Page 74 of Vicious Addictions

“We weren’t followed if that’s what you’re asking,” Jude replies once he’s downed a shot, trying to keep his fury in check.

“I hope you’re right, but just to be on the safe side, you two should stay the night. The twins and I will keep a watch downstairs to see if anyone shows up asking questions about you.”

“Great,” Jude counters sarcastically, downing yet another shot as if it were water.

“So?” Remus asks, walking toward me. “How did it go?”

“It went about as well as could be expected,” I lie. “Though I doubt my father will be happy with what we’ve learned tonight.”

“And what did you learn?” Felix cuts in, eyeing me intently.

“That we have bigger problems than just an overzealous drug lord spreading fentanyl through our streets like wildfire,” I begin to explain. “Anton Pavlin isn’t just a new player in town. He’sBratva.”

“No shit?” Rolo’s eyes widen in ecstasy as if the troubling news just made his day.

“It’s true.” Jude drags a hand through his hair. “Seems like the newPakhanisn’t afraid to do business under our noses all the way from the motherland.”

“That’s… troubling,” Felix replies pensively. “The boss won’t be happy with this news.”

“No. He will not,” Jude grumbles, pouring himself yet another drink.

I’m surprised he’s still standing with the amount of booze he had tonight, but from the looks of it, Jude has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

“You got to admit, the guy’s got a set of balls on him to think he could pull this off.” Rolo lets out a low whistle, still looking way too excited for my liking.

Why is my cousin so happy?

Does he not realize what this means? We now have proof that the newPakhanshattered the peace treaty my father and his predecessor spent a decade upholding.

Petrov giving the green light to Pavlin to push his poison onto our streets isn’t just a slight—it’s a declaration of war.

And war with the Bratva? That’s nothing to celebrate.

But then again, Rolo never needed much of an excuse to fight. The idea of a full-fledged war with the Russian syndicate is probably right up his alley.

“That’s not all we got,” I say, striding over to Jude and holding out my hand. “Phone,” I state evenly, sprinkling my demand with a saccharine smile.

Jude’s nostrils flare, but he says nothing as he gently slaps his phone into my palm.

“We also managed to sneak into Pavlin’s office. This is what we found,” I report, showing Felix and Remus the pictures Jude took of Pavlin’s little black book.

“This is good,” Felix says approvingly after taking inventory of our findings. “We can definitely work with this.”

“Well done, cousin. You really pulled it off,” Remus adds, giving me a side hug.

Pride swells in my chest at the small victory, grateful for Remus and Felix to recognize the lengths I went to obtain this much-needed intel and appreciate me for it.

Unlike Jude, who is still silently observing me from across the room with an accusing frown plastered all over his face.

They leave an hour later, so I step into the adjoining room, half-expecting Jude to stay in his and leave me be for the rest of the night.

I’m struggling to unzip my dress at my side when the door swings open with a bang.

“What the fuck was that?” Jude demands, storming toward me.

“Whatever do you mean?” I feign innocence just to annoy him further since I already know where this conversation is going.

He grabs my shoulders, turns me around to face him head-on, and gives them a little shake. “Don’t play with me, Mina. Now is not the time for your games.”

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