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It was a waste if you asked me, but Ava had been adamant about not having any type of self-destruct mechanism this time. She had told me we would just have to come up with a less dramatic way of keeping our secrets from getting into the wrong hands.
Boring.
“What about acid?” Dima questioned. “Have a vat of it in the basement to dispense with what we wanted to get rid of.”
Andrei shot him a look that clearly saidwhat the fuck man?I chuckled.
“And how would you get everything down there by the time the FBI showed up to your doorstep?” he asked with an edge of condescension dripping into his voice.
“Laundry chutes on each floor that lead directly down to the basement and into the tub of acid.” Dima winked at him playfully. “Duh.”
Andrei’s lips turned down in distaste, and he shook his head. “And you call yourself a made man.”
Dima splayed his palm across his chest dramatically, a scandalized look of shock splashed across his face. “I will have you know I am a very well-made man.”
I groaned. This was why we could not have people over. “Don’t you have things to be doing?” I asked him. Dima shrugged.
“Everything is set to go,” he assured me confidently. “I’ve got guns hiding in plants, under tables, inside cabinets, behind cushions. You name it, and there is a gun there to be found.”
“Good,” I praised him. “Now go do your rounds and stop mucking about.” Dima got to his feet and gave me a half-assed salute.
“Sir,” he winked, “yes, sir.”
“Cheeky fucking bastard,” I muttered under my breath as he strode from the room. “One day I might still drown in him in a vat of acid.”
Andrei chuckled. “Just dump him down the chute.”
The two of us laughed easily together.
“How is Ivan doing in London?” I asked curiously. Since leaving him there to establish his reign asPakhan, I hadn’t heard from him much. Andrei smiled.
“He is doing well,” he told me. “Ivan was born to be a leader.” He paused, his gray eyes meeting mine. “Just like you.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “I would not be where I am today without Tomas,” I admitted humbly. “He took me in and saw potential.”
“I thought it somewhat unconventional that his son, Vasily, is yourSovietnik.” He laughed.
“Vas is rather unconventional himself,” I admitted with a fond smile. “I couldn’t ask for a better second.”
Andrei nodded his head. “I must admit that your entire operation here is much different from most,” he mused. “Tomas himself had always had grand ideas that were outside the norm, though, so it isn’t surprising.”
“There was a lot of pushback at first.” I took the last few sips of my whiskey. “Those who didn’t agree with it left, and those who were willing to follow me were rewarded. They may be soldiers, but they are also family, and I try to treat them as such.”
Pride shone in my father’s eyes as he stared at me.
“A leader is only as good as the men who stand behind him.”
That was something we both agreed on.
“Any news on mother’s grave?” I asked curiously. I’d forwarded all the information Serena gave me to him, knowing he had the better resources to bring her home.
Andrei bit his lip. “The cemetery is a big place.” He sighed. “But I have my best men working on it.”
“If it helps, I can have one of my analysts move our satellite in that region,” I offered. “Maybe we can try some thermal scans or even Lidar to map out one section at a time. I doubt there are many graves with two bodies in them.”
Andrei hummed thoughtfully and inclined his head. “Thank you. I would like that.”
“There isn’t any reason to thank me,” I told him mournfully. “She was my mother, and I failed to protect her.”
