“You know this how?”
“Sasha.”
“Sasha Petrovich, Dolinsky’s right-hand man? That Sasha?”
I nibbled on my lip, pleased that Flynn’s gaze strayed there. I hoped we might find a way back to each other, and if lust was the answer, then so be it.
“He’s now the head of the Russian mob.”
He blinked. “You both staged a coup, didn’t you? How did this happen? How did you even discuss this without Dolinsky discovering what was going on right underneath his nose?”
“Sasha became my bodyguard while I was with Dolinsky. He was the one who broached the subject.”
“Risky, don’t you think?”
“Yes.”
“So Petrovich didn’t believe you’d really switched allegiances, did he?”
“No. He didn’t.” I frowned. “He wanted something different than what Dolinsky was giving them. Sasha wasn’t the only one tired of the violence and cleaning up messes. He knew that if Dolinsky was successful in bringing you down, then it meant more bloodshed.”
“They want to go legitimate,” Flynn realized.
I nodded.
“And they want an alliance? With me? I don’t trust it.”
“Sasha is my friend,” I stated. “You can trust him.”
“Trust a man who took out his own leader so he could rule? I don’t think so, Barrett. That doesn’t lend itself to trustworthiness. Besides, what’s the point of an alliance?” he wondered. “Dolinsky is out of the picture, so why wouldn’t I just absorb their jurisdiction?”
“Because you need them,” I said. “And I promised Sasha.”
“Promised what, exactly?”
“Your cooperation. If you back Sasha, so will others, and he won’t have to spend valuable time fighting to maintain control.”
“I don’t trust him.”
“You’ve made your point clear. Do you trust me, Flynn?” I inquired.
He went silent and I waited, afraid of his answer. Finally, he nodded.
“We have a chance here. To do things differently,” I said.
“How?”
“The FBI wants you, so we make a deal with them. We tell them Dolinsky and his dynasty has been dismantled. I’m sure he was on their radar. We’ll tell Winters it’s a show of good faith. In the meantime, you quit funneling money to the SINS. We’ll direct money to the SINS through Russian enterprises. Legitimate Russian enterprises.”
He rubbed his jaw. “That’s what you said by needing Petrovich.”
I nodded.
“Do you think that will work?”
“You got any other bright ideas?”
“No. I guess it’s the best we have.”
