Chapter 24

24

NIKOLAI

B oris's cage is colder than normal. He sits in the middle of the cement floor, legs crossed, eyes flicking up from his book to meet mine as I step inside.

The guard keeps his gun trained on him, the red dot of the laser sight dancing on Boris's chest. He looks down at it and smiles as always, a gesture that twists his lined face into something grotesque.

"Son, what can I do for you today?" Boris grumbles, boredom etched into his features. His voice is raspy with intrigue; despite how he tries to look, his voice always gives him away.

"The Yakuza," I state, seeing how he wants to play this game.

A smile of a master chess player spreads across his closed lips. "Yes? Talented fellows. Better allies, more of a headache as enemies."

"Your deal with them," I press, keeping my tone steady. "What was it? "

Boris leans back slightly, his eyes gleaming with that familiar, unsettling spark. "Their endgame is control, Nik. As it always is in this business. They respect power, and right now, they see a potential weakness in our line."

"Do they see it? Or did you tell them that?" I snarl and he lets out an incredulous laugh.

"I am in a cage, under constant supervision. How can I tell anyone anything?" He's smiling, and that smile irritates the fuck out of me, and I turn to not show him how much I want to punch him in the fucking face.

I click my head to the side and lean forward. "Do you take your son for a fool?" His eyes narrow and I flash a shining smile as his disappears. "Boris, we know you have some ways of communicating, or you set things to go into motion the minute you disappeared."

"Your dear old Dad is one smart cookie, huh?" He spits out the question like it's venom. Boris's lips curl into a smile, revealing yellowed teeth. "The Yakuza have their orders."

I narrow my eyes, losing my cool and wrapping my hand around his neck, squeezing hard enough to hear a tiny wheeze that eases some of my stress. "What orders, Pops?"

"How's the heirs coming?" Boris snarls and I push him back onto the floor. He grabs his neck coughing. "Heard you had some fun at Johanna's . "

I run my tongue over my teeth, narrowing my eyes at him. "That is none of your fucking business."

"I can't let you bastards continue to spread, can I?" he asks as if the question is rhetorical. Boris stands, his movements slow but deliberate, the cruel smile never leaving his face, then lowers his voice to a whisper, "The Yakuza will wipe out any heir you have. They won't back down unless they see an heir from my lineage taking the throne."

My jaw clenches, a cold fury rising within me, but I hold my ground. "Nadia or Aleksandr could be your children."

"I doubt that, but this isn't about them." Boris walks closely, his voice a violent melody. "This is about you, being alone like you were meant to be. You fucking abomination."

Without warning, I lunge at him, landing a punch that sends him sprawling. I don't stop, raining blows until Boris is a bloody mess on the floor. Each strike is met with a grunt or a gasp, but he never pleads for mercy. Despite the whirlwind of emotions coursing through me, my body doesn't stop until he's lying on the floor, bloodied and broken. As I stand over him, panting with adrenaline pouring through me.

Breathing heavily, I glare down at him. His face is bruised and bloodied, yet there's still a glimmer of that twisted satisfaction in his eyes. "This isn't over."

"When they let me kill you, it will be a slow fucking death, and you will die with no one by your side in a gutter like you fucking deserve."

I spit on the floor, staring at his bloodied smile, and as I storm out of the room, Aleksandr is waiting outside, his gaze silent as he flickers over my split wrist and bloody shirt, but I don't stop, just call over my shoulder, "Make plans with the Italians at Johanna's for tonight. We need all the allies we can get."