They were speaking Italian, so they thought no one could hear them," I said.

"Doesn't Armando know she can understand Italian? I mean, he was there when she told me and Martin that she understands Italian. Does he have memory issues?" Trino asked.

Sephie laughed. "I stayed out of his line of sight, Trino. I can be invisible when I need to be," she said.

He chuckled. "Miha, your talents are endless."

"Apparently the Mexicans have reached a new deal with Anthony and Lorenzo. They're still trying to bypass you and have convinced people that's possible," I said. "The other man was trying to convince Armando to switch sides."

We all waited, trying not to laugh too loudly, as Trino went on a cursing tirade. He was nice enough to pull the phone away from his mouth, but we could still clearly hear him. When he finally got himself under control, he asked, "And what of Armando?"

"I don't know the answer to that one, Trino. He resisted at first, but by the end of the conversation, he made it seem like he was considering it. But it's Armando. He doesn't like confrontation. I also couldn't see his face, so I can't say for sure what he was thinking," Sephie said.

"Puta," Trino said, which made Sephie laugh. She looked up, realizing I didn't understand. "He called him a bitch," she said quietly, still laughing about it.

"Are Anthony and Lorenzo still there, Trino?" she asked.

"Si, Miha. I just met with them yesterday. They must be negotiating with the Mexicans over the phone. They haven't left Colombia. Not even while I was gone to meet with you. I have people watching them around the clock. The Mexicans wouldn't dare set foot in Colombia either, so they have to be speaking over the phone. Who makes a deal like this over the phone?" Trino said. We waited for another cursing tirade to finish.

Sephie giggled. "You're not wrong, Trino, but I think we've clearly established that we're not dealing with the best and brightest here. I don't even know the Mexicans, but I can tell they're morons if they think they can bypass you."

"You haven't even been in this world for very long and you already recognize this. These people were raised in this world and they think they can go around me," Trino said.

"I'm more worried about what this will mean for the Mexicans. I don't want to start a war between you and them," I said.

"It could give Trino a reason to get rid of Anthony and Lorenzo though. Trino finds out they've been making deals behind his back, rightfully loses his shit, and impresses all of us with his dramatic flair when it comes to the death of his enemies," Sephie said. She was smiling as she said it, as I'm sure she knew how much she was stroking Trino's ego. "It also sends a message to anyone else that tries to bypass Trino," she added.

Trino was quiet for a moment. "You haven't been in this world very long and you can run shit better than I can, Miha. You're right though. It can take care of the problem with Anthony and Lorenzo, but I might need help with the Mexicans. They've been looking for a way around me for years. I wouldn't put it past them to declare war, with or without Anthony and Lorenzo," he said.

"We will help you as much as we can, Trino. You've been a huge help to us through all of this. My list of people I can trust is dwindling. You remain loyal to me, I remain loyal to you," I said.

"I feel the same, Jefe. And also, I'm scared of your girlfriend's wrath," Trino said, laughing.

"I knew you were a smart man, Trino," Sephie said.

We ended the call shortly after. Ivan chuckled, shaking his head. "Sephie, you're becoming a genius at strategy."

"You didn't hear her in the meeting, Ivan," Viktor said, laughing. "Strategy and marketing," he said, looking proudly at her.

"Okay, the building project one was obvious, so I don't get credit on that one. I just spelled it out plainly for them," she said. "And the other matter is more because my patience is wearing thin. I also may have wanted to send a message to Armando in the most passive-aggressive way possible," she said. A sly smile came across her face as she watched all the guys comprehend what she'd just said.

"I rest my case," Ivan said.

"But it may not be the best fix either. If Trino takes care of all the bosses that met with him, that might send the message that he's the one that really has the power and is running things," she said, chewing on her bottom lip as she contemplated alternative scenarios.

