Page 51

Oleg grimaced. “Spell it for me. I make sure tombstone is correct.” His English was broken, and he had a very heavy Russian accent, but it wasn’t hard to understand him.

Gideon wasn’t fazed by Oleg’s taunting. “How about I tell you who I am and why you’re here, and then maybe it’ll clear some of that confusion you have going on in that tiny brain of yours.”

“Only tiny thing here is your dick,” Oleg snapped. Without missing a beat Penn said, “No, I assure you it is not,” earning a laugh from everyone except Oleg.

“Pidoras,” Oleg sneered.

Gideon slapped him hard across the face. “I’m not very fluent in Russian but there are some words I do know and if you refer to me, my husband, or anyone I know in such a way, I’ll start peeling skin from your bones.”

Danny leaned closer to me. “I’m guessing Oleg doesn’t like the gays.”

I snorted. “No, I don’t think he’s a fan.”

“Now.” Gideon composed himself. “My name is Gideon Hendrix. This here is my husband, Penn. These three men are Toni, Alex, and Danny.”

“Hendrix. I have heard of you. You are a bother.”

Gideon chuckled. “A bother?” He looked over at Penn. “Is that so, my love?”

Penn rolled his eyes. “Don’t go fishing for compliments.”

“Tough crowd,” Gideon huffed. “Tell me, Oleg, why am I such a bother for you?”

“For one, you have me tied to a chair.”

Gideon hummed. “Okay, fair. Why else?” Oleg didn’t answer, so Gideon continued. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to ask you questions, and you’re going to answer them for me. If you don’t, I promise it’s going to hurt. If you do, maybe you die quickly.”

Oleg laughed. “I die either way.”

“The way it happens matters.”

Oleg cocked his head and smirked. “And why am I to die?”

Gideon slipped his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t really give a shit about the Bratva in all the years I’ve lived here. Bratva stayed out of my way and I did the same for them. I vowed never to have any dealings with them. That was until your boss came into my life and thought blowing it up was a good idea.”

“You talk of the agreement the pakhan made with the governor?”

Gideon tsked. “He never became governor, but yes.”

I was trying to breathe steadily and not fly off the handle. Oleg spoke of what happened as if it were a business transaction, and I wanted to pummel him into the ground.

“As the boss, you must understand how any slight, no matter how big or little, can’t go unanswered.”

“There was no slight on my end. What happened was, your boss came into my territory over some fucking grievance he had, never reached out to me, which is exactly what he should have done, and started a war on my streets.”

“How my pakhan chooses to run the family is up to him. How was I to know he did not contact you?”

“Oh please, Oleg.” Maksim slapped the nail file down on the table. “My father doesn’t shit without you nearby to wipe his ass. You know everything—sometimes more than he does.”

Gideon smiled. “A man with loads of information. Perfect.”

“You listen to him?” Oleg snapped. “He is disgraced, betrays his own father. You believe him?”

“Yep.” Gideon clapped his hands together. “So let’s begin, shall we?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Danny