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“Well, some people kill for less,” Erik reminds him.
“Of course, and the reward for his betrayal? Bleeding to death,” Dimitri says, his voice emotionless. “Grisha made certain of that.
Erik smirks, flipping through his laptop, adding more surprises, “Oh, speaking of that, you know they tried to sell her into the US as a whore? The girl didn’t even make it to the brothel,” he continues, “And, her real name is Katerina Vasiliev. Twenty-five years old.”
Dimitri raises an eyebrow, intrigued. “Katerina Vasiliev? You mean Aleks’s lover?”
Erik’s chuckle cuts through the air, dark and ugly. “Love’s a dangerous game, especially when you’re playing it with the likes of Aleks.”
Dimitri leans forward, examining the file Erik has spread out. “She’s deep in this. Willing to die for him?”
“That’s what it seems,” Erik replies, tapping on a particular page in the file.
“It’s madness,” Dimitri says, disgust evident in his tone. “All this risk, and not even a dime in return?”
I shake my head. “Some people chase after things more intoxicating than money. She’s in it for the love, or whatever twisted version of it she thinks she’s getting.”
I stare hard at the photos, anger bubbling up again. “Love or not, she’s chosen her side.”
Dimitri taps the map laid out before us. “Speaking of sides, this is where we’ll find them.”
I glance down, my gaze zeroing in on the marked area. “So, that’s where he’s been hiding out?” I trace the map with my finger, looking up at Dimitri.
Dimitri nods. “After months of searching, we hit the jackpot just a few hours ago. They are on the east side. Clever spot, tucked away among those old, rotting warehouses. Who’d think?”
Erik, leaning against the wall, chimes in, “Yeah, from the look of it, it’s been abandoned for a while. Makes a perfect hideout. Especially with its location – direct access to main routes and still manages to stay off the radar.”
Dimitri’s face darkens, his voice edged with frustration. “Exactly. All those rundown buildings around? They’ve been using them as a shield.”
I shake my head, the gravity of the situation sinking in. “No wonder we couldn’t find them. Right under our noses. Fuck, if we knew this earlier, we wouldn’t have let that bastard even breathe near our turf,” I growl, thinking about Yulia.
“Better late than never, huh?” Erik twirls a sleek, black pistol between his fingers, eyes gleaming. “So, ready for more surprises?” he asks, his smirk widening.
Dimitri and I exchange glances.
Before either of us can reply, Erik shoots a sly smirk our way and calls out, “Hey, Ollie!”
The door creaks open, and a lanky, geeky-looking dude with thick glasses shuffles in. It’s evident he’s uncomfortable, out of his element in this grim setting.
I raise an eyebrow. “Who the hell is this?”
Erik chuckles. “Meet Ollie. Our very own tech whiz.”
Ollie nods shyly, gripping his laptop like a shield. “Hi.”
Dimitri smirks, clearly amused. “Didn’t know you had a nerd in your pocket, Erik.”
Ignoring Dimitri, Erik nudges Ollie forward. “Show them.”
With a few rapid clicks, Ollie brings up a live feed on his laptop. The footage shows the interior of what looks like a warehouse. I can hear muffled voices, the echoey sound of plans being made.
Erik leans in close, whispering, “Got a few bugs placed inside. Money makes people sing, my friends.”
Ollie cranks up the volume, and the noises from the warehouse become crisper. The video is slightly grainy but clear enough to provide an idea of what’s going on. I examine the inside of the rundown warehouse. The ceiling is high, and most of the place is dim, with a few bulbs lighting up specific areas.
The first thing that catches my attention is the descent – a staircase that leads to a subterranean level. The footage shifts as one of the bugs seems to be planted lower. Now, the view reveals Aleks’s real arsenal. Walls mounted with weapons, machine guns, pistols, and rifles, all organized with military precision. It’s like stumbling upon a lion’s den, only instead of teeth and claws, there’s cold steel. There’s a corner with monitors showcasing live feeds from various locations. A makeshift command center.
Then, Aleks’s voice cuts through the quiet hum of the warehouse, the sneer in his tone unmistakable. “We kill them all,” he growls.
