Page 115 of Bratva Butcher

Did he just say—

Oh, Autumn. You’re such an idiot.

Now that he’d said it, I could see the similarities instantly. It just hit me smack in the face. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed them the moment I laid eyes on him.

The size of him. The sharp lines of his face. The accent. The eyes.

The goddamn fucking eyes.

“You’re Dimitri’s father.”

He smiled, but there was nothing sweet or pleasant about it. It was vile, filled with maliciousness and cruelty. He bowed gracefully as he said, “Sergei Lekovich Volkov, at your service.” He straightened and offered me his hand to shake.

I didn’t take it, staring at it in disgust. “You put a hit out on your ownson?”

He shrugged as if the idea of doing something like that was completely normal. “Dimitri has always been a good soldier. A good son. He has always done what was expected of him, and never stepped out of line. Well, that is, until recently. Over the last few years, he has shown a lack of respect for my authority. Refused to do what I have expressly ordered him to do. That is something I simply cannot allow. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t think of having him killed. He runs the Bratva in America, and is set to inherit everything when I die. If something were to happen to him, who would the title fall to? Who would keep the Volkovname alive? It has been what has kept him safe all these years despite his insubordination.”

“What’s changed, then?”

“During my last visit, I noticed that my grandson, Aleksandr, is more than ready to take his father’s place. That means I no longer need Dimitri alive. He’s done his job. He’s given me three strong heirs. Raised them to be smart, ruthless killers.”

“Doesn’t he have four children?” I asked, brows lowered into a frown. He was forgetting about Illayana.

Anger flashed in Sergei’s eyes. “My granddaughter is no longer a Volkov. She is a De Luca, and any children she has will be De Lucas, therefore she is of no use to me. I only care aboutmyfamily name.Mylegacy.”

He only cares abouthimself.

And I thought my parents were assholes.

No wonder Dimitri hates the man.

“So, I can expect the contract to be completed soon,da? yes?” he asked, giving me a smile that sent a fucking chill down my spine.

The fucking nerve of this man.

I met his gaze, refusing to show an ounce of nervousness. “I never agreed to kill Dimitri. Our contract was for Dominik. That’s it.”

Something terrifying flashed in his blue eyes. “A small technicality, Miss DeValos. I’m sure we can negotiate new terms.”

“Not interested.”

His hand clamped over my arm, hard, and he squeezed. Any trace of niceties vanished in an instant. “I don’t think you’re understanding me, so let me make it perfectly clear: I paid you to do a job. Granted, there was a slight error in regards to the target, and had you killed Dominik yourself, then yes, the contract would technically be null and void. But you didn’t, andyou just admitted that yourself. Therefore, you’re in debt to me right now. You took the money.Youowemea kill.”

Frustratingly, he had a point. There were certain rules when it came to the business, one of them being you couldn’t just renege on a contract. If you took it, you had to complete it. To not would mean bad, bad things. Blacklisted from any future jobs. Even a potential contract being taken out onme.

The fact that the contract I’d received was for Dominik and not Dimitricouldsave me. But then again, it could not. Most people in my business didn’t care about those kinds of details. All they would see is that I took Sergei’s deposit and didn’t complete a kill.

Something that was considered a death sentence.

But I didn’t take kindly to threats.

I yanked my arm out of his grasp. “Are you threatening me? Because I’ll tell you right now, Mr Volkov, youdo notwant to do that.”

He gave me a look that seemed to say “Oh, how cute”. He placed his hands behind his back and began to walk around me like a predator circling their prey. “You might be formidable, Miss DeValos. One of the best assassins in the world—”

“—the best,” I corrected.

“But you’re no match for the power of the Bratva.”

---