Page 30 of Toxic Salvation (Krayev Bratva #2)

KOVAN

“How many days has it been?”

Grigory holds up a small red chip between his thumb and forefinger. The plastic catches the afternoon light sneaking through the window blinds of his room at Maitland Care Facility. “Thirty days, boss. I’m thirty days sober.”

I sit down in the metal chair beside his bed.

The man has gained some weight since I last saw him—thirty-one days ago when I’d personally dropped him off at this place.

Back then, he looked like a walking corpse.

Sunken cheeks, eyes so bloodshot I couldn’t see the whites, patchy hair falling out in clumps.

Now, he’s got cheekbones again. Color in his face. His hair has grown back thick and dark.

“You look good, Grigory.”

“I feel good, sir. Well, most days.” He sets the chip on his nightstand, treating it like it’s made of gold instead of cheap plastic. “There are still days when it’s a struggle, but I have a great support system here.”

As soon as those words pass his lips, his face changes. The corners of his mouth turn down, and his shoulders slump forward.

“You’re worried about the support system you’ll have when you leave Maitland, aren’t you?”

Grigory scrubs his hands over his face. The motion is rough and agitated. “M-my daughter… I only got to see her once a month, before all this. She’s the whole r-reason I got into… the drug trade. So that I could provide for her. So that she would be okay.”

“Dealing drugs is one thing, Grigory. Why start using them?”

He can’t look at me directly. His gaze bounces around the room—the window, the floor, his hands. His knuckles are raw and bruised from how much he’s been working them, picking at the skin until it bleeds.

“It was Ihor. He f-forced me to join him on all his ‘business meetings.’ He claimed that trying the merchandise was part of the job. Soon, I was snorting so much coke that he had to slash my pay to cover his costs.” His voice shrinks.

“I vowed I would stop using, but Ihor just kept pushing me. Once it became clear to my ex-wife that I was an addict, she stopped letting me visit. I haven’t seen my little girl in over a year.

She’s probably forgotten all about me by now. ”

He drops his head to hide his tears. Normally, I don’t make a habit of giving comfort, especially not to my men. Weakness spreads through an organization faster than wildfire.

But in Grigory’s case, I’m making an exception.

Because what Ihor did to him was so fucking low that it makes me see him in a completely different light.

“Do you remember the night I picked you up, Grigory?”

“N-no, sir. Not really.”

“You were lying in a gutter deep in the Mission. In the freezing cold rain. It’s a fucking miracle you didn’t die from hypothermia.

” I lean back in the uncomfortable chair.

“You spent two nights in St. Raphael’s getting your stomach pumped.

The doctors said another hour of exposure and you would have been dead.

” I watch his face carefully. “And then I moved you here to Maitland Care.”

“I… I remember parts of that.” He goes back to wringing his hands. “I… I didn’t say very nice things to you.”

I allow myself a small smile. “No, but I’m willing to forgive that. If you vow to be the honest, loyal, and devoted vor you promised to be when you first took your pledge.”

He looks shell-shocked. “You still want me to work for you?”

“You will be reinstated and asked to take the pledge again. With your new salary, you will be able to provide for your daughter.”

The tears slide down his cheeks, but this time, he doesn’t seem ashamed of them. “Why would you do that?”

“Ihor has ruled through fear and threats and blackmail. I’m trying to see if true loyalty will trump that. I believe it can—so don’t prove me wrong, Grigory.”

He shakes his head. “S-sir… it’s good of you to want to help me, but… I’m weak. I don’t know if I can stay sober out in the real world.”

“You can and you will.” I make sure my tone leaves no room for argument.

“Because you do have a support system outside of this facility. Your brothers will be with you all the time. You have two more days left here and then you’re moving into your new home.

The safehouse on Folsom will be home to you and four other vors who’ve recently renewed their pledges to me.

They will keep you on the straight and narrow. ”

The color leaves his face completely. “Folsom? That’s only two blocks away from?—”

“Where your ex-wife and daughter live. That’s right.”

His eyes snap to mine, so full of hope that, as a soon-to-be father and an uncle who loves his nephew like a son, I feel his desperation like it were my own.

“I’ve spoken to Carol, Grigory,” I add.

His hands reach out toward me as though in prayer. “W-what did you tell her?”

“I spared her the gory details, but I did tell her that you’re getting sober.

I told her I would make sure you stay that way.

I also told her that she and your daughter would be provided for.

” I pause, letting that sink in. “Once you have your six-month chip, you will be allowed two supervised visits with Emily every week.”

“T-two?” He can barely get the word out. “A week?”

“Emily remembers you, Grigory. And she still loves you. When you were around, you were a good father. Carol admitted as much, and Emily couldn’t stop talking about you.”

“Oh…”

That’s all he manages before he breaks down completely. Croaking, snot-filled sobs that shake his entire body. I pass him the box of tissues from the nightstand and get to my feet.

