Tempted & Taken (Men of Haven #4)(93)
“In the most fundamental way, I call him your boss.”
Sergei pulled in a slow, assessing breath then let it out. “Too simple of a term and lacking appropriate respect, but close in essence.” He circled the ring on his thumb. “Ruslan has drawn attention for years and disregards our code. Many pakhans have grown tired of his behavior and no longer wish to tolerate it.”
Clearly tired of the slow and steady approach, Beckett cut in. “Still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”
Before Sergei could even open his mouth, Axel answered, his voice deep and sinister. “Because he’s been using Darya for bait and the bait disappeared.”
The room buzzed with an eerie silence.
Sergei held himself freakishly still and, for a second, Knox worried Danny or Beck might have missed a concealed carry. Finally, eyes still locked on Axel, Sergei dipped his chin in acknowledgment.
Once loose and comfortable against him, Darya pushed tall in his lap. “What? Why? You know what my life will be like if he finds me.”
Sergei redirected his attention to Darya. “I did. But his actions have escalated. As has his paranoia. He is never unprotected. Never vulnerable.”
“You’re his weakness,” Jace said to Darya.
“Indeed.” Sergei’s lips quirked in an ironic smile and he scanned the men at the table. “Darya’s disappearance was quite suspect. Nothing more demeaning to a man like Ruslan than a woman escaping his reach.” He shrugged and smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle from his pants. “A body was found. Unrecognizable, but staged so that he could save face and accept it as hers, or besmirch his reputation by digging deeper.”
From his place at the far end of the table, Danny filled in the blanks. “And since then he’s gone off the rails.”
“He is impacting business,” Sergei answered. “He has no honor. No reason behind his actions save his ego. The families cannot afford to ignore the situation anymore.” He zeroed in on Knox. “It is my job to address the situation.”
“Only you can’t do that if your bait’s under lock and key,” Beckett said.
Sergei nodded. “Precisely.”
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” In that second, the only thing that kept him from surging to his feet and strangling the asshole was Darya’s sweet body against him and the death grip she had on his thigh. “Darya’s told me what this guy’s like. How the women in his life end up. You actually think you’re going to waltz in here and suggest we put her in a situation where this sick bastard can get his hands on her?”
“She has never been at risk,” Sergei said. “Ruslan only left St. Petersburg yesterday afternoon after his scouters confirmed her existence and location. My men have looked over her since the day we leaked her presence in Dallas to one of Ruslan’s acquaintances. They are the ones who diverted Ruslan’s men long enough for you to leave her apartment without being followed.” He cocked an eye at Knox. “They were even watching when you dared to break into her home.”
White-hot anger seared through him, so fierce and overpowering his whole body jolted beneath its force.
But before his mind could rally with a physical or verbal retort, Darya fired off a string of words in Russian so clipped and biting it was a wonder Sergei didn’t flinch under their attack. By the time her voice died off, her chest heaved and her cheeks were a mottled red.
Sergei stared back at her, a small smile playing on his lips. He must have realized his amusement didn’t sit well with her, because he finally ducked his chin and schooled his features before he turned his attention to Knox. “My apologies. Darya has reiterated that there will be no secrets from her family, nor will she tolerate any disrespect.”
Okay, the whole lady of the manor thing might have nudged his pride up a notch, but seeing her throw down for not just him but his whole family cranked his ego up bigger than the Jolly fucking Green Giant. Knox fought the need to pull her back against him or blow their unexpected guest off and show his appreciation in a far more thorough fashion.
Unfortunately, Sergei kept them all on track. “I must confess, I am curious. What tipped you off to their presence?”
“He tried to hit one of our servers,” Knox said. “It looked like a random hack to me, but Darya recognized a word in the URL.”
“Koschei,” Darya said.
Already primed to collaborate, Beckett pulled up the footage Darya had found and directed it onto one of the screens on the wall. “She found this a few hours later. Footage just on the outskirts of our camera range.” He zoomed in on the tattoo she’d shown him and freeze framed. “This look familiar?”
Sergei scoffed, obviously disgusted. “Unfortunately, yes. Though we didn’t realize they were so foolish to be caught on camera. His men are as arrogant as he is.”
“Or they think we’re stupid.”
Sergei cocked his head and gave his thumb ring another twirl. “We both know your intellect is the last thing in question. Your security is one of the few my men have been unable to access.”
Son of a bitch.
Talk about your passive aggressive statements. Knox didn’t know whether to smirk at the open nod to his security skills, or gut the bastard for having tried to get past his firewalls in the first place.
Thankfully, Jace redirected things before Knox could indulge either option. “So, your boss and his peers reap the rewards when Ruslan’s gone. What’s in it for you?”