Page 18 of Vendetta Crown

As we release our grip, the office doors swing open. The same attendant from earlier enters, walks swiftly to Potyomkin, and whispers something in his ear before departing again.

To my surprise, Potyomkin begins to laugh again, deep and bitter.

"What's so funny?" I ask, suddenly wary.

"It would seem," Potyomkin says, lips curving into a smile that's almost genuine, "that God has a cruel sense of humor." He leans forward. "Because you do have something to lose: Ruslan Dragunov is alive, and he's looking for you."

5

RUSLAN

"You look like shit, Ruslan Vitalyevich,"Potyomkin says when I sit down across from him.

I flip him the middle finger, not bothering with pleasantries. "Where the fuck is my wife?"

My shoulder throbs where the bullets tore through flesh and muscle. The private jet ride was brutal. Every pocket of turbulence sent fresh waves of agony through my body.

The painkillers are wearing off, and I can feel fever threatening at the edges of my consciousness.

Potyomkin's lips curl into something between a smile and a sneer as he crosses his office. Without asking, he pours amber liquid into two crystal tumblers, and sets them down on the desk. Then, he takes one more look at me, and brings the bottle as well.

"Your wife is safe. She's spending time with Vera." He slides one glass toward me. "Drink. You look like you need it."

I down the whiskey in one burning gulp. The alcohol burns in my empty stomach like fire, but the relief it brings to the pain is immediate.

"Your wife is quite extraordinary." Potyomkin looks at his glass before he takes a sip. "She managed to secure a deal that is rather detrimental to me."

Pride swells in my chest despite everything. Myzarechkaoutmaneuvering a pakhan?

"What deal?"

"My men." Potyomkin shrugs. "For your guns.

"Sounds like a standard agreement to me, Slava."

"There's more." Potyomkin drains his glass before slamming it down on his desk.

"Is that so?"

Potyomkin's jaw clenches. "She demanded that my Vera come with her as well."

"Aurora has a soft spot for girls forced to marry monsters." I can't help but laugh, even though the movement sends pain radiating through my chest. "Just how did she negotiate such a deal from you, you old bastard?"

"She has an eye for detail."

"That she does."

"She noticed one of my men had Mikonov tattoos. Threatened to expose me to Gregor. And when I tried to threaten her back, she told me that she had nothing left to lose. Told me that if I killed her, your production company goes to your nieces, which means it goes to Semyon."

The laughter disappears from my face when I hear that he threatened Aurora. "I don't take kindly to men who threaten my wife."

"Oh I'm aware." Potyomkin waves his hand lazily at me. "Would you expect me to react differently if you did the same to my Vera?"

"No," I admit.

"Precisely." He smiles and refills both our glasses. "So, I agreed, and here we are."

The moment of levity passes quickly.

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