“No,” he agreed. “But you can start by not acting like the rest of us are liabilities. We’re on the same side, man. Youdon’t have to carry everything alone. I know I joke about this whole thing with Leo, but seriously, if you wanna talk, then talk to me about it. I have Jess and Darius, whom I can talk to about anything. Who do you talk to?”
I held his gaze, searching for anything in his expression that would tell me he was fucking around like normal. I wasn’t used to Nik being this serious about anything. He was the fun, relaxed one. I always saw him like a little brother I had to keep an eye on, but except for that one mishap with Wren, he’d been solid in his work. I’d never found fault in him.
“I—can’t.”
“Then fuck you, man.” Nik pushed off the wall, sounding genuinely offended as he yanked open the door. I grabbed his shoulder before he could walk out on me because if he left this way, he might never make this offer again.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you about Leo,” I said slowly. “But I can’t because I don’t even fully understand what I feel or what’s happening between us. If—when I can, I’ll remember your offer.”
The tension in Nik’s shoulders relaxed, and he sighed. “Alright, I won’t push anymore, but we’d best be heading out.”
15
SERGEI
The club had been alive for hours, and I’d never felt more dead inside. The bass pulsed through the floor, climbing up through the soles of my shoes and settling deep in my bones, a constant reminder that everything around me was moving even as something in me had died. By our standards, it was early. Just past eleven. But we were already at capacity, bodies packed tight across the lower floor, and the last I’d checked, a line still stretched outside with people desperate for a way in.
It meant the cover-up had worked.
The nurse’s death had made the rounds on the news all week, her name just another headline to feed public curiosity, but the authorities were nowhere close to the truth. By the time her body had been returned to her parents, we’d already ensured the clues pointed elsewhere. With her heart missing, we’d fabricated the narrative—organ trafficking. Something that had nothing to do with us, while at the same time giving Arkady a little trouble. Black market organ harvesting was hisforte. The cops knew it and had even investigated him in the past, but they’d turned up empty.
As much as I’d hated removing one of the nurse’s organs, I had no other option. If I’d just moved her body, that would’ve raised too many questions. The key had been giving them a story they were eager to believe. Something that pulled their attention in the wrong direction and kept it there.
So far, it was working, and still, none of it felt like a win. At least Maxim had seemed pleased with the way I handled the matter and was no longer breathing fire whenever we spoke. But with Leo still missing, I found little pleasure in Maxim’s satisfaction. Was he even okay? Almost two weeks had passed without a word from him. He hadn’t used his usual credit cards. The last info I’d had on him was from the driver who’d confirmed he’d dropped Leo off at the airport. No, Leo hadn’t mentioned where he was going, and the cab driver didn’t have a clue.
I hadn’t been able to tap into the airport security footage to track his movements. He could be anywhere in the world. Logically, I knew he had to come back at some point, but when? And was he even taking care of himself? What if he felt so guilty about sleeping with me that he tried to harm himself? He’d said the car crash was an accident, but what if it wasn’t?
I moved through the lower level with purpose, eyes scanning out of habit. Faces, movement, the various exchanges taking place—I tried to register it all. I found nothing out of place, and yet I still checked. I always checked. Even when my mind wasn’t fully here, drifting.
“Sergei.”
Hazel’s voice cut through the noise, pulling me back into the present. I turned to find her approaching, tablet tucked under her arm, her expression all business as usual. Shelooked great in a pair of brown leather pants and a sheer top with her usual stilettos.
“Everything okay?” I asked, already preparing myself mentally to tackle a problem.
“The guests you introduced me to earlier are asking for you,” she said. “They’re upstairs.”
Of course they were.
“They’re still at the Diamond Club?”
“Yes, at the main table.”
“Thanks.” I nodded. “Keep an eye on the bar. I want all drinks monitored tonight. No exceptions.”
Her brow lifted slightly, but she didn’t question it. “Yes, boss. On it.”
Good. She took orders well, which I liked about her. Made it easy for me to get shit done without having to explain myself.
I made my way toward the private access point, bypassing the main staircase in favor of the secured lift. The scanner beeped softly as it recognized my pass, and the doors slid open. The moment I stepped out, the atmosphere shifted. The third floor, which hosted the Diamond Club, was a different world. The music from below dulled into a distant thrum, replaced by a quieter and more controlled environment with softer lighting, dark wood, and carpeting that swallowed the sound of footsteps.
This wasn’t where people came to lose themselves.
This was where they came to lose everything else.
The main gaming area stretched out ahead, private tables spaced far enough apart to allow conversations to remain private. Dealers moved with quiet precision, chips stacked high, cards dealt with practiced ease. There were no loud cheers or drunken shouting, just tension and stakes high enough to ruin lives.
I spotted the brigadiers immediately. They’d shown upone after the other in support of me taking over the club. At least that was their excuse, but I knew it was to size me up. I would have ignored them if Maxim didn’t want me to get close to them to ensure they didn’t follow Vasiliev’s footsteps, but they were treading the line they shouldn’t cross.
