Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 45957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Igor looked up at him, and with the most serious look on his face, he knocked on the open door. I rolled my lips into my mouth to keep from laughing, but Ivan didn’t care as much and snickered. James sighed and closed his eyes, clearly too tired and in too much pain to deal with the disrespect.
Igor handed Ivan his tablet. “I managed to track it. It’s a general location since it’s a burner, but it’s better than nothing. I couldn’t narrow it down any further.”
Immediately, I moved closer, peering over Ivan’s shoulder at the map. According to the map, Boris and Ninel were in the US—in Brookyln, to be exact. No doubt, they’d had eyes on Crane’s mother, and if I had to guess correctly, I’d bet money they’d been stalking Crane for months before deciding to reach out to him. How else would Boris know to use his mother against him?
“Where?” James growled, obviously frustrated at being out of the loop.
“Brookyln,” I told him as Ivan handed Igor his tablet back. Crossing my arms over my chest, I faced James again. “Boris used Crane against you. Crane’s the one who tried to take you out. He thought if he dismantled us first, he could get to Ivan easier. Don’t know why he thought that, but that’s his game plan.”
“How did he get his claws into Crane?” James snapped. “He’s always been loyal.”
“His mother,” Ivan answered. “He used Crane’s weak link, and instead of going to your family, he turned against it.” James reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Crane has been dealt with and will no longer be a problem. I suggest having Jaxon do a sweep of your security guards and getting rid of the ones you can’t prove are one hundred percent loyal.”
James just nodded, his face too pale for my comfort. “We’re going to find Boris and Ninel,” I promised him. “And I’m going to wipe them off the face of the fucking earth, James. They’re going to pay for what they’ve done to you and what they’ve done to our family.”
“I know,” James rasped. “That’s why, despite your hatred of Ivan, I trusted you with this.” He looked up at me, a knowing look in his tired eyes. “I’ve always known who you are, Adrian. I just let you keep your secret. And I knew if anyone could help you, it was him. You were fighting it so goddamn hard, it was damn near killing you.”
I swallowed thickly, suddenly feeling flayed open and exposed. “You know?”
James nodded. “You’re my brother in every sense of the word but blood, Adrian. I’d wager to say I even know you better than Darren.” His eyes flickered between me and Ivan before settling on me again. “Take them out, Adrian. And use them as a message to anyone else who even thinks they can fuck with our family. They’ll see what happens to those who do.”
I nodded once. “Understood.”
With that, I turned on my heel and headed out of the room, Ivan silently following behind me.
23
Adrian
Igor lifted his hand and tapped Mark’s shoulder. Mark shot him an annoyed look, but Igor either didn’t notice or just pointedly ignored it. “Stop up ahead,” he told him. “We’re close to the general location, and I don’t want to spook them by pulling up in an expensive car like this one.”
Ivan looked at me. “You ready?”
“More than fucking ready,” I assured him. “You handling this one, or am I?”
Ivan looked out the window, like he was contemplating what he wanted to do. Finally, he turned his head back around to face me. “Let me handle getting them to talk. You can have the kill.”
“You sure?” I asked him. “Last you said, you wanted the kill.”
He shook his head. “That was before they shot James and almost killed him. This is your kill, kotik.”
Mark pulled over to the curb, and Ivan and I climbed out. Igor rolled down his window and looked up at us. “He’s somewhere in this general area. Best I can tell you to do is discreetly ask around and see if anyone has recognized them. Wherever they’re holed up at, one of them has had to go out at some point to get food and other shit. At least toilet paper. Got to wipe your ass somehow. Just plain nasty if you’re not wiping your ass.”
I laughed as I scanned the buildings around me. Igor rolled up his window, hidden behind the tint once more. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I slowly tracked my gaze over each and every building. Ivan did the same, his shoulder pressing to mine.
“If I was trying to lay low and blend in with the locals in this area, I’d stay somewhere cheaper. Live below my means. Boris and Ninel have money, right?”