Dark Chase (The Gunrunner Series) Read Free Page A

minutes to think of a response. She was a stranger, and she found Tatiana’s curiosity a bit unsettling. “I am alone,” she finally answered.
    Tatiana stubbed out her cigarette. “Then you must join my table.”
    “That’s very kind of you, but—”
    Tatiana cut her off with a wave of her hand. “Come. It is for the best. Trust me.” She stood up, tossing her white-blond hair behind her.
    “Okay.” Sophia stood, too. She was half relieved to join a group, but half terrified of the strange woman beside her. “Thank you.”
    She followed Tatiana’s bobbing blond hair and long legs back to her table. It was right next to her old one, and one of the girls had already pulled up a chair for her.
    “This is Sophia,” Tatiana said when they arrived. The girls said nothing, but didn’t object when she sat down.
    Tatiana jerked her head up, and the waitress appeared. “Top shelf vodka shots for the whole table,” she said. “Double for her.”
    The waitress smiled and promptly returned with the shots. Tatiana grabbed the double shot and placed it in front of her. “Drink,” she said. “You look nervous.”
    “Oh, I don’t—”
    “Drink,” Tatiana said. The girls at the table began chanting, too: “Drink! Drink! Drink!”
    Against her better judgment, Sophia tipped the glass back and drained it, slamming it back down on the table when she’d emptied it.
    Tatiana clapped her hands and smiled. “Welcome to Russia,” she said.
    DMITRI
    Dmitri took a sip of his sake, ignoring Gram’s stares. They’d had a big meal. He had not been hungry for it, but refusing a meal in Japan was a massive insult, and Dmitri was not in the habit of insulting a potential business asset. He was interested in the future of Hitoshi’s business. East Asia was a tough market.
    They’d settled into a darkened, empty restaurant down the street from the safe-house where they’d met Hitoshi. He sat across from them now, hands folded in front of him, bodyguards hovering in the background.
    “I am listening,” Dmitri said.
    Hitoshi glanced off to the side before answering. Dmitri read his movement as a lie or embarrassment. He wasn’t sure which one it was yet. “You can stop this,” Hitoshi said in a low voice, even though the restaurant was empty.
    “I do not understand how that is possible,” Dmitri said. “I am not equipped nor inclined to fight the S-Triangle. It would not be good for business. This is not my war.”
    Hitoshi cracked his knuckles. “There would be no need for war.” He rested his hands on the table again. “They know you. They respect you. They would not be interested in fighting you.”
    “This is true, but I do not understand what you want me to do here,” Dmitri said.
    “If Naomi was already promised, then I can say no and it would be respected and honored. If she was promised to the right person, that is. One with money and power so they wouldn’t interfere. You are that person.”
    Dmitri broke face. Shock washed over him and he knew his eyebrows were up. He glanced at Gram who had a similar look on his face.
    It was Gram who spoke next. “Am I correct in my understanding that you are asking Dmitri to marry your daughter?” He guffawed, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.
    “No, no, no!” Hitoshi waved his hands. “Pretend. Pretend you are her boyfriend. That she is yours. That you have romantic intentions with her. They will back off.”
    “For fuck’s sake, Hitoshi.” Dmitri pushed his empty plate away. “Why the fuck would I do that? Why?”
    Hitoshi smiled. “It would be good for you, to save face. Rumors are swirling that your…involvement with a woman cost you dearly in America. Naomi makes sense. She is my daughter; we are in the same business. It could help you save face.”
    Dmitri slammed his fist down, causing the glasses and dishes on the table to jump. “I do not need to save face,” he said in a controlled tone.
    Hitoshi shrank back and his