Deceitful Lies by Brook Wilder
Chapter 24
Andrei
“Yob tvoyu mat! I ought to put a bullet in your head for this!”
Viktor stands before me, hands behind his back and showing respect but no fear. Expressionless and unafraid, as if he’s already resigned to his fate.
Dmitri paces the length of the garage, his hands clenching and unclenching as Natasha looks on in silence. I sit on a straight chair at a metal table where we handcuff prisoners and make them talk by any means. The garage is dark except for one scorching light above Viktor’s head; the three of us eye him with hard hearts.
“The boy has dishonored us,” Dmitri says through gritted teeth, brandishing his gun at Viktor. “He was beaten by members of the Novikov Bratva. By that little shithead Gleb Novikov! Gleb fuck-mothering Novikov?”
“Why exactly did they jump you?” I demand sharply. “Were you on their territory?”
“No, they grabbed me and drove me to their bar,” Viktor answers without looking up from his shoes. “They stripped me and laughed at me for not having tattoos. They said I was nothing but a fake.”
“Why?”
“They didn’t say. They just grabbed me.”
“I can tell you’re lying to me. Do you think hiding the truth will make this easier for you?” My voice is full of contempt as I place my gun on the table.
He hesitates before speaking, unable or unwilling to meet my furious stare. “May I speak, Andrei Vasilyevich?”
“Look me in the eye if you want to speak.”
He lifts his gaze to meet mine, his expression hard like stone. “I want to be initiated so that I can right my wrong. So, I can reclaim the Bratva’s honor. And mine.”
I take a deep breath, suppressing my fury at the Novikovs’ insult. Viktor might’ve been their prey, but my authority was their true target. But why? Since when has the Novikovs grown a pair of balls to do something as audacious as this?
“You have no honor to redeem,” I tell him. “You are not a soldier.”
Viktor nods. “I want to show I deserve to be one, Andrei Vasilyevich.”
Dmitri taps the boy’s chest with his gun, and his voice is menacing. “You can do that by telling us the truth. Why did the Novikovs grab you?”
Viktor stands up straight, his lips pursed. He has accepted whatever fate now awaits him.
Natasha’s phone chimes, and the light from her device reflects in her eyes. She holds up her phone to indicate that she needs to take the call, and I nod, excusing her.
I turn my attention back on Viktor. A bead of sweat slowly rolls down the side of his face, and I cannot decide what to do with him. Should I march him out into the woods, making him dig his own grave with his bare hands? I stare hard at him, remembering when I was the same age and Vasily would use me for target practice. The bullets grazed my skin, and I bear the faint burn scars from each bullet to this day. But I never flinched. I will still never show weakness.
Paige suddenly bursts into the garage, her eyes wide with fear. “What’s going on?”
Her face is pale but beautiful. Her chest lifts with each breath as she stares at Dmitri’s gun pointed at Viktor, and she steps bravely in front of Viktor as his shield.
Dmitri’s expression shifts from rage to confusion. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here.”
Dmitri has continually argued to keep Paige in the dark, but I feel compelled to make a point. He decided on his own to include Sonya in the inner workings of the Bratva, and now, I will include my wife.
“My wife has the right to know what’s going on,” I reply coolly. “Do you remember the Novikovs? We met at their wedding. Viktor has dishonored me by being publicly shamed by them. And he refuses to tell me why they did that. For that, he must be punished. By death.”
The only indication that Paige is distraught are her trembling hands.
“Andrei, don’t do it,” Paige pleads. “Emma was missing. I thought she had gone back to our old home, and I was worried. I asked Viktor to go look for her, and then I swore him to secrecy.”
Maybe I wouldn’t have shot Viktor, but I would’ve sent him away. But Paige’s plea makes it easier to change my mind and spare the boy without losing a good recruit.
This meeting has proven that Viktor is made of sterner stuff than the recruits that usually come to us. If nothing else, it proves that he can keep both secrets and oaths. I can still use him.
“Thank my wife for sparing your life,” I say gruffly.
“Thank you, Paige Geraldovna,” Viktor mumbles.
She places a hand on his shoulder, guiding him toward the door. “Look after Emma—if you do that, you will be forgiven for anything else you’ve done wrong.”
Everything else? What is she talking about?
I dismiss him with a wave of my hand. “You can go.”
But Viktor returns to the metal table, refusing to go.
I give him a long, appraising look before finally saying, “What?”
“If I were initiated, I could protect Emma.”
“Protecting one girl is not enough,” I tell him. “If you wish to join our ranks, you must prove your strength to me by completing a special assignment.”
“Anything you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
“The Barinov Bratva values loyalty and courage above all else,” I reply, “So whatever challenge we set before you, you must meet it without question.”
“I will.” Viktor nods again. “Thank you for having faith in me. I won’t let you down, Andrei Vasilyevich. Ever.”
Natasha strides back into the garage as Viktor slips away. She is unfazed by Paige’s presence as she stands beside a fuming Dmitri. Paige walks over to a stool and collapses into it wearily. The strain of what happened is starting to wear her down.
“Everybody out,” I command. “Except my wife.”
I wait until Dmitri and Natasha have both left the garage before going to my wife. I kneel beside her, and she leans heavily against my chest. I wrap my arms around her trembling body and kiss her soft cheek.
“Andrei, you weren’t really going to shoot that boy,” she says. “He’s barely older than Emma.”
I respect her for being brave enough to show fear. “The Novikovs have been loyal to us until now. Even if provoked, they wouldn’t have done something like this. But now they’re getting defiant. If I don’t take action now, their rebellion may spark a mutiny.” I pull her closer, and my hand rests on her flat stomach.
“Will you go sort out the situation with the Novikovs?” Paige answers in a quiet, gentle voice, placing her hand over mine.
I give a quick nod. “Dmitri and Viktor will be with me.”
“Please be careful, Andrei.”
“Why didn’t you tell me Emma was missing?”
Paige moves off my shoulder and sits straight. “I assumed she had snuck into our father’s room.”
She’s not telling me the truth, but I don’t call her out. Something else must have happened, and I’ll get the details from Viktor.
“I want to be more useful. Perhaps look after things here in the house.” She pauses. “But I need something first. I want to talk to my father alone.”
“You should,” I reply as I help her to stand. “In the morning. But for now, let’s go to bed.” I press a kiss to Paige’s forehead and remind myself that I’ve done nothing to gain her trust.
She still sees me as a criminal, not the father of her child.
