Chapter 27 Isabella And A Broken Bottle
Around a long rectangular table. 4 men were seated at each side with Nikolai at the head. His palms flat against the mahogany table as veins still throbbed in his neck.
Sergi stood beside him.
Dmitri, well far behind at the door. He looked less interested.
Viktor, the brigadier who handled the smuggling of drugs stared hard at Nikolai. He had seen him come in with Isabella. Quiet unexpected.
"Ivan!" Nikolai's voice ran out cold and hard.
A man who shivered in his seat responded.
"Where have you been the last two days?" Nikolai demanded.
He needed only a simple answer, not a jumble of incoherent words.
And when Ivan began stuttering, he knew he had fucked himself.
He found out, this evening that Ivan, one of his brigadiers was the one who had ambushed him when he went to kill Lavrentiy.
Someone had tipped them off but he didn't know who. The information was between him and Dimitri no one else.
Unless... He shook his head and turned his attention back on Ivan who was shitting his pants.
A low burning smirk, spread his lips, "Your family doing good, Ivan?"
Ivan's heart stuttered, "Pa..." He swallowed, he couldn't beg for mercy because there was nothing like forgiveness when that someone betrayed the Bratva.
He lied, "My family's good, boss. I've been with them these days. Except the few times when I left to check the arms."
"Oh! Really?" He let out a cold laugh that sized the air in the room.
Everyone held their breath except Viktor. He didn't give a shit about Nikolai.
"You bring us here, trying to use your aura to blackmail Ivan for Godsake." His voice rang out rudely.
The world stilled around Nikolai's ears.
This was the third time he was getting disrespected tonight... Right?
"Viktor..." He drawled, eyeing him up and down.
"Blackmail you say?"
"Y- yes," he voice wavered, Nikolai's cold, boring stare, hitting him hard.
He swallowed, and stood,
"Everyone,.let's face it. Nikolai doesn't give shits about this Bratva. Our goods were stolen and he didn't give us any info. He was ambushed the night before and is now trying to pin it down on Ivan?" He scoffed. "He isn't fit enough to rule anymore."
The men whispered among themselves, never muttering words they knew could get them killed. Their eyes flashed subtly between Nikolai who sat amused and Viktor was railed up.
"Sergi!" He crossed his legs, knuckles under chin.
Sergi read from an iPad,
"The shipments. Two containers of goods were stolen. The traitors found and killed. The driver was found dead In his house. The truck was found empty. Two nights ago, Volkovskaya Pakhan was ambushed by," he paused for only a brief moment, "Name wouldn't be given unless confirmed. A rat is living among us."
All the men breath stilled.
Nikolai uncrossed his legs, "Now, this information wasn't supposed to be let out. But somehow, Viktor, had acquired it. Convenient timing, don't you think?" He said it low, the darkness in his tone, unmistakable.
Viktor heart dropped as he just realized he had fucked himself up.
Lavrentiy had told him that! He swallowed hard and without thinking he rushed to the door.
He wasn't going to get killed in this room because he had no way to explain how he got the information without tying it down subtly to Lavrentiy.
And no, he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't fuck up the bigger plan.
Dimitri who was at the door held Viktor by the throat. His fingers were tightening around him.
"Running off, are we?"
"Let him go, Dimitri." Nikolai's voice came out cavalierly.
He had plans to capture him.
He was a foolish man. He was surely going to head to Lavrentiy and that was what Nikolai wanted.
Dimitri released his hold around Viktor's neck and he ran out.
The room drenched in pin- drop silence.
Ivan thought he was forgotten. But he heard Nikolai's dark tone.
"Take the svoloch away!"
Dmitri moved right at Ivan who tried to run but was caught.
Just then did the resounding sound of a glass shattering, reach the room.
The door wasn't properly closed after Viktor ran out.
.
.
Back at the hall, all eyes were on Isabella.
She pointed the broken neck of a bottle at Viktor. Her heart pounding with fury, rage surging through her veins as she glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
Smashed bottles were beneath her and Viktor's feet.
A blood trickled from his head as he gritted his teeth ready to snap her head.
Two minutes earlier
He had caught sight of her drinking alone at the side bar counter top.
His eyes took in her beauty and he wanted to have a piece of her. Nikolai wasn't the only one who deserved pretty things.
'I will fuck this girl, and it will be a slap on the Pakhan's face. Bitches liked to be fucked and spoilt which money. I bet she isn't any different. I throw two stacks of hundred dollar bills, she would be the one on her knees.' He dragged his feet towards her, hands fixed in his pockets as if he were a gentleman.
Isabella was busy drinking apple juice when she heard a thick and oily voice beside her.
"Hello, pretty girl. Care to have some fun?"
Honestly, what the fuck!
She threw only a second gaze at him and rolled her eyes and focused back on her drink.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" The man got angry at her indifference.
'I guess I will have her by force!' he mused.
He took a seat beside her, leaned in on her, ''I will pay you two $20,000 just to suck me off. Might triple it if you do a good job-
Isabella didn't let him finish, "Not interested!" She refuted.
His words made her skin crawl, disgust flooding her mouth like acid.
"Impossible, I know whores like you love money. Don't worry about your partner. He shares his whores with everyone. You wouldn't be any different!"
This man was the second person who had called her a whore tonight.
And truthfully, his words fueled her disgust.
She swallowed down, she had already caused a scene. She didn't want another.
She stood, attempting to leave when he tugged her down. His hands rubbed over her exposed skin.
"Fucking stop it!" She squirmed but he held her down. And was about to capture her lips when she picked her glass of juice, and smashed it on his head.
"Fucking let go!" She shrieked, pushing him harder and he stumbled from the effort.
"You fucking whore, How dare you?!"
His hands came at her dress in an attempt to rip it open when she picked a bottle from a bucket of ice and smashed it completely against his head and moved away from him.
The action gathered onlookers.
"You bitch!" He slurred, his hand ready to smack her down when she picked another bottle, smashed it on the table, and held the neck against him like a weapon.
Present
Isabella held the neck bottle in one hand, her eyes reddened, filled with tears.
She had been on her own and he came disturbing. Why didn't he leave her alone?
She could feel the eyes of everyone on them - especially on her.
Her hands faltered, but she gripped it tightly, the cracked edges digging into her fingers but she didn't care.
Just then, the air around the hall seized.
She felt a sharp - piercing gaze on her. Totally different from others and it made the hairs on her body stand.
She shouldn't have looked because then, her jade eyes which were filled with hot tears locked instantly with Nikolai's black and fury ones.
She narrowed her gaze to a muscle that had ticked in his jaw.