Page 47 of Toxic Salvation (Krayev Bratva #2)

KOVAN

“You’re going to want to kiss me when I tell you what I found out!” Osip announces as he bursts into my office.

Pavel looks up from his phone and wrinkles his nose. “On the lips or on the cheek?”

“Lips!” Osip shouts. “Definitely the lips.”

“I can tell you with absolute certainty: that will never happen,” I say. “No matter what you think you have to give me.”

“Start the drumroll,” he orders, smacking his lips together for emphasis. “I’m giving you… Denis Volkov.”

Pavel shoots to his feet, his phone clattering to the floor. “You killed Denis?!”

Osip rolls his eyes. “No, of course not. That bastard is bulletproof. Not to mention, he’s always surrounded by muscle. I mean, I’ve found a way to get him on your side.”

The information forces me out of my chair. “Impossible.”

“Very possible.” Osip grins. “Do I get that kiss now, or what?”

Pavel shakes his head. “It’s disturbing how badly you want Kovan to kiss you.”

“Both of you shut the hell up and get serious,” I snap. “Osip, are you serious right now? We’ve always thought Denis was loyal to Ihor the way Ihor was loyal to my father.”

“Please. Ihor doesn’t command loyalty. The bastard only knows how to buy, lie, bribe, and threaten his way through life. None of his men are with him because they want to be. So, I thought to myself, why should Denis be any different?”

“You found dirt on him?”

“Indeed, I did. Because I’m a genius. Not to mention, devastatingly handsome. And also blessed with a huge, swinging?—”

“Well?” I demand. “What is it?”

“First, tell me how smart and handsome I am.”

“For fuck’s sake, Osip! Just tell me before I beat the information out of you.”

Osip turns to Pavel and pouts dramatically. “And here I thought I’d get a kiss.”

“Osip, goddammit!”

“Okay, okay.” He holds up his hands in surrender. “I had our guys in Russia do some digging into Denis’s childhood home. He still sends money there every month. I figured he was taking care of aging parents or whatever. That was the story for years. Turns out—his parents died a decade ago.”

“He has a woman there,” I conclude.

“Not just any woman. He has a wife there. And two daughters.”

I frown, trying to piece this together. “Wait… Something doesn’t add up. Wasn’t there talk about Denis marrying some stripper he met in Vegas a few years ago?”

“It wasn’t a rumor!” Osip looks ready to break into a victory dance. “I did some digging in Vegas, too, and I found their marriage certificate. He did marry a stripper in an Elvis chapel three years ago. Witnessed by two drunk tourists and The King himself.”

“So—he committed bigamy,” I say slowly.

“Yup!” Osip pops the p for emphasis. “He’s got two wives, two sets of kids, and a whole lot of guilt. That’s what Ihor has been holding over his head this entire time. It’s Ihor’s house that Denis’s family is living in, in Moscow.”

“That son of a bitch,” I hiss. “He’s holding them hostage… controlling Denis by threatening their safety.”

“Exactly. Denis can’t make a move without Ihor’s permission because one phone call from Ihor, and his wife and daughters disappear.”

“We have to get both women to safety,” I decide immediately.

“Denis knew what he was doing when he married the stripper. He didn’t annul the marriage or divorce her, which means he cares about this woman.

As for the wife and kids in Russia—he’s been supporting them faithfully for years.

They matter to him, too.” I start pacing behind my desk.

“If we can get them out from under Ihor’s control, we can get Denis on our team. And if we have Denis…”

“We have access to Ihor,” Pavel finishes.

“Yes.” I clap my hands together. “Osip, you beautiful bastard.”

Osip’s grinning like the oversized child he is. “Pucker up, baby!”

I grab his head and plant a kiss right on his bald forehead. Then I push him away and clap my hands together. “Bring me Denis. Right now.”

As the vors gather in my office, I study their faces. These are men who, until recently, belonged to Ihor. He owned them through blackmail, threats, and fear.

What a difference a few weeks make.

I check my phone and find one text message from Osip.

OSIP: ETA 5 minutes.

Pavel positions himself by the door. I give him a brief nod and stand. The room falls silent. A few of the men look nervous. Some look intrigued. All of them look curious as hell.

