Page 30 of Zafira

“Well, I, for one, am not going to stand around for that. I know how meticulous you can get with these procedures. Every cut has to be perfect. I’ll pop in tomorrow morning. Hopefully, you’ll be done by then.” Arian’s words floated over his shoulder back into the room as he headed toward the exit. “You coming, Vadim?”

“Hell, yes. I’m starving. I’d rather have dinner than watch raw meat bubbling out of the poor man’s back.” Vadim visually shuddered with disgust as he also left the room.

“Well, son? Are you squeamish, too?” Bogdan’s gaze remained glued on his victim, who was becoming paler by the minute—and the loss of blood wasn’t the reason.

“Hell, no,” Andrei said with a broad grin. “I’m actually hoping you’ll ask for my help. You know... you do the lungs, and I tackle the ribs?”

“That sounds perfect. Let’s do this right. Like they do in the movies of surgeons performing procedures—with some music. Put on your playlist. Let’s have some tunes rock this joint.”

The dull screams of pain and pleas for mercy were suppressed by the rhythmic drums of rock bands until the early morning hours.

Then... nothing.

Silence descended over Ferma La Guzun.

A luxury yacht in the Black Sea, two-hundred-and-ten miles off the Romanian coast...

“You’ve met Svetlana, I assume?”

Luciano barely looked at the tall, beautiful redheaded woman who sipped on a glass of wine where she was sunning herself beside the jacuzzi on the deck of the luxurious yacht. Since Andrei had cut off his dick, he had no desire or lust-filled moments after women. In fact, he had no desire for any sexual fulfillment. All he was after was revenge. Least of all did he have time to play the kind of games his benefactor was after.

“I have only met one Svetlana, a cleaner in Estonia.” He gestured to the lithe form on the chaise lounge. “And that’s not her. Why am I here?”

“Yes, your cleaner in Estonia, aka Svetlana Rebane, my half-sister.”

“Your what?” Luciano’s head whipped around. His eyes narrowed as they caught and held the clear azure gaze, watching him with amusement.

“Come now, Luciano. Don’t tell me you’ve lost your desire for the thrill of the chase through the use of disguises?”

“I don’t have time for games. You sent your half-sister to spy on me? What the fuck is this about? I thought we had an agreement.” If there was one thing Luciano hated, it was to have people he made fealty with doubt his commitment or loyalty to the cause. This act was like a sucker punch to the gut. He stabbed a finger in the air.

“This, right here, is the reason why I always prefer to work alone. To be the mastermind and the driver of my own fate. I deviated from it before, and that’s why I ended up where I did. I refuse to allow it to happen again.”

“Relax, Luciano. Svetlana was there to lend a hand should it become necessary.” The man smirked. “It didn’t, so the precautionary gesture of assistance was wasted.”

“Assistance for what? You might be footing some of the finances until I can gain full access to all my money, but don’t forget who is in charge. If you were under the impression that I work for you, you are sadly mistaken.”

“I see our association more as a partnership, Luciano. One in which both of us wins, especially since we have the same end goal.”

“Do we? Pray tell,” Luciano leaned negligently against the boat railing. “What exactly is our end goal?”

“To kill Zafira Guzun.”

Luciano cackled a deep laugh. “Now see, that’s where you’re wrong. I don’t give a fuck whether the Comare lives or dies. She might have swayed a couple of spineless older generation Bratva leaders to sniff at her cunt for some fun, but in the end, when push comes to shove, she has no power. She might believe she does, but believe me, Bratva dons are old school. None of them are going to bow to a female’s leadership.”

“Then it’s a good thing I took matters into my own hands. By now, the bitch is dead.”

“What did you do?” Luciano suppressed the rage building inside him with difficulty.

“I told you from the start that I want that slut dead. You agreed. It’s not my fault that you decided to play a different game.” Lighting a cigar, his conspirator took a deep drag and blew out the smoke, watching the swirls dissipate over the ocean before he continued, “I sent the best assassin to finish her.”

Luciano laughed. “Finish her? An assassin? Don’t you think I’ve tried that before? That woman has a guardian angel hovering over her head. She should’ve been dead three times already, and still, she lives. What makes you think your guy is going to achieve success? Come, think about it. You send one measly asshole into a nest of the best assassins in the criminal world, and you believe he got it done? Tell me, my dear man, have you heard from him? Has he finished her, as you say?”

“Not yet, but I have no doubt he succeeded. Otherwise, I would’ve already been told.” The frown on his face showed his uncertainty, but he refused to acknowledge the possibility that the outcome could be failure.

“Good for you then, but I warn you, if he killed either Vanya or Arian Guzun in the process, you will pay the price for fucking up my revenge.”

“So, this is why you’re doing this? Stupid revenge?”

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