Page 26 of Sergei
“Understood. I’ll see what Shep can come up with, and if he doesn’t come up with what you need, we have a Fury chapter in New York. If need be, I can always reach out to them.”
“Good to know. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
“You sure about this?”
“It’s too late to have doubts now.”
“We can find somewhere else for her to go. Somewhere they’ll never find her.”
“Hard pass. I said I would help her, and I am.”
“Even if it means war?”
“Even if it means war.”
Preacher didn’t argue. He didn’t try to change my mind. He simply said, “Okay. Good to know where you stand. I’ll get with Shep and let you know what he finds.”
“I appreciate it.”
With that, the line went dead. I sent Preacher the list of locations before tossing my phone down on the desk. I leaned back in my chair, and I found myself thinking about the moment Alina said she’d leave as soon as she could. A spark of determination flashed through her eyes that I hadn’t expected.
I hadn’t expected to like her either. It had been a long time since someone stood up to me. This woman had been through hell. She’d been knocked around and made to feel small, but there was still fire in her.
It was that fire that fueled my need to save her. I wanted to see that fire burn bright and strong, and I didn’t want Alek or anyone else putting it out. It was that thought that had me reaching for my phone. I scrolled through the numbers until I landed onConrad.
He was one of the few who had been with me and my family since New York. He had been there through it all. Dad. The wars. The death. The turmoil. And he never once considered turning his back on us.
He wasn’t bratva by blood, but he was as close to family as I’ve ever had. He looked out for me and taught me things no one else dared, like how to keep my head when bullets were flying and how to read a man before he ever opened his mouth.
I trusted him more than anyone, even my own flesh and blood, and that was saying something. I knew I could count onhim to help me with this mess with Alina. It had been some time since we last spoke, but I hoped he wouldn’t hold it against me.
After ringing several times, he picked up and said, “Well, if it isn’t the Lone Wolf. I was beginning to think you were dead and buried.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
“How are things with the casino?”
“Better than expected.”
I was tempted to tell him about my concerns with some of the elders who were snooping around, but that wasn’t why I’d called. He sounded genuinely pleased when he said, “That’s good. I’m glad to hear it. Hope to get down there soon and check it out for myself.”
“You should. It’d be good to see ya.”
“I’m guessing there’s a reason why you called.”
“There is.” I cleared my throat before adding, “I need to know what’s going on with Alek Morozov.”
“Last I heard, things weren’t going so well for him or the family.”
“What’s been going on?”
“Albanians. New day. Same story.”
I wasn’t exactly surprised. The Albanians have been a problem for as long as I could remember. My father hated them and did everything in his power to cut them off at the knees. And for the most part, he was successful in slowing them down. They got in their hits now and then, but it was nothing like what he did to them.
They’d move in and take over a corner of the city, and Dad would burn it to the ground. He would pick them off, one by one, making sure to leave an impression on the higher ups. But that didn’t stop them from coming. Instead, they just pushed harder, so I wasn’t surprised when Conrad said, “Yeah, but I hear things have gotten pretty hostile lately.”
“Even more than usual?”
