Page 178 of Silenced

“They’re so sure you’re going to die, Dmitri. Are you? Or are you going to prove them wrong? I think you should. If you don’t, you’ll break your father’s heart. If that happens, I’m not sure Miami will survive the night…”

Then, I settle in for a vigil, trying not to think about the last time I’d done this… with my mother at my papa’s bedside.

I can only hope for Nikolai’s sake that this has a better ending.

44

NIKOLAI

Finished Symphony - Hybrid

* * *

“You’re surethis is all of it?”

“This is their neighborhood,” Igor snaps at Misha in affront while I just stare around the area.

“Seems stupid to me,” Misha mutters. “Why do they all live together?”

“Strength in numbers. Like you don’t live on the compound in NYC? Hell,wehave subdivisions too.”

Misha gusts out a heavy breath but doesn’t argue with the truth. “There are no other pockets?”

“That’s impossible to say. This is where the majority of their pushers live. Even Linton resides here.”

“Do they have kids?”

“Last intel said they have baby mommas, but none are living here.”

“That’s weird. Why?”

“Because Linton won’t allow it.”

“How the fuck does he stop men from living with their women?”

“Threatens to kill the kids.” Igor snorts. “It’s a successful deterrent. We’ve looked into Linton before and his dad was the leader of MA$$. You remember them?”

Misha frowns. “Not really.”

“Figured you might. They were here when you were a kid. Anyway, he was twelve when Indigo Cartel soldiers bust into his house and killed his dad. He got shot in the fray.”

“You’re saying he has a conscience where kids are concerned?” Misha mocks.

Igor shrugs. “Yup. Handy for us. Means we can burn this place down and the only fuckers who’ll get hurt are the ones who deserve it.” To me, his tone turns deferential as he asks, “You ready, Pakhan?”

His question breaks into the silent movie that I’ve had playing on repeat in my head since I saw the security footage of Dmitri’s attack.

Like I was there, I can see the moment B4K tore into one of our office buildings.

Ram-raiding the storefront, they’d leaped out with SMGs and had sprayed the area with bullets, killing three men in the collision and one in the shooting.

Two B4K had sneaked into the main office where Dmitri was. Because my son never fucking listened to me, he’d had that godawful death metal music he enjoyed piped into his ears while he worked.

One second, Dmitri’s head was bowed over the books. The next, the door exploded inwards.

He hit the panic button—that’s why he lived long enough for me to say goodbye to him.

Then, he was shot.

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