Page 124 of Bratva's Vow
“If he is, that would be brave of him to try and collect the reward.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time someone did that, though,” Darius said. “We can’t be too careful. You should let Nik and me handle it tonight, Maxim. No reason for you to be there in case it’s a setup.”
“I agree.” Sergei crossed his arms, his expression grave. “This would be the opportunity for them to take you out, and I say we do not give this to them.”
I curled my hands into fists. “Vova was like a brother to me. I need to be there.”
“No, you need to stay alive long enough to kill this fucker to avenge Vova,” Sergei said, tone clipped. “When we’ve confirmed who he is and pick him up, you can step in. This is what you pay us for. And it doesn’t make sense for you to protest because we’re not giving you the location where we’re meeting them tonight.”
I scowled, slamming my fist into the desk. “This isn’t your decision to make, Sergei. Don’t forget I can pull the plug on this whole operation.” I used my finger to make a sweeping motion between the three bodyguards.
“Until you pull that plug, we’re doing things my way.”
“Maxim, he’s right.” Archie placed his hand over mine. “Calm down. You have to think about being safe. If not to be able to avenge Vova, then for Wren. If something should happen to you, what would we say to him?”
Fuck. He was right. The whole thing could be a setup.
“Fine, but you call me the moment you confirm this person’s identity.”
“We will.”
“Good,” I said, then turned to Darius. “Any movement on Aistov?”
He shook his head. “We’ve had him under watch since the night Stone died. But nothing is out of the ordinary. He hasn’t made contact with anyone unusual. No tail, no strange visitors. If he’s connected to this, he’s buried it deep. By the way, the rumors about him? Totally true. He’s a real fuck boy that one. I don’t know where he gets the energy.”
I clenched my jaw. Aistov’s affairs had nothing to do with me unless they affected our business. “And Arkady?”
Darius nodded. “Same. We’ve not taken our eyes off him. He’s a lot mellower these days since getting the crypto wallets. He’s keeping to himself. No shady meetings. No calls to unfamiliar numbers. He’s either innocent or better at this than we gave him credit for.”
I swore under my breath and turned away to stare out the window. The city skyline stretched beyond the glass, sharp, glittering, impersonal. It felt like a cage.
“How the hell is this bastard staying one step ahead of us?”
No one answered. Silence hung heavy, thick with frustration and the weight of everything we didn’t know.
But tonight, if this contact showed up and told us even one truth, we’d be closer. Closer to justice. Closer to vengeance.
Closer to making whoever had done thispay.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
WREN
One second I was walking down the stairs, and the next my stomach turned on me. I lurched down the hall, hand pressed over my mouth, praying I didn’t ruin the antique rug Maxim imported from some obscure European palace.
I made it to the half bath just in time.
The nausea came in waves, violent and bitter, leaving my muscles trembling and my mouth tasting like acid. I clutched the edge of the toilet, chest heaving, as I leaned forward.
God, I felt like death.
My skin was clammy, and the back of my neck prickled with sweat. Not just hot—feverish. My stomach cramped like it was trying to fold in on itself, and a dull ache had settled behind my eyes, the kind that made it hard to focus on anything except howwrongeverything felt.
Knuckles tapped at the door.
“Wren, you good in there?” Nik’s voice was muffled but laced with concern.
“Gimme a minute.” I tried to muster up a reassuring tone, but it sounded weak, even to me. I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with air.
