“I’m not willing to gamble with her, yeah? I’ll do what I have to in order to keep her safe. And if that means I have to piss you off?” He shrugs. “Then so be it. I know it’s a big ask, but I’d rather you have my back on this.”
My head thumps against the headrest as I close my eyes, taking a bracing breath. Taking on Semyon two-on-one has far better odds, but it means accepting that I probably won’t have a brother by the time the night is done.
Daniil’s right—if we pretend that this is just a conversation, then it’s a risk. Semyon’s stubborn enough that the best-case scenario is him pretending to drop this while he moves forward with his plans. He’s a stupid man, but do I want to risk him actually succeeding?
No.
I can’t.
I’d rather lose the only remaining family I have than let him hurt her.
“Even if Semyon’s no longer on the board, there are plenty of others who would gladly be Pavel’s pawn,” I say, resigned. “I doubt Semyon came up with this idea on his own. If this is some plan Pavel cooked up, are you going to kill him, too?”
Daniil is well suited for his job. He’s clever, arrogant, and direct, but he isn’t prone to killing and violence. He’s the type of person to use intimidation and blackmail to get what he needs done. Violence isn’t foreign to him by any means, but he tends to rely on others to do that if he’s able.
“If I have to.”
“And if it wasn’t Pavel? What’re you going to do if this was Maksim’s idea?”
For a moment, his carefully practiced façade fails, and he looks like he’s going to be sick.
He swallows, shaking his head as he looks at the door to the club with a sense of determination.
“Let’s get this over with, yeah?”
I’m grim as I follow him inside.
Virgo is exactly how it’s been every other time I’ve been here. The floors are sticky beneath my feet, and terrible music blaststhrough the speakers, the bass boosted so hard my teeth rattle in my skull. None of the patrons bother to look anyone else in the eye and dancers wander around the floor, happy to offer a lap dance to anyone who asks, and even more if you’re willing to pay for one of the private rooms in the back.
I catch the eye of the guard blocking the door to the private rooms Alexei sets aside for private meetings. With a single tilt of his chin, he steps aside, letting us into the dark, disgusting space. Daniil makes himself comfortable right away, settling into one of the old, cracked leather seats, bouncing his foot where it’s crossed over his knee.
I take my time looking around the room, familiarizing myself with everything while he glares daggers at the door, muscles coiled like a spring ready to launch at anyone who walks through. By the time I take a seat of my own, I’m on edge just from listening to the ceaseless tapping of his fingers against the arm of the chair.
If he doesn’t find a way to calm down soon, he’s going to let Semyon wind him up and get himself killed before he gets a chance to do anything.
“Hey, what happened with that DA you’ve been working on?” I ask after he checks his watch for the fourth time in two minutes. Semyon will probably be late to his own funeral, and I can’t figure out why Daniil expected this to be any different.
It’s Semyon’s version of a power move. If he makes others wait, then he tells them that they’re unimportant to him. He’s never understood that everyone has the amount of respect for him that he offers them.
“The guy from up-state?” Daniil squints, and I lift my chin in affirmation. “Guy’s a tool. He seems to think that he’s too good to meet with me, but I’ve asked Artyom to look into him.” He shrugs, flexing a hand over his knee. “I’ll get my meeting, and he’ll learn to like what I have to say.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then he’ll quickly figure out why everyone else finds me so agreeable.”
Sometimes I wonder what it is Daniil likes most about his job. Is it the power of controlling the outcome, or is it the threats and intimidation? Making sure that he has contacts that are willing to work with him when someone ends up in prison is important, but it’s better for him to make sure none of us end up there in the first place. If he has to make sure charges are dropped, or evidence is lost, or ensure that whoever is prosecuting the case decides there isn’t enough evidence to move forward, then it helps to have the right carrot to dangle on the end of stick.
I’m willing to bet that having dirt on half the politicians in the state is where he finds most of his fun.
He looks at me with an intensity that I can’t brush off. “And what about you? Anything on your mysterious warehouse fires?” I watch as he pulls out a cigarette, lighting it.
“Really? We’re inside, asshole.”
He lifts a brow and simply nods, waving a hand to urge me to continue.
“If you’re asking if Pavel left any real evidence, then no,” I sigh. “The camera footage just shows a man in a ski mask, and forensics are coming back clean. All I actually have is that they’re using cheap accelerants and know most of the security routes.But who else is petty enough to destroy my buildings? He’s still pissed I didn’t let him claim credit for mopping up the mess in Colorado.”
Daniil takes a long drag, shoulders falling a fraction of an inch. “You planning on doing anything about it?” There’s an ashtray on the table between us and I push it toward him, lip curling when the smell of smoke drifts toward me.