As soon as he stepped into the apartment, a strange sensation crept all over his body. Something inside him did not want him to enter the apartment unarmed and vulnerable.
Though Joshua did not believe in having a gut feeling, he decided to follow his gut feeling for once.
As every wise man would, he stepped out of the apartment, closed the door before slowly walking away.
He then entered the lift and called the only reliable person he could think of.
.....
[30 minutes later]
Joshua was impatiently waiting by his car when Andrew arrived along with four other men.
"Thanks for coming." He was relieved and thankful.
With how heated things were with Igor, he did not want to take the risk of calling Samuel. He was a hundred percent sure that he was being watched continuously by people appointed by Igor. There was no way his former boss wouldn't keep an eye on his every move.
The only person he could think of other than Samuel was Andrew.
Though they had their differences when he was working with Igor, Joshua knew he could trust Andrew and that he wouldn't betray him.
Maybe he felt this way because they were now a family.
"Which floor do you live on?" Andrew inquired.
"Thirteenth," he answered before handing him the keys.
Andrew instructed his men to go and have a look at the apartment.
"Should I go with them?" Joshua asked.
"Let them have a look first, we will go once they make sure it's safe," he said. "I don't want you getting hurt or anything."
"Rachael will not like it," he added.
"Think about it," he added. "Will Samuel be able to provide you the protection you will be needing?"
Joshua did not say anything, he knew Andrew was right. Currently Samuel wasn't in a position to extend full protection to him which was understandable as he lacked resources.
"Are you suggesting I shouldn't work for Samuel?" he asked.
"No, I am suggesting you work for me," Andrew answered.
Joshua widened his eyes in shock. " Are you serious?" He wasn't expecting such an offer from a Volkov after whatever they had been through in the past years.
"You work with Samuel for me," Andrew explained. "We have decided to help Samuel to deal with Igor in exchange for a few things. Since you have worked under Igor for so many years, no one other than you knows how things work in their organisation. It will be easier for you to deal with everything related to the Petrovs than Daniel, me, Justin or Owen."
Joshua frowned. Though whatever he said made sense, he couldn't understand why Andrew was willing to do him such a big favour. "You trust me?"
"Why not?" Andrew patted his shoulder. "You are family now."
"What if I betray you?" He curiously questioned him. He would no longer harm Andrew or any of his family members but given his past and how things were, there was a possibility that one might wonder if he would betray them.
"Then not only do you lose the chance of working with my wonderful team but also your life," Andrew smiled as he tightened his grip on his shoulder.
Though he was smiling, Joshua gulped in nervousness. He knew how brutal the Volkovs could be if the situation demanded it, especially Owen.
"What about others? Will they agree with this arrangement?" He shared a relationship with Andrew but not with others. Would they trust him the same way Andrew did? There was a very slim chance for that.
"Don't worry about them, I'll do the talking."
Contemplating for a while, Joshua said, "I need some time to think."
"Take all the time you need." He patted his shoulder. "The offer is always open."
"Why are you doing this?" Joshua asked. "Do you like me or something now?"
"I don't like you but I love my wife," Andrew remarked. "If something happens to you, she will be worried and I don't want that. And the only way to make sure nothing happens to you is by taking you under my wings."
.....