Page 64 of Destroyer

"Well, we're all waiting on the little brat to tell us what to do next but haven't heard anything from him since his call to put the plan in place."

"He's safe. But we need to know what is going on."

"How did the little shit describe it? Seven games of chess, three of poker and chuck the chequers."

"I don't understand." There is no way on this earth that Nico set this up.

Gregory looks down at his feet. "So, don't panic or nothing. I thought the kid was with you and your call was the next step in the plan."

"What plan?"

"I thought this was the chosen location. Off Edward's grid, as it were."

"Tell me." I jump before, waving Nico's gun at him. "I mean us."

"Nico had a safehouse planned. I thought this was it. Everyone is being brought here."

"Elaborate oneveryone."

"Balan Jr, my brother, Piotr. Knox. They're all coming here."

"What does that mean?" I frown.

"You're going to need more chairs." Gregory shrugs.

I am over my head. This isn’t my fight.

Knox gets to yell at Gregory. I get to set up ready for extra guests.

There are side rooms which can double as meeting rooms when we don't need anything fancy. This side of Knox's life is kept completely separate from the family stuff. But if chairs are what they want, chairs they get. A large van turns up outside and Russian voices start yelling. All these Russians are huge, making short work of dragging bound victims in. It's hard to tell who they are, each man has a black sack over their heads and their hands bound behind their backs.

"These three are the dead guys." One of the Russians points to three bound men.

"Dead guys?" Does this mean Zane Whitehall and the others aren't dead? That fact feels a little more like something Nico could plan.

The man speaking English walks over and offers Knox his hand. I recognise the man from the club, and inwardly shudder.

"Where do you want the dead men?" Piotr's eyes catch mine and I feel myself blush.

"There is a meeting room over there." I direct. Piotr stays with Knox as I lead the way with the other Russians and the three bound men are abandoned inside the side room.

The remaining bound men are Gregory's brother and Balen's son. Their masks are removed by the time I get back.

"Now is time to talk?" Piotr questions.

"You speak English, svin'ya?" The Romanian spits.

"Better than you, e?ti prost de," Piotr bites back

"Lovely, let's all sit down and talk this over." Knox sits on one of the four chairs; Gregory's brother, Kaulin sits opposite him. The two foreigners get the remaining seats, one more willing than the other.

"OK, little boy of the bratty plan not here?"

"Nico?" I question, making a point to stand near the only other man unbound at the meeting.

"Imagine for me, how I am talking to my men about the coo of tiny feral Romanian. Just a boy, plan as wild as his hair. They are not so convinced, until he show up, in my club. Sat the night under my feet as I sweat it over. That did convince both my men, to this they agree."

Was Nico playing me in the club? He played his game so perfectly, but he wasn't spying on the Russian, he was playing us all for fools.

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