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“Convenient,” Yuriy said. “They brought friends.”

The men got out of their cars and became the shape of last night’s trouble. One face I recognized. The ginger-haired guy who I played pool with at the bar. The resemblance to the other man from the tree farm was uncanny. They had to be related.

He was flanked by two other men whom we hadn’t met yet. A fourth man stepped out of the other BMW. The fifth person was actually a woman who remained in the driver’s seat of the third car.

Fuck. We were outnumbered. If we couldn’t talk our way out of this mess, we would have to take down two men each.

If Yuriy’s mouth and impulsivity didn’t make it worse.

I rolled my shoulders, the weight of my gun tucked in the waistband at my back a comfort. “Stay in the SUV.”

“Aww, the way you want to protect me is adorable.” Yuriy opened his door.

Fuck. For a second there, I’d forgotten who the man at my side was. This might have been my fight, but it was his drama bred from him interfering last night.

The man in the red cap jerked his chin. “Get out.”

Snow muffled the world as we stepped out. The road back here was quiet, trees pressing in. The men gestured us off the shoulder to a narrow service lane cut into the woods, unplowed and rutted with old tracks. Herding. Smart enough not to do this where anyone would witness their crime.

“You the dickheads who tried to beat our brothers up last night?” Red Cap said. “You had the audacity to show your face on our family tree farm?”

“Tried?” Yuriy scoffed as if he didn’t see we were outnumbered. “I’m positive we whopped their asses, didn’t we, Stas? What? Are you guys here for your share?”

“That’s the one who knifed Enzo,” Ginger whispered. “Motherfucker’s crazy. Would have killed us if the other one hadn’t stopped him.”

Red Cap turned his attention to me and nodded. “I see. You’re free to go.” He nodded toward Yuriy. “He’s the one we want.”

Yuriy went rigid next to me. What was going through his head? Did he think I would leave him to face all these men on his own? Maybe in the past, but things were different now.

We were family.

And… if someone was going to kill him, it was going to be me.

“You heard him,” Yuriy said from the corner of his mouth. “Go. I can handle these pussies all by myself.”

I frowned. When would he stop with the tough guy shit and admit he needed help?

“I’m not leaving you alone.”

He snapped his head around, eyes wide. “You’re not?”

“If you changed your mind about the plans for tonight, just say so. Committing suicide to get out of it seems a little extreme.”

A second, then two passed. Yuriy let out a bark of laughter. A real belly full that had him doubling over and wiping at his eyes. “Fuck, Stas, can’t wait to have my tongue in your ass again, can you?”

I scowled. “Not the time, Yuriy.”

“Oops, sorry.” He turned his charming grin to the men watching us, confused. “My man here is a little shy. Can you get on with this already? As you’ve heard, we have big plans for tonight.”

Red Cap’s lip curled like he was about to spit poison instead of saliva. He took a step toward Yuriy, face twisted.

“Nasty f⁠—”

A whistle cut through the air.

The knife slammed into his throat so cleanly it looked like someone had hit Mute midspeech. His eyes bulged as his voice gurgled out on a wet choke. He staggered back, fingers clawing uselessly at the hilt jutting from the hollow of his windpipe.

I didn’t even get to appreciate Yuriy’s aim before the world tore open.