Page 23 of Deadly Offer

“I don’t know.” The admission cost him. Nikon Matvei always knew what to do, always had a plan. “If I tell Grigorii and Alexei...”

Reuben’s expression shifted, surprise flickering across his features before settling into something more complex. Not pity—Nikon couldn’t have tolerated pity—but understanding. It struck Nikon then how rarely he admitted uncertainty to anyone. Power required the illusion of infallibility. Yet here he stood, confessing doubts to this man he loved who had seen him at his most ruthless and hadn’t flinched away.

Reuben didn’t rush to fill the silence with empty reassurances or hasty solutions. Instead, he asked the question Nikon had been avoiding since the first discrepancy appeared in the inventory.

“What happens to Andrey now?” Reuben’s voice remained steady. “Tell me.”

“Exile with a target, maybe. Banishment from family territory with the understanding that he no longer has our protection.” Nikon stared out at the darkening loading dock, the stacks of pallets now just silhouettes against the yellow siding. “It’s a death sentence, just slower than a bullet.”

“And you don’t want to be the one who sentences your brother to death.”

“Would you?” Nikon snapped, then immediately regretted it. “I need time. Time to figure out why he’s doing this, if there’s any way to salvage the situation.”

“Time is something we might not have. If Dmitrii’s man reports back that the shipment was a trap...”

“I know.” Nikon gathered his equipment with quick, efficient movements. “We’ll secure this evidence at the safe house on Second Street. Not at the penthouse, not anywhere connected to the family.”

“And then?”

“Then I need to think. Plan.” The photographer’s case closed with a definitive click. “Find a solution that doesn’t destroy everything.”

Chapter 10

Nikon checked his phone for the tenth time in an hour. Still no update from Stepan about Andrey’s movements. The last report placed his brother at one of Dmitrii’s nightclubs until three in the morning. Again. The second time this week.

His thumb hovered over Andrey’s contact. What would he even say?Hey, little brother, are you selling our family out to our enemy?The thought twisted something vital inside his gut. Nikon set the phone down with enough force to make his desk lamp tremble.

The evidence Nikon and Reuben had gathered now sat in a locked safe under the floor in a location that none of his brothers knew about. Shipping manifests. Surveillance photos. Bank transfers disguised as poker losses. All pointing to Andrey selling Matvei weapons to Dmitrii Miroslav.

Nikon’s office door swung open. Reuben didn’t bother knocking anymore. Why would he? They shared a bed, shared secrets. Shared everything. But now, Reuben stood in the doorway, phone in hand, expression carefully blank.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding all day.”

Nikon watched as Reuben’s eyes swept the office, cataloging details most would skip over. The empty coffee cups. The rumpled suit jacket hung over the chair. The security feeds pulled up on multiple monitors. The untouched food that his staff had sent up hours ago.

“You look like hell.” Reuben wandered in and perched on the edge of Nikon’s desk, close enough that Nikon could smellhis cologne but not close enough to touch. The distance felt deliberate. “Hella handsome, but hell all the same.”

The corner of Nikon’s mouth twitched despite himself. Only Reuben could pull that reaction from him. “Long night.” Nikon’s gaze fixed on the monitors displaying the casino floor. Safer territory than Reuben’s searching eyes.

“I called Alexei. He said you canceled the family meeting.”

Nikon minimized the security feed. “It wasn’t the right time.”

Reuben’s fingers drummed against the polished table, inches from Nikon’s hand. “Are we going to talk about it?”

“About what?”

“Seriously?” Reuben leaned into Nikon’s line of sight, forcing eye contact. “We need to talk about Andrey. Or maybe talk about the fact that you’ve been sleeping in your office for the last two nights. Or how about why you haven’t told Grigorii or Alexei yet?”

Nikon’s jaw tightened. “It’s complicated.”

“So explain it to me.” Reuben’s voice softened, coaxing. “Help me understand why we’re sitting on something that could hurt your family.”

Nikon’s hands curled into fists. “Are you suddenly an expert on Matvei family politics?”

“No. But I am good at reading people. And right now you’re afraid.”

Nikon looked away. “What exactly do you think I’m afraid of?”

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