Page 110 of Alik

“But the video…”

I backstep off the porch. “I’m on my way to handle it now.” Spinning, I head to my car, forcing myself not to look back at the window. She wouldn’t be there anyway. I’m not sure what wouldhurt worse, seeing the face I want so much or coming up empty on my search.

I get in my car and dial Finn.

Finn isthe first to appear, coming down the ladder to the tunnel. He sports a smug smirk as his eyes meet mine, and my lip twitches, desperate to curl. I force my expression to stay neutral, not giving him the satisfaction he’s after.

“Hello, friend,” Finn sings while his boss climbs down the ladder.

When Cormac sees it’s just me, he glares. “All right, what the hell do you want?”

I say nothing, just point my stare at him.

His arms cross over his chest as his nostrils flare, and I think we both wait to see if he’ll deny the accusation before it’s even out. But no. After a few seconds, he sweeps his arms at his sides and grunts.

“Okay, fine. You figured it out. Good for you, kid.” He motions for Finn who smiles at me before taking out his gun. As if killing me could ever be that simple.

“You’ve done a great job of weakening our loyalty, Cormac, but can youimaginewhat would happen if the Bratva found out you were a snitch? Can you imagine how close it will bring us when we realize we have one common enemy, and that enemy is you?”

I turn my eyes to Finn whose gun is aimed at my head. So much for friends. “Do I really need to tell you that if you kill me, that’s exactly what will happen?”

“Who did you tell?” Cormac asks through gritted teeth.

I reach into my jacket to pull the disk full of all the information I gathered last night before I even knew what Cormac had on Arthur. Call records, mostly. A few pictures that, I’ll be honest, I doctored.Enough.

I fling it at his feet, sending dust billowing up his gray slacks. He looks down with his jaw clenched.

“There are ten copies of that laying around the warehouse. One on Nikita’s desk. Several in my apartment. And then a few places you won’t think to look. If I leave soon, I can gather them before anybody gets curious enough to find a computer. Eventually, somebody will stumble across it and figure out the same thing I have.”

I’d like to think I’m smart enough to have come up with that all by myself, but I did have Crazy Olive on my mind as I was leaving behind my trail of treasures. Thanks, Crazy Olive.

“Do you think I’m afraid of the Bratva?” Cormac laughs as he stalks my way. “I’d like nothing more than to slit every one of your throats myself.”

I shrug. “We’re going to slit a whole lot of your men’s first.”

He steps close enough that our foreheads are nearly touching. “Do it. We’ll be ready.”

Finn clears his throat. “Ahem, gentlemen. Sorry to interrupt, but may I remind you both that Alik is not here on the Bratva’s behalf but on the behalf of Miss Solace.” Finn leans so he can see me around Cormac’s large form. “Or am I wrong?”

I just glare at Finn. He isn’t wrong, I’m just tired of his smug face.

“And,” he raises his hands, “correct me if I’m wrong again, please, but if they were to know that you were here on behalf of the girl you were ordered to kill but instead have been hiding from them, they would…” He looks at Cormac and lifts his shoulders, although Cormac doesn’t even turn. “Well, if it were me, I believe I’d be executed… Is that safe to say, boss?”

“Yes,” Cormac deadpans.

Finn hums. “I thought so.”

My hands are clenched into tight fists, but I force them to open while I step back from Cormac.

This is like Arthur.

In a way, we want the same thing… In a way.

“My goal isn’t for the Bratva to find out about your arrangement with the special agent. I don’t want a war. I wantpeace.”

Cormac glares. “You want your girl off your hit list, and you want to save your own ass.”

I nod. “That too.”

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