Russian Roulette /̵͇̿̿/’̿’̿ ̿ ̿̿ ̿̿ ̿̿
CHAPTER 13
Carlo Javier was furious when he received the news.
Not only had his men been intercepted by Vicente Zermo, but they had also been unceremoniously dumped into the sea.
Damn it, their lives were the least of his concerns.
What enraged him was that Vicente had seized the expensive weapons Javier had imported. Did that bastard have any idea how much those were worth? He had put in all the effort, only for another predator to devour the feast right off his plate.
Of course, Javier wasn’t oblivious to Vicente’s overwhelming influence in the Empire. The man was said to have the underground world under his complete control, claiming the criminal underbelly of the Empire as his own dominion.
But to screw me over like this?
And yet, Vicente hadn’t taken any further action against him. There was no follow-up warning, no explicit message telling him to stay out of his territory.
Vicente knew that Javier was the one at a disadvantage. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Javier would be the one to initiate contact. So, that bastard waited—leisurely and arrogantly.
Sure, Javier had disregarded Vicente’s rules, but something about the man rubbed him the wrong way.
Forget the lost weapons and the financial damage.
Who the hell does he think he is, blocking me out of the distribution network?
Javier began digging into Vicente’s background. At first, he had assumed Vicente was either a high-functioning Sentinel or some well-connected figure backed by the government.
But the truth was stranger. Vicente wasn’t a Sentinel—not as far as anyone could confirm. Rumors swirled around him, but there was no solid proof of anything.
He also didn’t seem to have ties to the political world.
There were hints of a relationship with government officials, but it was nothing more than a business arrangement—neither close allies nor outright enemies.
In other words, Vicente Zermo, as an individual, was nothing special.
So how had a man like that swallowed the entire underworld in one bite?
Questions remained, but Javier was too enraged to dwell on them.
He wasn’t a Sentinel. He wasn’t funding any political campaigns. He wasn’t backed by any major connections. And yet, just because he had gathered some influence, he thought he could look down on him?
The fact that Vicente wasn’t politically entangled meant there would be no consequences even if his throat was slit. It was rare for a man of Vicente’s standing to have refused to buy protection through bribes and lobbying.
And that meant Javier could scare him a little.
He didn’t plan to kill him. No, Javier simply wanted to make something very clear.
No matter how powerful Vicente thought he was, he had no right to underestimate Carlo Javier.
I’ll make sure he knows exactly who he’s dealing with.
If he had it his way, he would have brought some powerful Sentinels along. But taking foreign Sentinels across borders required an absurd amount of paperwork, and with elections coming up in his home country, he didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.
Wouldn’t want to piss off my backers.
So, Javier proposed a condition: He would only bring regular men—no Sentinels. In return, Vicente had to do the same, leaving his Sentinels behind in Saint Leroi.
Vicente accepted.
Finally, Javier arrived at the luxury hotel where their meeting was set to take place. He could already see Vicente’s men scattered all over the place.
Hmph. Just a bunch of nobodies.
Scoffing, he strode inside with his own men.
He wasn’t here for some pointless diplomatic meeting.
No, Javier intended to do more than just put Vicente in his place—he planned to utterly destroy him.
Tessa, who had been waiting with the others, saw the large glass doors swing open, flooding the hotel lobby with people.
It was him.
Carlo Javier.
A man with a hulking frame and the piercing gaze of a butcher.
Tessa had only ever seen Javier in photographs before. Seeing him in person, however, was a completely different experience. He was enormous, barbaric—so much more overwhelming than any mere image could convey.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on her.
Tessa didn’t bother looking away. Javier already knew that everyone stationed here was one of Vicente’s men.
She, along with the other dogs, represented Vicente. Avoiding eye contact was a sign of weakness.
Javier, seemingly amused by her bold stare, came to a stop.
Then, he started walking toward her.
Tessa didn’t move, even as Javier reached out and grabbed her chin, tilting her face from side to side like he was appraising her.
