Page 64 of Wicked Refusal

“I wasn’t aware I kept office hours. Or that you were in charge of them.”

“Cut the shit,” he says. “You know perfectly well why I’m here.”

“Rurik, please,” Kazimir sighs. “There’s no need to be unpleasant. We all know what’s going on. We’re all working to fix it.”

“Notallof us, clearly.” He scoffs in my direction. “Our fearlesspakhanhad better things to do with his morning.”

“I had fires to put out,” I reply. “And last I checked, I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“‘Fires,’ huh? Is that what we’re calling a pretty piece of ass now?”

I cross the room with a single stride. “Careful, Rurik,” I snarl. “This is not the day to test me.”

“You think I’m here to test you, boy?” His face goes red with rage. “I’m here to save all our skins. Your little Ghost of Christmas Past has already killed one of ours, and unless I’m mistaken, he’s coming for the rest.”

“Which is why I gave thevoryinstructions to go into hiding.” My tone drops dangerously low. “But if you want a bullet to match Slavik’s that badly, there’s no need to wait for Desya. I’ll happily oblige myself.”

“Youdurak,” he spits. “This never would have happened under your father. He?—”

“He’s dead!” I roar. “He was murdered, Rurik. Butchered right in front of my eyes, by the order of Desya fucking Bogdanov. And you want me to, what—make peace with him?”

“If that’s what it takes to save our Bratva.”

“Like hell.” I clench my fists tight. “We don’t negotiate with traitors. We don’t make peace—we makewar.And we goddamn win.”

“That’s all good in theory, but where did it get us?” He spreads his arms wide. “The Volkov twins are underground, Slavik is in a freezer, and the only one with enough balls to even crawl out from under his bed is thisslovochright here.”

“Thanks,” Kazimir says dryly. “Really appreciate the vote of confidence.”

“And then there’s you,” Rurik bulldozes over him. “Coming in late, reeking of sex. Maybe if we all had a rack like your nurse, you’d be paying attention.”

Fury rises through me. Cold, icy—a storm in the making. “Don’t you dare disrespect her.”

“I’ll respect her when you start respectingus.”

I force myself to keep my cool. To remember that Rurik wasn’t always like this. That my father’s death hit him harder than any other soldier.

But I swear, if he so much as utters Mia’s name again, I will not wait for Desya. I’ll kill him my with my own fucking hands.

“You came here to say your piece,” I rasp. “You’ve said it. Now, go bury your head in the sand before my trigger finger starts itching and I forget you ever meant anything to Otets.”

“I haven’t said shit, actually.” Rurik grits his teeth. “You need to step down. Now. Put someone else in charge.”

“And I suppose that someone else would be you?”

“I don’t care if it’s the Easter Bunny. You’re poison right now, boy. Your grudges are going to drag us all into an early grave unless you do the right thing.”

“‘The right thing.’” I roll the words on my tongue. Their foul taste fills my mouth. “Revengeis the right thing, Rurik. For my mother, my father, my sister. If you can’t understand that, then you were never loyal to them at all.”

“Iwasloyal.” His gaze settles with an odd calm on mine. “Now, they’re dead. And unless you can cut your personal grudge out of our Bratva, there won’t be a Bratva left to return to. We’ll die, all of us.” His mouth curls in disapproval. “Because of you.”

“If you’re scared, you can walk out that door right now.”

“If you’re not, then your toddler sister would have made a betterpakhanthan you.”

Rage blinds me. I rear my fist back, ready to slam it into Rurik’s face?—

“GET DOWN!”