Page 59 of Sins and Virtue

He picked up his cup from his glass table nearby, threw his head back, and took a swig of his drink. Then when he finished, he glanced down at the cup, the liquid rippling. “You and I both know that however Aleksandra believes… otherwise.”

He glanced at me condescendingly.

I was numbed to it. “Then what am I useful for?”

“You found something. Somethingshewants.”

“What? What could I have that she wants?”

“Well,” His finger tapped against the glass cup in his hand. “What did you find in Dargasus all those years ago with your Pakhan and brotherhood, huh?”

An eerie tense hold crawled down my back, feeling the sense of self-sabotage. The tick moved in my jaw as I did my best to not react. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I grunted.

One cynical chuckle left his mouth. “Sure, you don’t.”

I was really tired of these fucking mind games and quizzical puzzles. I didn’t need this nor Aleksandra in my life; the only thing I wanted— Blair— might not have felt the same, therefore making everything else null and void. “You and your master are insane. If you want a toy to play your stupid game, go find someone else.” Rancor ran hot in my blood, refusing to be used anymore than I had been.

I shot up from my seat and began to leave.

“Sergei can testify. Adrian is another story. But your Pakhan… well… is not all that cold in the ground,” he revealed.

“What?”

“Your brothers-in-arms, they were witness to that night, and they can confirm—”

“You mean they're not dead?”

“Oh, you didn’t know?”

Fuck, the satisfaction on this bastard’s face as he held so much power over me; the fact of having the mere knowledge made me the weaker link— a pawn. All this time, I sat, rotting in prison, mourning them when in fact they had been living their best life. Hot white bloodlust poisoned my every single thought.

God, it makes me want to kill them all.

Agreed, but for now we gather more information.

Fine.

“Didn’t know what?” I clenched my teeth, restraining my basic urges.

“All of them joined other clans. Well, except your Pakhan.”

I fisted my palm, nails digging into the callous skin as blood sprouted from the pores. Anger slipped on my tongue. “That’s impossible! That’s treason! Even if the Pakhan is dead… or whatever he is… once you’re in the Brotherhood, you’re in for life!” It was our vow… our sacred oath, sealed in blood. So how the fuck did they get out!?

He sighed, scratching the side of his face. “You’re right, but the thing was after your Pakhan died, the Brotherhood collapsed. The once loyal Romanovs went on to create their own rivaling clan as well as many who followed his command. Sergei went to the Feds in New York and Adrian… well…”

“What did he do?”

Adrian… out of all the men in my life… He made my blood boil the most because everything he did was calculated precisely to have control and power. The fucker even sold his own sister to the Pakhan in order to guarantee his place amongst the Brotherhood. That miserable piece of shit stood at number one on my to-kill list.

“Well…” Salvatore dragged out, tilting his head side to side like he wanted me to beg for it, but the only one who would end up begging for his life was him after I was done with him. “He went on to sell out and swore allegiance to the new Russians. The ones currently sitting at the head of the Bratva— the Volkovs.”

“Who the fuck is that?”

“God, you have been in jail for way too long. Everyone knows about the Volkovs, especially the eldest— The Vor of the Bratva. He’s even a double agent who works for the American elite military program— Legion. Given the highest of honors as Commander General.” He side-eyed me like I was an ignorant piece of shit.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before sitting back down on the leather couch as I pinched the bridge of my nose and flashed my eyes open. “Regardless, he’s irrelevant.”

“He’s far from irrelevant. He is the most powerful mastermind you’ll ever know.”