Page 126 of Rival Hero

Jonesy silences my wondering when he says, “I’m not killing anyone for a random girl on an op we’re hiding from Big Al. Fuck that. We’ll take them with us and see how this shit plays out.”

The accusatory glare he cuts at me screams that he wants me to tell him everything I know.

Pulling myself to a stand, I clap him on the shoulder. “Fair. But it’s not my story to tell. Let’s get the girl and deal with the rest later.”

Sixty seconds later, the informant— who goes by Savin— is bound in the back of the van but allowed to remain conscious. His partner is out cold beside him.

I’m in the front seat, and Jonesy is behind the wheel, driving us to the location in Safety Harbor— the same as Yev told Shep. All we can do is hope Lettie’s still there.

Junior and Kri are sitting across from the men on the floor of the van, both holding their loaded Sigs in front of them in an implied threat.

Savin speaks up a few minutes into the drive. “I told you to kill him. That was deal.”

Kri scoffs. “Why do you care if he lives or dies if you’re getting your girl and leaving?”

I twist in my seat to watch the interaction.

Savin’s dirty brown eyes are hollow, and with a tongue sharp enough to cut glass, he grates out, “He. Hurt. Her. My Tasha.”

“You’ve hurt lots of girls.” Well-trained in dealing with manipulative combatants, Kri remains aloof, unbothered by his fury and anguish. “What makes you any better than him?”

“I do it because I must. He does because he likes it. The money. The power. Brags about being first to break new girls.” He spits on the floor in the direction of the unconscious pig.

Kri’s voice remains eerily calm, considering the topic of conversation. “And you don’t break in the girls? You don’t enjoy it?”

“Never. I never hurt. I get them. Turn them over. And I leave.”

Kri shakes her head condescendingly. “You know what’s going to happen to the girls you turn over, though. You’re not innocent, Savin.”

His anger dissolves into a haunted sorrow, and tears well in his eyes. “The Bratva took me when I was boy. Took my sister too. Katia.” He sniffles, his broken English getting harder to follow through his sobs. “They say she not be sold if I cooperate. But if I stop bringing girls, she suffer. They make it hurt. That’s why I did these awful things. I don’t want to.”

This is hard to listen to, so I tilt my head to the side and blink to clear the haze of disgust from my vision. Every story I hear about how these organizations operate is worse than the last.

Kri continues her interrogation, steadfastly assessing him and deciding whether he’s worth helping. Just because we told him we’d help him doesn’t mean we have to comply. There’s no honor code between us and despicable traffickers. Fuck that.

“But now you no longer care about your sister? If you escape with the other girl, then what makes you think they won’t sell or kill your sister?”

“R-r-right now, Katia is the pakhan’s favorite. She have good life.”

“Why?” I ask, confused at his convoluted story.

“She’s pregnant with the pakhan’s baby.”

That’ll do it, all right.If the head of the Bratva has chosen his sister, she’s safe. For now.

Mia’s voice yanks me from my shock. “Klein, ask him if Lenkov is the pakhan. I want confirmation.”

I clear my throat, catching his attention. “Savin, who is the pakhan? What’s his name?”

He looks at his lap, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “I tell you after you get my Tasha safe with me.”

Kri finally breaks her stare, trading glances with us for nonverbal agreement. She’s met with nods from everyone but Jonesy since he’s behind the wheel.

“I believe him,” Mia chimes in. “Besides, he gave up the location already, which was a leap of faith for him. I say we honor the deal. Once he gets his girl, we’ll get the name of the pakhan out of him.”

If he’s bullshitting us, he’s damn good at it. It’s not easy to fool a CIA analyst and multiple highly trained military operatives.

Kri stares at the tango dead-on, letting venom coat her words. “Congratulations. You might get to live after all. But if you fuck us over when we get there, I’ll personally kill your girl right in front of you.”

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