Page 142 of Wicked Vows (Suvorov Bratva 2)

“And that’s just surface shit.” I cock the gun. “I have men who can follow you wherever you go. You’ll never see it coming. Your parents won’t either. Accidents happen all the time, especially in Central Park.”

His eyes are so wide that they look like they might be about to roll out of his skull.

“You visit the penguins every week,” I tell him. “It wouldn’t be unusual for you to get mugged and then stabbed. Happens all the fucking time.”

“All right, I did it,” he says while holding up his hands. “But she was missing, right? She needed help. I didn’t think—”

“She didn’t needshitfrom you, Bill.”

His lips tremble while his fingers shake. “I swear. I was just being a good guy. Willow, she was—I think she was getting into some trouble. I had to—”

“Had to what? Save her?” I sit back a little bit, relieving some of the pressure from his forehead. “You like her, don’t you?”

“She’s a nice girl. She deserves to have—” His eyes flick to Liya. He sits up a little bit. “You gotta understand. She was just getting mixed up. She’s a nice girl!”

“You didn’t help. You just made things worse.”

He shakes his head, his eyes still bulging as he looks at the gun in my hand. “What happens now?”

“You know too much,” I tell him.

I raise the gun.

“Pavel, wait!”Liya steps forward. “Stop!”

She grabs my arm like it’s going to do something.

But it’s too late.

A flash. A thunder. Smell of smoke.

And Bill’s head snaps back—violently and familiarly. Blood paints the walls.

But this time, Liya doesn’t scream.

***

The car is quiet, cooler than the humid heat swarming in the air on the sidewalk. I slide in after Liya and lean forward to tap Stepan’s shoulder.

“Tell Kostya we need a clean-up and containment done right away.”

“Yes, Pavel Sergeyevich.”

As he gets on the phone, I lean back and unbutton my blazer. My gun peeks out from its holster. Liya keeps staring at it like it’s going to bite her.

Then her eyes land on mine. “You had no right to do that.”

“He was a loose end.”

“He was trying to be a good person.”

I frown. “You would know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re being a monster.”

“Making the right choice doesn’t make me look good all the time, Liya.” I shake my head while turning away. “We couldn’t leave anything for the NYPD or Cardona to find. That guy is safer dead than he is alive.”

She scoffs. “So, it was a mercy killing?”

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