Page 66 of Shades of Loyalty
“I’m making this a huge deal because it quite literally is. Do you remember how much cocaine is on that ship?”
Volkov scoffs. “Fuck, yeah, I remember. But nothing’s gonna happen, I’m sure.”
How the fuck is he so sure about that? I scrunch my eyebrows. He wouldn’t be behind all this, would he?
… Fuck. I’m losing my composure, seriously. I can’t trigger anything just because of my emotions.
Instead, I stay calm. At least I fucking have to try.
“How are you so sure?”
Realization dawns on his face as he looks back up at me. “Do you seriously think I’m responsible for his death?”
“I didn’t say that. It’s just suspicious to me. How are you so sure nothing’s gonna happen, huh, Volkov?”
He growls as he shifts in his chair. “Fuck it, fine. Let’s make a plan for better security measures. But I’m telling you, once this shipment is done and nothing happens, you’re gonna drop this topic. It’s getting on my nerves.”
“It’s getting onyournerves?” I scoff.
I know I’m testing him right now, but I don’t give a fuck.
“I’ve had to stay on edge for almost a month now because any of my men could be that fucking snitch. I had to watch all of them, and my only suspect is off the list now, too. How do you think I feel? You think Roy’s death meant nothing to me?”
I feel the heat rise in my chest, but it’s not just about Roy anymore. It’s about my family. My friends. Jennifer and her daughter. About making sure nothing happens to any of them. And if it does, he’s going to regret it.
Because it’d be his fault for simply dropping the topic when it could kill someone.
Fuck this. Julian’s right. I’m losing my temper too easily lately. But I can’t help it. This is too important.
"???? ?????-??." (“This is nonsense.”)
Yuri rolls his eyes as he takes another sip of his drink.
I don’t even care that I don’t know what it means; I’m sure it’s not anything positive.
But I’m too pissed to care right now. This is about my family and my woman, and I’ll make sure no one dares to hurt them.
“I know you don’t want me to worry too much, but if this shipment goes wrong, someone could get hurt. And seriously, the second someone just touches Jennifer the wrong way, I’m going insane. That personwilldie. So, I want us to take a look at the situation, and for fuck’s sake, I need us to take better security measures!”
Yuri grins at me. “See, I’m glad she wasn’t just some prostitute. But stop worrying so much—“
I groan, irritation creeping into my tone. “I swear to you, Volkov, if anyone tries to hurt her because you didn’t plan the security measures right, you’ll be the first one I’m gonna kill.”
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. Shit. That was too far.
His jaw tightens, and for a split second, I see a flicker of doubt in his eyes. “Was that a threat, Caruso?”
I sigh, running a hand through my hair, trying to steady myself.
“You shouldn’t worry about my threat as long as you’re gonna make sure the security is solid. You’d be the first one to kill anyone who hurts Katya, wouldn’t you?”
He hesitates, but then reluctantly agrees. “You’re not wrong,” he grins. “You bastard know how to get to me.”
I nod. “I do. And I’m glad I do.”
The tension of my spoken threat still lingers in the air, but I think he’s finally realizing that this isn’t just about the cocaine and the huge amount of money we could lose.
It’s about protecting our loved ones.
