Page 151 of Twilight Tears
“I’ll go first,” I offer. “Pavel knows I’m in the building. If he or his men see me, it won’t blow anything.”
“We made a deal,” Dima growls. “Pavel is mine. I get to kill him. If he’s down there waiting to jump one of us, I want it to be me.”
“If he jumps me, I won’t kill him. I’ll hold him for you until?—”
“Either I go first or I leave.” His voice is firm, but his expression softens. “I hate giving an ultimatum when one of the options isn’t death, but that’s where I stand. I like you, Yakov, but I’m not helping you for nothing. I will make that kill shot.”
“It might be a trap.”
He shrugs. “All the more reason for me to go first. I don’t have a fiancée pregnant with twins upstairs.”
I could tell Dima to fuck off. I needed his help to lure Pavel out, but I don’t need his help to kill him. Ending our deal now could be the smart move. It’s not like I have the best track record with trusting people—I left Luna with a homicidal doctor just a few hours ago.
But Dima and I have come this far together. When this is all said and done, I’d like him to remain an ally.
“Fine. Go,” I growl. “I’ll see you in three minutes.”
Dima grins, almost giddy, and saunters towards the stairwell.
Three minutes crawl by like molasses before I follow Dima’s path to the stairs. The stairwell is silent. There’s no gunfire or shouting coming from the lower levels. It could be a good sign. It could also be a sign that Dima is partnering with Pavel. They could be waiting for me just behind the door.
I have my gun ready as I slowly turn the handle and pull the door open.
As I do, a body falls at my feet. I jump back, gun aimed at the man. Then I notice that his eyes are closed and his neck is bent at a sickening angle.
“I had to lean that one against the door so I could grab the other one,” Dima whispers. He’s in the middle of the hallway, dragging another limp body my way. “Hold the door for me, will you?”
He drags both corpses into the stairwell and we stash them in the alcove beneath the stairs.
“Guards,” he explains, wiping his hands on his pants. “They were stationed outside of the morgue. I didn’t stop to chat, but I think they’re with the Gustev Bratva. I’m operating under the assumption Pavel is inside.”
“They didn’t raise the alarm?”
“There wasn’t time. I bashed their fucking heads together. Knocked them both out so I could take them out one at a time.” Dima chuckles. “That’s what Pavel gets for sacrificing all of his men to our raids. He’s left with a bunch of know-nothing recruits.”
I look Dima over, trying to decide if there’s any way this could still be a trap. Pavel has been willing to sacrifice his men so far. He could have offered up two more to make me trust Dima, just so I’d walk into the morgue confident Dima is on my side.
Dima arches a brow. “Well? Are we doing this fucking thing or not?”
“The rest of the hallway is clear?”
“These are the only two men I saw,” he says with a shrug. “I haven’t heard anything from my men stationed outside the hospital. Have you?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. Looks like Pavel came with a small team today.”
Dima grins. “Because he wasn’t expecting me.”
I can trust him. I make that decision here and now. The only way to go into a fight like this is with full trust that the person next to you has your back. If I walk in that room unsure if Dima is on my side, I could get us both killed.
The only person dying today is Pavel.
So I hold open the door and usher Dima through. He stops in the doorway. “Pavel is mine.”
“Say it again and I’ll kill him just to spite you,” I snap. “I’m a man of my word, Dima.”
Dima chuckles. “Just reminding you.”
He moves quietly towards the morgue. By the time we’re outside the door, his smile is gone and his jaw is set.