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“Another fight broke out at the Magdalin. They’re discharging both of the twins, Sal, and Locke.” Discharging means murdering them and making it looks like an accident.
“The fuck?” Is all I can say. My father has his own special brand of letting people go and to hear that some of our longest standing members are being offed this way, friends, people I grew up with. It’s just a little strange. A sick, uneasy feeling weaves through me.
I’d like to note that this is odd for many reasons; To start, I certainly haven’t cared about discharging anyone before. The boys we did this to were always guilty of something— a liability, a rat, a big mouth with loose lips. But I never had to kill anyone my age, always older people, seasoned and well aware of what they were doing. So, maybe that’s why this hits a little harder, makes my stomach ache imagining it play out, and palms a little sweaty from the nerves of it all.
I get why these stupid fights are happening. Why people put their trust in my father, in Kias, and now all of that has blown up a bit. With each loss suffered, we’ve gained another rebel. Someone willing to risk it all to fight for a different way than we’ve been doing. To get me out of the inheritance line of the Bratva.
I think he blames me— my father— for everything. Kias’ death, my inevitable taking of his place, even these ridiculous rebels. It’s fucked of him, but he never could take responsibility for his wrong-doings and rest assured, he certainly has plenty of them.
“Sir?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re doubling down on security tonight.”
“Why? That shit happened in LA?”
“There was a threat that the rebels know where you are and aren’t afraid to strike.” I glance over at Espie, peacefully asleep, blissfully unaware of the surrounding danger. I want to tell Barth he shouldn’t be speaking about this in front of Olive, but I was too tired to think of it until now.
“Shit. Okay. Who are we bringing in?”
“Just some of the guys from the Minsk base. They’re flying to us now.” I nod, taking it in. I guess, the girls can’t report being in any danger to Vince because this safe-house will be more crowded than it already is with strong and loyal Bratva boys. But they don’t know the entire truth, and I’d like to keep it that way.
“Are we safe?” Olive quietly pipes up, her large round eyes widening a little. I close mine and gently nod.
“Yeah. We’re safe.” I say. Though this is largely a lie because we might not be, not yet anyway.
18
ESPIE
“Good morning sunshine.” Olive giggles and I try not to open my eyes because I can see the bright flashlight through my eyelids. Why does everyone like to wake me up so aggressively? Moreover, it’s definitely not morning, and I can smell the musky aroma of Adrik’s cologne swirling around me, so I know for a fact that I’ve been sleeping on him for God knows how long.
“Olive, get the light out of her eyes.” He warns her.
“I’m just trying to wake her.”
“She’s awake.” He growls back.
“How do you know tha—“
“I’m awake.” A crackly voice that isn’t quite mine escapes my throat, and there’s a brief pause before the light flickers off, and I open my eyes. “Where’s Barth?” I notice his absence immediately.
“He had to welcome our new arrivals.” Adrik gently says, and Olive nods, leaning against the back of a theater seat.
I’m still lost and groggy, so I ask, “Who?”
“Backup.”
I pull my head off Adrik’s shoulder to look in his eyes, that don’t seem as nonchalant as they normally do.
“Should I be worried?” I look deeply into his eyes, and he bites his bottom lip, adorned with a cut on it that I don’t remember him having earlier. “Adrik?” I look a little too hard at the cut, and he turns his head away from me. Olive is a little more invested and far less chill than she was a moment ago.
“Adrik, you told me we were safe.”
“Yeah, we are, for now.”
“For now?” Olive crosses her arms over her chest.
