Page 3 of Poisoned Vows

“Very good. You’re a good son, Nikolai.”

Coming from him, that’s the very highest praise.

He leans back, steepling his fingers as he looks at me. “The man you interrogated, he’s dead?”

I nod. “As the proverbial doornail.”

“And did he give us anything useful?”

“Not plainly. But he lied, right up to the end. Nothing broke him. That kind of pain is only endured when the fear of telling the truth is worse. Which means whoever he was reporting to, it can only have been a few of the men in the city.”

My father nods. “Theo, maybe. Or Haruki.”

“It’s possible. We can try to find out more. Some of his friends may be more—forthcoming, once they know what happened to him. They’ll be eager to avoid the same fate or be perceived to have helped him.”

“We’ll have to be careful to separate lies from truth. To make sure they aren’t offering up false information to save their own skin.”

“Someone will,” I tell him confidently. “And that man’s punishment will be enough to dissuade the rest.”

My father nods approvingly. “Spoken like a true Bratvapakhan. No man among us, of our rank, should be afraid of blood on his hands. You bathe in it, and don’t flinch.”

The pride in his voice is evident. A rare thing, from him, and only in private. It’s no secret that my father values me—as his only son and heir, it goes without saying. But anything else is kept between us and in this room.

There is no room for caring in our world. No room to love what can be lost.

“You said there was an offer.” I clear my throat, banishing any thoughts of regret that I might like to be closer with my father. To feel more affection from him. Those sorts of ideas are a pointless weakness. “From who? And about what?”

“I’m getting to it.” He takes another sip of his vodka, nodding to the decanter on the gilded bar to his right. It’s a clear offer for me to pour myself a glass, and I take him up on it. An afternoon like the one I had makes a man need a drink.

I pour two fingers into a crystal glass and sit back down.

“One of our lower-level men has an offer for us. An Ivan Narokov.”

The name doesn’t ring a bell. “I haven’t heard of him.”

My father shrugs. “I don’t know who the fuck he is, either. But he clearly heard that someone in our inner circle betrayed us. How he came aboutthatinformation, I’m curious to know. Ordinarily, I might have had you simply torture it out of him. But his offer was—intriguing.”

Now I’m all ears. My father’s curiosity is rarely piqued, and he has a penchant for violence. If he’s chosen to hear this Narokov out rather than simply taking pieces off of him until he gives up how he came to find out about this vacancy,I’mcurious to know why.

“Apparently, he has a daughter. A very beautiful one.”

“Oh?” I take another sip, even more curious now. “I’m sure many men who work for us have daughters. What does that have to do with anything?”

My father chuckles. “She’s a virgin. Twenty years old. And he’s offered us her innocence, in exchange for the place that the traitor you tortured today so recently vacated.” He pauses, finishing his drink. “He offeredmeher virginity, specifically. Suggested that I might use her in any way I pleased, for as long as I pleased. No parameters on it, either—no pleas that I do not harm her. Honestly, I think I could have said I planned to strangle her after I fucked her, and he would have agreed.”

“Hm.” I take another sip, hiding the shudder that goes through me. The only kind of violence I abhor is violence that targets women. The idea of killing this girl, whoever she is—particularly in such a way—makes my skin crawl. But I don’t let it show. “And you don’t want her?”

He shrugs. “I considered it. A beautiful, innocent young woman entirely at my mercy? It’s a pleasant thought. But you’ve done well. You are an exemplary son, a worthy heir. And I think you deserve a reward. It’s good timing, actually. I’d been wondering—what does a father get a son who has everything? Well, now I see.” An uncommon, satisfied smile spreads over my father’s face. “A virgin that you can use as you please. That’s quite a reward, isn’t it? And if her father proves to be useless, as I expect he might, we’ll simply have him killed after you’ve had the chance to enjoy her.”

I’m not sure it’s a reward that I want. I’m not in the habit of forcing women, and I doubt that this girl is going along with this scheme willingly. But I also know better than to refuse my father, especially when he’s clearly so pleased with how it’s all worked out.

I drain the rest of my glass. “And when will I be meeting this girl?”

“Tonight. Her father is bringing her here. I knew you’d like the suggestion, so I've already accepted the offer.” My father’s pleased expression spreads across his face, a jubilance I’ve only seen once or twice before.

The last time, there were more bodies than I could count around us.

“Well then.” I stand up, setting the glass aside. “I suppose I’d better change clothes.”

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