“Let our assets know—if anyone steps out of line, Konstantin and Tau are to eliminate them. All of them,” I said, my jaw tightening at the thought of what those spies would uncover in this fragile period of transition.“I want names. Every one of them.”
“Yes, Pakhan,” Ruslan said, standing and pulling out his phone.
He was already issuing commands as he walked out of the office.
Tikhon stood guard in the hallway, still as stone.
Ruslan closed the door behind him. The dark mahogany made a dull thud as I turned his words over in my mind. The only way to force my father’s hand had been the deal—that I would provide our family with an heir. The next Dragunov.
Konstantin was lucky. He had never wanted to move past krysha and torpedo. Never needed to.
I smiled, remembering those days.
The constant training. The drive to be the largest, the fastest. Enforcer and killer in one. I had been the first to hold the dual position, until my younger brother followed in my footsteps.
He didn’t have to deal with politics. With hard decisions. With old men who extracted their price before they stepped aside.
My time was up.
I had to go and see the old man.
??????
The photos dropped onto the table, scattering an array of young women for me to choose from.
“Times have changed,” he murmured, lifting his glass to his lips before he spoke again.“Your mother came from a village. Good stock, but too weak for this world.”
My eyes flicked up.
He never spoke of our mother.
“These are as good as you will get. Not the whores you associate yourself with,” he drawled.“I want a strong grandson.”
I recognised one of the women. Theboyevik’sdaughter. A simple soldier who had never risen higher. Her high-pitched laugh reminded me of a horse.
“Why don’t you just pick one for me?” I said.
“I was once hot-blooded like you,” he murmured, swirling the vodka in his glass.“Mistakes were made. I want better for you.”
His faded blue eyes had once been hard and cruel. Now they were weak and pitiful.
“The girls are daughters of Bratva. They’ll adjust to your world easily enough,” he continued.
“I don’t have time to pander to a woman,” I bit out.
“You teach her to be obedient,” he shrugged.“She is there to accommodate you. Not the other way round.”
“How did that work out for you?” I asked, leaning back in my seat.
His lips pressed tight, but he didn’t reply.
“Just pick one from someone who understands the vor,” I said, draining my glass.
“You know Leonid Kozlov?”
I thought about theavtoriyetI had removed. There had been no pushback from the old captain.
“Isn’t his daughter married?” I asked, recalling being made to accompany my father to the event.
