Page 94 of Royal Deception
Lev cuts him a sharp look. “You should. Because men like Anatoly don’t go down easily. He needed a new plan to keep his hold on power.”
I feel a tension coil tight in my chest as Lev shifts uncomfortably under my stare.
He swallows hard, his gaze flicking to the door as though he’s weighing his options. After a long beat of silence, he leans in a little closer, his voice low but deliberate. “It’s not about brute force anymore. Not like before. Anatoly’s smarter than that now.” He pauses, eyes darting to Liam before he continues. “He’s planning to take everything from the Irish without firing a shot.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Explain.”
Lev looks uncomfortable as he shifts, running a hand through his messy hair. “Look, I don’t know all the details. I’m not one of Anatoly’s inner circle. All I know is that the whole thing started when Veridan came to you for help.”
I feel the anger rise up inside me. Volkov has always been an opportunistic snake.
“Anatoly was enraged that Veridan thought he could run to you for help, but he saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. He could destroy Veridan and his company and pull the rug out from under you at the same time.”
“What was his angle?” I ask. “Why go after our business? We had no idea Veridan was under Russian protection.”
Lev shrugs. “I’m not totally certain, but he had a meeting with Aleksey Mikhailov the day that you met with Senator Burns. At the same place. They heard you talking and they wouldn’t shut up about it.”
My hand clenches into a fist under the table. Fuckers.
“Aleksey and Anatoly were always going on about this being the perfect way to change things up for us. They saw that as the perfect opportunity to get the same foothold you have, the same legitimizing edge. Get the people to trust them, look like they’re going legit too, so they could expand and grow. It’s all a chess game to Anatoly.”
I feel the heat rise in my chest, my vision narrowing. This is more than just business. This is personal. Volkov wants what we have, and he’ll stop at nothing to take it.
“What else?” I ask, voice tight. Lev hesitates, then leans in closer.
“They’re planning on going even bigger, Rory. We weren’t planning on just stopping at a few business deals—Anatoly was looking to get into politics too. They planned to get Senator Burns out. Get him impeached and replaced with someone in his pockets. Someone he can control, who will make it easier for them to do whatever they want without anyone being able to touch them.”
I let the words sink in. Anatoly’s pulling all the strings. Business, politics… He’s going after everything, and if I don’t do something soon, he’ll destroy everything our family has worked for. He’ll burn this whole town to the fucking ground.
I slam my fist on the table, frustration and anger building in my chest. “He thinks he can just waltz in, make a power grab, and take everything from us?”
“There’s no way I’m letting that bastard come after us,” Kellan says, his voice tinged with rage. “He’s already come after my family once. I’m not letting him do it again. Not this time. Anatoly will pay for this.”
“Fuck the Russians,” Liam agrees. “Every last one of them is a rat bastard. They all need extermination.”
I hold a hand up. “We don’t need to go that far. We just need to hit him where it hurts. Anatoly has destroyed every last atom of goodwill I ever had for him with this move. We’re going to take him down.”
Lev flinches slightly, but he doesn’t speak up. He knows what’s at stake—but he also knows what I’m capable of.
“Are we done here, then?” he asks, wriggling in his seat like he would bolt at the chance.
Kellan and I exchange a look before I turn back to Lev.
“You know Anatoly better than we do. You know plenty about him. Things that could be useful in taking him down for good.”
“You’re not suggesting…” He trails off, not even wanting to say it.
I shoot him a hard look. “I am. You’re not off the hook, Lev. Not after what you did. We need a man on the inside, and guess what? You’re perfect for the job.”
Lev rubs his jaw, eyes darting to the door like he’s trying to figure a way out of this conversation. “You want me to go up against him?” His voice is quiet, laced with doubt, and I can’t blame him. He’s got no choice but to help, but it’s clear he doesn’t want to. “You know what he’ll do to me if this goes sideways, right?”
I lean in, my voice low but cold. “You think I care about that?” I shake my head and laugh. “You’re a piece of trash scumbag. Your only use in life is serving men more powerful than you, and guess what? Anatoly isn’t going to be the biggest kid on the block much longer.”
Lucky grins, leaning back in his seat. “Your boy is being investigated. RICO, Lev. Wake up and smell the arrest warrants. All the Feds need is the smoking gun, and we’re going to give it to them. We need documents, evidence that shows how deep his corruption goes. The stuff he’s been hiding.”
Lev’s eyes narrow, his hands clenched tightly. “And what do you expect me to do about it? Like you said, I’m just a low man on the ladder. I ain’t some high-ranker who’s got access to all that shit.”
I shake my head. “You’re going to get that intel for us, no matter what you need to do to get it.”
