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“Do…what?”
“Why did you have Maria killed?”
Our gazes met and he let out a dry laugh. “You tell me.”
“The Solonik family is the second largest Russian cartel group. You thought killing Maria would cripple Lyov and his empire. Then you’d swoop in and claim the title of the Pakhan.”
His head lolled limply to the side and he stared at me with tired, sunken eyes. “He stole her from me…she was mine. I saw her first…I wanted…vengeance.”
Cocking my head to the side, I regarded him with cold eyes. Death hung in the air, mocking Valentin, but it was a sweet song to my soul. “And you wanted to be King. Big dreams for a man like you, I’d say.”
He stayed silent, refusing to give me more.
“You were the real player behind the Abandonatos. You informed them about the Ivanshovs’ security and how to breach it. You gave out all the information you knew and used the Italians for your own benefits and little game.”
More than twenty years ago, the Italians started a war. Except, all these years, we had believed in a lie. It was Valentin Solonik all along.
He betrayed us. He betrayed the Bratva. He was the traitor.
“How…do you know…all this?” he growled in a low voice before coughing again. His whole body racked with each wretched cough.
I found myself grinning at his question. His eyes nervously flicked around the room before they landed on me again.
“A little fairy told me,” I confessed with an easy shrug.
“You can’t…prove it,” he said slowly. Valentin took a deep breath and pulled against his bounds, desperate to break free. “You can’t prove it, and the Families will never accept my death at your hands. You killed Alessio…and if you also kill me…you will be… labeled as a rebel…a traitor. You…will never…be the Pakhan.”
“I can’t prove it?” I let out a mocked gasp.
“The secret dies…with me. Who will…believe you?”
“He can’t prove it, but I can.” Another voice joined us.
Valentin looked behind my shoulders, and his eyes widened. My lips twitched and I smirked. The shocked expression on Valentin’s face made everything worth it.
I turned toward the intruder, facing the strong voice who dared to speak up. He walked forward and away from the shadows he had been hiding in. His tall, large body emerged, and Valentin hissed under his breath.
Erik Gavrikov.
Boss of the Gavrikov family. A friend. A brother. An ally.
What I had planned for tonight would have never been possible without him.
“You spoiled the fun,” I huffed. “I wanted to make him confess more shit.”
Erik rolled his eyes before stalking forward. He stopped two feet away from us. “This is all we need, and we’re also running out of time.”
He lifted his arm up and showed us his phone. I bit on my lips to keep from laughing. Erik pressed his thumb over a button, and then Valentin’s voice came through.
He stole her from me…she was mine. I saw her first…I wanted…vengeance.
Our whole conversation played out, loud and clear to be heard around the silent room. Valentin let out a choked gasp and he stopped struggling against his bonds. He hung limply, weak and defeated.
“I just need to forward this to all our associates, and they will know who the real traitor is—who truly betrayed the Bratva. No one will defend you, Solonik. And no one will seek justice for your death.”
I gripped Valentin’s jaw, my nails digging into his skin. He winced and tried to pull away, but I held tight. “You. Are. Fucking. Done. You made a lot of enemies along the way, Valentin. Once the news of your death has been spread, people will think: Good riddance.”
Erik let out an unhappy sigh. “I wish I could join the fun.” I cast him a glance over my shoulders to see him shrugging, nonchalantly. “But clearly you got this under control. So I’ll leave you to it.”
“You know what to do?”
Erik nodded firmly, his eyes dark and deadly. “We’ve been over this too many times.”
He backtracked, grinning. “See you on the other side, asshole.”
Then he disappeared through the door as if he were never here.
I looked back at Valentin, whose eyes were now squeezed shut. He waited for his impending death. A loud boom sounded through the walls of the estate, and his eyes snapped open. The uproar outside the room was almost deafening.
“That’s the sound of your empire falling to the ground, Solonik. No one is coming to save you because everyone is running to save themselves.”
I pulled out my gun and aimed at his chest. He pleaded with his gaze, his mouth opening and shutting, but no words came through. Slowly, I lowered my hand until I had the gun aimed at his knee. I pulled the trigger. The gunshot was loud but his tortured roar was louder. The bullet had torn through his knee cap, and his lower leg hung loosely, the bones mangled and barely keeping the top and lower half together. Such a bloody mess.
