“Us?” I repeat. “You mean your siblings?”
Something dark moves through her expression, but she doesn’t answer. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Ilya leans forward on his desk, his eyes pinning Rori with a look that sets me on edge. Calculated interest. Like he’s finally realizing just what having Rori here might mean, and how it will directly benefit him.
Fucker. Over my fucking dead body.
“As much fun as this history lesson is, it does nothing to figure out what we’re going to do to take them both out,” Simeon butts in irritably. “The Butcher is due to arrive in three days, and that’s when I’m expected to bring Rayea in. We need to have a plan.”
“He’ll be here in a day and a half to set his plans in motion,” Rori corrects. “In that extra day, he’ll figure out your every move, who you talk to, and just what kind of problem you’ll be to get out of the way.”
“And he’ll bring whoever he wants to replace me with, I suppose?” Simeon’s tone is tight, like the very thought makes him want to punch something.
A small part of me feels for the guy, considering that all his plans are falling apart, but a larger part of me wants to tell him to toughen the hell up. If he’s going to take control, he’d better find some bigger balls or his men will eat him alive.
Rori gives him a pitying look. “Who do you think is going to be watching you so that my father has deniability if he were ever questioned?” Simeon’s mouth pinches. Yeah, he’s not happy about that little piece of news.
Another reason this guy has a lot of work to do is to prepare for the job he’s looking to have when this is all over. That was my automatic thought, but I guess I’ve had more practice in thinking about these kinds of things.
“Who is that going to be? Some sibling of yours?” Simeon demands.
I watch her carefully, taking in her careless shrug. “I haven’t been around in a long time, Simeon. I don’t know who he’s been working with.”
“So you’re trying to tell me that you don’t know your own siblings enough to know who would be next in line?”
“Your mistake is in thinking that I cared. We didn’t exactly sit around a big table and have family meals where my father excused things for some, while cutting me down in the next.” Her tone is chilling, and I don’t miss the flinch from Simeon.
Looks like she struck a nerve. Wonder what that’s all about?
“Fine, then what do you guess?” Ilya asks.
Rori’s lips press into a firm line, and I see her finger clench tight around her upper arm, like she’s trying to hold herself back or contain something in. I barely suppress the urge to rush to her, to tell her that she’s safe.
Considering the knife still in reach at Zakhar’s waistband, that probably will end with me bloody. Can’t risk that. Yet.
Tension grows until finally she bites out, “I don’t know my siblings. As I said, my father isn’t big on the family thing. Any siblings I have went in after I left, and no one ever told me about them until recently. He’ll want to make sure that if we ever cross paths, we won’t know who the other is. Nothing to get in the way of fulfilling our mission. Even if it means killing each other. Whoever dies isn’t worth living to him. You win, or you die, it was his simple rule.”
Piece of shit. Who the hell does that to their own kids? I can’t imagine how lonely Rori was growing up. Maybe that’s why she eased so well into our mish-mash of people in New York. It was a family unit, and maybe she finally was happy to be included in one, even if it was only briefly.
Fuck, I really need to stop with this psychoanalysis bullshit.
“Fine, so we now have Timur and the Butcher expecting us to come in guns blazing,” Zakhar muses. “Which means that we’re going to lose our surprise element.” He and his brother share a look that I can’t quite decipher.
“So, what, we do nothing?” Simeon demands. He thrusts a hand through his hair in frustration. “No, we’ve been working too hard on this to let this happen. I have the men I need to make sure that I’m chosen as Pakhan as soon as my father is dead. We’re ready to move.” He looks at Rori. “All I need you to do is tell me who he’s sending to be in my place and I’ll take him out. You handle your father and we’ll be good.”
Rori’s pitying look makes me chuckle. Simeon shoots me a murderous glare. I smirk. “Belov, you’re looking to get yourself killed. Either by her for being so stupid, or by the Butcher. From what I know of him, he’ll make an example out of you, even if you do manage to kill whoever he sends first, which isn’t likely.You want to be Pakhan, then it’s time to start thinking like one. You need to be smart.”
“And who are you to give that kind of advice?” Simeon sneers. “You’re a glorified bodyguard, so you have nothing useful to add to this.”
“He’s the one who gets his hands dirty day in and day out,” Rori snaps. “How many people have you actually killed since the last time I saw you, Simeon? It was Mishka who was the bad guy, wasn’t it? Your father insisted that since you were going to follow in his footsteps, you shouldn’t get your hands dirty. Instead, it was your brother who had the nightmares. I thought by now you’d have grown up, but you’re still the spoiled brat. You see a problem and think that you’re going to handle it without much resistance.” She looks at Ilya. “I’m starting to see why you agreed to work with him.”
“What? Why wouldn’t he? Once I take over, we’ll have an alliance strong enough to handle anyone who crosses us. I have the routes and things he needs, and he can get us into Canada and into the inner states when we want.”
Ilya and Rori share a look, and this time I don’t have to guess what it means. Simeon has no idea he’s being played. Sure, Ilya might let him keep that territory for a while, but it’ll be him pulling the strings. He’s going to bank on Simeon’s inexperience until he can swoop in and take it out from under him.
I almost feel bad for Simeon, but if he’s that stupid to not see it for himself, he’s only doing it to himself. Some people have to learn the hard way.
“We’re talking in circles, and we need to come up with an actual plan if we’re going to make this work,” Zakhar finally interjects. He must sense that this conversation is going to get out of hand. “Simeon, you might as well stick around since your father and the Butcher already know you’re gone. We’ll have our men move your plane out of sight.”