“Not to put too fine a point on this, Grigory, but staying sober and loyal won’t just benefit you. It benefits your daughter, too.”

Grigory gets to his feet and offers me his hand. It’s the steadiest move he’s made since I walked in here. “I swear to you, boss, I will not let you down.”

I shake his hand. His grip is firm. “That’s what I thought.”

“Boss.”

Vasily approaches me the moment I exit Maitland. The afternoon sun is starting to fade, casting long shadows across the parking lot.

“Vasily? What are you doing here?”

“I called Pavel. Tracked you down. I have sensitive information that’s meant for your ears only.”

“You’re supposed to be with Ihor right now.”

“I faked being sick to get out of my shift this morning. He thinks I’m back home, spewing my guts out.” Vasily glances around the parking lot nervously.

“Tell me.”

“I overheard a conversation Ihor had last night. He mentioned sending Yana out of the city.”

That gets my attention. Yana has been a thorn in my side since the custody hearing, but she’s also been predictable. Keeping her close where I can watch her has been preferable to letting her disappear into the wind.

“What else did he say?”

“That wherever he plans on sending her needs to have an extra room. He hasn’t decided where to send her yet, but he’s looking at places with two bedrooms minimum.”

I’m less concerned about the location and more concerned about the whole second room business. Who is he planning on sending with Yana? My best guess is Luka.

Over my dead fucking body.

I slap Vasily on the back. “You did good bringing this to me. Go back to your post and play your part. We can’t let Ihor get wind of the fact that you might be working for me. Now, go.”

Vasily doesn’t wait to be told twice. He hurries away and disappears around the corner while I get into my SUV.

“Was that Vasily I just saw?” Osip asks the moment I settle into the passenger seat.

I nod. “Pavel told him where to find me. He had dirt on Ihor and his plans.”

“Bad news?”

“Not if we can stop it.” I pull out my phone and scroll through my contacts. “Do you have the details on Vesper’s guard detail? I want two new rotations put in. If they’re on duty too long, they get sloppy.”

Osip opens the new schedule on his phone and passes it to me. “I’ve already added in the new rotations.”

I scan the names on the roster. “Take Vlad and Dominik off and replace them with more serious men. I need professionals on this. Those two are too young and careless.”

I hand Osip back his phone. He takes it silently, but I can see the irritation written all over his face. “Do you know how long it took me to get that roster arranged?”

“Just replace those two.”

He mumbles something under his breath as he removes Vlad and Dominic from the schedule.

“What was that?” I demand.

He pipes down but throws me a dirty look. “Shouldn’t you be at home, cuddling up with your woman? Didn’t you two just make up?”

“How do you know?”

“Please.” Osip rolls his eyes, but there’s a cheeky smile breaking through his grumpiness. “We heard the two of you last night. And the night before that. And the night before that. Wouldn’t have pegged the good doctor for a screamer.”

I shoot him a warning glare. “It’s bad enough that I have to be away from her. I don’t need to hear this shit from you.”

“Is this what you’re like in love? Because it’s not a big improvement.”

I’m about to respond when my phone starts ringing. Seeing Jeremy Fleming’s name on my screen sends alarm bells through my entire system.

“Fuck.” I answer on the second ring. “Jeremy. The fuck do you want?”

“Y-you told me to call if Ihor showed up again.” His voice is so low I have to strain to hear him. I can picture him huddled in some corner of his office, trying to avoid detection. “He came in this morning.”

“And? What did he want?”

“H-he… was asking about Vesper.”

Not good. Not good at all. I’ve been expecting this since her little showdown with Yana last week, but it doesn’t help to get confirmation.

“What did he want to know?”

“He wanted access to her files.”

My free hand balls into a fist. “If you showed that fucker her file, Jeremy, so help me God, I will?—”

“I didn’t show him!” Jeremy’s voice rises several octaves. “I swear, I didn’t. I pretended like I couldn’t find it and told him I would get it to him the moment I did.”

My panic subsides slightly. “Okay, that’s good.”

“But I can’t hold him off for long!” Jeremy sounds like he’s about to cry. “He keeps sending me texts, telling me he wants it within the hour. If I don’t give him something soon?—”

“Breathe, mudak . I’ll make sure you have something to hand over to Ihor.”

I hang up without giving him any further reassurances. The bastard can afford to sit and stew for a while.

“Ihor’s moving in for the kill, then?” Osip asks.

“So it seems.” I’m already thinking through the logistics. “I want you to put a fake file on the hospital’s server under Vesper’s name. The most important thing right now is to hide the fact that Vesper is pregnant. If Ihor gets hold of that information?—”

“We’re fucked.”

“In a word.” I lean back in my seat as Osip starts the engine. “Now, drive me home. I need to see my woman.”