Page 42 of Deadly Offer

Reuben’s eyes narrowed as he processed this new information. “There’s a plan involving Dmitrii that I don’t know about?” His poker face slipped momentarily, revealing surprise before he composed himself again.

Nikon nodded, watching his brother pace at the far end of the office, phone pressed to his ear. Alexei’s responses were clipped, his free hand gesturing as if conducting an invisible orchestra.

“After Andrey’s exile, Alexei and I realized he might still be useful,” Nikon explained. “We set things up so Dmitrii would think he was getting insider information by recruiting a disgraced Matvei.”

Reuben absorbed this, his initial surprise hardening into something more considered. “I’m not surprised by Dmitrii’s move,” Reuben continued, leaning forward and lowering his voice further. “What I don’t understand is why you kept this from me until now.”

The hint of accusation in his words sent a familiar prickle of defensiveness up Nikon’s spine. Old habits die hard. But he suppressed it, reminding himself of their promise in the shower three weeks ago—partnership, not possession.

“I wasn’t certain it would work. Dmitrii isn’t easily manipulated.”

The words felt inadequate even as he spoke them. Andrey had turned on them, but using his youngest brother as bait still left a bitter taste in Nikon’s mouth. Necessary. Practical. But not something he wanted to dwell on.

Alexei returned, placing his phone into his pocket with a studied nonchalance that couldn’t quite conceal his satisfaction.

The corner of his mouth curved upward, a ghost of a smile that soon schooled back into professional composure as he rejoined them at the desk.

“It’s confirmed. Dmitrii’s second-in-command initiated contact yesterday. They’re proceeding cautiously, but they’ve taken the bait.”

“Which means Andrey survived his wounds.” Reuben looked from Nikon to Alexei, his eyes narrowing slightly as he processed their exchange. “Does Grigorii know what you’re doing with Andrey?”

Neither brother answered right away. Alexei looked toward Nikon, raising his right eyebrow just enough to be noticed.

“No.” Nikon walked to the window and paused, hands in his pockets. The financial district spread before him, filled with the morning rush of people whose biggest concern was likely being late for meetings. “Grigorii pronounced the exile. So, in his eyes, Andrey is dead to the family.”

“Yet you’re using him.” Reuben stated it plainly, without judgment.

Nikon tensed at Reuben’s straightforward assessment. It was harder to deflect than any accusation would have been.

Alexei leaned back. “Look, we’re not violating exile. We’re not helping Andrey or protecting him. Just... keeping tabs.”

“And using him to feed Dmitrii bullshit,” Nikon added, turning back from the window. “It was this or put a bullet in him, Reuben. At least this way he’s still useful to the family.”

Reuben rolled a pen between his thumb and forefinger, the motion deliberate and measured as his mind worked through the implications. Processing. “So what happens now?”

“Now we speed things up.” Alexei leaned forward with a slight smile. “Dmitrii thinks Andrey is his golden ticket. Which means we can feed him exactly what we want him to see.”

“How exactly are we getting the information to Andrey?” Reuben asked, his expression settling into the thoughtful calm that Nikon recognized from high-stakes poker games.

“Remember Kaz? One of Andrey’s key men from the North street operations?” Nikon exchanged a look with Alexei. “We caught him trying to flee after Andrey’s exile. Gave him a simple choice—work for us or have a private meeting with Grigorii.”

Alexei smirked. “Andrey still thinks Kaz is loyal to him. He has no idea his trusted man is feeding him exactly what we want Dmitrii to hear.”

“Does Grigorii know about this arrangement?” Reuben’s question hung in the air.

Nikon’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Grigorii made it clear he considers Andrey dead the moment he pronounced exile. He doesn’t want reports, doesn’t ask questions.” His fingers drummed once on the desk. “But he knows. He misses nothing.”

“And chooses to look the other way,” Alexei added, his tone lighter but eyes serious. “Plausible deniability. If Andrey’s information ever traces back to us...”

“It can’t be tied to Grigorii,” Nikon finished. “Family tradition maintained, practical advantage gained.”

“So we need to get the balance right with what we feed through Kaz,” Reuben said, catching on. “Too obvious andDmitrii smells a trap. Too accurate and we’re just handing him our playbook. We need to mix good intel with carefully chosen lies.”

“That’s why I’ve been thinking small inconsistencies,” Nikon said, placing his hands flat on Alexei’s desk. “Ship manifests missing an item or two. Security protocols we quietly changed last week. Client lists with a few strategic names removed.”

Nikon watched Reuben absorb this information, a slight narrowing of his eyes the only indication as the pieces fell into place.

“So that’s why you’ve been checking your phone every five minutes for weeks now,” Reuben’s gaze lingered on Nikon for a moment longer than necessary, asking the question neither of them wanted to voice aloud.

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