Page 18 of One Dark Kiss (Grimm Bargains #2)

SEVENTEEN

Alexei

A t the Amethyst bar, I sit on a bar stool with a shot of vodka that I raise to the assembled men in the room.

To our future, I say, tipping it back. They repeat my phrase and all drink.

There are only eight men here. I recognize most of them, and it looks like we ve gotten a few new recruits—fresh from Russia. They are not happy with Hendrix.

In the crowd that ranges in age from sixteen to seventy, there are two torpedoes who serve as hitmen and hired muscle, several Boyeviks, foot soldiers, and even a couple of Vor v Zakones who are high-ranking and highly respected members.

I m surprised to even have one Obshchak Keeper, who s a keeper of communal funds.

Hendrix will have them all killed if he discovers this meeting.

What else has gone wrong? I ask. They ve already gone into some length about Hendrix playing with daughters and promising marriage and then backing out after using them.

Vsevolod Nikiforov kicks back in his chair. Are you serious about no trafficking?

Absolutely, I say, meaning it. I want nothing to do with trafficking people. Why? What do you know?

He flushes. I know that Hendrix is well involved in it and is making a lot of money.

Anger flows through me. Our father may not have been the kindest of men, but he had set rules, and that was one of them. We don t mess with women, and we don t mess with kids. I don t see myself as any sort of hero, but I do believe in karma and protecting the most vulnerable.

Yet I know how to explain my position to these men.

Trafficking is unacceptable. The authorities are finally cracking down on organizations, and I want to be free of exposure.

If anybody feels differently, you can leave now.

I ll probably kill them later, and they should know me well enough to understand that fact.

Nobody moves. Good. Plus, I do believe in karma. I cross my arms and look toward Garik. I m retaking the organization, and I value your loyalty. Garik is my second in command, and that decision is final.

A couple of men frown, and an older one, a former assassin named Jac, shakes his head. He s not from a main family.

He s my family, I state calmly.

Garik doesn t move and reveals no expression. Good.

Any more discussion? I ask softly.

Several heads shake. I clear my throat and glance at Garik. Do we have anybody with computer expertise?

He shakes his head. No. Anybody with computer skills is paid well by Hendrix. They ll be loyal to him for now. He cocks his head. However, your lawyer has a good friend who s one of the best.

Ella? I ask, my eyebrows rising. I do remember hearing something about her being a phenomenal hacker. She even trained in the motherland briefly.

Do you want me to take her? Garik asks.

Probably, I note. Let s wait until we have a decent setup.

The first job I need her to do is figure out who framed me for David Fairfax s murder.

How had anybody found time to throw that knife in the pond—and make sure my fingerprints were on it?

They might ve been planted, or perhaps that was just bad luck since I was there so often.

It had to have been somebody investigating the crime, who worked with the judge and prosecuting attorney.

As well as my dead attorney. How good is she?

Garik shrugs. I don t know. Just heard rumors, but say the word, and I ll have her available to work for us.

Power finally begins to flow through my veins again.

I don t think anybody knows about my need to get back to my servers.

I m sure Hendrix has them well protected now that he knows about my backdoor tunnel, and it s going to be all-out war.

In this game, at least from the outside looking in, Caine is going to kill Abel again.

So be it.

I look around. I m sure I m being watched, and Hendrix will know you came here. You re all in danger.

Not one of them looks scared or even bothered. Jac speaks for the group. We re taking precautions and are ready for war. There are many inside the organization who will make the jump and return to you if there s a show of strength.

Meaning I need to kill Hendrix. I don t like the idea of murdering my father s son. We do share blood, after all. I understand.

The group stands and files out, all heavily armed and watching for threats. I like that. Jac is the last to leave, and he hands me a folded piece of paper.

I take it. We re passing notes now?

He shrugs. It was taped to the front door of the bar. I read it. Doesn t make sense.

Ah. The kill list from Urbano Reyes. I ve been waiting for this. Don t worry about it. I shove the paper into my pocket to read later.

Jac nods, following the others out and leaving Garik and me alone.

How many of them do you trust? I ask.

About half. I ll make a list of who we want to watch—who I think Hendrix might ve sent. But betrayal always comes from the inside.

True words.

We have a couple of drinks of the good vodka, and both of us turn when the front door opens. I sit back and blink. Well, this is a surprise.

Lillian Sokolov walks inside dressed in a casual black dress with her hair down and a lot grayer than I remember.

Her jewelry sparkles with more diamonds than I can count, and the flats she wears look comfortable.

However, her shoulders are slightly stooped and her skin looser than I remember.

She has not aged well these last seven years.

We obviously need to talk, she says, moving behind the bar and looking more like a grandmother than the bombshell I remember.

Garik leans down and lifts up the good bottle of vodka. With a look at me, he turns and strides through the back door where I can hear his footsteps ascending to the apartment.

Lillian pours two glasses and nudges one toward me. Welcome to freedom.

I lift my glass and down the contents as she does the same. What do you want, Lillian? I fear that every exit to my place is now covered by men with automatic weapons. Even so, I have to admire her grit in walking in alone. I could kill her with my bare hands and she knows it.

