I snort, folding my arms across my chest. “About as far as I can throw your ass.”
“Fair enough,” he chuckles, taking a sharp left that has me bracing against the door. “Got a friend who might have some intel for us. Figured you’d want to hear it firsthand.”
My eyes narrow. “What kind of friend?”
“The kind that keeps his ear to the ground,” Erik says, his tone casual but his grip on the wheel tightening. “Word is, there’s been some unusual activity back in the motherland. Might be connected to our problem here.”
That gets my attention. I turn to face him fully, studying his profile. “Spill it,mudak. What’ve you heard?”
Erik takes a deep breath, like he’s steeling himself. “Someone’s been digging into old records. Asking about places and people that haven’t been relevant in years. The camp came up.”
The camp?Memory flashes of concrete walls, the smell of blood and piss, boys screaming in the night. I clench my fist, nails digging into my palm, using the pain to ground myself in the present.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I hiss at him, my knuckles white on the armrest. “The camp? That shit’s ancient history.”
Erik’s eyes flick to me, then back to the road. “Why don’t you ask him yourself and save my saliva,mudak? We’re almost there.”
“Yob tvoyu mat,” I snarl. “You better not be fucking with me,brat.”
He takes a sharp left, tires screeching against the pavement. I grip the door handle, teeth clenched. Behind us, our convoy of black SUVs follow suit, their engines growling as they weave through traffic.
The city morphs around us, sleek skyscrapers giving way to older buildings with more character. Graffiti-covered walls andneon signs flash by. My eyes narrow as we pull up to a block that looks too fucking pristine for this part of town.
“Chto za khuynya?” I growl, eyeing the high-end storefront. It’s all glass and chrome, dripping with diamonds and shit that costs more than most people make in a year.
Erik just smirks, that smugsuka. “Our new meeting spot.”
I take in the barely visible cameras, the reinforced glass, the guards trying to look like they’re not guards. This place is a fortress pretending to be a jewelry store.
“When theblyatdid you set this up?” I demand, my thick eyebrows pinching together.
Erik shrugs, cool as ice. “Oh, you know. I suddenly took an interest in…fashion.”
I snort. “Pizdets.”
Erik pulls into a narrow alley behind the building, killing the engine. One of ourgovnoedbodyguards materializes, taking the keys to park the car. Erik’s out before I can blink, striding toward a nondescript metal door.
I grunt as I step out of the car, taking in the cleanliness of the alley. “Zasranit,” I mutter. A fucking spotless alley? Unheard of. Most back-alley shitholes reek of piss and rot, but this place could be in a goddamn brochure. A bit too perfect, if you ask me. I narrow my eyes, scanning the area for anything out of place.
“Move your ass, D,” he calls over his shoulder.
He’s already at the fucking door, eyeball jammed against some fancy scanner like he’s in a spy movie. A soft beep and the door clicks open. Then he turns, flashing that fucking smile of his. It’s the kind you’d see on some pretty boy model selling overpriced watches—all white teeth and bullshit charm.
“All the windows are bulletproof. Walls too. Could withstand a goddamn missile strike.”
I roll my eyes. Cockymudak.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it. There’s no time to deal with distractions when Erik’s got something up his sleeve. A nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach tells me it’s gonna be a real doozy of a surprise.
“Fascinating,” I growl, shoving past him. “You gonna tell me what the fuck is going on, or do I have to beat it out of you?”
Inside, six guards stand at attention, armed to the teeth. Their eyes flick between us, hands twitching near their weapons. I narrow my eyes, tension coiling in my gut.
Erik must catch my look because he smirks. “Relax,brat. A shipment just came in. This is so secretive that almost everyone involved… well, let’s just say they won’t be talking.”
I can’t help the grudging respect that wells up. Fucking Erik, always two steps ahead. “When the hell did you set this up?”
He shrugs, leading me down a sterile white hallway. “After our little… problem started. Figured we might need somewhere off the books to conduct business.”