"Not if we take care of the bosses here at the same time," Ivan said. "Everyone knows that Boss and Trino have a great relationship. This only serves to strengthen that. Essentially, they're trying to oust both Trino and Boss with this move. Everyone in the city, with the exception of maybe Mando, will go along with Anthony and Lorenzo. It's a move against Boss, but it's a move against Trino if they make a deal with the Mexicans."

"Trino takes care of the bosses down there, we take care of the ones up here, then everyone gets the message never to try this again," Viktor said. "You have a solid plan, Sephie. Don't doubt your first instinct."

"Add in the doctor and the brawn operation to this equation. The people of the city also get the message that Boss won't stand for that and is doing everything he can to protect the people of the city. Win-win," Stephen said.

I glanced at Sephie, who met my gaze, but we both immediately looked to Misha for confirmation. He had the faraway look in his eye, but looked at both of us shortly after. "Oh, it's a go." His upper body shuddered. "Yep, definite go."

Sephie laughed at Misha's response. "I like it when it's strong enough I can see it, Misha."

"I might also have the cherry on top for all this," Stephen said. He was trying not to smile when he said it, but a devious grin stretched across his face. We all looked toward him, curious as to what else he could add. "I was in the gym with Keith last night when they got back from Armando's house. It seems Giana has a problem," he said, tapping the side of his nose.

"How does Keith know that?" Ivan asked.

"He's been suspecting she has a problem for a while now. She dropped her bag at some point, spilling the contents, and a very suspicious vial of white powder fell out. Keith saw it as he was helping her gather her things from the ground. She grabbed it from his view quickly. He didn't say anything about it, but he's been keeping an eye on her since. She's not supposed to go to the lobby by herself, but he said she has been. He started to suspect that she was. He said she would say she was going to Ms. Jackson's apartment, then she would sneak to the lobby. He caught her once, but she didn't see him. He asked the guys in the lobby to let him know anytime she was down there and what she was doing. Apparently, she meets a guy in the lobby, gets a package from him or a food container or something that looks innocent enough and would need to be paid for, then goes back upstairs. Since the guys downstairs didn't know she wasn't supposed to be in the lobby by herself, they never paid super close attention. After Keith started asking questions, they went back over the security footage. She ditches whatever container she gets before she gets on the elevator, after she removes something from it. You can't tell what it is on the footage, but it's small enough to put it in her pocket. She meets this guy like clockwork, twice a week. Always the same guy. Always the same time," Stephen said.

"Okay, so for one? RUDE. But it explains why she would accuse me of being an addict. People always accuse others of what they're doing. And two? Just to play Devil's advocate here, what if it's not just drugs she's getting from this dude? What else could she be getting from him? What else could she be giving him? Why do I sound like a completely paranoid person right now?" Sephie said, chewing on her lip.

Ivan cracked his knuckles. "I love a good mystery," he said, grinning. "This could actually be fun."

"I'm almost scared to ask where your mind is going on this one, Super Squish," Sephie said.

"Pickpocketing is a highly underrated skill, princess. He doesn't even need to know we know who he is. She doesn't need to know we're on to her either. We get our answers and they're not any wiser," Ivan said.

"Devious. Efficient. Orchestrated. Choreographed, even. I'll allow it," she said, grinning at Ivan. He simply looked at Misha, who thought for a minute, then nodded in agreement.

"Yoden, do you know when that guy will be here next?" she asked. "I feel like this is going to be a present for me. I need to know how long I have to wait for it." I laughed at her, putting my arm around her, and pulling her to me.

"Keith said the guy comes every Tuesday and Friday. Always in the afternoon because Giana uses the excuse of having tea with Ms. Jackson in the afternoon as her cover," Stephen said.

"Puta," Sephie said quietly. I couldn't help but laugh now that I knew what that word meant.

"I completely agree. I wonder if Ms. Jackson knows she's being used?" I asked.

"Let's find out what's going on for sure and then I'm happy to put a stop to that," Ivan said. "I can't believe she would use her as a cover for this." He was visibly angry.

"Super Squish. You're going to break so many hearts at the Bingo Hall once they find out about this," Sephie said.

Right on time.