Page 173 of Bratva Butcher

“I think we’re getting off topic,” Autumn chuckled.

It warmed my heart to see everyone getting along. I’ll admit, I’d feared things might get a little awkward and uncomfortable when I officially brought Autumn to the family home, but it was the complete opposite. My children had been nothing but nice, welcoming and hospitable.

“As I was saying,” she continued, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder. “With open contracts, anyone can try to claim the bounty. With a sum like ten million on the line, I suspect a lot of people will be vying for it. This can be both good and bad. Good, because more people means more competition. They’re likely to kill each other to try to stop anyone else from claiming the cash first. And bad, because in some cases, they can decide to team up. Kill the target together and split the reward evenly between them when they’re done, like the team from last night. As of now, there are twenty-seven people interested in taking Dimitri’s contract.”

“Where can you see that information?” Arturo asked, his blue-green eyes deadly and focused.

Autumn flicked through the website until she found it. She showed it to them. “People lodge their interest for several different reasons, but the main one is to try to deter others. If a contract has an abundance of interest, some might decide not to even bother trying. Another reason is that when certain assassins put their name to a contract, it can scare others offbecause they don’t want to risk facing them out in the open. Like this.” She scrolled through until she got to a button that said “LODGE INTEREST”. Once she pressed it, her name appeared beneath the contract, along with the others.

It looked like social media for assassins. She had a username, which was The Crimson Death, and a profile picture of a dagger covered in blood.

After attaching her name to the contract, five names withdrew almost instantly.

Drea blew out a low whistle. “You’re kind of a badass, aren’t you?”

Autumn gave her a sly smile, but said nothing.

“Can you shut the site down?” Tatiana asked, concern ringing in her voice.

“Some have tried, but it’s protected behind mountains of firewalls. The people who run it have the best of the best working for them to protect and maintain the site.”

I adjusted my tie, clearing my throat. “Right now, we have the upperhand. Autumn knows everyone on that site, which means she knows how they operate. But something needs to be done. This cannot be allowed to stand.”

Aleksandr frowned. “What does that mean?”

I took a deep breath in, letting the air fill my lungs. “We’re going to kill your grandfather,” I said, running my eyes over my children, one by one. I stopped when I reached my youngest son, holding his gaze. “AndLukyanis going to be the one to do it.”

Lukyan’s mouth dropped open. Silence reigned over the room, everyone too stunned to speak.

Then, Aleksandr and Nikolai burst into action, jumping to their feet.

“Are you insane?!” Aleksandr shouted at the same time Nikolai yelled, “You can’t be serious!”

I straightened my spine, standing tall, staring them down. “I’m deadly serious.”

“Father, be reasonable,” Aleksandr chastised. “Grandfather is far too dangerous. I’m sorry, Lukyan,” he quickly added, apologising to his younger brother before continuing, “but he can’t handle something like this. He’s not serious enough. He treats everything like it’s a goddamn joke. He’ll end up getting himself killed!”

“Aleksandr’s right,” Nikolai joined in. “I love you, Lukyan, and I just want to protect you. Grandfather is too big of an adversary for you to take on.”

Lukyan seemed to shrivel right before my eyes, the harsh words falling from Aleksandr and Nikolai’s lips making him feel small. I could see it in the way his body folded forward. The way his head hung down. They didn’t have the same confidence in him that I did, and that hurt him.

“Enough,” I snarled, glaring them down. “Your brother is more than capable of doing this, and you want to know why? Because he’s strong. He’s smart. He’s cunning. He has the drive and determination to fulfill any task he sets his mind to. And because he has a carefree attitude, he’ll be the last person on Earth your grandfather will ever suspect of something nefarious. Sergei will let his guard down around Lukyan because, like the two of you, he underestimates him.I don’t.”

Lukyan’s eyes widened.

“He will leave for Russia in a few weeks for his arranged marriage to Anya Tarasov, which will be the perfect opportunity for him to kill Sergei.”

Aleksandr looked like he wanted to pull his hair out. “I’ll repeat,are you insane?!You not only want him to kill one of the most dangerous and powerful men in the world, but you want him to do it on his own fucking turf? With no backup?”

“He’ll have backup. Autumn and I will be there.”

Aleksandr’s mouth clicked open and shut. He looked at Nikolai with an almost flabbergasted expression.

“I can see you’re struggling to understand, so I’ll explain. Your grandfather knows I don’t approve of this arranged marriage, and he knows I would never allow Lukyan to travel to Russia alone. If I don’t go, it will cause suspicion.”

“What about the fact that he’s trying to have you killed?” Illayana asked.

“This deal with Tarasov is more important than Sergei is letting on. It’s vital to the continuation of his trade. Without access to their supply routes, he’s in serious trouble of being unable to fulfill orders. Heneedsthis deal to go through without any complications. Having people try to kill me in the middle of the wedding would be a complication.”

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