Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79087 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
I shook my head. This was a new feeling. We were the Volkov Bratva, yet we didn’t have any choice right now.
“How has it come to this?” I asked.
“Simple, the guy made his move, and put us in checkmate,” The Beast said. “Each piece we move puts us in the line of fire.”
I looked toward Ivan. He wasn’t disputing this.
“How did this happen?” I asked.
“Simple,” Ivan said. “I was unaware of Freya’s true identity. Harris knew what he was doing.”
“So, because you wanted your hands on the Harris empire, we’re now stuck, and my wife could end up dead,” I said.
“This wasn’t about the empire,” Ivan said.
“I doubt that.”
I never spoke to Ivan with anything but respect, however, right now, our hands were tied. I couldn’t stay on that damn island indefinitely. Moving her from territory to territory would come with risks. Keeping her locked up in my home had its risks.
Our solutions were limited and until Harris came out of the woodwork, which we fucking knew he wasn’t going to do, there were no other options. Freya’s life hung in the balance, and I couldn’t handle that. I couldn’t believe it.
According to Ivan, we had been married four months at this point. Three of those had been spent on the damn island. It was the perfect honeymoon vacation, only it hadn’t been.
“The Beast and The Butcher will be here,” Ivan said. “I will not leave your territory until I have everything figured out. I will find Harris, then all of this will be dealt with.”
“What about the two members of The Grid?” I asked. “I thought we had them?”
Ivan shook his head. “No, The Grid manipulated the data. They had nothing to do with it.”
“So, you’re saying they’re one step ahead of us?” I asked.
“It’s an organization that orders the contract kills of both innocent and guilty,” The Beast said. “It operates without any boundaries. There is no law controlling it. Harris is not the only member. There are multiple members.”
I run fingers through my hair, because none of this was helping. We were all stuck and we knew it. The chance of Freya making it out alive was slim. We could attempt to kill as many as we could, but more would keep coming.
“We can keep her alive,” Ivan said.
This made me shake my head. “How? With miracles?”
“You don’t believe in miracles?”
I rolled my eyes because right now, I was not in the mood for talking riddles. We had nothing, and I didn’t like those odds. Without another word, I stepped out of my office, headed down the corridor, and outside. I didn’t stop until I entered my shed. There, in the center, was the cabinet I had made for Freya. It had been a peace offering. One she had declined, seeing as I had set the precedent for gift giving. I thought about my quilt back at the island. I was going to cherish that quilt forever.
I wasn’t alone for long, as Ivan stepped into the room. Out of the whole Volkov Bratva, Ivan was the one I was closest to. The other Brigadiers were allies and friends, but it was Ivan I knew best.
“I know you’re not happy with this,” he said.
“What is there to be happy about?” I asked. “We’re tired. We’re up fucking shit creek with this.”
It was then I realized if I was struggling to get my shit together, then looking at Ivan, he was going to have a hard time dealing with this.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“Better than you it would seem.”
This made me laugh. “You’re used to being the one in control.”
“Don’t worry, I will still be calling the shots. I have encountered The Grid in the past, admittedly not for me, but I will handle it again.”
“How did you handle it before?” I asked.
“I did a deal.”
“I don’t think Harris is going to be doing deals,” I said.
“They are willing to do a couple of deals,” Ivan said.
I looked up at him. “What?”
“The Grid knows I want Freya removed. There are ways around it.”
“Pay it?” I asked.
“It’s not money they want. Trust me, if it was, I would pay it. I want to get to know my sister,” Ivan said.
“What deals do they want?” I wanted to know so I could help Ivan make the right decision.
“Either The Beast or The Butcher, or both,” Ivan said.
There was no way we were getting this done.
“What?”
“They are willing to take either of them, or both of them, and in return Freya will not be harmed at all. She would have total immunity.”
There was no way we could do that.
“What do they think?” I asked.
“The Butcher was willing,” Ivan said.
I knew from what Freya had told me, she and The Butcher were getting tight. They were becoming friends. I didn’t think it was the cleverest idea—my wife and a contract killer—but who was I to judge?