Page 1 of Sinful Promise

1

ROMAN

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s a rat—particularly the two-legged kind.

The man behind the warehouse curls into the fetal position, clutching his belly with a groan. Crimson blood oozes from his mouth. My fist hurts from the connection it made with his ribs two minutes ago. One would think I’d be used to the pain by now.

I kick him in the head. It’s not the first time I’ve treated a man’s head like a football, nor will it be the last.

“Who took the shipment?” I growl in Russian.

As I watch, he spits out a tooth. Looks like my punch to his jaw had an impact.

Good.

We don’t bother with security cameras. When it comes to contraband, cameras are more of a liability than a help. This place was once a factory where locals worked long hours churning out cement blocks. Nowadays, we use it to stash products.

A broken streetlight hangs overhead with bared wires dangling low enough to touch. After years of neglect, the place looks abandoned, but we maintain the chain-link fence topped with barbed wire to keep out those unfamiliar with the area. The locals know not to trespass.

“I can’t say.” The man sucks in a breath. “They’ll kill me.” His voice is barely audible.

I give him another swift kick in the gut. My boot connects with the thickness of his belly. He cries out in pain and gasps for air.

“I’ll let you live if you tell me,” I state calmly.

He’s a dead man, which he’d already know if he were smart. He was dead the minute I discovered him sneaking away from the warehouse. He was hired to keep our gun shipment safe until we sold them on the black market.

Instead, he’d let someone steal them, costing us a considerable sum in lost revenue.

“I’ll find out in the end,” I warn him.

Reaching inside his thin jacket, Alex, my right-hand man, pulls out his Glock and racks it. “Let me finish him.”

“No, we need the name,” I reply. I almost want to chuckle at our routine.

“Fuck,” Alex groans. He kicks the dirt with his boot.

“I’ll give you a name, but wait a day so I can disappear,” our once-trusted employee pleads, groveling at my feet. Interesting. Apparently, he’s more afraid of someone else than he is of me. What’s more, he actually believes I’m letting him go. My lips curl at the irony. We all tell ourselves lies to get through the day, but he’ll learn the hard way that the Volkovs don’t forgive or forget.

“Sure,” I reply. “Who was it?”

“His name is Ratmim.”

“Kozlov, the Belarusian?” I ask in surprise.Who are the Kozlovs in bed with? My mind races. The Belarusians have a reputation. They are cutthroats that come into Russia and plunder at will. It seems they have a safe haven in Belarus, and few Russians demand compensation. Our countries’ politics are closely aligned. I’m at a loss when trying to decide which country is more benevolent.

“Where is he?” I demand. Hearing the impatience in my voice, Alex moves closer to me.

“I don’t know,” the man says. “He lies low. He has many enemies but also friends in high places, allies linked to the military and officials next to the President.”

I let out a low whistle. Fuck. I’ve never met him, but I’ve heard Ratmim is a greedy bastard. Belarus is known to fan the flames of war in other countries under Russian directives. Years ago, the world slept as a struggling country was taken over by a corrupt election. The President now holds the title of the longest-sitting president in Europe.

However, Belarus is indebted to Russia, a debt that will be repaid no matter how many favors are given or how many years pass. This is what makes Belarus a thorn in everyone’s side. They have an invisible cloak of protection and harbor many criminals from other countries, mercenaries who call Belarus home.

“Are you letting him live?” Alex murmurs, looking down at our former employee. The man cowers like a rat and moves his arms to protect his head from the expected shot.

“What do you think?” I ask with an indifferent shrug, pretending to consider the matter. Today, Alex and I play good cop, bad cop. Maybe it’s cruel, giving the man even a glimmer of hope that he might get out of this alive, but it’s a cruel world, and this man has betrayed us.

There’s only one solution.

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