Page 57 of Prey of the Bratva

“What’s your name?” He looked Russian, which was an immediate indicator that he could definitely be working for Volkov.

“Jared, but trust me, I know—”

I struck him once, forcing him to stop speaking. I was already annoyed with wasting an operation and had no time for dramatics or antics. The blow to his head was not hard enough to knock him out, but just hard enough to reset him. I wanted him to know I was in control and it would stay that way.

“Try again.”

“My name is Jared Kowski,” he choked out finally, calming down a little. It felt as if he knew there was no escape from this.

“Good,” I said softly. “Now we’re going to have a conversation, Jared.”

He shook his head rapidly. “I don’t know anything, I swear. I am just a middleman, and I had no idea the warehouse was shutting down and people were leaving. I just came to check up on a few ship—”

A gun clicked behind us, and I immediately knew it belonged to Kliment. He had been right outside the warehouse through everything, securing the perimeters while I managed things inside. I didn’t need to look back to confirm his presence because I felt him there. Solid and unmoving. He was a presence that didn’t need to announce itself to be understood. His existence was enough for people to respect him fully.

“Don’t lie,” Kliment said quietly. “I don’t deal well with people who lie to me for no reason.”

Both of the men froze completely, and I could see fear shifting in their expressions. The worry lines on their foreheads deepened, and I could not blame them. I would not be surprised if they already even knew who Kliment was. After all, he had quite a reputation back in Russia.

I leaned forward slightly, my voice lowering.

“Where is Anton Sidorov?” I asked, looking at the other one.

“I, I don’t know—”

I loaded my gun in front of him, removing the safety as I placed the trigger directly on Jared’s forehead. His eyes widened, and fear gripped him, but he still remained resolutely silent. Either these two men genuinely knew nothing, or they were trying their best to be as loyal as they could be.

“Last chance,” Kliment added, tone unchanged. I had never seen him so cold except for the day at the docks when he had rescued me, ruthlessly killing everyone in sight. I knew this side of him existed, but it was something else to be able to see it in person.

“He left!” the other man broke instantly. “Hours ago. He left hours ago!”

My expression didn’t change.

“Where?”

“I don’t know the exact location. I swear, but he got word that… that someone tipped… someone told him—”

Of course, he had known. There was no other reason for him to run away.

“Who?” I snapped.

“We don’t know!” Jared cried. “We just got the order to clear and clean everything from here so it would leave no trace. We were asked to do it without delay. Everyone else has already left, and we were just… we were just leaving too when we heard the explosions—”

I shifted my attention to the second man, who had gone pale watching the exchange.

“You,” I said.

He flinched.

“What are the new shipment routes and warehouse locations,” I continued. “I know you know them.”

“I, what—”

I nodded once toward Kliment, and the gun clicked again. His expression was firm, which was enough to tell anyone with a brain that he won’t hesitate this time.

“Pier thirty-two,” Jared blurted. “Boss has some secondary containers there, and they are all coded under pharmaceutical names. They are moving tomorrow night at about… midnight—”

“What is their destination?” Kliment asked, his weapon still raised.