Four men are dead because I missed something.
And if I missed this, I may have missed more.
“You fled?” I ask.
Matvei nods. “They started to surround us, and we assumed they were going to call in reinforcements, so we had to get out of there.”
They’re no good to me dead, but they’re no good to me if they fail either. The Irish foiled our plan and sent them fleeing. That makes us look bad. Weak. Just like Dominik accused me of being.
We’re an even bigger target now since this attack failed.
“What road were you positioned on?” I ask Matvei since he failed to mention that detail.
“Swan.”
My brow furrows. “Swan? We decided on Harper. We had an advantage on that road because of all the wide alleyways.”
Matvei frowns. “I was told to position the team at Swan.”
My jaw clenches for a second. “And who made that call?”
Matvei quietly glances over at Leon, who hasn’t said a word this entire time.
“You made that call?” I question Leon. “Without discussing it with me first?”
He’s one of mybrigadiers or captains. He has the authority to make big decisions, but he shouldn’t change any of the ones that I sign off on without my approval, especially when it comes to attacks.
Leon swallows as he stares back at me, looking like a deer in headlights as all eyes fall to him. “We thought the Irish patrol changed their routes at the last second.”
I resist the urge to grab a gun and shoot him between the eyes. He’s lying to my face, and he got three men killed because of his stupid, last-second decision. I don’t know his motive for leading the plan astray, but he won’t interfere ever again.
“Daniil. Simeon,” I say before nodding toward Leon. “Put him in a cell while I contemplate his punishment.”
Wordlessly, the two men both get to their feet and walk over to Leon, who shrinks back in his seat.
“What? No!” Leon protests as the men grab his arms and haul him out of his chair. “It was just a mistake! That’s all!”
My nails dig into my palm as I keep my fist behind my back, steadying myself as they drag Leon out of the room.
Silence rushes in after his screams fade, thick and suffocating. He may never be heard from again.
“We need to correct this. Immediately,” I tell everyone remaining in the room. “Matvei and Pyotr, stay. The rest of you leave and wait for orders.”
A few confused glances are tossed across the table, but no one argues. Most of my men pour out of the room, leaving only the three of us.
“I want to arrange a counterstrike,” I tell both of the men as they sit on either side of the table. “And I want to make sure that what just happened doesn’t fucking happen again. Both of you will comb through our ranks, identify any potential weak links, and remove them. Then, you’ll pick a small team for the counterstrike. No one else should know about this.”
Matvei and Pyotr nod at the same time.
“We can’t afford any more weaknesses or distractions. Not after this failure,” I say, spitting out the last word. Unable to stop wondering if Dominik’s accusation about Alina making me distracted was correct.
I hate that I can’t dismiss it outright.
I can’t get anything under control. Not this conflict. Not my brother. Certainly not her.
I breathe in deeply at the thought of Alina, my mind threatening to stray. I should be thinking about strategy, casualties, retaliation, not the woman in my cage who has learned exactly how to stay in my head.
And I still can’t stop thinking about the infuriating moment shared between her and my brother.
