Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

TYSHAWN

Two days later, Leo, June, Blu, Ivan, and I are sitting around the table at Blu's parents, Clinton and Barbara's house. They asked us to have dinner as a family since Ivan dropped the bomb on Clinton that he's dying.

I don't know Ivan well, but I really like him, and it hurts he's not going to be around for much longer. When we met in London, I figured there would be plenty of time for me to get to know the man that raised Leo. While he's here though, I'll make sure to keep him comfortable.

Ivan has been staying with us in Leo's office, but half the time, I forget he's there. He moves around so quietly.Then he'll let loose one of those hacking coughs, and I'll remember.

I did manage to make the raspberry pirog he asked me about, and he told me it was the best he's had. My heart felt light as he ate, complimenting me in both English and Russian.

Now we're at Blu's parent's home, passing around more pirog after we've finished our meal.

"This is fantastic," Barbara says, looking at me with a smile. "I've never tasted anything like it. It's your favorite dessert, Ivan?"

Ivan's eyes flick over to Barbara, and her wide smile falters a bit. It's hard to be stared down like that by a psychopath, but she's been holding her own. "It is. Ty did good job." Ivan squeezes my shoulder, and I pat his frail hand.

It's only been about a month since London, and Ivan has already lost a ton of weight since then. I've been making sure he eats well and drinks plenty of water, but the cancer riddling his body won't allow him to maintain weight. I hate seeing it.

Clinton looks at Ivan, his gaze questioning. "We didn't have it when we were growing up. It seems Mom didn't want any reminders of you."

If Ivan feels any way about that remark, he doesn't show it. "I suppose that make sense. She change your name, after all."

"No, she kept it. Dimitri is my middle name."

Ivan's throat bobs, but he simply nods.

Clinton's eyes drift to Leo. "Brad, I?—"

"Leo."

"I'm sorry?"

"Leo. That's my name. I haven't gone by Brad in almost twenty years."

Dipping his head, Clinton picks up the conversation. "Leo, I didn't think I'd see you again. Henry said you were gone with Papa, but that's it. We tried to look for you—for both of you—but we hit a dead end. Searching for someone wasn't as easy as it is now."

Ivan places a shaky hand on Leo's shoulder. "Leo was good kid. Never had problem from him." Leo smiles at Ivan, like they're a normal family, not an older generation of psychopath who trained a younger one. "We stay off grid. Not easy to find. Not your fault."

In a low, sad voice, Barbara tells Ivan, "I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. If there is anything we can do …"

"It is okay," Ivan mutters, pulling his handkerchief from his pocket and coughing into it. "Seeing Dimitri is all I want before I die."

Barbara reaches out and pats Clinton's hand.

For the rest of our time there, we talk about unimportant things, just content to have a conversation. We stay for another hour before Blu says, "We need to get home, Dad, Mom. We still have an hour's drive, and I don't want to be on the road too late. Besides, Ivan needs his rest."

"Of course," Barbara says, getting up from the table. "Let me make you all some leftovers." She shoos us away when we try to help and busies herself cleaning up the table and packing us some food.

When we have bowls stacked high in our hands, we bid them farewell. Clinton hugs Ivan for many long minutes.

Once outside, June gives me a pointed look, and I nod. I hook my arm through Ivan's and ask, "How are you feeling?"

He peers at me with tired eyes. "I am okay, kolibri."

"You up for a surprise?"

Ivan nods, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. "I like surprise."

Leo raises an eyebrow. "Surprise?"

"Yeah, me and June have something for the three of you. We need to hurry though. To make sure we have enough time."

Though Leo and Blu try to pull information out of us, we don't tell. I don't think Ivan cares one way or another, just along for the ride.

We all pile into Blu's SUV, June driving so he won't have to give Blu directions.

It takes us about an hour and a half to get where we need to go, since our surprise is outside the city. I'm hoping our surprise is still where we left it earlier today. June assured me he gave the right dosage for them not to wake for about eight hours, and we've only been gone for a little over six.

"Where are we going, little fox?" Blu asks, looking out of the window. "Wait. I know this place."

June smiles. "It's where we killed the priest."

He parks right outside of the building, and we file out of the car, entering the building. June leads us deeper inside until we get to the kitchen, where a man is hanging from a hook, gagged and drugged.

The man we surprised the guys with tonight, Spencer Gordon, is a serial rapist, out on bail for some unknown reason. We caught him as he was ready to skip town. June and I were afraid we wouldn't be able to do it on our own, since we only saw Leo and Blu drug people, but we made it work. It was actually easier than we thought—sneaking into his home and jabbing the needle in his throat while he was looking at something on his phone. The real bitch was getting the guy down the stairs of his third floor apartment. That took a lot of lifting, reminding me that I haven't been back to the gym in weeks.

Now Spencer is here, tied up, and waiting for Blu, Ivan, and Leo to do whatever they want. June and I decided to take a backseat and watch the three of them work.

"Surprise," I say, inclining my head to Spencer. "Ivan, you didn't get to have your retirement kill, so I figured you three would like to do it together."

Leo chuckles, kissing the top of my head. "You're perfect, kotenok."

Ivan says, "Thank you, kolibri. This is thoughtful."

Leo and Blu work together to pull the man off the hook and lay him on the stainless-steel table. Ivan takes some rope and ties the man down. These knots are different than what Leo taught me with Ian. They remind me of the knots I saw holding the man down when I walked in on Leo. It's funny how small things like that stick out in my mind.

When that's done, Leo and Blu step back as Ivan circles the table, looking at Spencer. "Blu," Ivan says, without looking up. "Have you ever peel off fingernail?"

