Page 75 of Devious Madness

“You named your cat Berenice?” I stand my ground, staring right back at the evil creature.

I’ve been locked in a cellar with no food or water for days. I’ve been beaten to within an inch of my life and lived to kill the bastard who dared touch me. This little feline isn’t going to scare me.

Sasha cocks a brow, looking up over the topof the pad. “An old woman gave her to me when she was a kitten, so I used her name.”

“An old woman named Berenice gave you the cat, so you named the cat Berenice?” I’ve known this man for ten years, and I’m still finding things out about him.

“It made her happy.” He waves a hand. “Now do you want me to get into this stupid iPad, or would you like to talk more about my cat?”

“The iPad, Sasha.” I gesture to the device propped up in front of him. “Is it giving you trouble?”

He grunts and continues working his magic. No one can break into a device as quickly as Sasha, but even he is having trouble with this one. He hooks it up to a laptop and starts working from the computer.

After muttering several more strings of curses in Russian, he sits back with a triumphant grin. “I’m in!”

“I didn’t think it would take you so long,” I reach across the desk to grab the iPad, only to have Berenice hiss again and swipe her claw at me, scratching my forearm.

With a curse of my own, I pull back. Pinhead beads of blood appear where the damn thing clawed me.

Sasha laughs. “Berenice protects me.”

“Protects you?” I grit my teeth and glare at the cat, who looks more pleased than frightened.

“Don’t just take things.” He corrects me with a mocking old mother look. “Let me reset the passwords before you take it.”

“That iPad is becoming more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Hmm, you might not think so once you see what’s here.”He leans back in his chair and waves me over. “Someone’s been hiding a lot of fucking money.”

Sasha pulls up a spreadsheet.

“Sebastian suspected at least a quarter of a million was missing.” I lean closer to the screen as Sasha scrolls to the total column.

He lets out a low whistle. “That’s a hell of a lot more than two hundred and fifty thousand.”

“Seventy-five million dollars?” My throat dries.

“He’s been stashing money from more than just Sebastian. That total is from all the gambling rings he’s infiltrated. Isn’t that Kaz?” He points to a single line item totaling ten grand.

It’s the smallest amount on his listing, but even a penny stolen from the Volkovs is enough guarantee a man loses his life.

“This guy stole from the Volkovs?”

“Well, good news is, this prick was stupid enough not only to keep a detailed accounting of everything he stole, but he’s also been good enough to leave all of his banking information on here.” He taps on the screen a few times and a bank portal opens up.

“There’s five different accounts.”

“And with all the interest he’s been earning, he’s got himself a nice retirement account.” Sasha shakes his head. “Or he would have had, if you hadn’t shot him in the head.”

“You think he wouldn’t be dead now if I hadn’t? Sebastian wanted his money back and a hand to send a message, but if he saw this, he’d want his fucking head.”

“But Sebastian is dead.” Sasha turns in his chair.

“Yeah. He is.” I stand, rolling my shoulders back.

It’s been four days since that bullet grazed me. The stitches have lost their welcome, making their presence known with every move I make with the tightness. I need to remove them tonight.

Or maybe Mira and I can play doctor again.

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