Page 83 of The Prices We Pay
Enzo
“Idon’t really give a shit, Dennis,” I snap to the man on the other end of the phone. I’ve been going back and forth with this asshole for the last twenty minutes, and I’m just about fed up. All I’m trying to do is get an estimate for an order of watches to be sold at several of our high-end jewelry stores, and he’s acting like I’m trying to organize a fucking peace treaty. Shit isn’t that serious. “Either you want to do business or you don’t. I’m done having the same conversation with you, so when you’re serious, give me a call.”
I hang up without another word, exit my office, and walk toward the curvy blonde sitting at herdesk. “Clara, my one and only. You look absolutely stunning today.”
She steeples her hands in front of her and smiles confidently up at me. “I know.” Because, of course, she does. “What can I do for you, Lorenzo?”
“Could you do me a favor and have about four dozen flowers sent to our penthouse this afternoon?”
Her smile grows exponentially. “Any specific kind?”
My mind flashes to the tattoo on her thigh, the one that covers her scar. “Chrysanthemums. Dark red and purple, please.”
“How about some chocolate macaroons, too?” she asks with a wink.
Leaning over the desk, I plant a loud kiss on her cheek. “You’re amazing.”
“Once again, I know. But it’s nice to be told.” She goes about mindlessly sorting through a stack of papers on her desk and asks, “What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion. She just… she did something really special for me this morning, and I wanted to say thank you in any way I can. Sometimes words don’t feel like enough, ya know?”
Her curious smile softens. “You’re a good man, Lorenzo Santoro.”
“I know.” I wink back at her. “He in there?”
“Dante and Sebastian are too.”
I walk past her desk toward Luca’s door but stop in my tracks, turn back to Clara, and say, “Oh, and when Dennis the menace calls back in five minutes, just let him know I’ll email him over his contract.”
Clara’s laugh fades into the background as I enter Luca’s office without knocking.
Dante’s standing steady in his usual spot behind Luca, and Sebastian’s working on his laptop on the opposite side of the desk.
“Are you ever in your own office?” I ask Dante. He has one in the main lobby, but he’s hardly ever there. I know it’s because he feels too far away from us when he’s down there and not up here.
“When I need to be.”
I plop down in the chair next to Seb, who has screen-after-screen popping up on his computer. When I lean over to see what he’s doing, I see each window has the name Andrei Novikov on it. “What are you looking for?”
“Just… looking. Trying to see if there’s anything obvious that I’m missing.”
I clap him on the shoulder, squeezing gently. “You can’t put this all on you, Tesoro.”
His head snaps toward me. “I know. But it’s my job. He shouldn’t have even been able to get away with what he has already.”
Glancing over at Luca, I sigh when he subtly shakes his head. He and I both know there’s no use trying to pull Seb out of his computers when he’s in the zone. So, instead of placating him, I ask, “What have you found?”
His attention refocuses on his computer. “Most of what we already know. He has two sons: Aleksandr, who we obviously know is no longer alive and was the heir to the Bratva, and his younger brother Maxim.”
“I’ve heard about Maxim,” Luca says. “From what it sounds like, he’s even more of a psychopath than his big brother and dear old dad. Flies off the handle for anything and everything. It’s whyAndrei has kept him at arm’s length for as long as he has and left most of the hard work to Aleksandr.”
“I’m assuming now that Aleksandr is gone, Maximillion is going to be the new big man?” I add.
“Likely,” Dante answers.
“I did find out who the redhead was, though. Her name is Anya Akimov. From what I can find, it looks like it was some sort of arranged marriage between her and Aleksandr, but now that he’s gone, it seems as if she just got passed down to Maxim.”
“So, we were right? She didn’t want to be anywhere near those men that night?” Luca asks.
