Gritting my teeth, I nod. “Bastard’s planning to hit us at home.”
“I know when it’s gonna happen.” He glances at me.
“Sophia got word from this Anya.” I forcefully set my phone on the table. “She gave a hint about something brewing for Yulia’s birthday.”
“Bullseye.” Without a word, Erik takes a dart from the side table. With controlled anger, he hurls it straight into a dartboard across the room, hitting dead center.
I squeeze my brow together. “This Anya bitch, we knew about her?”
Dimitri’s face twists in disgust. “Yup, that bloody janitor finally confessed that he was on Aleks’s payroll and got Anya onto our turf.”
“How much did he get paid?” I am curious.
“Eh…fifty grand.” Eric shrugs.
“Is that all it takes to betray us?” Dimitri’s voice is cold, deadly.
“Well, some people kill for less,” Erik reminds him.
“Of course, and the reward for his betrayal? Bleeding to death,” Dimitri says, his voice emotionless. “Grisha made certain of that.
Erik smirks, flipping through his laptop, adding more surprises, “Oh, speaking of that, you know they tried to sell her into the US as a whore? The girl didn’t even make it to the brothel,” he continues, “And, her real name is Katerina Vasiliev. Twenty-five years old.”
Dimitri raises an eyebrow, intrigued. “Katerina Vasiliev? You mean Aleks’s lover?”
Erik’s chuckle cuts through the air, dark and ugly. “Love’s a dangerous game, especially when you’re playing it with the likes of Aleks.”
Dimitri leans forward, examining the file Erik has spread out. “She’s deep in this. Willing to die for him?”
“That’s what it seems,” Erik replies, tapping on a particular page in the file.
“It’s madness,” Dimitri says, disgust evident in his tone. “All this risk, and not even a dime in return?”
I shake my head. “Some people chase after things more intoxicating than money. She’s in it for the love, or whatever twisted version of it she thinks she’s getting.”
I stare hard at the photos, anger bubbling up again. “Love or not, she’s chosen her side.”
Dimitri taps the map laid out before us. “Speaking of sides, this is where we’ll find them.”
I glance down, my gaze zeroing in on the marked area. “So, that’s where he’s been hiding out?” I trace the map with my finger, looking up at Dimitri.
Dimitri nods. “After months of searching, we hit the jackpot just a few hours ago. They are on the east side. Clever spot, tucked away among those old, rotting warehouses. Who’d think?”
Erik, leaning against the wall, chimes in, “Yeah, from the look of it, it’s been abandoned for a while. Makes a perfect hideout. Especially with its location – direct access to main routes and still manages to stay off the radar.”
Dimitri’s face darkens, his voice edged with frustration. “Exactly. All those rundown buildings around? They’ve been using them as a shield.”
I shake my head, the gravity of the situation sinking in. “No wonder we couldn’t find them. Right under our noses. Fuck, if we knew this earlier, we wouldn’t have let that bastard even breathe near our turf,” I growl, thinking about Yulia.
“Better late than never, huh?” Erik twirls a sleek, black pistol between his fingers, eyes gleaming. “So, ready for more surprises?” he asks, his smirk widening.
Dimitri and I exchange glances.
Before either of us can reply, Erik shoots a sly smirk our way and calls out, “Hey, Ollie!”
The door creaks open, and a lanky, geeky-looking dude with thick glasses shuffles in. It’s evident he’s uncomfortable, out of his element in this grim setting.
I raise an eyebrow. “Who the hell is this?”
