My concern made me push him away.

And now I concern I’ve not solely misplaced the love of my life, however I’ve fallen right into a entice with a person way more overbearing and possessive than Gleb ever might have been.

31

GLEB

“Gospodin, that is my brother Sascha. Sascha, my pakhan Pyotr Veles,” I say as the 2 fresh-faced bodyguards pull Pyotr’s workplace doorways closed behind us.

From what Pyotr instructed me, the Matron was accountable for choosing the brand new guards, similar to she picked Val and Efrem years in the past—so I’ll be vetting them totally now that I’m again from my errand of gathering Sascha.

Not that I don’t belief Pyotr’s mom, however I’m achieved placing my religion in anybody else’s judgment. I’ll draw my very own conclusions about whether or not they’re adequate to guard my pakhan.

“I’ve heard good issues about you,” Pyotr says to Sascha, rising from his chair and lengthening his hand throughout his desk with a cool smile. His sharp grey gaze assesses my youthful half-brother, little doubt noting how little we glance alike.

The place I’m tall, lean, and pale with darkish hair, and inexperienced eyes, Sascha’s a golden boy within the very literal sense of the phrase. Robust with a muscular construct however not fairly burly, he has a brief, hectic mane of sandy-blond hair, a distinctly olive pores and skin tone, and brown eyes which are so gentle they’re nearer to amber-gold. All compliments of his strikingly lovely mom.

Kostya’s nickname for Sascha rising up was L’venok—little lion. And although he’s now not little, with broad shoulders and standing just some inches shorter than me, he does carry the king of cats to thoughts. It is perhaps the hair—or the ever-watchful, assessing gaze.

“Likewise,” Sascha says, accepting Pyotr’s hand and shaking it firmly.

“Please, sit.” Pyotr gestures to the chairs dealing with his desk.

As Sascha accepts the seat to the appropriate, I settle into the one beside him, intrigued by how the dialog will unfold.

“My brother tells me you have got a job I’m going to like,” Sascha says, the corners of his lips curling up right into a delicate smile. As a result of, in contrast to me and the remainder of my machine-like brothers, Sascha one way or the other managed to develop the illusion of a humorousness regardless of our upbringing. It is perhaps dry and have a pointy edge, however he appears impressively adept at discovering the irony in life.

Pyotr’s eyebrow quirks, and his eyes shift to me as he interlaces his fingers, inserting his elbows on the desk.

I shrug. “I instructed you he’d be excellent for the job.”

Pyotr locks eyes with Sascha as soon as extra, his expression grave. “You perceive you’ll be working behind the traces of our enemy—a really harmful enemy—passing details about their Bratva to Gleb? I intend to maintain him as your solely level of contact to attenuate your threat of publicity.”

In contrast to Sascha, Pyotr discovered the exhausting method since coming again to New York that there isn’t a irony in life. Solely ugliness and loss of life ready to swallow you complete in case you give it the slightest of openings.

Fortunately, he hasn’t misplaced his spouse or kids in all this mess with the Zhivoder—not that the bastards haven’t tried. However he’s sacrificed far an excessive amount of. Which is why it’s time to pay Mikhail Sidorov again for all of the devastation he’s wreaked on this clan.

Sascha leans ahead, his elbows assembly his knees as his smile turns predatory. “That sounds proper up my alley,” he admits. “I guarantee you, I haven’t simply been sitting in Boston, sucking my thumb and tossing drunks out of a nightclub for the previous few years. Apart from, any job that will get me out of that hellhole will swimsuit me simply superb.”

Once more, Pyotr’s eyes solid to me, a silent sign that he’ll be digging additional into that assertion as soon as the interview is over and we’re alone. Then, they shift shortly again to Sascha. “We’ll discover a approach to introduce you into the Zhivoder clan authentically, however it will likely be as much as you to undergo initiation, to climb the ranks. I need you to make a sufficiently big splash that you just catch Mikhail’s eye.”

Sascha nods, contemplating the plan. “What’s the timeframe?”

“So long as it takes, and as shortly as you may. It appears like he’s completely shifted his VIP shopper interactions to his Upstate dwelling. Although he nonetheless has loads of enterprise inside the Metropolis, we are able to hit him the place it hurts in case you’re at his property up north. I do know it is going to take time to get there, and I belief you and Gleb to make it occur with out exposing you—or dawdling.”

“And by enterprise and VIP purchasers, you imply…” Sascha glances towards me, that ironic look telling me he’s already linked the dots and simply desires to listen to it confirmed. It wouldn’t shock me if he’s dug into the main points himself sufficient to know the form of shit he’ll be concerned with.

“I’m speaking about human trafficking, promoting ladies and kids to all of the sick fucks prepared to pay a whole bunch of 1000’s to work out their kinks with out sullying their prestigious reputations or excessive standing in society.” Pyotr hisses the final of his sentence, the vitriol blatant in his tone.

I respect how Pyotr wears his anger-like armor. In contrast to my coaching, which tells me to point out no emotion which may reveal weak spot to the enemy, my pakhan wields his emotion like a weapon. It makes him almost invincible with out being emotionally stunted.

“So, in case you take this job, it means you’ll be anticipated to look the opposite method. To permit loads of sick, twisted shit to occur. You may need to do one thing you discover abhorrent to keep up your cowl. As a result of I don’t intend to alleviate you of your job till we’ve introduced down Mikhail’s whole empire. You suppose you have got the abdomen for that?”

Pyotr’s laser gaze stays mounted on Sascha, and my brother research him carefully, that very same delicate curl to his lip regardless of the burden behind my pakhan’s phrases.

“Maybe my large brother has failed to completely enlighten you on the intensive coaching we undergo on the Lycaon Home, however I guarantee you, I can abdomen absolutely anything. So, in case you’re achieved grilling me, when does the enjoyable start?”

Sascha’s grin spreads, eliciting a smile from Pyotr as nicely. And my pakhan seems over to evaluate me yet one more time. I give a delicate nod. I wouldn’t belief a single soul with infiltrating the Shivoder greater than I do Sascha. And Pyotr reads that in our silent trade.

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