Page 56 of In Her Blood
“Why warn me?”
His jaw flexed as though he struggled with his words. “My only desire,” he finally said, “is to see the Nikolaev Bratva thrive. For that, we need strong leadership. Leadership capable of rational thought, capable of unifying the men, capable of distasteful choices and masterful deceit. I see pieces of those things in you and Pyotr both. But which of you has more? Which of you has greater potential? I cannot so easilydiscern those answers—I’m not close enough to either of you for that.” He swallowed hard. “However, if it’s true that Pyotr hired the Morozovs to eliminate you—or even that he turned to them for anything at all—then he has betrayed our clan. In that case, there would be no choice to make at all.”
Evelina weighed his answer in her mind. He wasn’t wrong that they weren’t close. She’d never been close with any of her father’s men. However, the only things she could prove Pavel had done were the things she might have wanted him to do. Detective Benson’s visit in particular was a strong example.
She made a small lowering motion with one hand. “Guns down, boys.”
Artem’s gun lowered swiftly.
Otto’s moved a bit slower.
Evelina had to fight not to smile, instead keeping her expression carefully calm. “I’m not going to offer you my blind faith while your own loyalty is openly on the fence,” she said. “However, I hear your desire to keep unity within our ranks, and that I do trust.” As much as she could bring herself to, at least. “You say Pyotr is on his way home. Do you know where he’s coming from, or when he’s expected?”
Pavel blew out a breath. “No, ma’am. I know Grisha left a while ago, and Pyotr was walking around with a couple of Viktor’s soldiers after. But they disappeared out the back when you were seen at the gate.”
Otto scoffed.
Evelina completely agreed with the feeling. They both knew why her cousin had turned-tail.Miserable coward.But if he’d only left upon her arrival, and he was now headed home, hecouldn’t have traveled too far. She ignored the pinch of guilt that flared with the thought that he couldn’t possibly have gone to fetch Kat and forced herself to focus on the immediate situation. Pyotr could roll through the gates any moment.
And with the stolen weapons’ shipment, he could be bringing a waking Hell.
Otto cracked his booted toe into the side of Viktor’s blown-out knee and grinned a little too easily when the bastard brigadier shot upright from the sudden spike of pain. “There you are, sunshine,” he taunted as he took a single step backward. “They not make that tourniquet tight enough for you?”
Viktor’s lip curled. “Fuck you.” His dark, dilated gaze snapped to where Lina stood. “Get off on this while you can, little whore. It’s the last bit of fun you’ll have in this life.”
Otto visualized pounding his fist into Viktor’s jaw until the sturdy bone turned to shrapnel inside and each punch pumped more blood from a mouth no longer capable of speech. He’d hit the bastard so hard, Viktor’s cold eyes would beg for mercy. If it was possible, maybe he’d hit the bastard hard enough to even teach him something in his last moments of life. Because obviously that bullet to the knee hadn’t done the job.
Lina laid a hand on Otto’s chest, reaching past his nearest arm and pressing her fingertips into his muscle.
Otto exhaled and forced his feet to hold their position. Before they’d come down to the basement, they’d discussed this. Both of them knew Viktor wasn’t likely to have had a personality transplant and that he’d spew insults aimed at her without even giving it thought. Otto fucking hated it, but he recognized Lina’s perspective. She needed information Viktor might have—information he couldn’t give if his mouth got him killed.
So, though it pissed him off, Otto held back.
“I know you don’t care for me, Viktor,” Lina said, “and I’ll be honest, that feeling is entirely mutual. I would behappyto leave you down here and spare your wife the torture of your presence forevermore.” She clasped both hands in front of her waist as if she were at some formal event. “However, there is information I need from you.”
Viktor scoffed deep in his throat. “Why should I give you a fucking thing?”
“I’m confused. Do you not want the Nikolaev Bratva to be strong?” Lina tilted her head marginally and added a heavy emphasis to her tone. “Pure?”
“Yet here you stand,” Viktor returned. “The Italian hybrid and her mutt.”
Otto folded his arms over his chest to remind himself of his promise to her.
Lina lifted a hand and pressed the tips of her fingers to her chest. “Iam the daughter of a recognized marriage of Pakhan Mikhail. A pakhan you served dutifully so far as anyone knows.So, if you disparage me for the biology of my existence, you are insulting your own pakhan. I do hope you comprehend that, Viktor.”
Viktor’s lips lifted and he tipped forward in a full-on growl. His arms were tied together and suspended over his head, and Otto was absolutely certain that was the reason the growl was where it ended.
Lina, for her part, showed no hesitancy. She showed not a single flicker of discomfort. “I suppose it is hard to talk of true loyalty to a man who would side with a snake like Pyotr.” She folded her hands once more. “You do know what Pyotr has done, don’t you?”
Viktor slumped against the wall and huffed. “I won’t tell you shit.”
“Then you’re fine with the Nikolaevs being folded into the Morozov clan? Losing our identity, our history, and everything we’ve built?”
“Still trying to pitch that nonsense, little girl?” Viktor spat on the concrete. “Pyotr may be green when it comes to leadership, but he is a true Nikolaev. He wouldn’t hand our entire clan over to those sacks of shit, even for you.” He smirked as if he weren’t the one hogtied to a wall with a blown-out knee. “Nor does he need to.”
Otto ground his teeth. A facial beating wouldn’t be good enough.
Lina sighed, a distinct note of disappointment in the sound. “Yes, Viktor. I know about the weapons shipment. Your work, I assume?”
