Page 39 of Toxic Salvation
All the blood leaves his face.
“And judging by the state of this place,” I continue, “I’d say both have been compromised for quite some time.”
Vasily drops onto a folding chair that groans under his weight. “I can get back on track, boss. I swear?—”
“Don’t swear to me, Vasily. That’s the fastest way to lose your tongue.”
He blinks rapidly, trying to clear the sweat from his eyes without wiping it away. The effect makes him look like he’s having some kind of seizure.
“Losing your tongue isn’t the worst thing that could happen,” Osip adds helpfully. “Losing your head is much more permanent.”
That shatters what little composure Vasily had left. “Please,pakhan, I’m sorry. I’ll stop! I will; it’s just?—”
“You have a problem.” I pull out my gun and set it across my lap with deliberate casualness. “And I can either help you solve it, or I can rid you of all problems forever. Your choice.”
Osip makes a show of checking his watch. “Just shoot him, Kovan. This place smells like a morgue anyway.”
“No!” Vasily scrambles forward on his knees, hands clasped together. “Please don’t kill me!”
“Give me a reason not to.”
“I’m being blackmailed!” He spills everything in a panicked rush. “I had no choice. He made me do it.”
Aha. Now, we’re getting somewhere.
“Who made you do what?”
Vasily swallows hard, his throat working frantically. “I figured it was okay since he’s your most trustedvor.”
“Ihor Makhova is not my most trusted anything,” I say, biting off each word. “You miscalculated. Badly.”
“H-he found out about the gambling. I was placing b-bets with another family, some Spanish guys, Nico Perez’s crew, you know? Small stuff, I thought! Nothing that would hurt anyone!” His breathing is shallow, panicked. “But Ihor said he’d expose me as a traitor if I didn’t c-cooperate.”
“Let me guess—he paid off your debt?”
Vasily nods miserably.
“What’s he charging you in interest?”
“Fifty percent.”
Osip lets out a bark of laughter. “Jesus Christ, Vasily. I knew you were stupid, but this is next-level idiocy.”
“It was that or die,” Vasily whispers. “Ihor doesn’t make empty threats.”
No, he doesn’t. And that’s exactly why he needs to be eliminated.
I stand up and brush off my jacket. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to pay off your debt to Ihor. Zero interest. No threats of midnight executions.”
Osip stares at me. “Are you serious? He gets off scot-free?”
“Not quite.” I grab Vasily by the collar and haul him to his feet. “What I want in return is your complete and total loyalty. Think you can manage that?”
“Yes, sir. Absolutely.”
“Good. Because if you betray me again, I won’t just kill you—I’ll make it a fucking art form. Days, weeks of creative torture before I finally put you out of your misery. You’ll be begging for death long before I grant it. Understood?”
He nods so hard I’m surprised his neck doesn’t snap.
