Page 20 of Blood & Snow

Igor and Ivan take positions near the windows while I examine our work.

Eight bodies total, multiple blood pools, scattered shell casings and bullet holes in the concrete walls.

Too much evidence to disappear through conventional cleanup methods.

This scene requires professional attention, and I need my men to help her.

We have to make sure not a single shred of evidence links us back to this place.

I retrieve the burner phone from my coat and dial Nadya's number.

She answers on the second ring, though her voice is thick with fatigue.

"Hello?"

"Industrial warehouse at Seventy-Three Ryazansky Prospekt. Come alone. Bring extra supplies."

I end the call without waiting for her response because I know she'll respond.

She hasn't said a word to anyone yet, which means she understands my threat and wants to live.

The girl has been employed by my organization for one week, though I've only tested her on the one job.

Tonight will determine whether she can handle the scale of violence my war against the Brotherhood requires.

Thirty minutes later, headlights sweep across the warehouse windows as her taxi arrives.

I watch her pay the driverand gather several bags of cleaning supplies from the trunk.

I'm going to have to work on that.

I can't have her using public transportation that could be linked back to places like this, or to her.

She walks toward the entrance with steady steps despite having no idea what waits inside.

She enters through the main door and stops when she sees the bodies.

The scale of violence makes her previous work look trivial.

"Jesus Christ," she whispers.

"He's not available for consultation tonight," I tell her.

"But I am…" I glance up as Igor walks in with a few body bags from my trunk, and Ivan is behind him.

Nadya stares at the carnage for ten seconds before setting down her supplies and beginning to examine the scene.

She rubs her face roughly and sucks in a breath, clearly in shock.

"How long do I have?" she says without looking at me.

"As long as it takes to do the job properly. Police response time in this area is forty minutes minimum, but we haven't heard sirens. Igor and Ivan will do the heavy lifting. Just tell them what to do. We have until dawn before shift workers arrive at neighboring businesses."

I set my weapon down and pull a cigarette from the pocket of my jacket, and she scowls at me as I light it up.

"Do you have to?" she snips as she begins taking cleaning supplies out of her bag.

The snarky expression she gives me makes me smirk at her.