rally, as they’re known. He said at the end of the rally his son pledged something to the male standing on a raised stage. His father questioned him about it when he got home. But the next day his son had vanished. He hasn’t been seen since.” Zaal met all of our eyes and explained, “They believe he was recruited by these Wraiths, and taken away to work for them.”
“The Blood Pit,” I said knowingly.
Zaal nodded his head. “I think so. That and the gulags, and any other routes they run.”
“Shit,” my father said, speaking for us all. “Are they a threat to us?” my father asked. I whipped my head round to look directly at him. My father met my furious eyes and paled. “Luka—”
“They deserve to die, threat or not,” I said coldly, my hands almost snapping the wooden arms of the chair. “They fucking forced me to fight. They took my memories with their drugs and they raped me. Over and over again, for years.” I fought to breathe, then growled, “Threat or not, I get near them and I’ll tear them apart.”
I felt Zaal radiating fury on his seat and he added, “And whatever’s left will be mine.”
My father’s eyes widened and he flitted his worried gaze between me and Zaal. “Luka—”
“We’ve heard rumors that they intend to come to New York.” My blood went from warm to scalding hot in an instant as Kirill moved the conversation on.
“Coming to New York?” I questioned darkly.
Kirill shifted to rest his elbows on his desk and said, “To establish a gulag. The Georgian scum intend to bring a death-match ring to my city, on my turf, and they plan to do it under my nose.”
“They come and they’ll ignite a war,” my father said coolly, but as I looked to his face I could see he was anything but calm.
“Unless we kill them first,” I offered. Kirill smiled at me with his coldest smile and nodded his head.
“Unless we kill them first,” Kirill echoed.
The room fell silent again. Kirill leaned back on his seat. “We have found out that Abram Durov was being paid off by a Georgian organization. At the time of his death, it was assumed it was a private business, because it wasn’t attached to any crime family. Now”—Kirill’s sharp face darkened—“now we know that he was paid off by the Arzianis. Paid off to keep them from our knowledge.” Kirill faced me. “Kept close so when the day came he had an out for the things his psycho of a son did to this brotherhood.”
“Me,” I stated. “He kept them close so he could send me away after Alik killed Rodian.”
The Pakhan’s face was like stone, and he sat before me as Kirill “the Silencer” Volkov. This was the man who ran the most successful crime ring in the world.
“How do we find out more about them?” my father said. Zaal leaned forward and pointed to the door.
“He’s sitting around the dining table,” he said, and pulled all of our attention. Zaal’s jaw clenched and he said, “Valentin. He knows about the Night Wraiths. The Mistress was Arziani’s sister. Unlike me, the drugs only worked temporarily on him, so he watched them. Studied them. He remembers everything.”
“What do you mean, ‘remembers everything’?” Kirill asked. That glint of excitement was back in his eyes when anyone spoke of Valentin.
“Everything,” Zaal pushed. “Names, ages, maps, locations, number of men our enemies have, weapons they use, schedules—everything. It’s all so strange to me, but he remembers details about everything he has experienced, has happened, in his life.”
Kirill smiled and said, “An eidetic memory.” Kirill faced my father. “A trained killer and assassin, an expert in torture, and he remembers everything he sees and hears. Including the Arziani Blood Pit.”
“But more than that,” I added. All eyes fell on me. I sat back in my seat and said, “They have his sister. The Master, Arziani, has an obsession with Valentin’s sister. She’s on the drug they use for their sex slaves and trafficked females.” I stared at the door of the office, like I was looking straight at Valentin. “Valentin will do anything to get her back.”
“A vicious assassin who will do anything to get his sister back?” Kirill’s skin flushed with the prospect of having someone as lethal as Valentin as a member of our inner circle. Kirill faced Zaal. “How loyal is he to your sister? We need this man. If we bring him in without