Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 637(@200wpm)___ 510(@250wpm)___ 425(@300wpm)
“Bartolo.” The low voice came out of nowhere, seemingly disembodied, as if the shadows in the room had leapt to life. He whirled around, nearly dropping his crystal whiskey glass, only keeping his composure at the last moment. In the dim lighting, even with his superior vision, he had to blink several times before he made out Gorya Amurov sitting so still in his favorite leather chair.
“How did you get in here?” Bartolo demanded. “My guards . . .”
“Are dead. I killed them. It wasn’t that difficult. They really haven’t had any opposition, so they haven’t trained hard in years. Your sons are dead as well, in case you think they may come rushing to your rescue.”
Bartolo tried not to believe that quiet matter-of-fact voice. The features were expressionless, but those eyes gleamed like a predator’s and didn’t blink once. His mouth went dry. “What do you want?”
“I would prefer to kill you outright. Everyone else in your little empire is dead. We don’t tolerate human trafficking, but then you knew that. Marzio isn’t happy with you, and he’d like a word with you and your daughter before you die.”
Bartolo’s heart accelerated to the point it could be heard throughout the room. He reached for his leopard, but the leopard seemed to be sleeping. Totally unaware. Instead, he hurled the whiskey glass at Gorya’s head and turned to rush out of the room. He ran right into Gedeon Volkov. There was no escape, no matter how hard he fought. He would be facing Marzio, and he knew from past experience, Marzio had no pity for his enemies.
18
Joshua Tregre had made it easy for Gorya and the crew he brought with him to examine his men. He had taken over the lair in New Orleans when his corrupt and extremely brutal predecessor had been killed, leaving a vacancy. Unfortunately, the majority of the men in his lair had been just as depraved and corrupt as the man leading them, and Joshua had been forced to weed them out.
Gorya knew him to be steady, dependable and extremely intelligent. He had formed alliances with the bratva in Florida and was an asset to Donovan’s overall plan in his effort to stop the worst of the atrocities the crime families committed, especially human trafficking.
Joshua seemed to have a tight crew, one he trusted. Most of the men had flourished under his leadership. To the outside world they looked as if they worked for Donovan’s security company. They were good to their neighbors and well liked—a big difference from his predecessor. If there was any dispute, Joshua stepped in immediately and settled it amicably. His wife, Sonia, was best friends with the wife of the head sheriff.
Sonia had made a name for herself restoring old homes to their original glory even as she modernized them. She was a wonderful artist, but her first love was home restoration, and she ran a crew of carpenters. It was impossible not to respect the pair of shifters as they quickly and efficiently assembled their men in the large backyard leading to the swamp. Gorya knew Joshua had deliberately chosen that particular spot because if a traitor was found, he would be disposed of immediately.
Gedeon, Gorya, Maya and Meiling drifted through the crowd of men as they talked quietly, waiting for Joshua to address the reason he had ordered them to come together. It was time-consuming to check each man, but thankfully the lair wasn’t large and they were able to process them quickly. They had divided the groups of men into four quadrants, with each of them taking a section. As they cleared a man, they would indicate to Joshua to move him to a different area.
Timur, Joshua and Fyodor stood quietly on the steps above the area where the men who had been cleared waited to hear what they had to say. To Joshua’s relief, there were no traitors found among his crew.
Gorya allowed Joshua to explain to his men that he would be going to the rainforests of Panama, slipping in under the radar as part of an army to defeat the kingpin, who had set up the largest known trafficking ring. He was leaving that night and none of his men were required to go, but any volunteers had to understand they would be going up against shifters familiar with the territory where they would be fighting. It was a stealth mission. Get in and get out. Take out every member and dispose of the bodies. It wouldn’t be easy work and the chances of losing one’s life were moderately high.
Every member of Joshua’s crew volunteered, which didn’t surprise Gorya. These men were loyal to their new leader. Joshua wasn’t Russian. He wasn’t a member of the bratva. He had been trained in Borneo with Donovan but was originally from right there in New Orleans, and Gorya knew he was a man who would choose to bring his best with him. He indicated that they were on a tight timeline and needed to reiterate to his men to keep silent about what would be taking place in Panama. Gorya left with his cousins and their crews to make his way to Drake Donovan’s territory.