“It shouldn’t surprise any of you that we’re here to discuss a problem that requires immediate action.”

A murmur ripples through the group.

“Ihor had every single one of you by the balls. He was controlling you, using your weaknesses against you. It’s what he does best. That ends today.”

“We’re taking Ihor down?” one of them asks.

I nod. “It’s the only way to stop him and protect yourselves and your families.”

The enthusiasm I’m expecting doesn’t materialize. The men look shell-shocked, not confident.

“He still has support, boss,” one of the men speaks up. “He’s surrounded by security, personal bodyguards, the works. There’s no way we can get close to the bastard.”

“Why shouldn’t we be able to?” I ask. “Every man here has pledged his loyalty to me, but as far as Ihor and the outside world know, you still work for him. You’re still his men.”

The men exchange glances. There’s apprehension in every raised eyebrow and tight jaw.

“We can use that to our advantage. He still thinks you’re loyal to him?—”

“That doesn’t mean he trusts us, Kovan. He doesn’t trust anyone.”

“That’s not entirely true,” I counter. “There is one man he trusts above all others.”

“Denis,” someone offers.

“That’s right. Denis Volkov.”

“Denis is a lost cause, Kovan,” one of them argues. “He’s never going to betray Ihor. The man’s been loyal for fifteen years.”

I check my phone again, a smile creeping across my face. “If there’s one thing I love doing, it’s proving people wrong. Pavel, if you would…?”

He opens the office door and Denis walks in, looking miserable. The other men automatically inch away from him as he approaches my desk, his expression completely neutral.

“Imagine my surprise,” Denis says, his tone flat, “to be grabbed in the restroom of my favorite bar and summoned before you like some common criminal.”

“I’m guessing Osip already made you my offer,” I say.

“He did,” Denis snaps. “And I don’t believe him. Or you, for that matter.”

I smile. “I’m sure you know everyone here.” I gesture toward the men gathered around my desk. “You all have one person in common.”

Denis turns and looks each vor in the eye. “Some would call these men traitors.”

There’s a hiss from the corner. “You’re here, too, Denis,” someone calls out.

“Maybe I’m here to identify the traitors,” he says coldly.

“Or maybe,” I suggest, “you’re here to see if I’m going to keep my end of the deal and save your wives and daughters.”

Denis’s jaw tightens. “How do I know you even have them?”

I pull up my phone and turn the screen so Denis can see the photo. “This was taken an hour ago. After my men delivered them to their new home in Tomsk. There’s a swing set and a trampoline in the backyard. Your daughters love it.”

Denis stares at the picture, and for the first time since he walked in, his mask slips. “You… you really have them?”

“They are beautiful, Denis. I can’t imagine living with the constant knowledge that their lives depended on how well you performed for Ihor. That must have been torture.”

His nostrils flare. “This is not the time or the place to?—”

“Do you think you were the only one Ihor controlled this way?” I interrupt. “Every single man here has some secret or responsibility that he exploited for his own gain. You’re all in the same boat.”

Denis turns to regard the men, the veins in his thick neck bulging. “And now, they’re loyal to you. Because you’ve taken over for Ihor,” he says bitterly. “How is that any better for us?”

“Because I’m not taking over from anyone.

This is about me being the leader I should have been from the start.

I’m not going to hold your family hostage for the rest of your life.

You won’t have to live with the constant fear that their safety depends on your obedience.

In the coming days, I will establish them with a monthly stipend.

They’ll have their freedom back. And security. ”

Denis looks genuinely confused. “And all you want from me is…?”

“Loyalty. You fight for me now.”

“And if I don’t?” Denis asks. “Then you kill my family?”

I shake my head. “What did I just tell you? I have no interest in becoming Ihor. In fact, I want to stay as far from him as I possibly can be. If you choose not to join me, your children will still be supported. The monthly stipend will continue. The only life I’ll take is yours.”

Denis looks around the room again, studying the faces of men he’s known for years. It seems like he wants to say something, but in the end, he just nods once.

“I’m in.”

I suppress a smile as I survey the room. All the uncertainty, all the doubt has vanished from the men’s faces. They’re looking at Denis with something close to awe—if I can turn Denis Volkov, I can turn anyone.

There’s no stopping us now.