AllFreeNovel
Share Us
This time, I don’t restrain my irritation. “I’m not here to offer my sympathy. I won’t stay and listen to you whine about what you lost.”
He meets my gaze. “Calm down. Let’s watch what we say.”
“I came here expecting answers, but all you’ve done is interrogate me with your wild suspicions. I thought you were Bratva. You know what to expect. You know the life we live. Yes, I’ve killed, but I wouldn’t lie about not killing one person.” I glare back at him. “Besides, I don’t keep count.”
Kelsey presses his lips together and stares into the dark, still waters. Suddenly, I’m on alert, wondering if he’s going to jump in. But the tension leaves him, and his arms hang loosely at his side. “I only want to know the truth before I go,” he says softly.
Dmitri narrows his gaze. “What do you mean by that?”
“I plan to run.” Kelsey sits back down on the ropes. “I’m talking to you because I had to be sure what I knew wasn’t a lie. And I want a favor in exchange.”
“They all do.” Dmitri rolls his eyes, sighing. “What do you want?”
He leans toward us and says the words quietly. “For you to kill the person responsible for Varya’s death. The Karamazov Bratva has partnered with the Nikitin Bratva.”
Dmitri glares at Kelsey. “We know this …”
Kelsey raises his hand. “Gleb Novikov has also joined them.”
A disgusted Dmitri shuts out Kelsey and turns to me. “Igor is dead. Gleb is a boy, and Afanasy Nikitin is a coward.”
“No,TaliaNikitin.” Kelsey laughs. “The old man is scared of his own daughter. He indulged her for too long, and now she’s an unstoppable terror. He stutters and shakes whenever she enters the room. She’s a meaner son of a bitch than he ever dreamt of being.”
“So, Karamazov wasn’t responsible?” Dmitri asks. “We saw his men. They came after us.”
“Talia was prodding Igor along. He never questioned what she did with his men because they had a common goal. To bring you down.”
I rub my chin in thought as I piece the players together with their actions. “I understand why she would want it, but why Igor?”
“If you were broken, he could marry your mother,” replies Kelsey. “But he was foolish; you don’t break easy. There’s no leverage against you. Until now.”
“Meaning my wife?” I ask.
“Yourpregnantwife,” Kelsey reminds me. “You want to know the truth? It was her cousin, the cop, who wanted her dead.”
I recall what Igor said about a crooked cop before I shot him. The image of my mother’s head thrown back shakes me, but I must push on. “Why?” I ask him.
He shakes his head. “Haven’t got a clue. But I know what I know.”
His answer saves his life. If he’s telling me the truth. If Kelsey had mentioned the accounts, then all the Bratvas would’ve known. There’s still time.
“Rumor has it,” Kelsey continues. “He’s working with Talia.”
I correct him. “For Talia. The girl doesn’t like to share.”
“Nope. With,” he replies. “They have a partnership. He’s guaranteed her that the police will look the other way.”
“That right?” Dmitri leans forward to test him. “Why don’t you tell us the cop’s name? So we know you’re not a liar.”
“Detective Kenney Grant,” replies Kelsey. “He and Gleb organized the slaughter at his wedding, so Gleb could take the Bratva from his father. Igor was impressed by the boldness of the plan. I don’t think he wanted your wife dead, but Kenney Grant definitely did.”
I rub my arms as if the shock has finally impacted me. The names had all been floating around, but I never made the connections. I thought Vasily had everyone pinned under his thumb, but he underestimated what they were willing to do to break free.
“I have vodka. Not the good stuff you’re used to,” Kelsey laughs. “But it will burn the insides and warm us up.”
I laugh with him. “That sounds good to me. Pour me a glass.”
We drink in the dark, feeling at ease in each other’s company. I know what he expects from me, and the only way it will happen is if I leave his boat alive. The sky starts to lighten to a grayish blue, and the only sound is the occasional splash of a fish as it breaks the river’s surface.
