“You can run a full system sweep. I want to make sure that every firewall is in place to stop Boris from being able to trace the message back to us.”
Berk nods. Even though we both know it’s not necessary, I will feel better if he does it anyway.
He leaves my office, and I tap my fingers against the phone.
Technically, if Boris has already read the message, it should take him a few minutes to decipher it. The onlyunpredictable thing is whether or not he will call right away or wait.
In answer to my question, the phone begins to ring with a high-pitched generic tone. I smile. Right away, it is.
Sliding my finger across the screen, I swipe the green button to answer the call.
“Boris Enzo,” I say with a smile of satisfaction on my lips. I’ve waited a long time for this.
“Where the fuck is she, Andrei, and where the fuck are you, you fucking rat?”
“It’s been such a long time since we spoke. How are you?” I say, grating at his impatience.
“Why the fuck did you take my sister?” he shouts.
“I didn’t have to take her—she begged me. That girl is in love with me, and she ran away from you to marry me.” I say blandly.
“If you lay one hand on her, I’ll tear you—"
“It’s too late for that, Boris. She’s my wife. Of course, we have done everything a husband and wife should be doing. That girl would literally do anything I asked of her. And she’s spilling all of your secrets.” I speak with dark intent, leaving no room for doubt in his mind. If he doesn’t believe me, this is all for nothing.
“Fuck you, there is no way she would marry scum like you—you wouldn’t fucking dare cross that line with my family—"
His words are so tight in his throat that it sounds like he’s struggling to breathe.
“Did you know about that cute little butterfly tattoo of hers?” I muse.
There is a dragged-out, heavy silence. I don’t even know if he is aware of her tattoo. I’m just taking a chance with that knowledge, hoping it pays off.
When he speaks again, there is strain in his voice that confirms it did.
“You are dead, Andrei Volo. No one touches my sister. Not without my permission. Every man I have is hitting the streets to hunt you down. Every single one of them is coming for you. When they find you, they will drag you back to me, and I will take my fucking time with you—I will do things to you that people haven’t even thought of yet—I will rain such agony down—"
I press the red button and the line goes dead.
I said everything I needed to say, and I don’t want to give him the satisfaction of releasing his anger via those endless threats.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I chuckle over the fact that his sister is currently upstairs in her overly comfortable bedroom, enjoying pizza while she lies around on a king-sized bed. She’s completely comfortable.
Boris sounded horrified that I have his sister, but I can’t help wondering if it’s because his ego got cut down after someone got close enough to reach his family, or if it’s out of genuine love for his sister.
Why didn’t he ask to speak to her or offer to pay me to get her back? He went straight to threats.
I’m still lost in thought about this when the phone in my pocket rings. My personal phone.
The number on the screen is private, and it makes my heart beat faster, worrying if Boris is already step ahead of me and has tracked me down.
I can’t ignore the call. It’s too risky.
“Hello?” I say, tense and agitated.
“Andrei?”
The voice is instantly familiar. He sounds just like his brother, and my heart drops to the pit of my stomach.
