“What do you want, Rocco?” I asked, my voice as flat as my expression.
“Nothing.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I stopped by this prestigious club to blow off some steam. And then I happened to run into you good fellas.”
“What a coincidence, huh?” Nial chipped in.
“Beats me.”
I moved closer, placed a palm on his shoulder, and said quietly, “Listen, I don’t know what game you’re playing. But I’m not in the mood. So take your minions and get the hell out of here.”
His lips curved into a sly smirk. “It’s a free country, my friend. I can be where I want.” He looked me straight in the eyes. “And right now, this is where I wanna be.”
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen, Squidward. Leave,” Nial chipped in, voice light and humorous.
Squidward?
I almost sighed. Almost.
Even though I didn’t watch cartoons, I was familiar with this character: the grumpy octopus fromSpongeBob SquarePants.
Now that he mentioned it, I saw the resemblance and couldn’t unsee it anymore. The shape of his head, the sunken cheeks, and the nose that hooked slightly downward.
“Who’s gonna make me?” he asked, oblivious to the insult. “You guys?” A dismissive scoff escaped his lips, his gaze sweeping across us and the other five men. “Last time I checked, you’re outnumbered.”
I hesitated for a moment, then said, “Check again.”
Before he could form his next thought, more than fifteen armed men rushed up the stairs. In less than three seconds, he and his men were completely surrounded.
He locked his jaw, his face twisting into a frown. His men had all reached for their guns and were already on high alert. But it would be foolish to try anything stupid at this moment.
“Tell your goons to stand down,” I growled, my expression dark and menacing. “Unless, of course, they’re eager to meet their maker.”
He clenched his fingers into fists, his eyes blazing with fury. But I couldn’t care less.
At his signal, they lowered their weapons.
“I’ll leave,” he said, slipping into the overcoat handed to him by his lieutenant. “But next time we meet like this…it’ll beyouwalking out the door.”
“Until then…get out,” I answered, my voice dripping with condescension.
His scowl deepened, yet there was nothing he could do about it. He turned around and had barely taken three steps when he stopped as though he’d just remembered something.
“Oh, and by the way,” he said, looking back at me. “You should take better care of your secrets.”
My brows knitted together, forming faint creases between them.
“Your ledger, for instance,” he added, wearing a smirk. “You never know when the wrong people will get their hands on it. Ohh….” He clicked his tongue in a rather mocking manner. “That would be catastrophic, don’t you think?”
Nial was about to warn him when I held his hand, signaling him to stand down. He did. Reluctantly.
“I’ll see you around, Tarasov.” Rocco turned and left, his men flanking around him in a circle.
“Just say the word, Boss,” Konstantin said to me, his voice laced with anger. “They won’t leave here alive.”
“Stand down,” I answered. “This is neither the time nor the place for a shootout.” My gaze followed him down the stairs and through the crowd of dancers. “His time will come. I won’t be so merciful then.”
Chapter 11 – Celine
It was a beautiful morning, quiet and peaceful. The rising sun filtered in through the window, draping its golden glow over anything it touched.