Chapter 48 New Deal
Dante POV
I pulled my sweater over my head and then put on my shoes. Isabella was sitting on the couch with a blanket over her legs while she watched TV. When she realized I was leaving, she sat up. “Are you going somewhere?”
“I’m meeting the guys.”
“Tonight?” she asked in surprise. “Yeah.”
“It’s almost ten.”
I grabbed my keys and wallet off the counter. “I know. I have a watch.”
“Isn’t that late?”
I killed people for a living. There was no such thing as late. “I’ll be back later.” I headed to the door, not in the mood to say goodbye. I was annoyed at myself right now. Seeing her wear my shirt pissed me off. I wasn’t angry at her for wearing my clothes. That would be a stupid thing to get upset about but I hated the way it made me feel. Isabella followed me to the door dressed in a pink nightdress. Her hair was down, and her face had been washed. She packed her toothbrush, but I forced her to use mine anyway. “Is everything alright?”
“I have to work.”
“You’ll be back tonight?” She followed me all the way to the elevator, the small nightgown barely covering her body “Yes.” I hit the button, and the doors opened.
“That’s it?” she asked incredulously. “No other explanation”
“I’m not your boyfriend, and I don't owe you an explanation.” I stared at the pissed look on her face as the doors closed. When she was finally gone from sight, I took a breath. I didn’t like the
way this woman made me feel. When we were together, I forgot about all the shit in my life. When she wore my shirt, it made me feel like I was connected to her and I hated that feeling.
So I pushed her away hurting her on purpose. I hit the button and rode the elevator to the bottom floor. Then I walked to the bar which was a few blocks away. It was a dark place with guys who looked the other way when they saw trouble. Women were on poles, their titties hanging out. I wasn’t impressed.Rex was
already there, getting a lap dance from a red hair stripper. He grinned like an idiot, entertaining himself until I arrived. I dropped into the chair across from him. “Get your pussy later.”
He chuckled then excused the woman. “Like the pussy you have every night?” He grabbed his beer and took a drink. I didn’t like the way he referred to Isabella, mentioning the heaven between her legs. That was my pussy and no other man could talk about it. “She’s off-limits. What do you have for me?”
A folder sat on the table, but he didn’t push it toward me. He studied me with his brown eyes, his hand gripping his glass. “Off-limits, huh, when did that start?”
“Yes.” I challenged him with my gaze, warning him not to cross the line. “First, you were going to kill her. Then, you were just keeping her. But now, she’s off-limits. The only women who are off-limits are wives and families. So, which one is she? I know she’s not family…”
One of the guys in our crew had a wife. Wives were safe from trash talk and our general perverseness. And we also had a protocol. If the wife was ever captured along with the crew member, she took priority. The man could die as long as she lived. When I said Isabella was off-limits, that wasn’t how I meant it. I just didn’t want him to talk about her pussy like he had the right to. Only I did. “Do you know anything else about the man you told me about?”
Max let it go, probably because he could feel my rage. “I’m pretty sure it was him. I’ve gathered enough evidence to prove he was in the neighborhood on the night of the murder. That’s an odd coincidence.”
“Too much of a coincidence.”
“So, I think it was him. But you really should take some time to think about this. If you don’t pull it off right, all the gang will be after you. If you really want to kill him, do it without leaving a trace back to you.”
“I do that for a living, so it shouldn’t be hard.”
Rex glanced around the bar, making sure there was no one around who was eavesdropping. “You’re putting the rest of us at risk here. And none of us believe avenging your mother is worth our lives, our livelihood. I’m sorry you’re still angry about it, and I don’t blame you for being upset, but you should let it go.”
Letting it go was easier said than done. “What if it were your mother?”
He held his silence. “You wouldn’t let it go,” I said coldly. “And if you did, what kind of son
would you be?”
“And what kind of mother would want her son to risk his life when she’s already dead?” he countered. We stared at each other while the music played overhead. The bass was loud
as the women worked the poles in their heels. Most of them were just in thongs, their plump asses firm. The lights were low, and their faces were barely distinguishable. Like the other men here, I enjoyed watching them dance and move but now that I had Isabella waiting for me, I didn’t find them appealing because I know Isabella will put these women to shame.
Rex ended the silence by pushing the folder toward me. “I’ve got a hit for you.”
“Where?”
“Russia.”
I hated going to Russia. It was cold as fuck, even colder than it was here. And it was enormous. It was three times as big as all of Europe combined.
“When?”
“Immediately.”
That meant I was leaving tonight. “How much is this deal?”
“Twenty five million.”
“Wow. This guy has a big bounty on his head.”
“He raped our client’s daughter. He’s paying extra because he wants you to torture the guy before you finally kill him.”
So it was personal. “Consider it done.”