Page 70 of Dark Deviant

“You bring them?” Luka asks.

I pull out the cell phones I lifted from the attackers at Larysa’s house, and the phones from the guys who invaded the funeral home. “You need to have your data guys hack the shit outta these. Cross reference them for any of the same phone numbers. Find some fucking thing that ties them together so we know who and what we’re dealing with.”

Alek lifts a thick eyebrow. “I don’t take orders from you. Just give me the phones and I’ll take care of the rest.”

I shove them at Alek, anger bubbling in my veins. “It’s not like you’ve ever been honest with us about how you do what you do, Sev. I think it’s time we knew what the hell your data guys know.”

Alek’s blue eyes narrow and he leans toward me, lancing me with a glare. “For someone who has a lot of problems following instructions, I’m gonna say this real slow, so pay attention. If you ever challenge the way I run my business, I will hang you over the side of your fucking balcony and set fire to you. Got it?”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” My jaw tightens, fingers itching to punch the condescending look off Alek’s face.

“It means that if you’d left Ukraine when you were supposed to, none of this would be happening.”

“How the hell do you know I didn’t leave right away?” I jerk my head toward Luka’s, but he gives me a blank look in response. Nobody knows what I did except Dima because it was his order.

Alek squares his shoulders and flicks the switch on his Zippo lighter. Maybe that’s the one he used to melt Konstantin’s tattoo off his hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my brother-in-law stiffen at the sight of the lighter.

“Don’t ask me questions you don’t want to hear the answers to, Danil.”

“It’d be nice to ask you a question and get a straight answer back.” I don’t cower. Let him set me on fire. It wouldn’t be the worst pain I’ve ever felt.

“Enough.” Luka slams his hand on the top of his desk. “Whoever is ordering these hits has already taken enough from us. We need to focus, not tear each other down. And we need Alek’s help to figure out who’s behind all of it.”

“Larysa has a performance in a couple of days. We need heavy security. The bastards who tried to snatch her from the funeral home might strike again. We need to be ready.”

Luka nods. “What else?”

“I think Olek’s death had something to do with the sex trafficking ring Dad was trying to target while he was still alive. We know that Arseny Siderov was involved with the ringleaders, the Ivanova brothers. Branko Ivanova is still alive and pissed as hell since Taras got his brother killed. And I also found out Arseny also partnered with Olek before he killed him that night in Kiev.” I shoot a glare at Alek. “But you probably already knew all that and hid it from us, Sev.”

“I tell you what you need to know when you need to know it.” Alek leans back against the wall, crossing his legs at the ankle.

“Arseny wanted Olek dead for some reason. That could have something to do with the attack at the house where Larysa was staying. And maybe there’s a link to the hit at the funeral home. He might be looking for something, something only she has access to. Or maybe they think that getting their hands on her will give them leverage.”

“Do her brothers know something?” Nik asks.

“I don’t know. They let me take her. I mean, yeah, I had my gun on her, but still. They have their heads up their asses. I went after the shooter and popped him. Hadeon couldn’t make a shot to save his damn life.”

“You still think the Moroz brothers tried to kill you after the wedding?” Luka steeples his fingers, his gaze pensive.

“I don’t know.” I bring a hand to the back of my neck, the stress knot now double the size it was. “They didn’t deny it. But they’re someone’s targets, too. Nobody trusts anyone right now, and as far as I can tell, everyone is fucked unless we figure out who’s behind it all.”

“So what’s your brilliant plan with Larysa?” Taras asks. “You’re just gonna keep her?”

“Until we figure out the truth.” I slant a look at Alek. “Or until Sev levels with us and tells us what we need to know.”

“Mouth off like that again and I’ll burn your tongue to a scabby stub,” Alek growls.

“Yeah, and that’s no threat,” Konstantin mutters.

“You finally smartened up, Romanov.” Alek smirks then turns to me. “Danil. I like you, so I’m not going to kill you right now. You’re good at what you do. So am I. So back the fuck off and let me do it.”

My insides ignite like they were just soaked in lighter fluid, his caustic words the match. I step toward him. “I’m not gonna back off. You’re using our sister as part of your mission, whatever the hell that even is. Val is in the trenches right now and we have no clue how the hell all of this ties together. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”

“None of us do,” Luka interrupts. “But this isn’t a hit, D. You can’t run in, make the kill, and duck out. There’s a lot involved and we need to be patient. That’s the only way we’ll find the people responsible. If we make any moves, we risk hurting Val and getting answers. You need to stand down.”

I grit my teeth. I don’t have the luxury of being patient when there’s so much—

“Oh my God!” A piercing scream cuts through the toxic thoughts choking me. “Daniela! Someone call 9-1-1!”

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