Page 234 of Toxic Temptation
I grimace. Alongside me, I catch Osip and Pavel exchanging looks of shock.
“Oh, dear. Don’t tell me you didn’t know?” Ihor chuckles. “When you drop the ball, Kovan, you really drop it hard. Some might question your leadership.”
I force my voice steady. “I take it you didn’t mention that I was shutting down the organ trade. That it was already over.”
“But it’snotover.” His smile vanishes. “It’s nowhere close to over.”
“I am yourpakhan!”
“You are. And I respectfully disagree with your decision.” He sets down his glass, laces his fingers in his lap, and looks up at me. “Which is why I’m asking you to reconsider. Politely, of course.”
“Are you fucking insane?” Osip snarls.
I shift my aim three inches to the right and fire. The bullet shatters Ihor’s whiskey glass, sending crystal and liquor exploding across the room. He jerks to his feet, face splattered with dark liquid.
The calm mask finally slips. His ears turn red. Veins bulge in his neck.
“This is not up for negotiation,” I tell him. “We’re done with the organ trade.”
He sweeps his arm across the table, sending glass shards clattering to the floor. “Except we’re not. Not if you want to keep custody of the boy.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask. “The judge already ruled in my favor. His decision is final.”
“You think you’re the only one who can threaten judges in the middle of the night, Kovan Krayev? You think you’re the only one who bribes cops and politicians?” He cracks his neck, then spits on the ground at our feet in disgust. “This could all be so simple. You oppose the organ trade? Fine. Leave it to someone who can handle the heat. Give it to me.”
“Why the fuck would I do that?”
“Because I have the Keres behind me. And they have records of all your dealings. All I need to do is send a copy to the FBI and you’re finished.” He rolls his shoulders back and the redness starts to recede from his cheeks. “You might fight me in the shadows. You might even win. But sooner or later, you’ll lose custody of Luka. He’ll come right back here to his mother and me.”
“Do your worst,” I say. “I can fight you and I will win. You might have the Keres, but once I’m done with them, it won’t mean anything.”
Ihor’s nose wrinkles with disdain. “You’re really going to risk the brat over this? Risk your freedom and a child’s wellbeing to dissolve a trade that earned your family billions?”
“I’ll make billions another way.”
“Look at you. Apakhanwith a moral compass.” He shakes his head again. “If your father saw you now, he’d be ashamed.”
Pavel stiffens. “Don’t you dare talk about our father?—”
“What’s the matter, boy? Don’t like hearing the truth?” Ihor stares at Pavel with open contempt. “I knew your father better than either of you. He was my friend, my comrade. We built this Bratva together. We had avision. And that vision might have been possible if he didn’t have such weak, pathetic sons.”
Pavel opens his mouth, but I silence him with a look.
“You’re right,” I say instead. “We didn’t know our father as well as you did. And right now, I’m grateful for that. Because if I had known him the same as you, I think I would have hated him. I could never love or respect a man who makes a dollar off the misery of others.”
Ihor’s face cracks into something reptilian. “Interesting choice of words. I wonder if Vesper thinks the same about you.”
“Kovan is nothing like his father,” Osip hisses. “He’s trying to stop this.”
“But will Vesper believe that?” taunts Ihor. “Will she believe you after I tell her the truth about how her father died?”
My gun arm drops. The weapon suddenly feels impossibly heavy. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that Vesper’s father died because of yours.”
A beat of silence passes. Then Pavel rolls his eyes and Osip starts laughing. I decide both reactions make sense, so I do the same. “Jesus Christ, Ihor. You really will say anything to get what you want.”
Ihor doesn’t respond. He just watches us with narrowed eyes, waiting for our laughter to die.
