Page 196 of Ripped Veil (Ripped Bratva)

“I said goodbye to peace a long time ago, Matvei,” I grit. “I made my hell. Now I’m going to have to live in it.”

Matvei shakes his head. “Your problem is that you believe all that shit Vitya was spewing. None of it was true.”

I smile without a trace of warmth in it. “Thanks for the pardon but I don’t want it.”

“That’s your other problem.”

As Konstantin comes forward for my orders, I gesture towards Vitya. “Get him ready,” I instruct. “We’ll bury him this evening. I want to lay him to rest next to Aurora.”

“Yes, sir,” Konstantin replies.

I happen to own the piece of land that Aurora’s buried on which is why my men can organize the funeral on such short notice. There’s no need for priests or anything of the sort.

I’m not religious. Neither was Vitya nor Aurora. If there’s a God in this universe, he’s a sick fucking bastard and I’d never want to meet him. So all the pomp and circumstance can get fucked.

It’s all bullshit anyway. Just a simple coffin and Vitya will finally be able to sleep.

I head towards the front of the warehouse with Matvei close behind me. “This is the part where you explain to me how the fuck this happened,” I snarl.

Matvei shakes his head, still in shock and disbelief. “He appeared out of nowhere,” he admits. “Just walked into the warehouse off the street.”

“Someone dropped him off,” I infer.

He nods. “The men are scouring the surrounding area and reviewing the security footage as we speak. There’s no sign of anyone.”

“So they dumped him near here and hit the road?”

“Seems like it.”

“But they knew enough to stay out of range of cameras and security patrol.”

“Correct.”

“Sakamoto is dead,” I grimace. “Which means we’re dealing with someone else entirely.”

“Ozol?” Matvei ponders.

I shake my head. “That fucker would never concern himself with petty, mind-fuck shit like this. This is a trivial play. Ozol only concerns himself with big stakes.”

“Or maybe he’s playing the long game.”

“Our intel puts him in Europe at the moment,” I remind Matvei.

“Our intel could be wrong. Besides, Ozol is one slippery motherfucker. Maybe he just wants us to believe that’s where he is.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “I feel it in my gut. This isn’t Ozol we’re dealing with.”

I don’t have a good reason for my stance. I just know that my instincts are telling me something totally different. And in this business, you either trust your instincts or you won’t live long enough to regret it.

I get into my car as Matvei heads for the passenger seat. I’ve just started the engine when my phone buzzes in my pocket to remind me of a notification. Only then do I realize that I have a missed call from Gunther. He’s the head of my home security detail. I chose him for the job specifically because he doesn’t talk, doesn’t call, doesn’t ever bother me.

“What’s wrong?” Matvei asks, reading my expression.

“I have a feeling I’m about to find out.”

I return Gunther’s call. He picks up almost immediately. “Boss?”

“What happened?” I snap impatiently.

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