Page 106 of Wicked Arrangement

“Thank you for your time, Brenda, you’ve been most helpful,” I say with my most charming smile. “Let’s keep this little conversation between us, shall we?”

She blushes pink at the flirtation, “Yes, of course, our little secret,” she agrees.

It seems that for whatever reason, Helena Sharkozi has been posing as Zinaida Petrova. What the fuck is Innokentiy and Sharkozi’s end goal here?

Whatever they’re planning, it can’t be good. Innokentiy is playing a dangerous game with two of the most powerful Bratvas in Russia, and he’s dragging the Volkov family into the thick of it.

I hope the smoking gun I need is on one of these flash drives. Otherwise, Innokentiy could take us all down with him.

***

As I arrive back at the house, I’m greeted by one of my men. “Good afternoon, Pakhan. Your Uncle Innokentiy is here requesting an audience with you. He’s currently waiting for you in the living room.”

Shit, I could really do without this right now. I wanted to review the contents of the flash drives before I confronted Innokentiy. With little time I don’t have much choice of hiding places.

“Tell him I’ll be ready for him in my office in a moment,” I instruct my man.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I frantically think through the best course of action. I remove my father’s pendant, placing it in the safe. I quickly download the contents and make a copy of the USB stick, placing the original inside the safe, too.

A knock at the door indicates that my time’s up. Innokentiy’s here. He never was one for waiting until he’s called, always barging past my men like he owns the place. The copy of the USB and the locket will have to remain on my person for now.

I only hope that Innokentiy has no idea that I’m onto him and this visit is more of the same. I’ve not confided in anyone about the diary or my suspicions, so I’m confident the element of surprise is still on my side.

“Come in,” I call out, my voice steady and sure.

Innokentiy struts in. Either he’s overly confident of his position or he has no idea that I’ve discovered his betrayal. It takes every ounce of my strength not to kill him on the spot. It would be an impulsive mood, one that could cost me. After all, I’ve no idea what the Petrovs know or believe. If he’s fed false information about me to them, enough to have tried to kill me once before, then there’s no telling how they might react to me killing him.

“Uncle, this is an unexpected visit. I trust everything is well,” I say, gesturing for him to sit on the other side of my desk.

“I come bearing news, nephew, news I believe you’ve been long anticipating,” Innokentiy says smugly. He eyes up the expensive whiskey in the crystal decanter by the window, adding, “I believe it even calls for celebration, a toast.”

I know better than to refuse him, Uncle Innokentiy’s always been partial to a drink and I’ll get no sense out of him until I give him what he wants. I nod my assent, and he pours a generous glass for each of us.

“On the rocks,” I instruct as he turns to come back.

He tuts. “Such vulgarity, watering down good whiskey,” he says, complying anyway, the ice clinking in the glass as he comes back to sit down again, handing over the drink.

“So, tell me Uncle, what is this big news?” I ask, feeling impatient given the charade he’s putting on.

“Roman Sharkozi is dead,” he announces, looking proud of himself.

“What? On whose orders? Sharkozi was mine,” I growl. With Sharkozi dead, we have no leverage against his son to tryto get Kim’s grandmother back. Not that I’d have ever made a trade, but still. I also didn’t get another chance to interrogate him myself, with the new information I’ve learned, I wanted to see his reaction for myself.

“I killed him,” Innokentiy declares, “He finally confessed to killing your parents, my beloved brother, and I just snapped. I could not tolerate the insult, you are not the only one to hate this man, to have lost your father.”

He sounds so convincing. If he’d told me this only a few days ago I’d have fallen for it. Now I know the truth about him, I can see that it’s all a performance. I can only assume that Roman Sharkozi is dead because Innokentiy or even Bogdan were worried he might talk, or it was a mercy killing, he was never coming out alive.

I can’t react the way I want to without giving myself away. Innokentiy can’t know that I’m aware that Bogdan sent Kim here to spy, that I know they have Emma Walsh, that I know he’s tied up with the Sharkozis and working with them against me. So, I swallow my rage and raise my glass.

“You’re right, Uncle, you deserve your revenge as much as I do.Na zdorovie” I say, knocking back the whiskey in one gulp.

It tastes odd. Innokentiy doesn’t touch his drink. He gives me a small, satisfied smile and I realize my mistake too late. He’s drugged me.

I don’t have much time before the effects kick in. If I’m about to die, I have to save Kim, my child, and David. I have to make sure the information I have on me goes to them so that they can avenge me. So that my unborn child can one day take back what’s rightfully theirs.

I launch to my feet, reaching for the gun I keep in my desk drawer, I plan to take Innokentiy down with me. I pull the trigger, and it fires loudly but nothing happens, Innokentiy is still watching me with a smug look on his face. He must have anticipated this and replaced my bullets with blanks. I launch myself at him, but already I can tell I’m close to losing consciousness and I stumble, falling to the ground.

Innokentiy stands over me, watching me with a curious and triumphant expression. “Sorry to do this, son, it’s nothing personal. Family is family, but business is business. An agreement is worth more than money, and the agreements I’ve made are worth a lot.”

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