Page 24 of Prey of the Bratva

“That’s not an answer, Kliment,” Nico said, his voice controlled but edged with something colder beneath it.

“It wasn’t meant to be,” I replied.

I picked up my watch from the dresser, fastening it around my wrist with deliberate precision before finally turning to face them. Jarek looked like he was two seconds away from breaking something, and he would have preferred it if that something were my face. Nico looked like he already had the pieces and was trying to figure out where they fit.

“Then start talking,” Jarek snapped. “Because you’ve been moving men without clearance. You have been redirecting port inquiries, and you have been pulling Viktor off standard rotation, like the rest of us don’t exist and have no authority over anything in this house.

“I don’t need clearance,” I said calmly. “And the two of you have authority over everything.”

“That’s not the point.”

“It is exactly the point. Things run because of my orders, and it is going to stay that way.”

Jarek let out a sharp laugh, dragging a hand through his hair. “You disappear for days, and you come back like nothing happened, and suddenly half our operations are shifting direction. You expect us to just accept that? What the hell are you up to, Kliment?”

“Yes. I do expect you two to accept that, like you have accepted all other orders in the past.”

“Like hell we will. Those orders made sense, but none of it is making sense anymore.”

Nico didn’t raise his voice, but when he spoke, the room stilled anyway. “What are you working on, Kliment?”

His gaze was steady and direct, and I could see he wasn’t looking to fight. He simply wanted to know the truth. I held his eyes for a second longer than necessary.

“It’s an external problem,” I said.

Jarek scoffed. “That’s vague enough to be useless.”

“I am keeping it vague intentionally. You two don’t need to know anything about this.”

“What kind of problem requires you to move like this without informing your own brothers?” Nico asked.

“The kind that doesn’t concern them yet.”

“Everything concerns us,” Jarek shot back. “Especially when it starts bleeding into our territory. We are a family, Kliment, in case you are forgetting.”

“The matter is contained.”

“For now,” Nico added quietly. “But for how long will it stay contained. Especially if it is what I think it is, it is bound to blow over anytime.”

Silence stretched for a beat, and then Jarek spoke again, sharper this time.

“What do you think it is?” I asked, meeting his gaze steadily.

“The Chernykh brothers are tearing the city apart, looking for Misha Chernykh.”

My gaze didn’t shift, and I didn’t react, but I felt the words land.

“Why? Where is she?” I asked.

Jarek stared at me like he was waiting for something to crack. “She’s gone. She has disappeared off the map, and suddenly you’re running around like you’ve got something to hide.”

Nico’s attention sharpened slightly. “It is clear that you know something.”

It wasn’t a question, and I met his gaze evenly.

“No,” I replied.

The lie slid out clean and controlled. Jarek stepped closer, closing the distance between us in two quick strides.