Yes, just as planned. Of course this fox wouldn’t let up on her prey, but at least he gave himself the upper hand, whether she wanted to admit it or not. He saw it in her eyes – the will to stay in control. That was, after all, the way this game was played. But she didn’t have to worry. The message was sent to his private cell phone number, since he used this one exclusively for business purposes. But there was no way of her knowing it and thus he gave himself a point in their little interaction.

He didn’t mind that she pulled him by his shirt – when an attacker suddenly turns to violence means that not everything went according to his plan. And that’s exactly what this was. [i]Good...[/i]

„No need to trouble yourself. We can settle this dispute in my apartment. There is no one around and you can be certain no [i]dogs[/i] will be around either.” He made sure to emphasize a certain word. But instead of taking the lead – he brought himself to a stop, trying to find a center of balance. „Before we go, though. I have to make sure we get some things clear. Obviously you have a proposition for me, otherwise you would have killed me when you had the chance. And, quite honestly, I wouldn’t complain if you did. But now that you want to play this kind of a game, we have to set some rules, because every game has a set of rules. Now, you may wonder what choice I have, but trust me – it is in your best interest to get out of here.”

Whether those words got through to her, he didn’t know, but he knew she was more than self-confident. He saw a woman that was sure there was no chance of failure. And that was an admiring treat. If he finds out what her intentions are, he might even use them to pursue his own goal of bringing the whole mafia down. The thought brought a cold smirk on his face as he looked at her, she could try forcing him to go, but that would take too much time. Something he told her she doesn’t have. Luckily for Aleks, the whole area was full of stray dogs, so he wasn’t surprised when he heard one barking in the distance. The smirk grew even more menacing. 

„Two rules – first, try not to kill me the second you get the chance. I can make it worth your while and you can make it worth my while. Quid pro quo. Second, if we’re going to my apartment, cover yourself up – people should not notice the two of us together.”

Of course, he was feeling a certain sense of dread inside of him, but unlike her – he seemed to have a little bit more composure to show his inner feelings. He was taking a huge risk with this move and there was a reason he wasn’t afraid of getting killed. There were some things worse than death. And if Nikolai found out Aleks wanted to take him down... he would have to feel those things. That was why he wanted to learn her motives, her intentions. And being lucky enough to have pulled one on her, he might just get the opportunity.

"Might as well get you dry while we're there."