Yuri stands up and walks over to the windows overlooking his property. "Do you remember the man who tried to kill Lev?"
"In his own home…" I nod. "Someone he trusted enough to let inside." I don't forget things easily. I know this all has to be connected.
"And Vadim's situation in Serbia," Yuri continues without turning around. "His own crew member turned on him. Sold information to the people we were hunting."
"Ruslan." The traitor's name tastes bitter. "That was the last straw."
"We didn't realize it at the time, but our enemies aligning against us created another problem." Yuri finally turns to face me. "They found weaknesses in our organization. People who could be bought or threatened into betraying us."
"The casino hit with Yakov blew it wide open." I drain my whiskey and pour another. "His death showed us exactly what we're dealing with."
"Yakov paid the ultimate price for being caught between two sides." Yuri walks back to his desk and sits down. "But his execution brought us the clearest picture of what's actually happening—our enemies aren't just attacking from outside anymore. They're operating from within."
He's preaching to the choir. I know all of this, and though I'm sure he's thoroughly pissed, this new inside job doesn’t seem to be that much of a shock.
"So, what do we do about it?" I lean back in my chair. "We can't trust anyone until we root out whoever's working against us."
"You're not wrong. I can pull some of my best men who I know are faithful… send them your way." Yuri picks up his cigar again. "We'll need to weed out anyone who hasn't been properly vetted. Then go over everyone again."
"What about Malcom?" We already know Malcom is down to nothing. He's desperate, scrambling to hold onto anything he has left. He'll join with any Veche brother left, and we already know Yaros had ties to the Balkans.
"What are you proposing?" He watches me carefully as he rolls the cherry of his cigar into the ashtray.
I tap ash from my cigar and think for a moment. "Well, we have the footage showing the car those men got out of. They were smart enough to avoid their faces being seen. But if we can run that plate, find out who was driving…"
"You want to go on the offensive." Yuri considers this. "Start taking them out before they can make another move."
"They killed Yakov on my property," I say a little too eagerly. "They threatened Tatiana. They've proven they're willing to operate openly against us. So yeah, I want to hit back." I can’t stop the rush of anger that boils up. I'd have let Volodin slide. Hell, I'd have let it slide that they did it on our property too. But coming after the woman who’s mine is crossing a line I can't ever forgive.
"I'm on board," he says. "You have the go-ahead to move against any Kozlov we can identify and locate. But there's something else we need to discuss."
"What?" I already don't like where this is going based on his tone. He has that stupid look in his eye that says he knows his orders aren't going to sit well with me. I was raised with this man. I've known him from the womb. He can't let any emotion pass across his face without my knowing it, and I'm about to spit fire just based on the way his eyes narrow on me.
"If you want to keep Tatiana safe, you may need to send her away for a while." He holds up his hand when I start to interrupt. "Hear me out… She's a target now. The Kozlovs know she witnessed the execution and they're actively trying to find her. Keeping her at the casino makes her vulnerable."
"She's safer with me than anywhere else," I protest, setting my cigar down and leaning forward. "I'm not sending her away."
"You're being stubborn about this." Yuri's eyes darken to midnight, and he sits back, leaving his cigar burning in the ashtray. "Your attachment to this woman is clouding your judgment."
"My judgment is fine," I snarl, standing up. "She stays with me where I can protect her properly."
"And if they breach your security again?" he challenges, lifting both eyebrows in a question. "If they get past your guards and into your penthouse? What then? They're in your fucking house, Brother. Inside it."
"That won't happen." I stamp out the cigar and straighten my shirt. "I've tripled security on the top floor. No one gets in or out without my explicit permission."
"You can't watch her every second of every day." Yuri stubs out his cigar hard and makes the entire ashtray slide a few inches. "Eventually, you'll have to leave her alone, and that's when they'll strike."
"Then I won't leave her alone." I turn toward the door while still speaking. "I'll assign someone I trust to watch her when I can't be there."
"Who?" Yuri stands as well. "Your mole?" His words are a slap in the face, and maybe he's right. But I trust my men, and I won't dignify that with a response.
"You're making a mistake," he calls after me. "You're letting your feelings for this woman override your common sense." I could've said the same thing about him one year ago, but I bit my tongue rather than suffer his wrath.
"Maybe." I pause with my hand on the doorknob. "But she's mine to protect and I'm not giving that responsibility to anyone else."
"Just be careful." His tone softens slightly as I open the door, and I know what he's saying comes from the heart. "I don't wantto lose my brother because he couldn't see past his obsession with a woman."
"You won't lose me," I say, stepping out. "I know what I'm doing."
