“Blyat,” I growl. “Fine. Erik, you and Wren go find John. I’ll deal with thesemudaksand meet you at the extraction point.”
Erik nods, hauling Wren to her feet.
“Fucking hell’s hemorrhoids, that bitch can hit,” Wren grunts, pressing a hand to her ribs as she rushes out with Erik.
I watch them go, jaw clenched. Part of me wants to follow, make sure Wren doesn’t get her stubborn ass killed. But there’s no time for that shit.
Gunfire erupts downstairs, closer now. Glass shatters. Someone screams.
I move, keeping low. The hallway’s a mess of broken furniture and bullet holes. At the top of the stairs, I pause, listening.
Footsteps. Heavy. Coming up fast.
I flatten myself against the wall, knife in hand. It’s an old one, serrated edge worn smooth from years of use. Same blade I had back in the camp. Fitting, really.
The footsteps reach the top of the stairs. I strike.
My fist smashes into his jaw. He grunts, then there’s a flash of silver. I jerk back, feeling the blade whistle past my throat.
“Dimitri,” a familiar voice snarls. “Still fighting like asuka, I see.”
Zimniy. That scarred mug hasn’t changed. Same dead eyes, same fucked-up sneer.
“Learned from watching you,mudak,” I spit, circling him.
He barks out a laugh. “What, no hug for your oldbrat?”
“Brat?” I snort. “That what you call someone who puts a bullet in your gut?”
Zimniy twirls his knife, casual as fuck. “Ancient history. Let it go.”
“Idi nahuy,” I snarl. “You and thatsukaElena left me to die like a dog.”
His eyes narrow. “And look at you now. Ivankov’s pet. Living the high life with Ivankov. While we…” He gestures around the dilapidated warehouse. “We get the scraps.”
“You made your choice,” I growl. “You chose the Skull Collectors over loyalty.”
Zimniy’s face twists. “Loyalty? To what? The Bratva that watched us suffer in thatyebannycamp?”
I lunge, blade flashing. He parries, metal screeching against metal.
“They saved us,” I grunt, pressing the attack.
Zimniy laughs, a bitter sound. “Savedyou. The rest of us? We had to claw our way out of the gutter.”
We break apart. Blood drips from Zimniy’s cheek. My arm throbs where he got me.
“So, what now?” I pant. “Revenge? Take Ivankov’s turf?”
Zimniy grins like a fucking shark. “Think bigger,durak. We’re burning it all. Bratvas, cartels, everything. And from the ashes…”
“You’ve lost your fucking mind,” I cut him off.
He shrugs. “Maybe. But we’re not scaredmalchikianymore, are we? We’ve grown. Gotten stronger.”
I see my shot and take it, ramming my fist into his gut. Zimniy folds but slashes my leg. Pain explodes, hot and sharp.
“Stronger?” I laugh, ignoring the blood soaking my pants. “You’re the same sadisticublyudokyou always were.”
