Page 110 of Kings of Cruelty

I rest back on the bed as Yuri settles on the other side of me, with the two of them providing much-needed warmth—and safety.

I wish Konstantin was here to experience it with us.

Next time. And therewillbe a next time.

I have to believe it.

I have to.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Nikolai

We splitour groups up into several teams. Victor Corvi’s men are led by a pretty blond man named Celio Palazzo, who is infuriatingly laid back about the whole thing. Pavone eventually gave us a few guys he assured us would work with Celio, and if they didn’t, he promised to feed them to his snakes. Cresci’s men are more eager, with Maddox Gray standing in as team lead.

Yuri, Konstantin, and I had called in the remaining Russians we knew we could trust, the ones who hadn’t been in the mansion that day. Stepan helped work out who was least likely to report back to Igor Voronkov.

Between the weapons, all the tech, the men, and Sierra monitoring the cameras, it’s as prepared as we can possibly get.

“They’ve got the entire compound crawling with people,” Sierra says. Her “battle station” is a van we’ve retrofitted with all the technology she needs. It’s set up several blocks away from the mansion.

Cresci and Celio are on other blocks, ready for their part in the infiltration.

“You got everything?” Sierra asks, glancing at us.

“Yeah,” Yuri answers. He checks his Glock again, like it’s any different now than it was five minutes ago. He’s decked out with a helmet and padded armor, too, although no amount of protection will stop an assault rifle’s bullets from penetrating his flesh.

“I should go in too,” Konstantin says darkly. “I need to.”

“You need to be here,” Sierra says, shaking her head. “I know you want to go in, but I need you on hand. Besides, what if one of the men gets out and finds me here?”

It’s a cheap trick, but it’s one I suspect will work. He values her safety more than his own—and more than his need for revenge, I think.

I’m sort of proud of how far Sierra has come, from my terrified zaya to a confident woman who knows how to get what she needs.

“It’ll be fine,” I tell Konstantin, adjusting my own helmet. “We’ll make sure it hurts.” I clap Stepan on the shoulder. “Keep the boss safe, all right?”

Stepan nods furiously. “On my life.”

Hopefully it won’t get to that.

Yuri and I, along with six other men, somberly make our way to the edge of the compound. The men inside have made good use of the strong lights we set up two years ago, illuminating even the darkest edges of the property. That’s all right.

After a few seconds, the lights on this side flicker and go out.

It’s already dark, and the sky is covered with clouds; it looks like it’s going to start raining at any moment, and I have to hope it’ll hold out at least until we get inside.

“You’ve got about five minutes,” Sierra’s voice whispers into my ear, thanks to the earpiece.

We approach the heavy metal bars of the fence. Two of the guys bring out the metal saw and get to work cutting a hole for usto get through. It’s louder than I’d like, and several sparks fly in the darkness.

As soon as we’ve got two of the bars cut, we rush through. We’re barely inside the garden when the lights go back on, with us hiding behind one of the rows of bushes.

Fuck, that was close.

After we retake this place, Konstantin will need to install better security, with even fewer blind spots, but I am grateful for the lapses now.

We sneak closer to the house, sticking to the dark areas.

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