up my nostrils. He clearly wasn’t expecting me—yet another insult heaped on top of the sins he’s already committed. Despite the thirteen guns pointed in his direction, Oleg watches me with calm, steady eyes, still puffing on his cigar.
“Diego,” he murmurs, raising an eyebrow. “You should be at home resting. I heard about the injury you sustained, and was grieved to know how close you came to death. Galina wanted to look in on you, but I thought it best to wait until you had more time to recuperate.” He pauses, narrowing his eyes and taking in the cluster of my men waiting for the order to riddle him with bullet holes. “What’s this, moy syn?”
“I’m not your son!” I bellow, pointing my gun directly at his chest. “You’ve proven that you have no principles and no loyalty. But your friends made one crucial mistake. They should have killed me.”
Oleg puts his cigar out in the ashtray with a sigh and then folds his arms over his chest. “You think I had something to do with the attack. Forgive me if I am confused, but I was made to understand that the Armenians acted alone. Have you forgotten that several of my own bratva were gunned down as well?”
“Pawns,” I grit out from between clenched teeth. “Sacrificed for the sake of your revenge against me.”
Oleg takes a few slow steps toward me, and the echo of several guns cocking in response fills the room. He holds both hands up to show he isn’t a threat. “What reason would I have to seek revenge? I thought we were family, Diego, though I am starting to rethink my position now that I’m standing here with all your guns fixed on me.”
“Don’t play this fucking game with me, Oleg!” I roar, so close to pulling the trigger it’s uncanny. I’m angrier over the deaths of my men and the prospect of Elena being made a widow than anything else. Just the thought of her unprotected and alone in the world boils my blood, and this motherfucker would have been the cause. “I want to hear you say it. Tell me how pissed off you were that I didn’t choose Nataly. Tell me that an alliance with Arman Sargzyan was attractive enough for you to mow me down to get it!”
Oleg comes boldly closer … so close that his chest presses against the muzzle of my .45. For the first time in years, I get a glimpse of the ruthless monster hiding behind his refined demeanor. His blue eyes turn into ice chips, and a vein in his forehead pulses so hard it might blow any second.
“Out of respect for you, and the love I had for your parents, I have tolerated your accusations. But I’ve had enough. Arman Sargzyan is a shitstain on the world and a double-crossing svoloch’. The suggestion that I would ever …” he’s so worked up he can’t even think up the right words in English. He turns his head and spits, muttering, “Blyat.”
My confidence falters as he goes on cursing in Russian, his face reddening and his hands clenching into fists. I’ve known Oleg my entire life and have never caught him in an outright lie. He’s a ruthless bastard, but a straightforward one. It’s why I found it so hard to believe he could behind this. But … my gatita isn’t a liar either.
“Elena told me she overheard Viktor talking to someone over the phone,” I say, keeping my pistol pressed against his heart. “In Armenian! Arman was mentioned by name.”
Oleg’s anger melts away into shock. “Impossible.”
My nostrils flare with indignation. “You calling my wife a liar?”
“No, but I know my son.”
“Do you? Where was he the night of the shipment?”
He blinks, looking at me like I’m speaking ancient Greek. “What the fuck do you mean? He was with you! I sent him with the other soldiers to guard the guard the docks.”
I lower my pistol, realizing we’ve both been played. “I don’t know if any of your men told you, but Viktor wasn’t there. If I had to guess, I’d say he made himself scarce to avoid the crossfire. Your son is a traitor.”
Oleg sinks into his armchair. Lowering his head into his hands, he lets out a pained sigh and shakes his head. I narrow my eyes and watch him, trying to decide whether I’m witnessing a master actor at work, or a grieving father. If Viktor really was behind the attack, then Oleg knows