Page 53 of Hunt Me (Dmitriyev Bratva #1)

M ikhail

Boasting wasn’t good for anyone within the Bratva. Neither was keeping secrets. The man in lockdown was being accused of both.

Whatever he knew, the man should have come to me. He was a low-level employee working in one of the parking garages. Not a soldier. Yet he’d overheard someone who was a trusted soldier betray me.

Now I needed to know who.

Once again, we were in the green room. While the area had been cleaned, tonight there was a distinct stench in the air.

Maybe it was my need for death that I’d promised Bristol wouldn’t happen tonight. I wasn’t in the mood for games, nor would I accept any bullshit.

“Mark Bayon.” That was my way of making an entrance. The young man was sitting nervously in a chair, surrounded by Kazimir and three other enforcers.

He was nervous, sweating like a pig and I could tell by his white pallor he was guilty as fuck and he knew it.

“Sir. Mr. Dmitriyev.” His words were barely audible.

“I understand you have some information for me. What is it?”

“I… I, um,” he whispered, looking around nervously.

I moved closer, squatting down so I could look the man eye to eye. “You were heard boasting that someone else in my employ was about to stab me in the back. I need to know who.”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“So you were lying.”

“No. No! I just don’t know who. I overheard a conversation. I park cars.” His shirt was soaked with sweat, beads dripping off his face.

I took a deep breath and glanced at Kazimir.

“He was in a bar drinking, overheard someone saying the Pakhan was about to get what he deserved.”

“Hmmm. Is that so?”

The kid’s foot was tapping on the floor, his entire body shaking. “I didn’t mean that. I meant someone else was going to do it. I would never do anything. I swear.”

“Okay, but instead of coming to me with what you overheard, you chose to boast to everyone in a bar that I was weak.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He pleaded with me with his eyes.

“Then what did you mean exactly?”

“I overheard this guy talking on his phone as he was walking to his car. He’s an employee. He was parked in the employee lot. He acted like something bad was going to happen.”

“To me.”

“Yes. Yes, sir.”

“What did he look like?” The employee spots weren’t personalized, but Mark worked at Ecstasy. That narrowed it down to about a thousand employees.

“Big blond guy. Um… I saw him from behind.”

“Fine. What exactly did he say?”

“He said that the plan was coming along and that he would be eager to see the Pakhan get what he deserved.”

This wasn’t much, but it was enough I knew doing checks on all the people working at Ecstasy was in order. “Anything else?”

“He said a name. Connor something.”

“Connor O’Shaughnessy?” My muscles instantly tensed.

“Yes, sir. That’s it. I’m sorry. I know I should have come to you. I had one too many drinks. Plus, I was nervous.”

“Nervous.” I patted him on the knee and stood, immediately yanking my gun from behind my back. As soon as I pressed the barrel against his temple, he whimpered.

“Please don’t kill me. Please.”

I pulled out my phone with the other hand, showing him the sketched picture. “Does this look familiar?”

He was having difficulty focusing. “Maybe. A little. But I didn’t really see him. I swear to God.”

As another stench assaulted my nose, I grimaced. The man had pissed himself. Why couldn’t men be men? At least he’d added credence to her photograph and the reason Sergio had been caught off guard. He’d known the employee.

At this point, I’d take what I could get. Now I just needed to round up every blond male who worked for me and see what I could flush to the surface.

And I would.

“Are… you going to… kill me?”

“You did betray me. You should have known better.” I shoved the barrel against his temple, hissing under my breath.

Then I pulled the trigger.

Click.

Poor Mark wasn’t certain he wasn’t riding the big boat straight to hell for a full minute. When he realized he would live, he laughed and cried, tears even streaming down his face.

“Now, you’re going to remember this for the rest of your life, Mark, and if you ever do something so insanely stupid again, there will be a bullet inside the chamber.”

I glanced at Kazimir who grinned. At this point, I’d wasted enough time. Connor needed to be found and until I discovered where the fucker was hiding, it would still be business as usual.

“What now?” my brother asked.

“We go hunting, but quietly. The pieces are starting to fall together. I expect Tristen to rear his ugly head any day. No black book. His computer files corrupted. The man should be pissed. Now, we track Connor and we’ll have him by the balls.”

“We have men sweeping the streets. He’s bound to surface soon. He enjoys gambling.”

“Then check every casino outside of town.”

“Already ahead of you.”

I clapped him on the shoulder and headed for the door, taking long strides down the corridor.

Once I was outside, I took a few seconds to think the situation through before heading to my car.

As my phone chirped indicating a call, I was instantly annoyed.

Seeing Jack’s number put me in a worse mood.

“Should I consider this another warning that I’m about to be arrested?” I took long strides through the parking lot. I’d already put my attorney on notice that he should be prepared with a bail request.

