“How organized are the dealers? Are there clear leaders we can work with?” I asked.
“Yeah, they organized quick. There’s a few guys that are taking the lead. They belong to different bosses, an there’s no clear loyalty to any one boss,” he said.
Adrik’s phone rang in his pocket. He looked at it, mouthing “Trino” as he stepped away to take the call. I looked at Ivan and Viktor, knowing what they were already thinking.
“Chen, do you think we can set up a meeting with these guys? We can work together to stop this. We’ve got the information they’re looking for already, but we need more manpower.”
“I think that’s possible. One of Trino’s guys, the one that I had to drop your name to, is one of the guys in charge. After he called Trino and he vouched for me, that guy has welcomed me into the inner circle, if you will. He’s the one that the other dealers defer to, so I’ll ask him if he’s willing to work with you guys,” he said.
“Ask him, please. I can already tell you the answer will be yes, but ask him. We need to set up a meeting. This could be beneficial for both parties,” I said. I glanced at Misha, waiting for confirmation. He nodded his head, which made me smile.
“Okay, I’ll see him tonight and I’ll get back to you.”
“Chen, you’re the best,” I said.
“Public servant, my girl,” he said, laughing. “I’ll call you again tonight or in the morning.”
We ended the call and I handed Viktor his phone back. We waited for Adrik to come back from his call with Trino. I was assuming that Trino would’ve told Adrik the same information that we just got from Chen.
While we waited, I took the opportunity to check on Misha. He put his arm around my shoulders as I slid my arm around his waist. I looked up at him, as sternly as I could. “Better, my adorable Russian guardian?”
He smiled his million-dollar smile as he nodded his head. “I mean, I still feel bad about it, but less bad.” I reached over and pinched his ribs hard with my free hand. He jumped. “Okay, okay! No bad. I feel no bad, I swear.”
Sephie
“Good,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. He laughed as he hugged me tightly while we waited on Adrik. We could hear him laughing with Trino, so we knew it couldn’t be all bad news.
He walked back to us soon after. “Did Trino tell you what Chen just told us?” Viktor asked, slightly amused.
“He did. He thought he was going to tell me something I didn’t know yet. You should’ve heard the cursing when he found out I already knew. Then I told him it was through Sephie that we found out and he went on like a 5-minute rant about how he couldn’t find a woman like her in Colombia. He’s considering coming up here to see if he can find one. He said he’s getting desperate,” Adrik said, laughing.
“Just as long as he didn’t bring up his kidnapping plan again,” I said, walking to Adrik.
Ivan clearly bristled. “His what now?”
Adrik couldn’t help but laugh more, “Don’t worry, Ivan. He won’t really go through with it, but he did say he was going to actively try and steal Sephie. He’s tried to convince her to come down there in front of me, too. I think he’s lonely.” Adrik put his hands on my hips and pulled me back against him so I could still look at everyone while we talked.
Ivan cursed under his breath, which made me laugh. “Don’t worry, Super Squish. It worried me too. The list of people who’d like to kidnap me seems to be growing, rather than shrinking. I just wish I knew how to be less awesome,” I said, dramatically. I ended up making myself laugh with that one, which made everyone laugh.
“So, Trino knows the dealers are organizing and want to stop this plan as much as we do?” Viktor asked.
Adrik nodded his head. “He said one of his guys is one of the ones in charge. He’s going to tell him to meet with us. We have a much better chance of stopping this if we all work together.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the smiles on the guys’ faces as they knew I had said the same thing to Chen. “It’ll help the dealers feel loyal to you, as well. Once this is all over, you want them to want to work for you,” I said. Adrik wrapped his arms around me, holding me closer.
Misha caught my eye and grinned at me. “Made for this shit, gazelle.”
We were in Adrik’s office that afternoon, waiting for Dr. Williams. Viktor’s phone beeped, alerting him that the good doctor was in the lobby. He stood up. “Be right back,” he said as he left the office.
He walked back in a few minutes later with Dr. Williams behind him. Adrik stood to greet him, extending his hand to him. “Dr. Williams, thank you for coming on such short notice.”
“No problem, sir. It sounded serious.” He glanced around, nervously. His eyes landed on mine and a slight smile crept across his face. Adrik motioned for him to sit as he sat at his desk. I got up from beside Andrei and moved to the cabinet behind Adrik’s desk. I smiled at the confused expression on Dr. Williams’ face when I moved. I’m not entirely sure if he had figured out which guy I technically belonged to yet. I was enjoying keeping him confused,
His confusion was short-lived as his curiosity got the better of him. “Did you talk to the police and give them a description of the doctor yet, Sephle?” He sounded hopeful when he asked, but his face fell when he saw the serious expression on my face at his question,
“Not only that, but we’ve got his name and where he’s at. He’s being watched around the clock for now,” Viktor said. I gave Viktor a small nod for answering for me. “Really? You know who he is? Are they going to arrest him?” he asked, his hope returning once more.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.