Page 142 of Toxic Salvation
What a difference a few weeks make.
I check my phone and find one text message from Osip.
OSIP:ETA 5 minutes.
Pavel positions himself by the door. I give him a brief nod and stand. The room falls silent. A few of the men look nervous. Some look intrigued. All of them look curious as hell.
“It shouldn’t surprise any of you that we’re here to discuss a problem that requires immediate action.”
A murmur ripples through the group.
“Ihor had every single one of you by the balls. He was controlling you, using your weaknesses against you. It’s what he does best. That ends today.”
“We’re taking Ihor down?” one of them asks.
I nod. “It’s the only way to stop him and protect yourselves and your families.”
The enthusiasm I’m expecting doesn’t materialize. The men look shell-shocked, not confident.
“He still has support, boss,” one of the men speaks up. “He’s surrounded by security, personal bodyguards, the works. There’s no way we can get close to the bastard.”
“Why shouldn’t we be able to?” I ask. “Every man here has pledged his loyalty to me, but as far as Ihor and the outside world know, you still work for him. You’re still his men.”
The men exchange glances. There’s apprehension in every raised eyebrow and tight jaw.
“We can use that to our advantage. He still thinks you’re loyal to him?—”
“That doesn’t mean he trusts us, Kovan. He doesn’t trust anyone.”
“That’s not entirely true,” I counter. “There is one man he trusts above all others.”
“Denis,” someone offers.
“That’s right. Denis Volkov.”
“Denis is a lost cause, Kovan,” one of them argues. “He’s never going to betray Ihor. The man’s been loyal for fifteen years.”
I check my phone again, a smile creeping across my face. “If there’s one thing I love doing, it’s proving people wrong. Pavel, if you would…?”
He opens the office door and Denis walks in, looking miserable. The other men automatically inch away from him as he approaches my desk, his expression completely neutral.
“Imagine my surprise,” Denis says, his tone flat, “to be grabbed in the restroom of my favorite bar and summoned before you like some common criminal.”
“I’m guessing Osip already made you my offer,” I say.
“He did,” Denis snaps. “And I don’t believe him. Or you, for that matter.”
I smile. “I’m sure you know everyone here.” I gesture toward the men gathered around my desk. “You all have one person in common.”
Denis turns and looks eachvorin the eye. “Some would call these men traitors.”
There’s a hiss from the corner. “You’re here, too, Denis,” someone calls out.
“Maybe I’m here toidentifythe traitors,” he says coldly.
“Or maybe,” I suggest, “you’re here to see if I’m going to keep my end of the deal and save your wives and daughters.”
Denis’s jaw tightens. “How do I know you even have them?”
