Page 127 of Twisted Pact

“Exactly. So, involving the FSB is a risk. It might eliminate Novikov, but it could also put us under investigation. Or worse.”

I scrub my hands over my face. “What’s the alternative?”

“We handle it ourselves. Quietly. Make it look like natural causes or an accident. Something that doesn’t invite scrutiny.”

“That’s harder to pull off with someone like Novikov. He’s paranoid and surrounded by security. He doesn’t go anywhere without a small army.”

“Which is why we need time to plan.” Dmitri stands and walks to the small kitchen area. Pours two glasses of vodka and brings them back to the table.

I take the offered glass and down half of it. The burn helps to clear my head.

“Fuck,” I grumble. “I need to give her a life worth staying for. That means ending this threat and creating some semblance of normalcy.”

“Normalcy.” Dmitri snorts out a laugh. “We’re Russian mafia, Alexei. Normalcy isn’t exactly our specialty.”

“Then we fake it until she believes it.”

He refills both glasses. “You love her.”

It’s not a question, but I answer anyway. “Yeah. I do.”

“Does she know?”

“She knows I care. But the actual words?” I shake my head. “I’m working on it.”

“Work faster. Women need to hear these things.”

I flip him off, and he grins.

The door opens, and Boris sticks his head in. “Sergei’s here. Says it’s urgent.”

Dmitri and I exchange glances. If he’s here in person instead of calling without having been summoned, something significant has happened.

“Send him in,” Dmitri orders with a wave.

Sergei enters with tension written across his face. He’s one of our most reliable men, and he looks worried.

I gesture to the empty chair. “Sit. Tell us what’s wrong now.”

Sergei sits but doesn’t relax. “Just got word that Novikov has someone on the payroll at the station. Someone high enough up to access protected information.”

“How high up?” Dmitri asks.

“Captain level. Maybe higher. My contact says files have been accessed that shouldn’t be. Witness protection details, safe house locations, and movement logs for people in custody.”

I swallow hard to suppress a gasp. “Does Boris know?”

“Not yet. This is coming from outside his department, but it’s close enough that whoever Novikov bought could track Boris’ activities, and maybe even compromise him. We’ve already pulled Boris back from active operations. Let’s keep him here in the bunker with limited access until we can vet everyone in his unit. Can’t risk the mole tracking his movements or intercepting his communications.”

Dmitri asks, “How solid is this intel?”

“Solid enough that three separate sources confirmed it independently. Novikov’s been bleeding money into the station for months. We just didn’t know who he bought until now.”

I launch to my feet. “This changes everything.”

“It accelerates the timeline,” Dmitri agrees. “If Novikov has access to police intel, he knows where our people are, and that we’re planning something. He might even know about this location.”

“The bunker’s clean,” I assure him. “This place was set up off-book, but anything Boris touches from here on out could be compromised. From this moment on, Novikov is priority one. We can’t fight a war when the enemy knows our every move. Let’s take him out first, then worry about cleaning up the mess at the station.”