I thought we could end this thing for now. For good, she says, her voice trembling slightly. Apparently, losing her youngest son has taken a toll I haven t considered.

I cock my head to the side. You re ready to give up Hologrid Hub?

Of course not. Even in obvious mourning, she s all woman, and I can see what my father saw in her.

Although their age difference had created quite the fodder for the gossip rags.

She has blue eyes and a delicate bone structure.

Both of her sons inherited much of her attributes—including ambition.

She d become pregnant right away with Hendrix and then Cal to better secure her place with my father.

Leave town, she says. I will release your trust funds and you ll have billions to go play with. You can go anywhere in the world, but it will be out of this country. Please, Alexei. Grant me some peace.

She looks as out of place behind the rickety old bar as a princess would in a dungeon. Yet, I know of her humble beginnings, and she has risen high above them by marrying my father.

Hologrid Hub is mine. I try to keep the need out of my voice. If I don t get near the large amethysts again soon, my skin is going to fall off.

She shakes her head. Hendrix is doing a good job branding the corporation.

Actually, you re in third place, maybe fourth now out of the four social media companies, I say smoothly. Aquarius and Malice are helping each other out, which I think brought Aquarius up to second and dropped Hologrid Hub to third and TimeGem to fourth.

I don t have the numbers yet.

Her nostrils flare. I had planned a merger between Cal and the Aquarius Social heir that didn t work out. However, they have a new heir with some long-lost cousin.

This is new information for me. I take it in to roll over in my mind later.

Or. She taps a chewed off fingernail on her lips. There s always little Ella. She s the rightful heir of TimeGem Moments, you know?

An interesting thought, Ella with Hendrix.

It would be quite the merger, and I can imagine the young Rendale heir is interested in reclaiming her birthright.

I might have to kidnap her sooner rather than later to gain her hacking skills.

For a short while, of course. Unless she s helpful, then I ll keep her forever.

I stare at my stepmother. I do appreciate the bribe and the offer to avoid war, but I want what s mine.

Her chin goes up. You lost what s yours when you killed David Fairfax. You belong in prison, and we both know it.

Did you set me up? I ask. Are you the person who arranged for the evidence to be planted?

Of course not, she says. I always knew if I gave you enough rope, you d hang yourself, and you did exactly that, Alexei. You have nobody to blame but yourself for this predicament. A jury convicted you once and they ll do so again. Even looking sad and lonely, her voice holds strength.

I smile. Not without the help they had last time.

Your prints were on that knife, and it is the murder weapon. Correct?

The newspapers had had a field day with that fact, which still bothers me greatly. I can t see from what direction that betrayal had come. Did you bribe the police or an officer along with the judge and prosecutor? I ask.

She frowns. I don t know what you re talking about.

I try to search her gaze for truth, but I can t tell if she s lying or not.

There were several people who could have set me up.

I was quite the asshole back then and had slept with more than one man s wife, but she and Hendrix had the most to gain from my going to prison and having my funds frozen.

I know with certainty that Hendrix had hits put out on me in prison, which is why I had to make the deal with Urbano Reyes.

That must ve infuriated my so-called brother to no end.

Did you send a squad after me the day I was let out and also this morning? I ask.

Squads?

Maybe Hendrix doesn t share his business with his mother.

I cross my arms. I m armed and ready to kill, Lillian.

Make sure Hendrix understands that. If he considers having anybody tear in here later tonight to take me out, I would tell him to think again.

You don t want war with me. It s the last olive branch I will extend to her.

She smooths a lock of hair off her forehead. Nobody wants a war. Hendrix would not resort to violence.

I wonder if my own mother would ve been blind to my many faults.

Turn over my company to me, unfreeze my funds, and we ll both go on our merry ways.

Like you said, you also have plenty of money to go live a good life.

Take Hendrix with you. He doesn t have the connection with the crystals that I do. It s a fact.

Right now, she says, finally showing some emotion. Anger looks good on her. If you die, you and I both know that power will increase in him.

Another fact. We don t know why, but usually one person can fully charge or use the crystals out of the four families. Right now it s me. If I die, his power will increase. It s something we ve never understood and haven t really bothered trying to solve.

If he dies, mine will increase as well, I say evenly. I suggest you heed my words. I really don t want to kill your son.

Her hand trembles as she pushes back her hair. It s nice to know where you stand. Her head held high, she walks around the bar toward the door. It s too bad, Alexei. Your father would be so disappointed in you. She opens the door and sweeps out.

I free my gun from the back of my waist and wait patiently for about an hour.

Apparently, they re not coming for me tonight.

Sighing, I pour myself another shot of the vodka and down it before pulling the folded piece of paper out of my pocket.

I open it to read a series of numbers. I lean over the bar and scramble for a pencil.

I use Reyes s code to decipher the first three names.

I don t recognize these people I ve promised to kill, so they must be from Reyes s gang.

The fourth name gives me some pause, as it s a prominent businessman in town.

I ll do the job because I promised, but I m going to find out why Reyes wants each of these people murdered. I slowly write the last name and then sit back. Well, this is unexpected.

The final person on Urban Reyes s termination list is Rosalie s best friend, little Ella Rendale.