Page 23 of Frozen Heart
I was standing on the top floor of a half-built tower block when it happened. The block was one of my pet projects, paid for by the tens of millions we’d made from our gambling operations, and I was grilling the foreman on why construction was behind.
Then Gennadiy stepped out of the elevator, followed by Valentin and Mikhail. The look in Gennadiy’s eyes was murderous. Valentin didn’t look much happier and even the always-upbeat Mikhail looked grim.
“Tell your crew to take a break,” I told the foreman, and he quickly cleared his people from the building. When I was sure we were alone, I turned to Gennadiy. “What’s up?”
Gennadiy pushed his phone under my nose. “This. This is what’s up.”
He played a video. Security camera footage, the outside of Borislav’s apartment building seen from across the street. There was me, head down, hurrying up to the front door and punching in the access code…
...my stomach lurched as Bronwyn raced up the steps, caught the door and followed me in.
I stayed silent and sweated it out. Maybe I could pretend she was a random civilian, some tenant who’d happened to walk in just after me. But the security footage kept playing. Bronwyn came charging out of the door and I chased after her.
“Our hacker deleted the footage from the buildings across the street like he was supposed to, but he was so worried by what he saw, he sent me a copy.What the fuck is this?”snarled Gennadiy.
I faced off against him, glaring. I was still hisPakhan,his boss. But Valentin got between us. “Please, brother. Tell us what this is so we can fix it.”
I sighed and the fight went out of me. They were only trying to protect me from myself. I ran a hand through my hair and told them about Bronwyn.
Gennadiy stared at me. “All this because you shoved your dick in some woman?”
“It’s not like that!” I snapped.
Gennadiy and Valentin looked at each other, worried. “Whatisit like?” asked Gennadiy.
I said nothing, fuming.
“Why was she following you?” Mikhail wanted to know.
“I think she was mad at me.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “After we fucked, I... left her there.”
“You justleft?” Mikhail raised his eyes to heaven. “Did I teach you boysnothingabout women?”
Valentin stepped forward. “Radimir, you say she saw you kill Borislav. She’s a witness.”
“She won’t go to the police,” I said firmly.
Gennadiy shook his head. “You don’t know that.”
“I do,” I told him. “I can control her.”
Mikhail sighed. “Radimir, she’s a woman. God himself couldn’t control her!”
Gennadiy waved his phone at me. “Thisvideo is gone, but what if there are other cameras we don’t know about? What if a passer-by saw the two of you? Even if she doesn’t go to the police, the police might come toher!”He paced, too angry to stay still. “She didn’t just witness a murder, she knows the biggest secret there is: that it was us who killed Borislav! Have you thought about what happens if one of the other families gets to her? How many people have seen you going into this bookstore of hers? How many have guessed that there’s something between you? What if they get hold of her to use as leverage against you? Will she hold her tongue when they’re pulling her fingernails out?”
I glared at him even though I knew he was right. I’d put her in danger the moment I let myself get close to her.
Gennadiy sighed and stared off into the distance. The view from up here, looking out across Chicago, was incredible, but I could tell he wasn’t seeing it. He was trying to control that ferocious temper of his so he could speak calmly. And when he spoke, I found out why.
“Brother,” he said gently, “she’s a witness. You know what you have to do.”
It took me a second because, despite all the lives I’d taken, my mind just hadn’t gone there. Not with Bronwyn. I drew in my breath. “No.”
“You don’t have a choice,” said Gennadiy, his voice still gentle.
“I’m not killing her,” I told him.
“You have to,” said Valentin quietly.