Page 10 of Plaintive Vow


Font Size:

That narrows down my list of suspects significantly.

It also means I don’t have to worry about cops trying to talk to me tonight. As long as they don’t see me here, anyway.

With that in mind, I slip back down the alley and make my way to my car.

Already, the acrid smell of smoke is stuck to my clothes. I make a mental note to ensure I get the smell out of the seats before it gets a chance to settle in and make a home there.

I spend the whole drive home trying to figure out how to approach my next steps.

What Ishoulddo is go home, toss my suit in the trash, and get some rest so I can deal with the rest of this shit in the morning. It’s not like I can actually prove who started the fire. Not yet.

If I try to make accusations at this point, I’d end up looking like an idiot with my pants around my ankles before I end up in a shallow grave.

At least this warehouse was empty, unlike the last one.

That doesn’t mean I can afford to have more attention on me right now, though.

I’ve been fortunate to keep my nose clean as far as the law’s concerned, but I’m under no illusions that it’ll stay that way. And if someone keeps shoving me into the law’s spotlight, I have no doubt my luck will run out sooner rather than later.

But pissing off the pakhan by accusing his son? I’ll be dead before I’m able to get a single step off his property.

Pavel’s been an issue since he officially became part of the Bratva at nineteen, but his attempts to follow in his father’s footsteps are dragging us into a pit we’ll never be able to escape even faster than Maksim has been able to.

He’s been whispering in Maksim’s ear about his grand ambitions with very little thought about the execution or consequences of his actions. Add that on top of Maksim’s bloodthirsty, ruthless approach to anything relating to business, and we’re all going to end up in prison or destroyed in a matter of years.

I can’t do shit to stop their runaway train, so I have to focus on covering my own ass in the meantime. Even if that means I have to bite my tongue and let Pavel have his pointless destruction.

Shoving my suit into the garbage, I toss my phone between my hands, trying to focus on the issue at hand and ignoring the rest until it eventually boils over. It burns at my ego, but I’ll have to keep pretending that I’m an idiot for now.

Glancing longingly at the bottle of vodka sitting on the kitchen island, I shake my head. I’m sure I’ll have to be up by sunrise, and it’s already nearly three. Getting drunk isn’t going to fix it. I look back at my phone screen.

I know something else that will comfort me, but it’s just as stupid.

Then again, knowing that something is a bad idea has never stopped me before. Pulling up a contact, I press call before my conscience can tell me off.

“Kak?”Daniil barks, sounding tired. It makes me smirk, but it’s wiped away when I hear a woman’s voice in the background. “It’s work. Go back to sleep,” he soothes, voice dripping with affection that has my blood pressure spiking.

I roll my shoulders and look up at the ceiling.

“Are you at your place or Emiliya’s?”

I’m not sure if I’m asking because I really want to know, or because I want to take my frustrations out on him.

“Fuck off, Andrei.” I hear the sound of a door closing. “Don’t ask me that shit when I’m around Blair. You know how she gets.”

“What, she doesn’t like hearing about your mistress? Imagine that.”

“Mudak,”he mutters under his breath. “What do you want?”

“Someone torched another warehouse.”

“Shit,” he sighs, and I just know that he’s running his hand across his forehead. “Was it in use?”

I squeeze the bridge of my nose, willing away the headache that’s brewing at the back of my skull. “No. Not unless you count construction supplies, anyway.”

“At least there’s that. Was it staffed?”

“Skeleton crew for security, but they all fucked off before anything happened.”