Page 96 of Bound By Revenge

“Why the hell not?” he snaps, his tone pushing my patience. “It’s about time someone dealt with him. And you could still avoid war with his men. Just say I went rogue. Exile me to Siberia like you did Maxim, or fake my death. Problem solved.”

The sheer audacity. Boys and their bravado.

“Over my dead body, Dmitri,” I bark, my voice rising as irritation boils over. “I’ll be damned if I let you—or anyone else—do my dirty work. And I’m sure as hell not sending you to die or live in exile.”

Dmitri has the nerve to roll his eyes. “Come on, Nik. Be reasonable. Just think about it.”

“I’ve thought about it,” I snap, my tone sharper than I’ve ever used with him. “And the answer is no. Don’t test me on this.”

That finally shuts him up, but the way his shoulders sag stings. He means well, as idiotic as his idea is. He’s loyal—to me, to thebratva. That’s what makes this even harder.

“Yes, sir,” Dmitri mumbles, sounding defeated. I sigh, softening just slightly.

“I won’t let McGuire kill anyone else I care about,” I say, my tone quieter but no less firm. “I’ll handle him myself.”

Dmitri’s head snaps up, his voice rising as he pleads, “You can’t expect me to just sit back and do nothing, Nik. He came after you. After everything you’ve done for me and my mom—how can you expect me to let this go?”

“Because I’m telling you to,” I growl, my patience thinning to a thread. “And you’ll do as you’re told, or so help me God, I’ll teach you a lesson I should’ve taught you a long time ago.”

The silence that follows is heavier than the threat itself. Dmitri stares at me, stunned. I can’t blame him. In the decade I’ve known him, I’ve never spoken to him like this. There’s no trace of humor, no tolerance. Just cold, unflinching authority.

For the first time, Dmitri sees me as I am: hispakhan.

Suddenly, Kat’s voice cuts through the tension. “Okay, can we talk about food? Because I’m starving. I don’t know about you two, but I’m craving Chinese.”

I glare at her in the rearview mirror, but she doesn’t flinch. She just smiles, completely unfazed. It’s painfully obvious she’s trying to defuse the situation and shield Dmitri from the worst of my temper.

“I’m good with Chinese,” Dmitri mutters, still sounding bitter. “What, no food at that shitty party?”

“Oh, there was food,” Kat replies with a casual shrug. “But I was too busy to grab a bite. You know how demanding our boss can be.”

I narrow my eyes at her reflection. She responds by blowing me a kiss.

Dmitri snorts, and for a moment, I think he might actually smile. “I’ll plead the fifth on that one.”

Her face lights up at his reaction, clearly pleased with herself. Watching her smug little smile, I feel my own lips twitch against my will.

“Oh, come on,” she presses, leaning forward slightly. “You can tell us what you’re thinking, Dmitri. Whatever it is, I promise you won’t piss him off as much as I have today.”

Dmitri glances at her through the mirror, one brow raised. “Now I’m curious. What did you do this time?”

Kat sighs dramatically, like she’s about to confess a mortal sin. “Well, let’s just say Nik was already a little… tense by the time I rammed his car into McGuire’s gate. Twice. Or maybe three times. I lost count.”

She grins at me like it’s all a big joke, and Dmitri laughs—really laughs. The tension in his shoulders starts to ease with each chuckle.

“All he would’ve seen,” I cut in, voice dry, “was the face of a man who’s realized he’s been duped. I was promised a world-class thief. What I got was a mouthy brat with way too much sass and zero ability to figure out a garage door.”

Kat arches an eyebrow, her lips curving into a teasing grin. “Well, that says more about you than it does about me,kotyonok. If memory serves, I was good enough to steal from the big, badpakhanhimself—right under his nose—and walk away with nothing but a slap on the wrist.”

I smirk, leaning back. “Your recollection and mine vary wildly. I do remember a slap, but it definitely wasn’t on your wrist.”

She gasps, clutching her chest like I’ve offended her honor. It’s all theatrics, though; her eyes sparkle with amusement, giving her away.

Dmitri lets out a low whistle, chuckling—until something registers. His head whips toward Kat, his eyes going wide. “Wait. What did you just call him?”

Kat shrugs, the picture of nonchalance.

Dmitri turns to me, his eyes comically wide. “No way. Did she just— Did I hear that right?Kotyonok? Please tell me I just heard that right. This is too good.”

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