AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Very well,” he says. “Then I will ask for clarification. What is your plan?”
“It’s unfolding as we speak. We have Petyr in a stranglehold, which is why he’s missing. He’s trying to hit me from the shadows, but I plan on weeding him out soon.”
His papery lips press together in distaste. “Vague.”
“Some plans depend on secrecy. Even from those closest to me.”
He leans forward, a small movement that seems to require a lot of strength. “Forgive me if I sound like I am questioning you, but the council feels your strategy is too… cerebral. You’re trying to outsmart the man rather than make a show of strength.”
“There are many ways to skin a cat, Klim. Or, for that matter, to skin an Ivanov.”
He grimaces distastefully. “We have one tool in our world: power.”
“Power doesn’t have to be so dumbly obvious.”
“Of course it does,” he snaps. “That’s the whole fucking point.”
Klim is losing his cool, but I keep mine. The last thing I need is him returning to the council with claims that I’m erratic.
“Petyr knows me, Klim. Loathe as I am to admit, he knows me. He went underground because he anticipated a show of strength. He expected me to come at him hard. If I were to take your suggestion, I would be playing right into his hands.”
“Does it matter? You’re on top. You can strike him from there. It’s a good position to be in!”
“It would have been a good move, in my father’s time.” I make sure to choose my words carefully. “But that time is gone. It’s my time now.”
Klim stiffens. That’s the thing about powerful men: their egos are as big as they are sensitive. He doesn’t like feeling redundant.
“Well, you are the don.”
I reach over and hand him his wine glass, pushing it gently but firmly into his hand. “My priority is this Bratva, Klim. I will do whatever it takes to make sure it’s protected.”
“And what about that pretty little wife of yours?” he asks. “It’s quite a talent to rise from the dead. But I’m not sure she’ll be able to pull it off a second time.”
“She’s protected.”
“She’s a liability,” Klim spits. “She’s a pretty thing, but you should know better. Maksim made the same mistake—falling for the woman he married. A wife exists to make more dons; nothing more is required of her.”
I have to press my hand into the sofa to prevent Klim from seeing the fist I’ve made. Today’s not the day to alienate an old ally, redundant or not.
I rise to my feet, signaling that this little visit is at an end. “I will let you know when there’s something to know. Feel free to take your wine with you.”
He sighs and struggles to his feet. I offer him my hand, but he flicks it away. By the time he’s making his way towards the door, his neck is red and he’s out of breath.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Klim studies me closely. “You know, you look a lot like him.”
“Maksim?” I guess.
He shakes his head. “No. Your father.”
I manage to hold my tongue as I walk him to the door. The silence is cool but cordial. I can feel the ghost of my father between us now, reminding me of what the Orlov Bratva used to be.
I’m not concerned with what the Bratva once was, though.
I’m only concerned with what it could be.
40
PAIGE
