Page 66 of Bratva Butcher

Another sick form of torture from those two, no doubt.

With one last look of pure smugness, Dominik moved on, stopping in front of my cell. We stared at each other, years of pent up hatred and resentment rushing to the surface, drenching the air. If that cell wasn’t between us, I’d have wrapped my hands around his throat and squeezed the life out of him, like I should have done years ago. I’d do it slowly, so I could watch it. Enjoy every second of it.

“How does it feel, Dimitri? To finally be beaten by me?”

He couldn’t be serious.

I snorted. “You haven’t beaten me, Dominik, and you never will. If you thought you could beat me on your own, you would have challenged me. But instead, you hid behind Talon and resorted to subterfuge. That shows how weak youreallyare. No wonder Father never gave you a position worth any substance.”

Anger flared in my brother’s eyes, and I knew without him even saying a word that I’d hit a sore spot. During our teens, he’d begged Father repeatedly for an important position within the Bratva. I’d been one of Father’s enforcers, responsible for collecting unpaid debts since I was fourteen, while Dominik couldn’t even be trusted to do inventory without having someone check his work because he’d screwed it up so many times.

“There’s different forms of strength, baby brother. There’s the physical, and then there’s the mind.” He tapped his temple twice. “Who cares how I did it? I outsmarted you. And once you and your children die, the role ofPakhanwill fall to me. Where it should have been all along.”

What frustrated me the most was that he was right. Partly, anyway. I’d underestimated how cunning he was, and it came back to bite me in the fucking ass.

When Talon walked in, flanked by half a dozen of his men, Dominik smiled, giving us all a pretentious wave. “I look forward to seeing you all very soon. For the last time.” And then he was gone.

My gaze locked on Talon as he came to a stop in the middle of the room. Anger bombarded me, so much so that my whole body shook. He looked at us one by one, like a king looking down at peasants in his kingdom, all haughty and smug.

“Hello, Volkovs.”

It was so quiet, you could hear fucking crickets. None of us said a damn word.

“Not a very chatty bunch, I see. Understandable, given your circumstances.” He strolled down the line of cells with his hands behind his back, slowly, casually, inspecting us like we were animals at the zoo. He stopped when he reached my cell. “Ah, Dimitri,” he exhaled. “Dimitri, Dimitri, Dimitri. You know, I didn’t want it to come to this. Truly, I didn’t.”

I had the overwhelming desire to roll my eyes. “Really?” I drawled, bored. I didn’t believe that for one fucking second. It was exactly what he wanted.

“I would have been happy with just you, but then you had to go and send your little herd after me,” Talon said, waving a hand towards my children. “Now, you all get to be a part of my games.”

My spine stiffened, panic worming its way deep into my heart. I curled my hands around the bars and leant forward. “You’re even more deluded than I thought if you think for one fucking second that I’m fighting my children.”

“Aw, come on, give me a little credit. EvenIknow what a pointless task that would be. After all, the love you have for your family is famous,Butcher.”

There was so much contempt in that last word that it made me think there was something else going on. Something lying deep beneath the surface he was trying to hide.

Then Nikolai, my smart little genius who had a real knack for reading between the lines, spoke, revealing what it was Talon was trying to mask.

“You don’t like the fact that the crowd cheered louder for my father than they did you, do you?”

Of course.It all makes so much sense now.

The first night when the games had begun, Talon gave a big, grandiose speech about himself and what he’d created—the island, the games, the entire fucking thing. The crowd had applauded, sure, but it was nothing compared to the roar of excitement they’d unleashed for me and Autumn when we stepped out into that arena.

“That’s what all this is about, isn’t it?” Nikolai continued. “You’re jealous of my father. And what better way to bring him down than to make him fight in your little games?”

Talon’s jaw clenched. “It’s ridiculous, you know?I’mthe one who createdallof this.” He spread his arms out wide, gesturing to everything around him. “Icreated the games.Imade this island and the arena.Icreated a safe place for the rich and powerful to come and let loose all of those nasty, little demons they keep locked up in the real world. And yet,you’rethe one they cheer for?” he sneered. “Why? Because you killed a bunch of people? What the fuck makes you so special, Dimitri?”

So much hatred and resentment. It basically poured off him. “Sounds like you’ve been projecting what happened all of those years ago into the present.” I smirked. “So, your father told you he wishedIwas his son. So what?”

Oh, if looks could kill.

“I brought you here so I could get a front-row seat to your death, and not only do I get to watchyoudie, but I get towatch your whole family die along with you,” he spat, an evil, diabolical smile gracing his lips. “What I have planned will make you beg for your life and the lives of your children.” He turned his attention to Autumn. This overwhelming, protective instinct reared up inside of me. I had to force myself not to move, not to place myself in front of her. “You, Miss DeValos, have a choice. You are not involved in this, so I will give you the opportunity to switch fighting partners. Jessica Clifford, the female winner from the first round has…unexpectedly passed away. Samuel is in need of a partner or he risks continuing on in the games alone. Because I amsucha gracious host, I will allow you to untangle yourself from this situation and leave the Volkovs to suffer on their own.”

The world grinded to a halt. He was offering for her to be someone else’s partner? Why did that thought make me feel so…uneasy? I should be fucking ecstatic to finally be rid of her. To say goodbye and never have to see her again.

So, why was I feeling the exact opposite?

Her eyes connected with mine. We didn’t say a word to each other, and yet, so much was said through that one look alone.

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