Page 22 of Deadly Legacy
Nikon’s thumb traced a small circle on Reuben’s knee. “How generous of him. After everything.”
The clink of glasses from the bar punctuated the silence that followed. A burst of laughter from across the restaurant only heightened the tension at their table.
Wallace’s throat worked as he swallowed. “Business and personal matters should remain separate.”
“Is that what you told your banking connections when you blacklisted your own son?” Nikon’s voice remained conversational, almost pleasant. “Or was thatparticularmix of business and personal acceptable?”
“You don’t understand our family dynamics, Mr. Matvei.”
“On the contrary.” Nikon’s smile never reached his eyes, his voice dropping to that velvet-covered-steel tone Reuben had heard him use before confrontations. “Family loyalty is something I understand perfectly. Even more so recently.”
Wallace checked his watch, then abruptly stood. His chair scraped backward, the sound cutting through the restaurant’s ambient murmur. “I should go. We can continue this discussion another time, when we’re all less... emotionally invested.”
“No need.” Reuben remained seated, not granting his father the courtesy of rising. “Matthew Capital will be pursuing Quantize Guard independently. But good luck with your bid.” He tilted his head. “And with whoever sent that text, that worried you so much.”
A muscle flickered near Wallace’s temple, his throat visibly tightening. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Of course not.” Reuben smiled. “Give my regards to Mother, next time you see her at a gala.”
After Wallace left, his back rigid with affronted dignity, Reuben finally took a sip of his wine. The rich flavor spread across his tongue, a celebration of victory he’d waited years to taste.
“He recognized you,” Reuben said quietly. “Someone’s shown him your photo.”
Nikon nodded, scanning the restaurant to ensure no one was within earshot. “Someone’s pulling your father’s strings, and we both know why.”
“Dmitrii.”
“I’m sure of it. I noticed the fear in his eyes when that message came through on his phone... that wasn’t normal business pressure.”
Reuben turned the stem of his wineglass between his fingers. “Wallace Hoyt doesn’t scare easily. I’ve never seen him look like that.”
“We could use this.” Nikon’s hand still rested on Reuben’s leg, warm and steady. “Feed misinformation through your father back to Dmitrii. Make them think we’re focusing on one aspect of Quantize Guard while we secure another.”
Reuben considered the proposition. Over a year ago, such tactics would have seemed foreign, even reprehensible. Now he saw them for what they were - just business by other means.
“Let’s do it,” Reuben agreed.
Nikon studied him. “Your father is still useful, then.”
“More useful than he ever was as an actual father.” Reuben placed his hand over Nikon’s. The weight of Nikon’s signet ring pressed against his palm, the metal warmed from Nikon’s skin.
Reuben stared at the empty doorway where Wallace had left. “Time to teach my father a lesson about underestimating me.”
Chapter 7
“Run it again.”
Nikon pressed his fingertips against the cold glass table, leaning forward until the blue glow from the monitors outlined his silhouette. The timestamp in the corner showed 02:17—his third review of the footage since midnight.
The screens before him cast his features in a harsh blue light, highlighting the tension in his features. On the center monitor, Wallace Hoyt fidgeted in his seat at the upscale hotel bar, eyes darting around the room between forced smiles.
“Frame by frame after the handshake.”
The technician nodded and stepped back, leaving Nikon alone with the footage. Forty-eight hours without proper sleep the past couple of days had left a dull throb behind his eyes, but the discomfort barely registered.
What mattered was the evidence unfolding before him—Wallace Hoyt, Reuben’s estranged father, meeting with Roman Yevgeni, Dmitrii’s most trusted lieutenant.
The heavy door behind him opened with a hydraulic hiss. Only one person would enter this room unannounced.
