Vadim pulls out his own knife and moves to Petrov's other side. "Wrong answer," he growls, and I realize just how ruthless these guys are. It makes me feel even more confident that under my brother's leadership, we will finish this once and for all.
The blade goes through Petrov's left hand, and another scream echoes off the warehouse walls as more blood runs down the concrete and pools on the floor. Petrov blubbers like a fool, pressing his head into the wall behind him, and I'm not about to give up as he slides lower, his knees giving out.
"The Kozlovs sent you to kill Yakov." I crouch down so I'm eye level with him. "We know that much already. What we need toknow is why now? Why execute him on my property instead of handling it quietly?"
"Go to hell." Petrov spits at my feet and glares at me. Whoever trained him to withstand torture did their job well. He must be ex-Special Forces or something.
I stand up and nod at Fyodor, who pulls the knife from Petrov's right hand. The finger comes with it, severed completely. Petrov's screams turn into sobs before Fyodor’s blade sinks into the man's shoulder deep and hard, causing more screams, louder than the first ones.
"We can do this all day." I check my watch and realize I have blood on my shirt sleeve. Annoyed, I say, "Or you can tell us what we want to know and I'll make it quick."
"They'll kill my family." Petrov's sobs turn into whimpers. Malcom has leverage over him. "If I talk, they'll kill everyone I love."
"They're going to do that anyway once they find out we got to you." Vadim pulls his knife clean, and Petrov growls in pain. "At least this way, you die knowing you tried." I think that's the thing that breaks him. I stoop down, pressing my thumb into his shoulder wound, and he winces and grits his teeth, then forces out words.
"Alright! Alright, I'll tell you."
"Start with why you killed Yakov." I push my finger in harder, and he winces again.
"He was stealing from us. Selling information to the Gravitches." Petrov gasps as Vadim applies more pressure with the knife."Malcom wanted to send a message to show you we could operate on your property whenever we wanted."
"What else?" Fyodor cleans his bloody knife on Petrov's shoulder and says, "Keep talking."
"The Kozlovs and what's left of the Veche family have aligned." The words tumble out faster now, like he thinks saying them will save his life. "They're planning something big. A coordinated strike against all your operations."
"When?" I lean in. "Give me a date."
"I don't know." Petrov shakes his head frantically. "They don't share that with guys like me. All I know is it's soon."
"Soon isn't good enough." Vadim pushes the knife deeper, and Petrov screams again. "Give us something specific."
"Within the month." Blood bubbles from Petrov's shoulder wound when he coughs, staining his nice shirt in bright red. "That's all I heard. Within the month, they're gonna hit all the Gravitch locations at once and wipe out the whole family."
"Who's leading it?" Fyodor grabs Petrov's face. "Names."
"I can't." Fresh tears run down his cheeks. "Please, I've told you everything I know."
"No, you haven't." I pull my gun and press it against his kneecap. "Who's leading the operation?"
"Wait, wait." Petrov's eyes go wide. "There's someone new. Someone from outside who's coordinating everything between the Kozlovs and the Veches. That's all I know, I swear."
"A name." I cock the gun. "Give me a fucking name."
"I don't have one." He's hyperventilating now. "They don't use names. Everything goes through intermediaries—they use codes. After Popovic was taken out, someone else took his place. Please, that's all I know."
I look at Vadim and Fyodor. Both of them nod. We've gotten everything we're going to get from him.
"Alright." I step back and raise my gun to point at Petrov's head. "Time's up."
"Wait." He holds up his mangled hands. "Wait, please. I told you everything. Don’t I deserve a break?"
"Sure… You get to die faster." I pull the trigger, and his head snaps back against the wall hard, and bone fragments along with blood spatter stain the wall before he slides downward, leaving a blood trail on the concrete.
This isn't at all what I hoped to hear, but it's not shocking. We already assumed this was the case anyway, but hearing it confirmed from someone on the inside just makes it more real.
"We need to tell Yuri about this alliance." Vadim holsters his weapon. "If they're planning a coordinated strike, we need to prepare."
"I'll call him on the way back." I step over Petrov's body and head for the door. "Let's get out of here before someone calls the police."
