sip of my drink, and I choke a little on it. “Fuck me, I’ve only gotten used to the fact I love the girl; don’t throw babies into the equation.”
“Michael is marrying into the Bianchi family, yes?”
I sigh at the reminder. “I think so, yeah. Not sure I like it, but if he backs out now, it’ll cause a fuck-ton of trouble. My fear for him is what would happen if it went wrong in the future.”
Andrius leans forward, smiling at me, his teeth glinting white in the dim light, and he goes in for the kill. “The Bianchis won’t be able to get to Michael if he’s on Corfu on a guarded compound that trains the hardest, baddest, most exclusive private army in the world. You do this, he’s always got an out if he needs one. It means you can stop worrying. He can marry the girl, and if in ten years time, it isn’t working, he can come to you.”
Fuck me, but when Andrius goes for the hard sell, he does it well.
“What about everything I’ve built? Moscow, the West Coast? I don’t know.” It’s tempting, but there’s a lot of wealth and power to walk away from.
“Give it to Vasily and Bohdan.”
I think about it. I could walk away officially, but leave them in charge.
Andrius shifts in his seat and runs a finger around his collar. A tell he’s about to say or do something he’s not entirely comfortable with.
“Thing is, K. I want out, out. This is a great chance for both of us. You get to keep your legit business, which is what earns you a fuck-ton these days, and you get to build something new. I’ve got some rough figures, and we can make a killing. But you do this? You get out of the other side of things completely. I’m not willing for that world to come back after me. I’m giving Allyov some men only so I can keep an eye on the snake. I’m also letting him know I can fucking take him on. He’ll have a fraction of the men I’ll be training. As they’ll all be military like us, or from our world, but on our side, they will be loyal to me, and you, if you decide to join me. If you do, though, no more siphoning off funds from your activity in Moscow. You are out completely. Get it? You can’t have one foot still in.”
And there it is. An ultimatum. One he didn’t want to make, but one I understand him making.
I tap my fingers on my thigh.
“You can cash out.” He glances out the window and then back to me. “You don’t have to leave without taking what’s yours. You tell Bohdan and Vasily to come up with some funds, and they buy you out. What they’ve been earning and making, they can do it. It’s down to you.” He takes one more long pull on his cigar and then puts it out. He stands, downs his drink, and walks by me, pausing to put one hand on my shoulder. “I hope you come in on this. If you don’t, though, I’ll respect that. You’ll always be my brother. This world, though. I’m not going to get sucked back in ever a-fucking-gain. They come for you again, K, and you won’t have me to call on.”
He leaves, his footfall almost silent as I sit and think.
I’ve been offered an out. A real out. I’ve also been given a warning. Someone I rely on to help me when shit gets too heavy won’t be there next time. Without the support of Andrius, I doubt I’d have help from Reece and his guys. I might not even have the support of Damen and Stamatis. Ilya, he’d still be onside, but I’ll need an army going forward to keep those I love safe. I either build one to protect my illegal business, or I get out and build a legit one with Andrius. Yes, one of our clients will be a criminal, if we supply Allyov with guards, but we won’t be involved in any other way than supplying him security.
I’ve got a lot of thinking to do.
Chapter Eighteen
Cassie
I spend two days in hospital, and by the time I get out the pain has eased off to a manageable level. Konstantin brings me home. The car ride is strained. I don’t understand why. He seems off somehow. In a world of his own almost.