Page 83 of Ten

“That’s not what—.” Kostya huffed. “Why didtheypickyouto be the intermediary?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe they knew he was a greedy prick who wanted to make a name for himself from other people’s pain,” Stas suggested. “Running around, shoving cameras in people’s faces when they’re in the worst moment of their lives. Chasing down families in front of hospitals. Live-streaming women bleeding to death in front of a goddamned police station to get views.”

“It’s just a job,” Chad weakly defended himself. “It’s how I pay my bills.”

“Do you?” Kostya wondered. “Can you pay your bills with what you earn?”

“Yes.”

“So, if I have my spiders look through your financial records, I’m not going to find anything interesting?”

“Well, look,” Chad hurriedly clarified, “they paid me. A lot.”

“Uh-huh.” Kostya reached for his black bag. “Okay. Time for the taking part since you’re not giving anything useful.”

“Wait! Please! Don’t! Please! I know where they’re located! The men who paid me!”

Kostya paused with his hand inside his bag. “Where?”

“Dubai!”

Kostya narrowed his eyes. “Your money came from there?”

“No, the money came from Switzerland. It went into a bank account in the Bahamas.”

“So, why do you say they’re in Dubai?”

“I...” Chad turned his weasel eyes toward the floor. He was caught in a lie, and he didn’t know how to get himself out of it.

Ten glanced at Kostya who clearly had the same thought. What was he hiding? What was worse than taking money to break a serial killer out of prison?

Kostya’s phone buzzed and vibrated across the table next to his bag. He picked it up and answered, “Yeah? I see. I see. I’m sorry. I would never have asked you to look if I thought—. No, no, that’s fine. Please. Do whatever you need to do. I’m sorry.”

Ten furrowed his brow. What was that about?

Kostya set aside his phone. His gaze had turned steely and cold. He glowered with disgust. “Fox found your secret, Chad.”

The man sobbed, a hacking, agonized wail of shame and fear. Whatever that secret was, he must have known it would cost him his life. “I can’t help it. I’m sorry. I’ve tried. I really have. I went to therapy, but I can’t stop. I can’t.”

“You haven’t tried our brand of therapy yet.” Kostya started to take off his watch, likely because he didn’t want to have to clean the blood off the expensive face later. “I bet we can cure you.” He placed his watch next to his phone. “Pederast.”

Ten went rigid. He sneered at the filthy sack of shit tied to that chair. Kostya’s one-sided conversation with Fox made sense. She had found evidence, videos of children being sexually abused, on Chad’s home computers. Of course, that was how they had blackmailed him.

Before Kostya could start in on Chad, someone forcefully banged on the rolling metal door at the far end of the warehouse. Ten gestured for Boychenko and Kir to answer. The kid pulled the long chain, raising the door slowly, and revealing Nikolai in jeans which he typically only wore when he was forced to get up after settling in for the night with his wife and child. There was a man standing next to the boss in tactical pants and a black T-shirt.

“Gabe!” Kostya forgot his business with Chad. “Boss?”

Gabe? Ten was taken aback when he realized the man standing there was none other than Gabe Reyes, the older brother of Diego and Nate who had been a highly decorated Marine. There had been trouble in Houston when the other boys were younger, and Gabe had been forced to flee south of the border.

When he was in prison, Ten had heard whispers of an American hitman working off a debt down there. He’d heard Gabe’s name in those same rumors. Now he believed them.

“I told you I was going to do things my way.” Nikolai crossed the warehouse as Boychenko closed the rolling door. “I called in a favor from Moscow, and now Gabe has a contract.”

Gabe walked close to Nikolai’s side, his practiced gaze scanning the room. Ten caught and held the other man’s gaze. Gabe approached him and held out his scarred, rough hand. “I’m sorry about your girl, man.”

“Yours, too.” Nisha had mentioned Savannah begging her to tell Gabe, and here he was, in the flesh. “How is she?”

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