Page 141 of Bratva Butcher

Autumn smirked, teeth digging into her bottom lip.

“Well, getun-busy. I got a call from Tate—one of the men guarding Anthony. He called me when he couldn’t reach you. Anthony’s ready to talk.”

Finally.

“I’ll be right there.”

Autumn’s brows slammed down into an angry frown. “Dimitri—”

“Something important has come up,” I said, heading towards the exit.

“We need to talk,” she growled.

“And we will.”Maybe. “But right now, I need to go.”

“Butcher!”

I stopped. Turned. Our eyes connected. Tension burnt between us, hotter than ever.

“It’s important. So, either make the time, orI will.”

Fear and dread mixed together within me. I nodded stiffly, not entirely sure I was ready for whatever conversation she was trying to have.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Dimitri Volkov

“Please. Take them out of here. I can’t stand it anymore,” Anthony begged, his whole body shaking and drenched in sweat. He was referring to Maxim and Erik, who were dangling in front of him with pools of blood, shit and piss on the floor beneath their feet, only mere inches from him.

“Tell me what I want to know, and I will.”

To be honest, I was quite surprised he’d lasted as long as he had. Being stuck in a nine-by-twelve box with no windows, no air flow and two people who’d been cut and beaten so much that the stench permeated the very air he was breathing into his lungs… It was enough to make evenmewant to gag.

And that was fucking saying something.

“I need your word you won’t kill him.” Tears welled in Anthony’s eyes, a look of utter desperation on his face. “I’veheard of you. You’re a man of your word. And I want it. Otherwise, you’re not getting shit.”

“I am a man of my word,” I agreed. “And I swear, I won’t kill him.” What I had planned was far worse than simply killing him. Ending his life meant ending his suffering. I wasn’t prepared to do that any time soon.

If ever.

“Okay,” Anthony breathed out with relief. “Talon and I had a plan in place in case things went sideways. If we were ever separated, we would meet at Mixton Hotel in Green Valley North within two weeks.”

“Why two weeks?” Mikhail asked.

“Because we both knew that if we couldn’t get to the hotel by then, it was because we weren’t coming. That we were most likely dead.”

“Fair assumption.” I adjusted in my seat. “And what was the next step if you didn’t show?”

“We each have a go-bag filled with enough cash to disappear forever and start over anywhere we want.”

“And let me guess,” I began, crossing my ankle over my knee. “Neither of you knows where the other would go, should that situation ever occur.”

“Yes,” Anthony agreed. “That way, if someone like you came sniffing around, it wouldn’t matter how much you tortured us. We couldn’t give you what we didn’t have.”

“But you did,” Mikhail frowned. “You just told us where we can find Talon.”

A conversation with one of my men came back to me suddenly. “Because he doesn’t think Talon is there anymore.” An amused smirk curled on my lips. “I was curious why you asked my guard what the date was yesterday. You’re a smart man, Anthony, but unfortunately for you, I’m smarter.”

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