Fractured Ties by Bethany-Kris Page 0,11
a look at the goods before the animals ripped each other to shreds in their terror and instinctual natures. Laugh when they stuck their fingers through too-small cages, and then managed to pull them out just in time to save them from getting bitten off by a terrified dog.
Probably someone’s pet they’d stolen from a front yard. Likely starved, beaten, and terrorized until all the animal understood was survival.
And he was the monster.
Right.
“Are you deaf?” Kolya asked, turning on the stool to face Anatoly.
“What?”
“Glukhoy—deaf, you stupid fucker,” Kolya uttered before he pointed to the door. “What does that door lead to?”
Anatoly’s gaze narrowed, and he swore he saw the man’s hand twitch like it was going to come up and smack Kolya.
Try it, he wanted to say. Give me a fucking reason—I didn’t get enough to satisfy me with the first fucker today.
Anatoly stayed in his spot, and his hand never moved again. Smart, really.
Christ.
The guy was still working every nerve Kolya had left.
And that wasn’t very goddamn many.
“It leads to the offices,” Anatoly spat through his scowling lips. “Mind you, Ivan’s got hallways up there leading into everywhere else, too, and a couple of doors that’ll lead to the exits at the side of the building.”
Kolya didn’t want to bring Maya’s name up again. He didn’t want his brother looking at him in that way again, either—like he had grown a second fucking head.
All because he noticed and asked about a woman.
“She likely took off,” Anatoly added after a minute. “The woman isn’t fucking stupid, despite what her father likes to say about her.”
Kolya’s cheek twitched. “You think?”
He didn’t like that.
He didn’t want her gone.
“What?”
“That she took off,” Kolya muttered.
Konstantin was looking at him in that way again.
“You okay?”
“Fuck off, yes,” he told his brother. “Mind your own.”
Konstantin just nodded.
Asshole.
“If she’s smart, she did,” Anatoly replied, “but I know Ivan likes to keep her here sometimes, too. Maybe that’s why she was around tonight. Who fucking knows?”
Wait, what?
“Why?” Kolya asked, deathly still.
“I don’t know, comrade.”
Yes, he did.
Kolya could hear the lie. He didn’t think he would like the answer if he did get one, so Kolya chose not to force out whatever Anatoly was hiding.
At least, not yet.
And, fucking hell …
“I’m not your comrade,” Kolya said through thin lips.
Pushing off the stool, he jumped the bar with a quick leap. He headed for the door, and Kaz’s voice trailed behind him, as did Konstantin’s.
“It’s locked,” Kaz said.
“What do you want us to do?” Konstantin asked.
Locks never stopped me before.
“Clear the rest of the building, or make sure it is clear,” Kolya said.
“There’s animals—”
“We know about the fucking animals,” Konstantin barked at Anatoly. “Maybe I’ll get you to release them while we stay out of the way.”
Anatoly blanched.
Konstantin smiled.
“Just kill them,” Anatoly said quickly. “The mutts, and the rest.”
The rest?
Kolya had better things to do than ask what the fuck Anatoly meant.
“Keep me out of that mess, yes?” Kaz tossed Konstantin a look, adding, “I didn’t come to Chicago for any part of that. I’m not helping you dispose of animals.”
“We’re not doing that at all.”
“Then how are you going to handle that mess?” Anatoly asked.
Konstantin was now looking at Kolya and ignoring Anatoly altogether. “What are you doing?”
He heard his brother’s unspoken question.
Are you going to look for her?
Yes, and no.
Yes, he was going to look for her, as useless of an effort as that might be in the end, and despite the fact he didn’t have any particular reason why he felt like he needed to do that. Not to mention, he had zero clue about what he would do if he did find her.
What was he going to say—You caught my attention, but I don’t know why. Oh, and I killed your father because of business, but let’s ignore the last part, yeah?
Good fucking plan.
And no, he wasn’t telling Konstantin that was his intention.
“I need to find the deed for this place, or something valuable enough to hand over to Vadim for repayment of Ivan’s debts,” Kolya said. “I’ll come find you after.”
Then, he kicked the fucking door open.
• • •
“We’ve got a problem.”
Kolya shook his head and didn’t even bother to glance up from the papers he had pulled out of Ivan’s beaten and worn out filing cabinet. The guy did have a safe, but it wasn’t a very good one considering Kolya had been able to pry the goddamn thing open with a crowbar hidden under the desk.
“Are you even listening to me?” Konstantin asked.