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Artyom nods, switches a channel and pushes the side button down on the walkie-talkie again.
“Fire on them, but not at anyone with blonde hair,” He says, looking at me with his eyebrows raised as if to ask for my approval. I shake my head.
“Drive it home. Your people are not allowed to make mistakes,” My eyes are still locked on his.
“If Boss dies, it’s everyone's ass. Do NOT miss your targets. Understood?” Artyom orders.
“Da, da,” I hear the men call out. I nod, not completely satisfied, and wish I could stop all the violence.
“Patrol boats should be coming, no?” Dad asks, a more than reasonable question. Gunshots, along with a torpedo and even some kind of cannon, have been fired. The navy, or coast guard, or someone must be on their way here to stop this craziness.
“The Siren owns them. They will not help her, but they will not interfere,” Artyom says to my chagrin.
“Blondie told you to stand down!” Sonomi’s voice comes over with a mix of static and gunfire.
“Why doesn’t he just blow us up?” Sonomi’s voice could be heard low. I can only assume she didn’t mean for Artyom to overhear that.
“I heard that,” Artyom says into the walkie-talkie. “Reason is I want Blondie’s body in one piece, or at the very least his head. Perhaps I will have it mounted to show everyone I will be in charge of Bratva now,” Artyom says. As if on reflex, I reach down for the gun sitting on the bench next to Dad, but he snatches it up before I can grab it. Artyom lowers the walkie-talkie, looks at me, and shakes his head.
“Relax, am bluffing,” Artyom says.
“Well, what do you expect?! Jeez, Louise!” I scream. “Maybe warn us first next time?”
“We can make a deal, Artyom,” Sonomi's voice comes over the walkie-talkie, but this time with more confidence.
“There it is,” Artyom says and winks with his thumb off the side button. His cell phone buzzes, and he goes to answer it. I hear a familiar-sounding voice come through.
“Operation Depth Drain was successful. No one saw me. No one that still breathes anyway. Ha, ha, Ha,” the familiar voice bellows. I know that laugh.
Artyom said earlier that Ghost was on another mission. It sounds like he was successful. I hope whatever he did helps to stop all this craziness soon, before my family and Josef get killed.
“My men saw Katana on board Tentacle One. Almost got him too, they tell me,” Artyom says into the walkie-talkie. “I want to speak with him.”
“Fine,” Sonomi concedes.
“What do you want, Arty?” Katana's voice comes over the walkie-talkie after a few seconds of shuffling sounds. He sounds indifferent, almost lifeless.
“Ivan has already granted me the authority to take you and your Yuks in. Clean slate, just as a brother would be welcomed back from the dead.”
“Do you think I would just ghost the Siren like that?” Katana asks. Something feels off.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask Artyom in a whisper. He looks at the walkie-talkie to make sure the side button isn't pressed.
“I just informed Katana that his brother has been rescued. She had his brother captive, is why Katana was helping her. Even Katana has heard of Ghost, and Kat just confirmed to me that he got the message. He is no longer under the Siren’s control,” Artyom explains, then presses the side button on the walkie-talkie again. “We can all make this work, but I want Blondie to be brought to me. I must do the deed myself. Everyone must know I am the one who took out Bratva Blondie. Then no one can challenge my rightful place as Avtoriet, Authority of Bratva, once Ivan dies,” he lets his thumb off the side button. “Okay?” he asks me.
I nod, but I’m still uneasy about what Artyom is saying.
“Nyet,” Artyom is talking into the walkie-talkie once more. “The three of us, Sonomi the Siren, Kato the Katana, and Artyom the Avtoriet will form a commission with you as the chairperson.”
“Artyom,” Sonomi answers, “I didn’t know you had it in you. I am impressed. But there is something I want.”
“What is that?” Artyom asks.
“The Yumikos.”
20
JOSEF
