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“Talk?” Ippolit scoffs. “There is nothing for him to say. He betrayed us all—you, me, the entire Bratva. Matvei.”
My throat tightens at the mention of my brother. Ippolit’s words open old wounds. Images of Matvei’s closed coffin flash through my mind. “I haven’t forgotten,” I reply, my voice spiked with bitterness.
He continues pushing me with his hostility. “Your loyalty is to the Bratva, not to a woman’s feelings. You know as well as I do she has no place in our world. Unless,” Ippolit continues, his tone softening slightly, “youwant to pull the trigger.”
As much as I want to see Zakhar die, I can’t bear the thought of causing Eden any more pain. “You have your new orders. Understand me?”
Ippolit doesn’t answer me, and I motion to Pavel, who taps furiously on a screen. In a few seconds, we will know Ippolit’s exact location. I wait for the beep of confirmation, and Pavel points to the screen. On the screen, Ippolit stands outside a fence, loading his gun.
“Stay where you are!” I shout into the phone. “Don’t you dare move a fucking muscle without my approval.Eto moi prikaz!”
There’s a beat of silence on the other end of the line, and then Ippolit explodes. “What the fuck are you thinking? Do you realize the risk you’re putting our entire operation in by letting Budanov live?”
“I’m the one who decides,” I shout back. “I will question him first.”
“No,” Ippolit murmurs. “You can’t do that. You can’t let him live.”
“Ippolit,” I snap, my anger taking over. “Do not disobey my orders.”
For a moment, Ippolit is motionless, but he doesn’t holster his gun. “Zakhar has chosen the Lanzzare Mafia over us,” he whispers into his phone. “He knows too much. He cannot be allowed to live!”
“I don’t give a fuck about what he knows, Ippolit.” I motion toward four guards, and they rush toward the open elevator. “I won’t give the kill order. I want to question him.”
“I can end this,” he urges. “I can kill him!”
Pavel lowers his voice. “Four men might not be enough.”
I motion to Anton, and instantly, he’s up and running toward the stairs. “Don’t forget whatyouare, Ippolit,” I continue to talk Ippolit down. “I am the pakhan,” I snap. “And if I say he lives, then he lives!”
Ippolit shakes his head, sweat streaming off his forehead. “I’m sorry, my pakhan. But he must die. It will be quick. I can only promise to make it quick. He’s had enough pain.”
He’s had enough pain. I stare at Pavel, who shrugs at the words and expresses his confusion with a scowl.
Ippolit’s orderly mind must have snapped because there isn’t any other explanation for his unusual behavior. He has never done anything physical since becoming a brigadier and relies on his soldiers to fight. Why change now?
“Ippolit, I order you to stand down. Stand. Down,” I grit out. “Eto moi prikaz!” I say again.
Ippolit looks up at the camera as if he can see me through the lens. His thin face is pinched in anger as he stares at me, his eyes full of madness. “I can’t let you do this, Nikolai,” he says. “I have to end this. Now.”
He lifts his gun and aims it at the camera.
“Ippolit, no!” I shout, but it’s too late. The shot rings out, and the screen goes black.
“That motherfucker!” I bellow, hurling the phone against the wall. I feel the eyes of everyone in the room on me, but I don’t care. “Get another team to his location immediately.”
Pavel nods and types furiously on his keyboard. “Already on it, boss. We should have another visual soon.”
“Fuck!” I punch a desk in frustration. “What the fuck was he thinking? That was a direct order!”
Pavel shakes his head. “I don’t know. But we’ll bring him in, and then you can take his stars.”
I run my hands over my face and stare at the blank window on the monitor. “How far are the teams we sent?”
“Thirty minutes out. They’re by the Holland Tunnel. It won’t be long.”
“That’s not fast enough, Pavel. We need to get to him before he kills Zakhar … or Zakhar kills him.”
I stride over to a small closet near the elevator where I store additional firearms. I pull out a gun—a sleek black .45 caliber pistol. The cold steel feels familiar in my hand as I check the magazine, making sure it’s fully loaded. I slide the weapon into my holster and button my jacket.