“The information about Ms. Rork was released.”

I stopped where I was, instantly enraged. “What are you talking about?”

“Before I had a chance to destroy the tape, it was released to another detective. Then the police chief got ahold of it. On top of that, forensics had enough with the fingerprint to make an identification.” Jack was out of breath.

“Let me guess, the press also managed to get their hands on the fucking file.”

“I don’t know how, Mikhail. I swear to God, but her name has been released as a witness.”

“I will destroy you for this.”

“I’m doing what I can to run damage control, but it’s out of my hands.”

I jogged toward my car, instantly grabbing the key fob. “Get it locked down or our relationship is done.”

“There’s something else. An arrest warrant has been issued in regard to Jax Shane’s murder.”

“The news just keeps getting better.” I jumped in, immediately starting the engine.

“It’s not what you think.”

“I know. The mayor is out for blood. I already received the news.”

“Not with the Dmitriyev family. He’s going after Connor O’Shaughnessy. But you didn’t hear this from me. Some huge very secretive operation.”

Almost instantly I laughed. “You’re shitting me.”

“I’m getting this third hand as I’m not on this case, but supposedly Connor’s DNA was found at the murder scene. Like I said, you didn’t hear this from me.”

“If you believe this will remove your culpability for allowing the video to be released, you’re dead wrong.”

He sighed. “I understand. Just don’t do anything crazy. Promise me you won’t.”

“The only promise I’m making is that I will protect my family. And that includes Bristol Rork. Try and touch her and you will suffer.” What kind of game was Mayor Rork playing?

“She’s a witness, Mikhail. Don’t make her an accomplice. No one will be able to help her if she doesn’t cooperate.”

“Don’t threaten me, Jack. You won’t like my personality very much if you continue.”

“I’m trying to help you, Mikhail.”

“I obviously don’t need your help. I’ll find O’Shaughnessy myself.”

“If you kill him, you will be arrested. Do you hear what I’m saying? Allow the police to do their jobs. You’re not judge and jury.”

Laughing, I could barely hold it together. “Like hell I’m not.”

I ended the call, immediately noticing I had a message. Before I was able to listen to it, Alexsey called. “What’s wrong?”

“She’s gone, Mikhail.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“The moment I turned down your street, I noticed a car with the driver’s door opened. She’d been run off the road.”

“You’re certain the car belongs to Bristol?”

“Her purse was left in the passenger seat along with her phone. It’s her. I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”

I slammed my hand on the steering wheel and pressed down on the accelerator.

“We must find her. I don’t give a shit what you need to do.

Turn the goddamn city upside down. Burn it to the ground.

Find her. If you find Connor O’Shaughnessy, you’ll find her.

The video with her face plastered all over it was released.

He knows she was a witness and there’s no doubt he realizes she’s special to me. ”

“I’ll block off the city limits and check the outgoing flights. He’ll want to get her out of Vegas.”

“Use every goddamn man available.”

“I’m sorry, Mikhail. We’ll find her.”

Another call ended. More bad news. I pressed down on the accelerator, zooming around traffic. Why the hell had I left her alone? What the fuck was wrong with me that I hadn’t followed my instincts? No more dangerous games. No one was ever going to hurt the woman I adored again.

She was mine.

Mine. Mine!

As soon as I slammed my hand against the steering wheel again, the screen lit up. A message. Exhaling, I tried to calm down as I pulled it up, rage inhibiting any coherent thoughts.

As I rushed onto the interstate, barely avoiding a collision, the voicemail connected.

Then I heard her sweet voice, the concern in her lilt not for herself, but for me and everything I’d been through with Sergio’s death.

When she said two words in Russian not once but twice, images flashed in front of my eyes.

Young brother.

The phrase had been said in respect when I was a boy, the one honoring my abilities and my loyalty.

The one used for Sergio’s protégés, the only soldiers he considered worthy of the title.

This was the man who’d been in the parking garage. Blond hair. How was it possible I hadn’t noticed the resemblance? Because in my world, he’d yet to become someone of importance. Of course Sergio had opened the door to him. Maksim was trusted. Maksim was important to Sergio.

And he’d betrayed his mentor.

The fucking bastard who’d accosted Bristol at my sister’s wedding, Maksim Sokolov. The man who would die by my hands.

She’d seen him at the funeral, recognizing him immediately. The motherfucker had planned on kidnapping her at the wedding. She would be used against the mayor. Because he refused to play their games.

Why the fuck hadn’t her father confided in me?

For fear she’d be killed. No wonder he’d wanted her to come work for him.

I hit redial, connecting to Alexsey. “Maksim Sokolov. I need his address. Now. He betrayed us all.”