Page 8 of Deceptive Vows
Pasha didn’t flinch under Marco’s gaze. “Rushed decisions lead to costlymistakes, Don Moretti. You contacted Krysha because you wanted precision, not recklessness.”
Marco’s eyes narrowed, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the tabletop. "And what about trust? You’re asking me to gamble on your process while the Kalantzis family continues undermining me.”
My friend and Pakhan tensed. “Trust is earned, Don Moretti. And you’ll see it in our results. You said yourself, the Kalantzis family won’t expect us. That’s your advantage. Let us make sure we can give you what you’re asking before making a promise.”
A strained silence followed. Marco’s jaw tightened, and his lips pressed into a thin pale line. He exhaled sharply and gave a short nod. “Fine. I want an answer by the end of the day tomorrow.”
The tension in Pasha’s shoulders seemed to lessen a fraction. “For now, we’ll need full access to the information about the auction. Nazar will coordinate directly with your people to ensure the auction proceeds without issue. As for the Kalantzis family, any information you might have on them would be appreciated so we can get you that answer by tomorrow.”
Marco hesitated, his sharp eyes dartingbetween us before he relented. “I’ll have my men get you what you need.”
Marco stood abruptly and stalked toward the door, his footsteps echoing against the marble floor. At the threshold, he paused and looked back, his expression a mix of suspicion and begrudging respect.
Pasha and I had plenty to discuss, and the Don’s additional request needed more than just a casual conversation.
"Women."Pasha cursed loudly as our car pulled away from the curb. "Had I known…"
Had either of us known.
I smoothed my hand down my beard and then pulled out my laptop from the Faraday cage I'd installed beneath the seat. After securing my connection, I began my due diligence on the Kalantzis family.
"Moretti was right. Five siblings—one being a woman, Thea. Greek. Lucas is the head." My fingers ran over the keyboard asI tapped into my go-to websites. "Until recently, they'd been rather low-key in their attacks against Moretti. It seems they had an infusion of cash earlier this year."
"Interesting."
With that website exhausted, I pulled up a couple more until I found something else. "Their youngest sister was killed five years ago, followed by their father. Not long after, the mother passed as well."
That was a lot of loss for such a short time.
"The business model shifted shortly after, moving away from strip clubs or anything to do with skin."
Pasha merely nodded as he absorbed the information.
Finally, I managed to break into some of the security cameras positioned around the West Loop area of Chicago.
My breath caught.
My friend looked at me, curiosity written on his face. "You found something else?"
Her. Thea Kalantzis. Of course her name would be Thea. A goddess of light. It was fitting. "The woman from the bar…"
Pasha turned to me, a knowing smile on his lips. "The beautiful woman with the knife skills?The one who had you humming “Ty napyeval Ochi Chyornye?"
I sighed.Black Eyes. A melody usually tied to a man admiring the beauty of a woman he loved. "Da," I said just above a whisper.
She threw a knife with perfect accuracy, right into a man's throat, while he was abducting a woman. She'd known I was there too. I was certain of it. A woman this skilled didn't miss anything.
"And Marco wants her, and her family killed." Pasha's tone turned hard.
A battle waged between my head and my heart. Now that I knew what we were securing, I wanted to finish the job and wash my hands of Moretti. But… the woman.
"If we don't take the job, he'll just hire someone else to do it," I said.
Pasha and I sat in silence for a moment.
My mind raced with ideas. Ways we could potentially reach out to the Kalantzis family… possibly request a meeting. Maybe…
"What's the plan?"
