Page 28 of Fierce Sinner

“Remember, Lev can’t know about this, or the deal is off. I’d rather make your mother disappear again than ruin my reputation,” he says.

“Understood,” I tell him.

“Good. I’ll talk to you soon,” he says before he ends the call.

Suddenly, I know I’ve sealed my fate, but I have to find out what this is about. I must see her. I need to understand who I am. Why she left me all those years ago. I shove my guilt aside and decide to focus on the positive side.

I’m about to get answers to the questions that have haunted me my entire life.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Lev

“What do you mean there was a shootout?” I bark at Ludis. It’s barely seven in the morning, and I’m already getting bad news.

“I’m sorry, Boss. We were following a lead from Petrov, but when we got there, it seemed they were expecting us,” he responds.

“Petrov called?” I blink in astonishment, glancing at my phone. There’s no missed call on the device.

“He’s been in touch once or twice.” Ludis looks uncomfortable. “He wasn’t certain of his intel, and asked me not to share it with you until we had more information to back it up.”

I stare at him as I take in this revelation.

Why the fuck wouldn’t he call me directly? Yeah, I rule with an iron fist, but the man is no coward. And to contact Ludis? The two of them can barely share a civil conversation.

Something’s not right.

But Ludis is still staring at me. “We lost men,” he says, and my gut churns. Information from my second-in-command has led to men getting killed. This is fucking unacceptable. No wonder Petrov was afraid to contact me.

He’d better be more afraid now.

“How many?” I question, and Ludis swallows.

“Three,” he says. He tries to hide it, but I notice him flinch when I angrily slam my fist on the desk.

“Three fucking men!” I snarl as I try to curtail my anger. How the fuck did this happen? “Between Petrov’s bullshit information and your incompetence, people are getting slaughtered. Why the fuck did you even go out there without coming to me first?” I see him tense at my words. An emotion flits across his face. I suspect that it’s rage, but I don’t give a shit.

“You’ve been… busy, Boss.” His eyes flicker beyond my door, and I know where his mind is at. He’s thinking about Aurora.

“That’s a shit excuse and you fucking know that,” I roar. “You do nothing…nothingwithout checking with me first. Understand?” It’s all I can do to keep a handle on my rage now, but I can’t let him see me lose it. He’s already looking for signs of weakness.

Jesus. My men are behaving as if I’m not even around.

“What do you want me to do, Boss?” he grits out.

“Get me Petrov. If he contacts you again, you put him in touch with me. Is that clear?” I can’t believe that they’ve been working together without involving me. Aside from the fact that the two can barely tolerate each other, these are my most trusted captains. I shouldn’t be having this conversation.

“Got it, Boss.” His expression is grim.

“And figure out what the fuck he’s been doing all this time. He should know better than to go off-grid. I want feedback, and I want it yesterday.”

“I’ll handle it,” he says, but I’m starting to lose faith in those words.

“Will you?” I raise an eyebrow. “You’ve said that a lot lately. One more fuck up and there will be consequences,” I tell him.

“I’m sorry, Boss. I’ll fix it,” he says, and there’s that flicker of emotion again. But I’m past caring.

“Good,” I tell him. “What about last night’s attack? Tell me what you know.” I ask, and Ludis shakes his head.

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