Page 76 of Immaculate Corruption (Romanoff Bratva)

“It doesn’t sound like you really believe that.”

“It’s not,” he says again. “It’s not. But… look, I see Ilyasov very clearly now. More clearly than I ever have. You can trust me.”

Blood is dripping down my arm. I sit down on the bed and grab a new roll of bandages. “Okay, so then where is he? If you know him so well, where has he taken Lukas?”

“I said I know his personality. I’m not a fucking mind-reader.”

I want to scream. My son is missing, my arm has a hole in it, and I’m so fucking tired it takes actual effort to keep my eyes from rolling back in my skull.

“What’s your best guess?” I ask. “What wouldyoudo?”

Dima recoils. “I wouldn’t take a baby, for starters.”

“Well, Ilyasov did, so why don’t we all just play Make Believe for a little bit, eh?” I snap.

He clenches his jaw. “I think he is still in New York. We should stay here and keep looking. Keep playing Ilya’s game.”

“Why wouldn’t he go home to Chicago?” I counter. “It would make a lot more sense. Clearly, he has been able to control things from a distance so far. I don’t know why he’d stay here and risk playing this game on your turf.”

Dima shakes his head. “His goal has always been to get back to New York City and run the Bratva here. Now that Zotov is dead and his plan is in motion, the members who defected will be even more willing to support him. It wouldn’t look good if he fled the city. It would make him look scared. He doesn’t want that.”

This is Dima’s world. He understands the mind of a don better than almost anyone.

But I understand something else that’s key here: the mind of a don’s partner.

“Vera will want him to be home. She’s pregnant with his sons. Due any day now.”

“Vera isn’t calling the shots.”

I lower my chin and raise a brow. “The wife is always calling the shots, Dima.”

He rolls his eyes. “Going back to Chicago is a waste of time. There’s no way he’d go back to his house where I could easily find him. He’ll be hiding out here in the city.”

“Okay, fine, then you stay here and look. I’ll go back to Chicago.”

Dima was about to say something, but he stops, his mouth hanging open, and stares at me. “You can’t be serious.”

“If we both think we’re right, we might as well pursue every avenue.”

“We should stick together.”

“Why?” I ask with a bitter laugh. “You clearly don’t value my opinion and according to you, I’m a distraction.”

His hands fist at his sides. “That isn’t what I meant.”

“Maybe you’d think more clearly if I went somewhere else. And I know I’d feel better if I could actually contribute to the search. I can’t just sit here in this room and listen to you plan for these Trials when my baby is out there.”

“He’s my son, too.”

“Then you should be thrilled we’ll be able to cover more ground this way.” I tie off the end of my bandage and pull my sleeve down over the bulk. “This is a win-win.”

Dima shakes his head and then turns on his heel and storms into the bathroom. “It feels like a loss to me.”

* * *

Gennady slips into the room sometime later, after Dima and I are already lying in bed.

I can tell by the sound of Dima’s breathing that he isn’t asleep. Despite how exhausted my body feels, my own mind is racing.

---