“Pretty enough,” he muttered.
“You one of his attendants?”
His Imperial was heavily laced with a foreign accent. Tessa narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond. Her glare alone was enough of an answer.
Javier chuckled, lightly tapping her cheek.
“A shame to waste a woman like you on grunt work. Zermo is so heartless, isn’t he? Making a girl like you do all the dirty work.”
His filthy gaze roamed up and down her body.
And then, before she could react, he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him.
“Come along. I’m curious to see how drinks taste when poured by you.”
Tessa scowled and yanked her arm free. Immediately, the men surrounding Javier bristled, their eyes turning sharp.
They couldn’t afford to start a fight now. There were too many civilians in the area. And causing a scene here would only get in Vicente’s way.
Left with no other option, Tessa followed him.
She felt Dina’s anxious gaze burning into her back.
When they arrived at the VIP room where Vicente was waiting, his attendants were already stationed outside, forming a wall between them and Javier.
“No weapons are allowed inside,” one of them said.
Javier scowled but pulled out several guns from his coat and handed them over.
Even then, the guards didn’t move aside.
“You’ll have to go in alone.”
“…What?”
“The meeting is for the principals only.”
“And how the hell do I know what he’s up to in there if I go in alone?”
Javier’s temper flared, but the attendants remained firm.
“The rest of your men will wait outside.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Javier, his face dark with anger, suddenly reached for the gun at one of his men’s waists and pressed it to the attendant’s head.
“Move.”
Immediately, Vicente’s men drew their weapons and aimed at Javier.
Javier’s men followed suit.
Tessa tensed, one hand instinctively brushing over the holster at her waist.
Then—
“Let him do as he pleases.”
A voice rang out from the slightly ajar door.
Vicente.
Now that he had spoken, his men had no choice but to obey.
The tension eased as everyone lowered their weapons. Javier returned the gun to his subordinate and turned back to his men.
“Three of you, follow me.”
Then, his gaze settled on Tessa.
“You too.”
Tessa barely had time to react before Javier seized her wrist, yanking her inside the VIP room.
Inside, Vicente sat in a plush armchair.
There was no alcohol in sight.
No lavish feast, no distractions—just Vicente, sitting elegantly with his legs crossed. The only other person present was an unarmed personal aide.
Tessa was almost relieved. She had been bracing herself for the possibility that Javier would actually force her to pour his drinks.
Her eyes met Vicente’s.
He studied her with an indifferent gaze before turning to Javier, his lips curling into a cool smile.
“Mr. Javier. You’re here.”
Javier exhaled sharply through his nose as he took a seat across from him.
“Never thought I’d have to see your face in a place like this.”
“Let’s call it even, then. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience for me either.”
Even?
Even?!
After stealing his entire shipment, that bastard had the nerve to say they were even?!
Javier’s expression twisted with rage, his eyes burning as he glared at Vicente, who regarded him with the cold arrogance of an old aristocrat.
Unable to lash out at Vicente directly, Javier settled for the next best thing.
Tessa.
He yanked her forward and forced her onto her knees at his feet.
Smirking, he met Vicente’s empty gaze head-on.
“She was quite eager to greet me earlier. I appreciated the enthusiasm, so I brought her along.”
Leaning back, he spread his arms wide.
“I went through the trouble of coming all the way here. Shouldn’t you offer some form of hospitality?”
“If you need a woman, I can summon one for you,” Vicente replied smoothly.
“But I like this one.”
Tessa kept her head lowered, every nerve in her body on high alert.
A suffocating sense of dread coiled around her.
She already knew what was coming.
She had long since learned to predict the sick minds of men who lurked in the shadows.
A chilling chuckle brushed past her ear.
“What do you plan to do with my subordinate?”
Javier grinned.
“Ten minutes.”
His voice was thick with amusement.
“If you order her to obey me for ten minutes, I might just let this meeting work out in your favor.”
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