Page 27 of Emerald Vices

“One band of mercenaries trying to horn in on my territory is one thing. But two?” I drop down on the edge of my desk, arms folded. “It’s going to look like incompetence if we don’t contain this situation fast.”

Shura’s on the verge of saying something when Efrem bursts into my office without knocking. Never a good sign.

His wild eyes land on me. “We have a situation.”

“Of course we do. Who’s moving against me now?” I hold up a hand. “And if you say Godzilla, you’re fired.”

He glances in confusion at Shura, who waves him on.

“Bogdan and Artyom…” he grits as though the words are poison on his tongue. “They’ve defected.”

Shura’s spine snaps straight.

My hands curl into fists. “Let me get this right: Bogdan Dimitriev and Artyom Balakin, two men who wear my mark and swore their allegiance to me over a decade ago, defected?”

Efrem looks at his feet. “Yes, pakhan.”

Running a hand through my hair, I turn to the window as the weight of this latest blow sinks in. “They’ve been loyal members of the Kuznetsov Bratva for as long as anyone can remember.”

“I think that’s the point,” Shura suggests quietly. “They were your father’s men before they were yours. They clearly think his return has changed something.”

“Then they were fucking mistaken, weren’t they?”

Both men take a step back, and I lash down the wild rage in my chest. There’s no point alienating the men who are genuinely loyal to me.

“I want this knowledge contained,” I order once I’m under control. “Only our inner circle can know about the defection.”

“But—”

“Do it,” I rasp, cutting both men off without so much as raising my voice. “Go. Now.”

Efrem backs out of the room while Shura fixes me with a wary gaze. “He’s moving faster than we expected.”

Once again, my second is more right than I’d care to admit. I’d hoped to avoid this kind of messiness, but Slavik isn’t afraid to play dirty, which means an internal war is almost a guarantee. And more betrayal is imminent. My alliance with the expansion partners remains strong—but not for one second do I believe their loyalty is absolute. It extends only as far as I can ensure our joint venture is safe. As soon as another, more lucrative offer appears, they’ll ally themselves with the same men trying to destroy me from the inside out.

My gaze flits to the bottom right drawer of my desk. There’s a pack of cigarettes stashed away there. For the first time in years, I’m dangerously close to cracking it open.

“I’ve got it under control,” I tell him.

Shura stops at the edge of my desk, his hand over the drawer like he’s holding it closed. “You forget who you’re talking to, ‘Drey. I can tell you’re worried.”

“The only thing I’m worried about right now is Natalia.”

Shura frowns. “Natalia is fine. She’s safe.”

“Physically, maybe,” I accept. “But mentally, emotionally, I’m not so sure.”

When I woke up in the middle of the night, I could’ve taken the back stairs down to the kitchen, but I wandered through the halls until I passed Natalia’s room. Leonty was on duty, standing by the door in full sentry mode… as Natalia screamed inside.

“What in the hell are you waiting for?” I growled.

Just before I could plow through the door, Leonty shifted in front of me. “It’s a nightmare. She’s okay. She’s dreaming.”

Natalia’s scream tapered off into a whimper before… silence.

I fell back against the wall, my heart racing. “She’s been having nightmares?”

Leonty couldn’t meet my eyes. “She didn’t want you to know.”

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