“Fuuuuck,” Mac groans.
Silently, I agree. We offed the head of thatBratvaa few months ago, stole the crime family’s fortune and legacy and hid it away, but cleaning up the rest of the mess has proven to be a never-ending endeavor. Mac took out as many as he could with his rifle, and Dimitri single-handedly killed nearly a dozen while saving Nicole from a lunatic with an inferiority complex, but the rest scattered into the wind. We’ve been picking them off whenever we can find them, but it’s like trying to stop up a leak in a dam—they just keep coming. They want their money, they’re out for blood and the only ones left are smart and careful.
In a city the size of Ulysses, there are only so many distinct Russian crime families, so of course it was a possibility that the man who killed Alfano was from the sameBratvawhose leader we killed. Still, coincidences are always suspicious in our line of work.
“You sure?” I ask, my stomach dropping.
“Confirm as you always do, but yes, I am certain,” Dimitri sighs.
“What the fuck was a Volkevich doing in Mexican drug cartel territory?” Mac voices what we’re all thinking. “You think it might have been a business relationship?Bratvassell drugs sometimes, and they gotta come from somewhere, right?”
Dimitri’s scowl deepens further. “They would not work together.”
“A dispute, then? For territory?” I suggest.
“Possibly,” Dimitri allows. “Though, disputes such as those are usually settled in the field, not resolved by assassinating the leader of the gang.”
“A connection is exactly what I’ve been hoping for in my search for information about the General,” I say thoughtfully. It still feels odd to share this information that I’ve been keeping so close to my chest for so long. It makes me rethink every word—trying to make sure I’m not giving away more than I mean to or should.
Mac audibly shifts in his seat. “Um… Now that you mention it, something the Russian said before he up and died on me makes a bit more sense now.”
“Go on,” I prompt when he hesitates. “The suspense is killing me. Less effectively than your interrogation tactics, thankfully.”
He shoots me an unimpressed look at my joke. “I think the guy might have said Felix’s name.”
Dimitri goes rigid. “You are sure?”
Expression serious, Mac shakes his head. “He was babbling pretty incoherently in Russian at that point, and I’m not as fluent as I’d like to be. Ithinkhe said Felix. Are there any Russian words that sound like that?”
“Of course there are,” Dimitri dismisses.
“Felixwasworking with Kyle Volkevich,” I say. “You’re thinking maybe he still has contact with them?”
Mac shrugs. “It’s a possibility, right? I know I’m jumping to all kinds of conclusions, but what if he sent the Russian in there because he knew we wereafter Alfano, and he knew we’d show up? He’s got ears and eyes everywhere, and he knows my face—he could pretty easily have me followed and figure out we were after Alfano.”
Fuck. That complicates things. “You think he sent the Russian to kill Dimitri?”
Dimitri growls his displeasure. We all know he’s itching to get his knife in there and settle that debt—this is fuel for that fire.
With a deep sigh, Mac reaches up and tugs at his hair. “That, or he was trying to scoop the hit out from under us—put our relationship with the General at risk or some shit. Force my hand into doing what he wants.”
From what I understand of Felix, it’s possible. He’s smart and careful—he’d manipulate the situation to his advantage and keep his hands clean while doing it.
“Well, it’s a possible new lead if nothing else,” I say. “Add it to the growing list of things to look into. Mac, you keep an eye out for tails or more Russians when you head back to Alfano’s. Dimitri, you dig deeper into the surveillance footage.”
“Agreed.”
“I’ll get to work on Alfano’s laptop and see if I can find anything about a history with the VolkevichBratva.”
Mac rubs his eyes harshly. “I need to shower and grab some sleep, then I’ll get back over to Alfano’s. Someone’s going to find the body soon. Wes and I cleaned up, but I want to be sure they don’t find any of your DNA we might have missed.”
“Good,” Dimitri nods, but there’s a tightness around his eyes. For a bloke who’s all about that heart-pounding action, the impotence of forced tummy time like an infant must be chafing him raw. He hates not being able to take the lead—and I’m sure that the mention of Felix’s involvement has prompted a fresh wave of anger that he can’t do anything but stew in until he’s healed.
“Glad to see you’re as unbreakable as ever. You’ll be back out there with us in no time, I’m sure.” I flash Dimitri a grin, and he nods back in gratitude.
“Thank you, my friend.”
“Hey, I’m glad you’re okay too, Big D,” Mac interjects, pushing up from his seat to follow me out the door. “Look, all jokes aside, I just want to say thanks,” he adds, sounding somehow both sincere and like he’s ramping up to something that’s going to get his arse kicked as soon as Dimitri becomes a bit more mobile.
