Page 80 of Captured Obsession

33

NIKOLAI

Luca stands behind his desk and pours two glasses of whiskey, then he hands me one.

I frown, not at all accepting this fake peace offering. Even as he takes a sip from his own, I’m not willing to test if the glass has been laced with something.

“Were you enjoying the fights tonight?” he asks, displeasure tainting the question.

Luca is a beast of a man, coming in around six foot four. Which is why I find it somewhat amusing that his wife seemingly has a collar around his neck. But I suppose someone like Luca would need a woman with a strong backbone, who isn’t afraid to stand up to him.

“It was lacking.”

Luca considers me for a moment. “Because you can do better?”

“I wouldn’t have let any man walk out alive. Your champion is strong, but I’ve seen better.”

Luca smiles then, and it’s anything but friendly. “I suppose you and I are cut from the same cloth,Udav. More blood is usually spilled than there was tonight. However, considering the guests, I refrained from calling for any death penalties.”

It goes without saying that he meant the women.

“I didn’t take you as one to pull punches.”

“No, but my wife is close with Sienna Falcone, as you know. Which is what brings us here.”

Weighted silence fills the room, the tension pressing against us. I want to be back with Sienna. I don’t trust this separation or that they won’t take her. My only saving grace is the threat of the necklace around her throat. I knew by following Luca, I could be walking into my own execution, and I won’t go down without a fight. In fact, the potential of it excites me.

“The Wolf wants to introduce exotic beasts into my fights. Not only here but in Italy as well. Men want what they can’t obtain or see elsewhere, and violence is a good source for profit.”

I wonder why he’s telling me this. I really don’t care what The Wolf wants, and he’s already told me his demands himself. Not that I expected anything original from the man. But it’s Mikhail’s motivations that aren’t yet clear to me.

Luca continues, as if this is a basic business transaction. “The Lion had drawn attention to New Yorkafter attempting to run his business within my city. He was removed, and I’ve dug up every inch he touched and killed any man who was loyal to him. From what I hear, The Wolf was far from loyal, and it’s awfully ambitious of him to try to take a position that was never rooted here in the first place.” I can sense he’s trying to gauge my part in all this as well. Men like Luca don’t offer whiskey in fine glasses to someone who kidnapped someone close to them. And they certainly don’t pretend like they’re considering negotiations afterward.

I’m running out of time, I know that. As the opportunist I am, I take advantage of my situation before walking myself to the gallows.

“With all due respect, I really don’t care for the finer details of your business dealings. However, I do want to meet with Dmitri Volkov. Was he not the one who killed The Lion? The Lion was deemed one of the most ruthless bratva leaders, and yet his outcast son was able to defeat him.”

Luca stares into the amber liquid in his glass. “Why the obsession with Dmitri Volkov?”

“Why are you protecting him?” I question.

“It’s nothing personal. I’m not a fan of the asshole either. However, our women seem to have a loyalty to one another that surpasses even that of my men to me.” He doesn’t seem at all impressed by the fact. But I’ve witnessed it myself, tonight. The only one who isn’t here is Elanee Volkov, Dmitri’s wife, the verysame woman The Lion used as bait to draw Dmitri out.

I know Elanee. In fact, she was one of The Lion’s favorite toys until he found something better to torment. That was the kind of monster he was.

Those who were tracking Dmitri’s movements on my behalf suddenly disappeared weeks ago, right around the time I suspect the Armanis caught on to Sienna’s disappearance. No matter, they were The Wolf’s men anyway, but I haven’t been able to catch a trace of him since.

“You said you don’t care about The Lion’s death. So, why Dmitri? Is it a challenge in strength you’re seeking?”

“It’s personal.”

“Because he’s your half-brother?” My mood immediately grows darker. Only a select few know that information. “Ah. You thought you covered your tracks. It took me a while to find proof, so you did well in your attempt to hide it. Unfortunately for you, I’ve refined my resources and have a very adept man who can find me everything.”

I straighten my shoulders. There’s no point in denying it now.

“Family reunions are unpredictable,” he says, placing his drink down.

“He’s not family, and neither was The Lion. My reasons are of no importance to you. You bring him to me, and in exchange, I’ll help you lure The Wolf out.”