Page 25 of The Fixer

Arching a brow quizzically, I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth…My mind churning.

Envre sat back, a small frown gracing her lips. “Like with Levrenti, for instance.”

“I honestly thought that was staged. So, what doyouthink is important that you came to me?”

She laughed a little, tucking her hair back behind her ear with a little shrug. “Have you seen the video, yet? … I think Vyachaslav’s bodyguard slash double was in on it. I like the old man and I know he likes me.””

Shaking my head, my brows drew knitted together. I was saving the video for last, once I had a clear picture to tie into it. “Okay, let’s watch it.” Mousing around the computer screen, I wiggled my lips thoughtfully. “If he was in on it, that’d make sense. Erik can’t get information on Vyachaslav otherwise without being caught. The old man started shifting the business on Aleksander, making himself scarce in the process. That’s something I wondered about too…why was the shot so bad? If you’re going to try to kill someone like him, you’d need to make sure it’s fatal, even if not immediately. Of course, that guy isn’t the only one I was considering.”

“Who else do you think would do this?” Envre asked.

I ignored her for a moment to open the video file, leaning in close to the screen. Vyachaslav wasn’t within two feet at least, of his bodyguard, which was concerning. Not only were they on the sidewalk, but the bodyguard just… fell. The guy just dropped while Vyachaslav himself ducked behind a car. This forced Vyachaslav to reach to grab his man, but this perfect headshot was a missed opportunity. There wasn’t a second attempt.

Either the sniper rushed outassuminghe’d killed Vyachaslav, or just didn’t care because that wasn’t the objective.Because it’s entirely likely that Vyachaslav himself is involved in his own assassination attempt.

“Honestly, I don’t know enough right now to send Aleksander running around like a chicken with his head cut off.” I shrugged.That’s not something I want floating around.After all, why would Vyachaslav send Malda after Sascha and I unless he knew I would suspect him? “What I will say is that Erik’s not capable of shooting not only a moving target, but anything more than 30 feet away. His embarrassment about being such a shit shot is why he fails less miserably at krav maga.What about Aleksi?” I suggested. “If Erik is behind it, I get needing a fall guy, but… According to Aleksander, Erik isn’t trying to implicate Aleksi.” Glancing at Envre over the edge of the screen, I cocked my head at that.Why…?

“Because implicating Aleksi means he’d have a reason to. You’re really new to this, aren’t you?” She flushed faintly.

I frowned under furrowed brows. I hadn’t thought this muck, this clearly, in… well, ever. “Okay, so the last thing you want to do when being tortured is to say ‘hey, go ask that guy— he knows’ because then you imply that you know what he knows. If you’re going to say anything, make sure it’s benign, but even then… you really shouldn’t ever talk. Once you open your mouth, you lose.”

“O-oh. Okay.” She nodded. “I’m not really involved in this. I mostly just give Aleksander perspective he wouldn’t ordinarily think of. I mean I told him too, that he shouldn’t be hasty. I think he was really,reallyfreaked out about the notion of his dad dying. They just started trying to fix their relationship. Um, their dad-slash son relationship, not boss-slash employee one.” She paused to look at me. “I know you’re not exactly happy with how he treated you, Ophelia.”

Humming softly, I nodded as I sat back. “The first time I ever heard the name ‘Aleksander’, I was 16. I don’t know how I went so long not knowing who he was, but that’s not the point. My parents were fighting about him telling them what to do. He was only in his mid-20s and he was ordering them around…the audacity!”

Envre smiled knowingly.

I swished myself side to side. Remembering that conversation brought a frown to my face. “He was always the guy you couldn’t cross openly. Aleksander is the god of a religion of his own creation. The past week has been really difficult for me contending that image of him that’d been cultivated my whole life with the fact I was now planted right in front of him.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Ophelia.”

“I don’t really care what you think or feel. I’m telling you this because I have leverage on him, now. I’m not telling him anything I know unless he meets me at the negotiating table.”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

If her reaction was from my coldness to her apology or my conviction, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t care. In seconds, my whole view on Aleksander had shifted and I couldn’t let this opportunity slide by me. Just like with Lyov, I had to establish myself early on, even though I couldn’t do it immediately.

Honestly, though, I wasmad. I was mad at myself for being so unnerved by someone I had no experience with. I felt angry and bitter for letting Aleksander Makovich get under my skin… and thatwould nothappen again.

17

Sascha

“On a scale of one to ten, how fucked am I?”

The question shocked me, drawing my gaze as Aleksander rubbed his jaw in agitation. “I’m not used to being in this position. I admit that I screwed up. You know Ophelia better than anyone currently alive and maybe dead too, so… how fucked am I?”

“It’s a shame you can’t seem to admit defeat to the person that beat you.” Sitting back on the sofa to frown, I ignore the instinctual crawling of my skin under his narrowed eyes. “If you did, she’d go easier on you.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Then why’d you ask me in the first place?Staring steadily at Aleksander, I tilted my head back to stroke my beard. He was young and powerful and he’d exercised that power with an iron glove. True, we only had maybe, eight or nine years between us, but being raised to rule was bound to have some nasty side effects. “Frankly, I wouldn’t know how bad you messed up. I usually only hear about the aftermath and Ophelia has never been so pissed. What I can guess is that you’re gonna have a hell of a time turning down whatever she wants. You left her in there, alone, with every piece of information you have. That was a mistake on your part.” I couldn’t shake the nagging sensation of howrarelydid Aleksander Makovich request advice. Tugging my beard lightly, I flopped my head back to stare at the ugly painting on the ceiling. “You left a real bad impression on her and then crawled back asking for her help…and lied about your intentions. Oppie fixes, she literally does nothing but fix her parents’ messes and now, she has to fix yours. There’s a reason she gets paid so much to do it. You’d rather let her crush you under her boot than admit she’s a real person who deserves to be treated like a real person? Because she will, and you need her more than she needs you.”

“I know how much she gets paid…I was the one that authorized it.”

Lifting my head to frown blandly, my brows arched suggestively.

Aleksander sat there stiff on the sofa while fuming and grinding his teeth. “… But I get your point.”