Page 73 of One of Them

“I’m sure the Don will receive this well,” he spat.

Ilya straightened his back. “I’m not worried about that. For all we know, he doesn’t even exist.”

Lorenzo grinned, a knowing look in his eyes.

“Where is she?” Ilya pressed, his voice growing colder. “You’re willing to lose your life for someone who isn’t even here?”

“I’m choosing the right side,” Enzo finally replied, his calm unwavering.

“The right side? There are no sides. There is us and no one left out of you.”

“There will be when she’s done. And you? You chose wrong.”

“All this talk about friendship. Protection?” Ilya scoffed. “Where is she now?” he yelled, his eyes scanning the room in search of her. “The feared assassin in hiding. Leaving those she claims to care about to clean up her messes.”

“I said, where is she?” Ilya’s voice thundered, a command he expected to be obeyed.

“Let me think on that one.” Enzo spat the little blood that formed in his mouth. “I’ll get back to you.”

“Maybe this will change your mind. Maxim, I want a location by the end of today.” He eyed the Italian but addressed me. “By all means necessary.”

The soundproof door shut behind him, sealing us in the room. The Pakhan rushed out, likely on his way to supervise Malek’s move to the compound.

“Are there cameras in the room?” Enzo mouthed.

I shook my head. “Not to my knowledge.”

He rolled back his shoulders, blowing his hair out of his face.

“Is she safe?” I asked.

He nodded in answer.

I needed more words. Sentences, pictures, more than that, but the stubborn asshole wouldn’t budge. When I reached the machine, I might have waited three more seconds before I turned it off, just for that.

“Is your sister?” he asked, relieved of the pressure.

I mirrored his response.

“You need to get her out,” Lorenzo urged. “Take her somewhere safe before it’s over.”

“Andrei disagrees,” I admitted. “He thinks it will agitate him more. We’re keeping a close eye on her.”

“Listen to me. Have one of your brothers take your sister away and wait.”

“Wait?”

“Just wait. Okay?”

Though it went against everything I knew, I took a leap of faith. Now I just needed to convince my brothers to think the same.

“Do you have a location for him?” I tilted my head toward the door.

The Italian gave a slight nod. “There’s a safe house in Sicily, on my family’s property near Palermo. Don used it for money laundering, but they relocated the operation. It should be vacant.”

Perfect.

“It’ll buy her time,” he confirmed my thoughts. “But you need to make it believable and oversee it personally.”

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