Page 26 of Kings of Violence

“It’s definitely more important than blood,” Nikolai says with an ugly little laugh. “Don’t you know how we do things in Russia?”

Like he doesn’t know just how much things have changed in the past few decades since the fall of the Soviet Union.

I mute the phone while Winters curses loudly and look at Sierra. “How much do you love your brother, Sierra? Because if he comes after us, hewilldie. I hear you don’t have that much family left.” I give her a dark grin. “And after he dies, we will pick off the rest of your family, one by one. I will delight in torturing them in front of you. Have you ever heard tortured screams?”

Her expression turns bleak, and she hugs her arms against her chest.

“I don’t know how to tell him not to,” she says, but her voice is flat, dull. “He’s not a dog I can call off.”

“But maybe he will be a dog I put down,” I answer. I press the button on my phone to unmute it. “Your choice, Cresci. Mutual benefits, or we completely annihilate the remaining Winters family.”

“Kyran. Kyran!” Sierra says over the sound of Winters bitching and cursing.

Her brother stops yelling long enough to listen to her.

“Kyran, Jesus Christ, you’re going to get us both killed. Listen to him, all right?”

“What?” Winters sounds utterly incredulous. “No. I’m not… This isn’t going to be another situation like?—”

“No, it’s not,” she cuts him off, gritting her teeth. She tries to yank away from Nikolai, but he holds her against him. His hand starts to slide down her stomach, and she squirms but otherwise ignores it. “Which is why you’re going to back off. I can handle myself, all right? Silvano, please talk him down before he starts a fucking war.”

“I would argue that it wasn’t us who started this,” Cresci says, but he sighs. “Mutual benefits, and we get regular updates from Sierra. Shewillbe going back to her classes.”

It’s cute that he thinks he can dictate that.

“Great,” Sierra says flatly. “Look, I made the choice to come with them.”

Winters scoffs.

“I did!” she protests.

“Which is why she isn’t already dead,” Nikolai adds helpfully.

“You see?” I say. “No need to get violent. After all, we are all friends here, right?”

“Apparently so,” Cresci answers. “If we’re friends, I’d love to arrange a meeting. We can discuss some mutually beneficial business agreements.”

I’m sure he would. Rumors, and our own dealings with him, have said that Cresci prefers to avoid bloodshed.

“We’ll see. My schedule is very full right now,” I answer. “But perhaps next month, I might be able to fit you in.”

I hang up on them before they can answer.

“Your brother,” I say to Sierra. “He switched loyalties very easily. Was he too cowardly to run your family after the feds swooped in?”

Sierra bristles, and I notice Nikolai’s hand has slid under the shirt. It’s on her stomach, with the shirt she’s wearing now lifted high enough to reveal her cunt. She’s not wearing underwear, of course. “He’s not a goddamn coward,” she snaps. “Not everyone wants to be in charge of an entire organization. And I bet someone like Nikolai here couldn’t manage it if he tried.”

Nikolai’s hand slides up, and he pinches one of her nipples hard enough to make her yelp.

“Nikolai does fine as my second-in-command,” I answer. I glance back at my unfinished dresser, but I don’t think I can concentrate on the work anymore. “You know, Yura will be coming home tomorrow.”

Sierra is intelligent enough to look wary at that — if not downright afraid. “And what does that mean for me?” she asks carefully.

“That you get to deal with one very angry Russian.” Nikolai chortles, but it doesn’t sound quite sincere. He’d told me about how Yuri had reacted to finding out we’d claimed Sierra.

I refuse to feel guilty about it though. He doesn’t decide what we do. I’m the one in charge. If he has a problem with Sierra, well, he can tell it to my face when he gets out.

“How does your search go?” I ask Sierra. “I was told you complained about the equipment we gave you.”

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