Page 61 of Pistols and Plush Toys

Alex was standing behind him, so Nikolai didn’t get to see his reaction to that offer.

“You do onion rings?” Alex asked neutrally.

Vicki smiled, all even white teeth. “He does, hon. Go ahead, we’re just going to talk shop. Your man’s not in any danger here.”

There was a grunt of agreement from Alex before he walked to the back, behind Vicki.

Once Alex was out of sight, Vicki leaned forward in her seat. “I’m sure you trust your guys, but I’m being careful. I would rather what I say herenotget leaked, if you get me.”

Nikolai expected as much. Alex had worked for him for six years and Nikolai couldn’t imagine the man betraying him, but if Vicki wanted to be cautious, he didn’t blame her. Not if they were about to discuss what he thought they were. “You say Mattia is causing trouble for the Vitales?”

“He’s blowing up buildings and involving the cops,” Vicki said, giving him a flat look. “Which pissed off just about everyone. It puts more eyes on the fact that he’s growing more unstable.” She snapped her gum again. “And he’snotthat good at his job, he got it because of his mommy and daddy, not because he’s any sort of leader.”

Nikolai snorted.

“Plus,” Vicki said, giving him a fierce look. “He’s trying to bring in girls whodon’twant to be working for him. I want him gone.”

So did Nikolai. But… “I’m not wanting to start war, I say this already.”

“Mattia started the fight,” Vicki said, nails tapping on the table again. “Breaking agreements, messing with your side of town. We all know you showed remarkable self restraint for aTkachenko by trying to solve things with a simple kidnapping. Then he got the fucking cops involved. If youfinishedthe fight, the Vitale family won’t come after you. He made his bed.”

“What about his parents?” Nikolai asked carefully.

“Let me put it like this,” Vicki said. “The only reason I haven’t put him down myself is because if it gets back to his parents, that leads to all sorts of messy drama. And I don’t like messy.”

“Is not causing drama if I do it?” Nikolai asked, just to be sure.

She shook her head. “Everyone else is in agreement that it’s just desserts for the shit he’s been stirring up. His parents won’t have support to retaliate. You have my word.”

Nikolai thought that over a long moment.

“Is Vicki Vitales's word worth something to a Tkachenko?” He asked curiously.

“It could be,” she said, examining her nails. “Mattia was gunning to be next head of the family, and he played real damn dirty trying to make himself look the best. There’s a lot of us who’ll be happy to see him gone.” She looked back up at him. “Who’d be, shall we say, grateful to the guy who got it done without infighting and family drama.”

Certainly it couldn’t hurt to have multiple Vitales owe him for putting someone down. And if someonehadto die…

Better that be the man Mattia was. Rotten through.

Nikolai kept his expression neutral and held out a hand. “Then we have new agreement, Vicki Vitale.”

“Glad to hear it,” she said, and shook.

***

“Boss?”Alex’s voice dragged Nikolai out of his thoughts as the car came to an abrupt stop. It was a tone that had all of Nikolai's senses slam into heightened awareness.

He looked out the window. They’d stopped short of his gate, and he saw the issue immediately.

Pyotr, who should’ve been at the gate, wasn’t there.

The gate was wide open.

“Call him,”Nikolai snapped in Russian. A second later he could hear the phone ringing through the Bluetooth car speaker.

The call went to voicemail, and Nikolai cursed.

“GPS says his phone is here, five hundred yards that way.”Alex gestured off behind the gate, toward the side of the house.

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