Blu lets out a noise that sounds like a chuckle, but I can't really tell because his face doesn't move. "Never. I usually just get the kill out of the way."

Ivan tsks. "Torture is fun. Get a lot of information with torture. And it help release stress." Ivan finally looks up, making eye contact with me. "Wake him up."

I dig in the bag and pull out the smelling salts. I crack one and slide the small package under Spencer's nose. I step back when he snorts and sneezes. He tries to sit up, but the ropes Ivan tied hold him fast, and he can only lift his head. Spencer looks around frantically, his eyes landing on each of us before they lock on June, the least threatening of the five of us.

"What's this all about? Who are you people?"

Ivan leans his hip against the table, arms crossed. In this moment, he doesn't look like he's tired or in pain. He appears like he's in control and will fuck someone up. His eyes flash as they dance down the body of the man spread out on the table before he meets his gaze again. "We are death, suka."

Spencer trembles, pulling at the ropes. "Why are you doing this? I'm innocent. I didn't do shit."

"You're not innocent," June says coldly, showing me a side of him I haven't seen yet. His face is stern, and his voice takes on a deeper and more threatening quality that sends a shiver down my spine. I like it. "You raped five women. They'll never be the same again because of you. You deserve this."

Spencer's eyes bore into June, probably not seeing him as the weaker one after all. "Those bitches asked for it! They asked for it!"

Blu steps up to the man and punches him in the nose, making it explode and blood gush everywhere. The man cries out, pulling at his ropes. His fingers flex, like he wants to cover his nose. Too fucking bad, Ivan tied those ropes tight as fuck.

"You were saying something about fingernails?" Blu asks Ivan.

Ivan's eyes light up as he nods, reaching into the bag on the table and pulling out a pair of pliers. He grabs Spencer's hand and holds it still, even though Spencer fights against him. "You want to get good grip," Ivan explains, doing exactly what he's telling Blu, "and pull up. Most people think you pull nail out immediately, but that will only dislocate finger. A good cause of pain but not what we want. When you pull up," Ivan pulls up on Spencer's finger, making him scream and thrash on the table, "you twist at same time. Then, you have full fingernail." Ivan does the steps he outlined and shows Blu the fingernail he pulled off. There's more blood than I expect but not enough that Spencer will bleed out anytime soon.

Flicking the nail onto the table, Ivan turns the pliers over and hands them to Blu. "You try. It is easy."

Blu flashes a smile at Ivan, taking the pliers. Grasping Spencer's other hand—despite the screams and protests of the man—he places the pliers under the nail of the index finger and does what Ivan told him.

"Well done, nieto," Ivan says when Blu has the fingernail off. "It is not hard, see? Fingernail hard, but also brittle. Will come off with good technique. When I had target that had information, peeling fingernail is best way to extract information."

The man on the table sobs hard, his cries filling the space of the kitchen. None of us pay him any mind. He doesn't have our sympathy.

Reaching into the kill kit, Ivan pulls out a sharp fillet knife, places it against Spencer's leg, and slices. The skin splits apart easily, the red of his muscle showing prominently before the bleeding starts. It takes Spencer a few beats to realize he's even been cut—his screams cropping up three seconds after the wound is inflicted.

"Sharp blade," Ivan whispers before he looks up at Leo. "Do you remember how to flay?"

Leo smiles, his dimples popping, and I swoon, despite Leo smiling about cutting someone's skin off. But how his eyes light up and his smile is so genuine, it's hard to stop the thrill from traveling down my spine. "I remember. But I'd rather watch you work."

Ivan grins stiffly and nods. He slides on a new pair of gloves and grasps the man's thigh, right above where he sliced him. From there, he slides the knife into the wound and cuts only the skin in a long strip. Spencer screams so hard he blacks out. Ivan doesn't mind—he simply waits until he wakes up to get started again.

Over and over, Ivan slices off the man's skin, flaying him. Blood flows, and screams bounce off the walls. Ivan doesn't stop until the man shudders and stops breathing.

"I have not had man die of shock in many years," Ivan mutters, tossing the knife back into the kit. He looks over at me with a twinkle in his eyes. "Thank you for this, kolibri. And you too, June. Best retirement gift."

"You're welcome, Ivan." I walk over to him and give him a long hug, not worried about the blood getting on me.

Pulling back, I smiles at him once more before I jog outside to get the cleaning kits and our changes of clothes. June and I made sure to pack something for everyone to ride home in that isn't covered in blood.

Since there's four of us—Ivan having used most of his energy on the kill—we make quick work of cleaning and disposing of evidence. I pull out the tarp, and Leo and Blu roll Spencer into it. They hoist him up and carry him out to the SUV while Blu and I finish wiping up the blood from the table.

When we're finished and changed—Leo helping Ivan into fresh clothes—I grab Ivan under the arm and wrap my arm around his waist. I can tell he's proud, but I'm not sure he has any energy left in the tank to even get to the car. June takes his other side, smiling up at Ivan when their eyes meet. "Kolibri, lisica. I appreciate this gift. You two are perfect for my grandsons."

"Of course," June says, blushing at Ivan's words. I'm sure my face is flaming too. It means a lot that Ivan thinks we're good for Leo and Blu. It means he accepts us as family.

We make our way slowly to the exit, taking it easy for Ivan's sake. We make it outside, and Ivan climbs into the front seat under his own steam. June slides in the backseat with me and Leo, sighing when he leans against the headrest. "What a long day."

I nod in agreement, laying my head on Leo's chest. "But a good one."

"Yes," Ivan says sleepily from the front seat. "A very good day."