Page 139 of Nemesis

“Reinstate the bounty on Octavia Siderov. Bump it to twenty million.”

My mouth dries.

Vasiliy flips towards his uncle with a horrified expression. “I’ll kill you!” His booming shout is punctuated by the sound of his chest being shoved onto the table by arms behind him.

Terror consumes me as two more bodies pour into the frame, fighting to hold Vas down. I’m already rising from my seat when Ivan stops me with a hand on my wrist. Steady, he seems to say. My limbs shake.

A low laugh fills the air. It starts as a breath, escalating until even the violence on the other side of the world comes to a stop to look over. All of us stare at the man by my side.

“What a spiteful man you are,” Mikhail finally says, lips pulled in a smile.

“I simply have contingencies in place to ensure good behavior,” Vasiliy’s uncle says.

“Contingencies? Is that what you call it?” Mikhail’s head tilts. “Breaking your deal with me will cost millions, but it’s unlikely to exceed the price of your beloved bounty. This seems far more personal.”

“It is personal,” Morozov snaps. “First, this bitch corrupts my nephew, and now she’s messing with my business.”

“I see,” Mikhail says. “Well, if we’re being entirely truthful, I must admit that I’ve been prepared for your emotions to cloud our business arrangements for a while now.”

The man on the screen scoffs.

“Come on,” Mikhail continues. “You didn’t honestly believe I handed over all of those resources in exchange for your kid interrogator, did you?”

He blinks. Vas’s head lifts off the table where he’s held down, taking advantage of the moment to shrug his limbs free.

“Vasiliy is excellent at his job, but I already have the best of the best in New York. I didn’t need his services.”

Fire lances through my gut, but I hold my tongue. My man is the best of the best. Mikhail should consider himself lucky to have had his talents for even a day.

“What exactly are you saying, Solokov?”

Mikhail relaxes back in his chair. “All I needed was a viable door into each of your underbosses’ domains. In fact, if you do your due diligence now, I’m sure you’ll find my touches everywhere you look. Supply chains, taxation, warehouses…”

Morozov has gone still. So still, he resembles one of the pompous stone statues standing behind his chair.

I knew Mikhail Solokov would be a valuable ally, but I had no idea how much leverage he had managed to collect on Vasiliy’s uncle until our meeting yesterday morning. If this is how he studies his allies, how must he prepare for his enemies?

It’s a terrifying thought.

“I wasn’t actually looking for dirt when I burrowed into your operations,” he continues. “But, what’s that old saying? When it rains, it pours? Would you like to discuss the Sardona trade with the class?”

“You wouldn’t dare⁠—”

“Call my bluff. I do love a good poker game.” Mikhail smiles cruelly beside me, and I’m woman enough to admit how scary the sight is.

He didn’t tell me what he found on Vas’s uncle—only that it would be enough to end the negotiation. I didn’t ask. The Solokov Pakhan loves his secrets, and I don’t want to owe him any more than I do, gorgeous wife or not. I don’t think Vasiliy knows, either, by the puzzled look on his face.

Long minutes stretch by. No one speaks.

I’m beginning to wonder how far he’s going to take this when an irritated sigh finally cuts through the speaker.

“What are your demands?” Each word crawls out from clenched teeth.

“Take down the price on my head to start with,” I say with a glare. And tear out your bloody liver. “I require the temporary use of twenty-five soldiers, as well as the immediate transport of your nephew. He will now serve the Siderov Syndicate. Permanently.”

I study each pixel of the screen, ripping my gaze off of Vasiliy’s shocked features and onto the calculating sneer beside him.

“What use do you have for my soldiers?”