Deadly Nightshade

Chapter 32: The Russian Roulette

I make sure my gun is loaded and that my knife on my thigh is well secured before I get out of my car.

I walk alongside Damiano and Max, my bodyguards following behind us as we enter the building.

I am wearing an all-black outfit, and so is everybody else. As cliche as that sounds, we look amazing in black.

The building that we are entering is luxurious. It looks like a 3-story house, but it is in fact the warehouse of one of the allies. And I know this because I have been here countless times, which is why the security let us in without hesitation.

Once we are on the third floor, the elevator door's open, and we walk the hallway. We make a right turn, and to the left, there is the room where the meeting is in full swing.

"Hello," I say in Russian to the guards that were outside. My bodyguards don't give them time to react when they knock them out and tie them up.

Enzo opens the door for me, my high heels making a sound with every step that I take.

"Hello, gentleman." I announce.

The look on their faces is priceless. Someone must think they have seen the devil himself.

Andrei reaches for his gun and points it at me. "What are you doing here?!" he screams.

Enzo reacts in a second; he grabs his own gun and points it at Andrei, his body shielding mine. My other bodyguards are doing the same. I, however, walk from behind Enzo and up to Andrei. I stand in front of him, his gun touching my forehead.

"Lea," Enzo says sternly, but there's a hint of worry in his voice.

I choose to ignore him. Instead, I make eye contact with Andrei, and I say in a cold tone, "Go ahead. I have nothing to lose. If you pull the trigger, you'll die anyway. And I'll count that as a win."

The president of the bank where we do all the money laundry got close to Andrei, and he whispered with a shaky voice, "Put the gun down, Mr. Morozov, or they will shoot us all." The man was sweating.

"I don't care." Andrei retorts.

"But I do," Matteo intervenes. He puts his hands on Andrei's gun and lowers it.

I smirk at Andrei.

"Shall we continue with the meeting?" I taunt him.

Andrei is fuming, but takes a seat anyway. Matteo puts his hand on my lower back to guide me to his seat. I send a glare his way, and he immediately drops his arm. I walk up to what used to be Matteo's seat. Enzo pulls the chair for me to sit down, and then he stands behind me, his face emotionless.

The president of the bank offers his seat to Damiano, who is now sitting to my left; Max sits to my right; and Matteo sits besides him.

I take a quick look at all the people at the round table. The ones who swore they were my allies are now my enemies. I memorized their faces very well.

Marco, the president of Casa Dei Soldi. This organization is not just a bank; they are the ones in charge of making the money for the country, the ones that hold all of the confidential documents of the government, the ones that have the monetary reserve of the country, etc.; in other words, the backbone of the economy of our country. Marco helps us do our money laundering and evade taxes when needed. Through Marco, we keep some of our money safe and sound, while I have the rest safely stored away in a vault at my residence. Only three people know that vault exits. Damiano, my dad, and I. So, technically, just two people.

Rocco, the dealer. He is the one who handles our merchandise. Rocco is the one that helps us with our dirty deals and makes everything run smoothly with our illegal merchandise, making sure nothing happens to it while entering or leaving the country. And he is also the one who owns this warehouse.