Page 6 of Deadly Offer

Grigorii eased back into his chair with a sigh. “You need to stop keeping Reuben on the fringes.” Grigorii’s eyes locked onto Nikon’s. “He more than proved himself at the port job.”

Nikon’s glass hit the table hard enough to slosh whiskey onto the polished wood. “He was almost killed.”

“It was mere grandstanding.” Grigorii waved a scarred hand. “The Cartel boys were putting on a show. None of them were going to pull those triggers and you know it.”

“You keep him dealing cards, wasting away in those rooms of yours.” Alexei’s words cut through the tension between the two eldest Matvei brothers. “When was the last time you let himactuallyhelp the business?”

“He’s not made for the violent side of what we do.” Nikon’s voice hardened.

Alexei raised an eyebrow. “Does Reuben agree with that?”

Nikon said nothing, focusing on his finger as it traced the rim of his glass.

“We could use this.” Alexei leaned forward, his tone sharpening with interest. “Have Reuben scout one of Dmitrii’s poker rooms. Maybe just the periphery. Gather some basic intel.”

The muscle in Nikon’s jaw twitched. “No.”

“Think about it.” Grigorii’s hands spread across the polished table. “Dmitrii’s already shown his hand. He’s interested in Reuben. That probably makes Reuben our best shot at understanding his operation.”

“I said no.” Nikon’s voice turned cold.

“Not as a recruit,” Alexei added quickly. “Just reconnaissance. Let him feel things out under the guise of considering Dmitrii’s offer. His ability to read people—”

“Is exactly why he stays where he is.” Nikon’s fingers tightened around his glass.

“Nikon.” Grigorii’s voice carried decades of shared history, of watching each other’s backs in countless fights. “You can’t let emotions cloud your judgment like this. Not with what’s at stake.”

Emotions. As if that’s all this was.

Reuben was the most valuable addition to their organization in years. His ability to read people was worth more than all of Donovan’s accounts combined. As if Nikon’s need to keep him close, keep him safe, wasn’t as much about protecting their interests as it was about...

No. He wouldn’t think about that now.

“Walk me through Miroslav’s pattern.” Nikon directed his attention to Alexei, his jaw tightening at the sight of Grigorii’s frown—that same expression his older brother had worn through every crisis since they were children. “Every detail.”

Alexei tapped his tablet, bringing up a new set of projections. “He’s systematic. First, he identifies key players in our operation. Then Dmitrii studies them, learning their routines, their weaknesses.”

Nikon’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Some habits never change.” When Grigorii raised an eyebrow, Nikon elaborated, “Dmitrii always did prefer playing with other people’s toys. Even back when he was nothing but a face in the crowd at certainprivateestablishments.”

Alexei shrugged off the interruption as he continued, his fingers tracing patterns on his tablet. “By the time he makes contact, he already knows exactly what buttons to push.”

“Like poetry,” Andrey muttered, slouching deeper into his chair. “The man’s an artist.”

Nikon’s gaze snapped to his youngest brother. There was something off in Andrey’s tone, something that set off warningbells in the back of his mind. But before he could probe deeper, Alexei continued.

“He’s particularly interested in your casino rooms.” Alexei’s eyes met Nikon’s. “Specifically, the private games Reuben deals.”

Ice crystallized in Nikon’s veins. The memory of Reuben’s hands moving across green-felt flashed through his mind. Those same hands on his skin this morning, demanding and desperate...

“Our security is solid.” Nikon’s words came out rough.

“Security isn’t the issue.” Alexei set his tablet down, choosing his next words carefully. “Miroslav likely sees Reuben as a coveted recruit. Someone who could be persuaded to switch sides.”

Images from a long ago past flickered through Nikon’s mind: smoke-filled rooms atClub Midnight, the way Dmitrii would appear at the bar next to whichever man had just left Nikon’s bed. How he’d lean in close, whisper something that made them laugh. The glass in Nikon’s hand caught the light as he lifted it, remembering other glasses, other nights when he’d watched from across dimly lit rooms while pretending not to notice.

But Reuben wasn’t some passing distraction in a private club. The thought of Dmitrii’s hands anywhere near him made him want to cut out Dmitrii’s tongue.

“Reuben’s loyal.” Nikon’s fingertip returned to tracing the rim of his glass, remembering how Reuben’s lips had brushed the same spot on his fingertip this morning.

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