Having Isa out in public would always come with inherent risks. People knowing she existed was dangerous for her at best.
Deadly at its worst.
She turned on her heel, taking that first step slowly and then hurrying her pace as she gave Pavel a wide distance and made her way toward the entry to the main hotel. I moved up the steps carefully, watching until Isa faded from view within the main lobby. One of my men disguised as staff turned toward me from the pool area, raising a hand to show he'd seen her and would make sure she made her way upstairs as he followed her inside.
I gave it a few seconds to ensure she was tucked away safely, and then I turned my attention to Pavel. Whatever he saw in my regard must have finally resonated the danger of his situation as he backed away a step. "Rafael," he said with a chuckle. "You're a tricky man to get in touch with."
The attempt at humor fell flat, as my body slowly followed the angle of my head and I spun to give him the full effect of my presence. Although I stood without the formality of my suit to encase me in black, Pavel would never be able to stand on his own against me. Even if I did look less intimidating than him; he in his full suit and me in a t-shirt and shorts.
I reached across the space between us. Taking his throat in my hand until his Adam's apple bobbed against my grip and he gagged, I bent him backward until he had no choice but to lean on the railing by the stairs for support. "Rafael," he gasped, the sound ragged and forced as I restricted his breathing.
"You've got some fucking nerve coming here," I said quietly, glancing at the suddenly empty pool area as my remaining men cleared it of hotel patrons.
"You didn't give me a choice."
Another gag came at the increased grip of my fingers on the side of his neck. "When I tell you to fucking wait, you goddamn wait until I'm ready for a meeting. I do not give the first fuck what it is you need, because I don't operate on your schedule. Take your fucking ass back to Siberia where it belongs."
He shrugged off my hand finally as I relaxed my grip, standing to his full height as he glared at me with contempt. "You didn't give me a choice but to come myself. Sending my man back with a missing finger was harsh, even for the infamous El Diablo."
"Nothing you have to say to me cannot wait a week, Pavel," I growled.
He paused, and I watched his decision to be very stupid cross over his face as he considered his options. "She's pretty," he rumbled, reaching up a hand to touch his sore throat. "I would hate to see her sad when I slit her friend's throat and hang her from your balcony. To waste such beauty on sadness would be a crime, no?"
I gave precisely zero shits about Chloe. A few days prior, I wouldn't have cared. In fact, if things with Isa went sour, her friend’s death would be convenient for me. Since Isa had chosen not to tell her family about me, there would be no one to give my name in connection to her disappearance. There'd be no authorities for me to deal with.
They wouldn't have been much in the way of an obstacle, considering they were all in my pocket anyway. But I went through my life trying to be inconvenienced as little as possible.
It irritated me that I cared for Isa enough to not want to see her face when she realized her friend was dead. Particularly because she would learn the truth of Hugo's deception soon enough. That alone would crush her, with how close they’d grown.
"What do you fucking want, Pavel?" I growled my final warning. "As you well know, I have a woman waiting for me. I would much rather be in her company than looking at your ugly face."
He sneered in my direction, transforming the look into a smile as he tried to fall back on his fake humor that he believed mended broken alliances. But nothing could ever make up for what he'd done here, after involving Isa.
If his death hadn't already been guaranteed, it would be after tonight.
"I want to meet tomorrow. Bellandi's war on human trafficking is affecting my bottom line. I will not stand for it, Rafael."
I smirked at him, wondering how the man had survived for so long being so ignorant, but I rattled off an address instead. I wanted to deny him the meeting based on principle, but I very much looked forward to seeing his shock when he realized the truth.
Matteo Bellandi may have led the charge in the fight against trafficking in Chicago, branching out to other cities through his alliances, but his interests didn't extend as far as Russia. He had no desire to control the way the original families conducted their business in Europe.
That endeavor was mine alone.
14
Isa
I paced back and forth in the hotel room with all the glass doors closed. Something about that man had struck me as wrong, crawling along my skin like unseen insects. I didn't want to breathe the same air as him. It set me on edge enough that I found myself continually glancing toward the closet where my suitcase sat on the floor in complete contrast to Rafe's meticulous order.
He'd told me to unpack my things earlier in the day, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
I barely knew him, and the hotel room was in his name. I needed to be able to make a quick getaway if things turned sour.
The stranger on the steps might have been the catalyst for that escape. I couldn't explain why, if asked. Rafe was allowed to
