62. Matvey

62

MATVEY

After Grisha's grand entrance, getting rid of the traitors is a quick affair. "Care to do the honors, boss?"

As a matter of fact, I do.

"Kill them all."

In less than a minute, it's over. Lena and Julia seem to take particular pleasure in teaching whoever dared disrespect their mistress a swift, brutal lesson.

"Yuri!" Petra rushes back to him. "Did you…? Were you the one who…?" She wipes the blood from his phone.

There it is: a text. To Grisha.

With our location.

"You idiot," she sobs, and there's no holding back the flood now. Not with no one left to fight. "You stupid, careless idiot, svoloch ? — "

"He took that bullet for me." April trembles. "I'm so sorry, Petra, Matvey— This is all?—"

But I don't let her finish. "Hush." I pull her close. "It was his choice."

Choice. That's what all this comes down to, isn't it? Not who we are—but who we choose to be.

"I wish?—"

"I know. Me, too."

Petra doesn't seem to be paying attention to our conversation. She just bends over on Yuri's chest, smothering her cries in the crook of his neck. One last hug, one last time.

"… dandruff…"

Wait, what?

Petra's head shoots up. "Yuri?!"

There's no mistaking it: that's his voice. Rough and breathless, but still, it's him.

"As long…" He coughs, blood splattering all over his front. "… as you don't call me… dandruff…"

"He's alive…?" April sniffles. "I'm not imagining this? He's really…?"

"Oh my God," Petra exhales. "Someone! Anyone!"

"I've got him."

I put all my pakhan authority in my voice. At the sound of it, both Petra and April make way automatically.

Then I crouch down and scoop Yuri up.

"Motya…"

"Don't speak," I order.

"I'm s-sorry… I'm really, really…"

"I said shut up. Or did the blood loss make you deaf as well as stupid?"

A weak laugh. "You're always… such an ass…"

Of course I am. How else am I going to cope? "Grisha, call an ambulance. We'll figure out a cover story later."

"Yes, boss."

I lift my brother up and carry him out of the room. There's another tunnel, one that leads to the surface. With April holding down the fort and Petra stuck handling business with her new men, we're finally alone.

For a while, neither one of us speaks. It leaves me with time to think—about the past twenty-four hours. About everything. About the betrayal.

And about the one part that doesn't add up.

"Is…" Yuri coughs as I carry him out. "Is Petra… okay…?"

"She took out damn near fifty guys. She's just peachy."

Another coughing fit shakes him, but he still manages to croak out, "What about April… ? And May…?"

"They're both fine." My throat goes tight. "You saved them."

"I didn't. I put them in danger."

"No, I did. And I put you in danger, too."

"Motya…"

But I cut him off. "You left out something when you confessed to me."

"I did?"

"Yes. You covered everything from the beginning to the end, but you deliberately avoided one part."

"Which part…?"

"That night in the woods. When April was taken by Carmine."

Realization dawns on him. "I…"

"You wanted me to hate you. So why leave out the one part that was guaranteed to make me do that?" He doesn't answer, but he doesn't need to. I already know why. "It's because you had nothing to do with it, isn't it?"

"Why are you?—"

"Carmine knew you had her. He couldn't not know. But you still held him off for a month. So when his patience snapped, he acted on his own. And you came to me."

He presses his lips tight. "It was the right thing to do."

"Not for a traitor, it wasn't."

He falls silent for a long time. "Matvey, I…"

"I didn't mean it," I say before he can finish. He's had his time to confess—now, it's my turn. "All that talk of blood. I was lashing out. I was in pain and I hurt everyone around me because of it. I was just too stupid to see it."

"But I betrayed you," he whispers.

"I betrayed you first. I should've seen what was going on with you."

"You couldn't?—"

"Yes, I damn well could." Because it's the truth, isn't it? There were signs everywhere. And if I'd just been a little less self-absorbed…

Then maybe I could've saved us.

"I'm sorry, Yuri. I'm sorry it took me this long to see you."

His eyes are wet now. Christ, when did we become a bunch of schoolgirls? "I still betrayed the Bratva," he shakes his head. "I betrayed my pakhan. "

"And you'll be punished for that," I declare. "So don't you dare quit on me before I can give you the beating you deserve."

"Is that an order?"

I feel the corner of my lips twitch. "No, smartass. It's a request from your brother."

He smiles in return. "Okay, then." It's weak and wavering, but there. "Brother."