Page 53 of Maximum Bet

Both men chuckle as if sharing an inside joke. For a moment, they pause, focusing on their cigars more than each other.

“We need Las Vegas.” Anatoliy breaks the silence.

“You want Las Vegas,” Esteban counters.

“Don’t you?”

Esteban sighs, tapping his cigar on the ashtray between them. “I don’t disagree that the revenue would be nice, but at what cost?”

“We can take out the Tariellos.” Anatoliy leans forward, elbows resting on his knees, while his cigar dangles from his mouth.

“Our men who attended the Pharaoh’s Temple gala would disagree.”

Anatoliy laughs, plucking the cigar from his mouth. “We sent four men into the lion’s den. What did you expect? They were martyrs, to give us an idea of what we’re up against.”

Esteban hums his disagreement but doesn’t argue. “What do you propose? Dominic Tariello has shut down business in that city. I don’t see a way to run our product without completely wiping out his organization.”

I grit my teeth as my brother glances my direction. We’ve made progress building our army, but I don’t know that we’re ready to take on the full force of the Bratva and a cartel.

“Our next move should help.” Anatoliy smirks, causing Esteban to shake his head in amusement.

“Our next move will awaken the beast.”

“Yes.” Anatoliy stubs out his cigar. “But we all know that Tariello makes rash decisions when provoked, and what better way to provoke him?”

“Our idea didn’t turn out well last time.” Esteban cocks an eyebrow.

Anatoliy shrugs. “That was on a small scale. This time, the entire organization will be in a panic, and we’ll come in while they’re scrambling.”

“And then what?”

“Then,” Anatoliy says, “we bring in our girls and set up shop.”

Leo and I exchange a glance, in agreement. We’ll do whatever it takes to stop human trafficking—in Las Vegas and anywhere else that we can get a foothold.

With defensive battle plans forming in my head, I nearly miss Esteban’s next question.

“When do we go in for the Tariello women?”

Anatoliy’s expression morphs as my blood boils, and my pulse quickens at the sinister smirk that crosses his face.

“Do you remember me telling you that one of them is pregnant?”

Esteban mutters, “Sure.”

“The baby shower is today. All the Tariello women will be there: Dominic’s girl, his new sister-in-law, his mother, hell, even the adviser’s chick who planned the damn event.”

The air in our hotel suite thickens. I hold my breath as my back straightens and the same panic I felt when Cassandra was kidnapped washes over me.

“The best part is, the men won’t be there. Other than a few measly guards, these bitches are completely unprotected.”

Marco grabs his computer, as if he can strangle Kozlova and Perez through the screen—the plastic cracks under his deadly grip.

“So what?” Esteban asks. “You’re going to kidnap them all this time?”

“Kidnap?” Anatoliy laughs. “Fuck no. We’re putting a bullet in each of their skulls. We want their organization crippled, falling at our feet. We want to throw a punch they’ll never recover from.”

Esteban’s lips twitch before a bloodthirsty grin stretches his mouth wide. “Bravo, my friend. When do we attack?”