Page 141 of Emerald Vices
That’s all I need.
Keep them talking, that wink says. Keep them distracted.
Keep them here until Andrey can find us.
“You’re after the wrong man, Nikolai,” I tell him, raising my voice as Misha’s shadow creeps out of sight.
Nikolai sighs. “You believed whatever bullshit story he fed you, I see. You’re an easy mark.”
“You told me that this whole war started because Andrey turned your parents in, but you chose to believe the wrong Kuznetsov.”
Nikolai’s gaze drifts to Viktor, lazy, uncaring. “What do you have to say about that, eh?”
But Viktor doesn’t look capable of thinking on his own anymore. He barely looks capable of standing on his own.
“Speak, mudak!” Nikolai spits.
Viktor jolts. “She’s lying. Sh…she’s lying.”
From the corner of my eye, I see dust being kicked up in the distance. Someone is approaching, but they’re being quiet about it.
“Slavik fed you a convincing story and you believed him,” I continue, suppressing the urge to look towards the door every few seconds. “He was the one who turned your parents in to the FBI. He was the one who gave the cops all the evidence they needed to try your parents.”
Nikolai’s smile drops. “Why would he do that and then run?”
“He wasn’t trying to leave his son a legacy. He wanted Andrey to fail. He wanted to blow up the Kuznetsov Bratva and re-create it elsewhere. He never meant for Andrey to rebuild what he’d destroyed.”
I’m grasping at straws here, pulling words out of thin air to weave a believable story. But the more I talk, the more it makes sense to me.
Something seems to be making sense to Nikolai, too.
“Tell him, Viktor,” I demand. “Tell him it’s true.”
Viktor’s jaw drops. “I… I…”
“Fucking SPEAK!” Nikolai bellows again, causing Grigory to hurl his fists in the air and scream with terror.
Instinctively, I move towards the crate, but Nikolai points his gun right at me. “Stay where you are!”
I’m forced to stand and watch helplessly as my baby cries. But so long as that gun is pointed at me, it’s not aimed at Grigory.
Slowly, however, Nikolai turns. The muzzle of the gun slides from me… to Viktor. “Is she telling the truth?”
Viktor cowers from the gun, his eyes darting from side to side. “I… My father didn’t tell?—”
Nikolai shoots into the floor an inch from Viktor’s boot. Viktor lets out a startled yelp and collapses against the wall, gibbering in fear. Grigory shrieks even louder. I risk moving another inch towards the crate. At least now, I can see my baby’s pink, distressed face.
“Give me answers or I’ll blow your useless fucking brains right out of your head. You have five seconds to tell me the truth.” Nikolai threatens. “One. Two. Three?—”
“It was him!” Viktor cries, spit flying from his mouth. His eyes stay fastened on the gun. “It was Slavik who ratted your parents out to the FBI!”
Nikolai’s lips pull back in a dangerous jeer. “He was using me to get rid of Andrey.”
“H-he respects you?—”
Viktor tries to salvage this, but Nikolai isn’t hearing it. “I’ve had enough of your lies. It appears that’s all a Kuznetsov is good for: lies and fuel for my fires.”
Nikolai pulls the trigger without warning.