Embrace of the Russian Tiger (Russian Mafia Kings #2)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

T he room was dimly lit, the shadows from the chandelier casting eerie patterns over the dark wooden table that stood between me and the men seated around it. I could feel their eyes on me, sizing me up, trying to gauge any weakness. They wouldn’t find any.

The room was thick with tension as I sat across from Vitali, Torres, and Vasily. The three mafia bosses.

Vitali lounged in his chair, looking every bit the ruthless leader of the Polish syndicate. Torres, with slicked-back black hair and a menacing grin, controlled the underworld in South America. And then there was Vasily, once a loyal underling of the Bratva who had gone rogue.

We all knew why we were here, but no one was willing to make the first move. We were like sharks circling each other, waiting for someone to show weakness.

But it was Vitali who broke the silence, his cold eyes trained on me.

"You've been quiet, Ivanov," he said, his accent thick with malice. "Are we here to do business or waste time?"

I leaned back in my chair, keeping my expression neutral. I couldn’t afford to show any emotion or give away my plans.

"I didn't call this meeting to waste anyone's time," I replied coolly. "But let's be clear - if you want to do business with me, you'll play by my rules."

Torres chuckled from beside Vitali, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Your rules? Last I heard, your empire isn't as unshakeable as it used to be."

His words were a calculated jab, a reminder that my control over the city had been tested in the recent months. But I wouldn’t let them see how close they had come to tearing down everything I had built.

"Be careful where you point that tongue," I warned him in a low growl. "Or it may be the last time you speak at all."

The tension in the room rose to new heights. Vasily finally spoke up, his voice calm but daring.

"This city is changing, Maxim," he said. "The days of uncontested control are over."

I could feel the weight of his words, but I refused to let it show. I had worked too hard to establish my power, and I wouldn’t let anyone take it from me. The sharks might have been circling, but my grip on this city was still strong - for now .

I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to snap back. They were circling me like vultures, testing the waters to see if I would break. But I had spent too many years building my empire, too much blood had been spilled to let it all fall now. I needed to maintain control—over them, over my business, over everything.

Including Anna.

“Enough,” I said, cutting through the growing tension. “You all came here for a reason. We have business to settle, not playground bickering.”

Before I could say more, the door creaked open. I didn’t look at first, but the sudden stillness in the room made me glance up.

Anna's gaze burned with a mix of curiosity as she stood in the doorway, her cheeks flushed with realization. My heart skipped a beat as I watched her, knowing she had stumbled into something dangerous. The other men in the room, Vitali, Torres, and Vasily, all turned to stare at her, their eyes assessing and calculating. But I couldn’t let my emotions show. I clenched my fists tightly on the arm of the chair, maintaining a cold and impassive facade in front of them.

“Anna,” I said, my voice a low growl. “This isn’t the place for you.”

Her eyes met mine, a flicker of something unreadable passing through them, and then she nodded quickly. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…”

“Go,” I commanded, sharper than I intended. “Now.”

She blinked, startled by the tone, and with one last glance at the men in the room, she disappeared from the doorway, the door closing behind her.

I forced my attention back to the table, feeling the heat of their stares. There was a faint smirk on Vitali’s lips, something like amusement in Torres’ eyes. They thought they’d seen something—a crack in my armor.

But I couldn’t afford that. Not now.

“Who was that?” Vasily asked, a hint of interest in his voice.

I leveled my gaze at him, the coldness returning to my eyes. “None of your business.”

The others exchanged glances, clearly intrigued, but no one pressed further. The meeting wrapped up shortly after, tense but without further incident. As the men left, their bodyguards filed out behind them, but I noticed one linger in the hallway—Vitali’s man, a thick-necked brute with wandering eyes.

I let it go, for now.

Once the house settled back into quietness, I stepped out of the meeting room, my mind already circling back to Anna. She had been poking around. I needed to punish her, but first I had to find her. Where is this woman?

As I walked down the hallway, I noticed the bathroom door was slightly ajar. A deep, unfamiliar voice came from inside, followed by a soft gasp.

I pushed the door open and saw her there. Anna, trapped by one of Vitali's men, his hand gripping her buttocks while he whispered vile things in her ear with a sickening smirk on his face. Her eyes widened with terror and anger as she looked at me, and that was all it took.

In a split second, my rage erupted. No one touched what was mine. I lunged across the room and grabbed the man by the back of his neck, yanking him away from her. He stumbled backwards, caught off guard, but I didn't give him a chance to recover.

I slammed him against the wall with such force that the mirror behind him shattered. Blood was spilling from the back of his head. His pained grunt barely registered in my mind. All I could see was red. The thought that someone would ever dare touch her - my Anna - filled me with an intense fury.

"She belongs to me. Do you understand?" I growled through gritted teeth, my voice low and threatening. "Your boss will soon learn about how you touched what belongs to me, and I will make sure he sends me a picture of your dick… cut off and served to me on a silver platter. No one touches what is mine."

The man struggled against my grip, his face twisted in fear, but I tightened my hold and slammed him harder against the wall. "Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," he stammered weakly, too terrified to put up a fight anymore. "I’m sorry, I-I didn’t think..."

"I don't care what you were thinking.” I pushed him away and he stumbled backwards, clutching his chest in pain. I really wanted to kill him but killing him in this moment would not bring me as much pleasure as seeing his penis cut off.

"Get out. Find your boss and tell him exactly what you did. Tell him that you touched what is mine. I will see your dick in my mailbox very soon. And don’t you think that you can get away with this. This is your end," I commanded, my voice cold and deadly.

He bolted out of the room, and I stood there, shaking with anger, my fists clenched tightly by my sides.

Anna was still frozen in place, her eyes wide and her body trembling slightly. She looked shocked - stunned by what had just happened - but there was something else in her expression as well. Something that told me she was grateful for what I had done.

I crossed the room in two quick strides, grabbing her by the arm, but this time, my touch was gentler. “Are you okay?” I asked, my voice softer now, though the anger still simmered beneath the surface.

She nodded slowly, her wide eyes locked on mine. “Y-yes. I’m fine. I just… I didn’t expect…”

I cut her off, my grip tightening slightly. “You shouldn’t have been wandering around.”

Her brows furrowed, a flicker of defiance returning to her expression. “I didn’t know?—”

“I don’t care,” I snapped, though the anger wasn’t directed at her. “This is exactly why I told you to stay in your room. Or do you think this is all a joke?”

“You think you can just bring me here and own me? Do you think he scared me, or do you think you impressed me, now? I do not need you saving me!” Anna exclaimed, and then she gasped as I grabbed her neck gently and turned her head to me.

Her eyes softened slightly, but I could still see the confusion, the lingering fear. I looked at her luscious lips, leaned down and whispered into her ear: “A punishment is coming for you. You disobeyed me. No one disobeys me. No one. Especially not someone like you. Someone I own.” Her hair brushed against my cheek as I spoke into her ear. My cock throbbed with desire; I wanted nothing more than to take her right here, right now. Pull up her skirt and thrust into her. But a proper punishment was in order. This had to be a dish served cold.

Without another word, I turned and walked out of the room, my heart pounding, my mind spinning with thoughts I didn’t want to acknowledge. This was about control. It had always been about control.