For one strange second, Lydia thought she must have misheard it. Then she looked at Peterson and saw his right thumb tapping a rhythm against his thigh. One-two. One-two. A signal. Not nervousness. Communication.
The tray grew heavier in her hands.
Her mind split in two directions at once. One part stayed clinical, collecting details. Peterson was lying. He was part of the setup. The Russian standing would trigger the shot. The roof was already compromised. Crossfire would follow. Casualties would be inevitable.
The other part was more primitive.
But there was nowhere to run in a locked room full of armed men. And if shooting started, she would not be spared just because she carried glassware instead of a gun.
Damon lifted his drink. “Twenty percent?” he repeated, almost bored. “Tell him I don’t bargain.”
The Russian’s smile widened. He set both hands on his chair as if preparing to rise.
The word cracked through the room.
Arthur materialized from nowhere, face bloodless. “I’m sorry, Mr. Cross. She’s new. Hart, go back to the kitchen now.”
Damon raised one hand and Arthur stopped speaking mid-breath.
His eyes moved to Lydia slowly, with the smooth precision of a blade being unsheathed.
“Did the furniture just interrupt me?” he asked.
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Lydia approached silently and began placing down the glasses.
The Russian was speaking fast, his dialect rough, his cadence clipped by anger. Peterson translated in a strained voice.
“He says the shipping fees are too high, Mr. Cross. He says the route guarantees are inadequate.”
Damon did not look at Peterson. He kept his attention fixed on the Russian, as though he preferred reading danger from the source.
“Tell him the price is fixed,” Damon said. “And tell him the routes are secured through Newark and Red Hook. If he wants protection, he pays for it.”
Peterson relayed the message. The Russian laughed and slammed his palm on the table, then barked out another sentence, louder this time, his eyes flashing toward Damon and then the exit.
Peterson swallowed.
“He says he’ll take his contracts to the Triads if you don’t reduce your fee by twenty percent.”
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