Chapter 10
N ikon checked his phone for the tenth time in an hour. Still no update from Stepan about Andrey’s movements. The last report placed his brother at one of Dmitrii’s nightclubs until three in the morning. Again. The second time this week.
His thumb hovered over Andrey’s contact. What would he even say? Hey, little brother, are you selling our family out to our enemy? The thought twisted something vital inside his gut. Nikon set the phone down with enough force to make his desk lamp tremble.
The evidence Nikon and Reuben had gathered now sat in a locked safe under the floor in a location that none of his brothers knew about. Shipping manifests. Surveillance photos. Bank transfers disguised as poker losses. All pointing to Andrey selling Matvei weapons to Dmitrii Miroslav.
Nikon’s office door swung open. Reuben didn’t bother knocking anymore. Why would he? They shared a bed, shared secrets. Shared everything. But now, Reuben stood in the doorway, phone in hand, expression carefully blank.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding all day.”
Nikon watched as Reuben’s eyes swept the office, cataloging details most would skip over. The empty coffee cups. The rumpled suit jacket hung over the chair. The security feeds pulled up on multiple monitors. The untouched food that his staff had sent up hours ago.
“You look like hell.” Reuben wandered in and perched on the edge of Nikon’s desk, close enough that Nikon could smell his cologne but not close enough to touch. The distance felt deliberate. “Hella handsome, but hell all the same.”
The corner of Nikon’s mouth twitched despite himself. Only Reuben could pull that reaction from him. “Long night.” Nikon’s gaze fixed on the monitors displaying the casino floor. Safer territory than Reuben’s searching eyes.
“I called Alexei. He said you canceled the family meeting.”
Nikon minimized the security feed. “It wasn’t the right time.”
Reuben’s fingers drummed against the polished table, inches from Nikon’s hand. “Are we going to talk about it?”
“About what?”
“Seriously?” Reuben leaned into Nikon’s line of sight, forcing eye contact. “We need to talk about Andrey. Or maybe talk about the fact that you’ve been sleeping in your office for the last two nights. Or how about why you haven’t told Grigorii or Alexei yet?”
Nikon’s jaw tightened. “It’s complicated.”
“So explain it to me.” Reuben’s voice softened, coaxing. “Help me understand why we’re sitting on something that could hurt your family.”
Nikon’s hands curled into fists. “Are you suddenly an expert on Matvei family politics?”
“No. But I am good at reading people. And right now you’re afraid.”
Nikon looked away. “What exactly do you think I’m afraid of?”
“That’s what I can’t figure out.” Reuben tilted his head, studying Nikon’s face. “You won’t talk to me. You’re shutting me out completely. Why? What aren’t you telling me?” His eyes narrowed suddenly, a flash of realization crossing his features. “Wait... you can’t possibly think Dmitrii got to me too.”
The accusation stood between them like a wall. Something that had never crossed Nikon’s mind until now suddenly crystallized into a terrible possibility. Reuben had given voice to a fear Nikon hadn’t even recognized within himself, and his stomach twisted as he considered it.
Nikon stared up at him for a long moment, searching his face for... what? Deception? Guilt? Some sign that the man he loved was playing him just as Dmitrii had played Andrey?
“Wow.” Reuben straightened, arms falling to his sides. “You actually think I had something to do with this?”
“I don’t know what to think.” Nikon stood, circling the desk.
Reuben’s eyes widened, his body going completely still. “ You sent me to scope out Dmitrii.”
“And you seemed to get very comfortable very quickly.”
Reuben’s lips parted, then pressed together in a thin line. His shoulders rose and fell with a controlled breath. When he spoke, his voice had gone flat, stripped of its usual warmth.
“I did my job. The job you gave me.” He took a step back, creating more distance between them. “I pretended to be interested in Dmitrii’s operation so I could gather intelligence. I let him flirt with me, touch me—” His voice cracked. “—all while reporting everything back to you. And now you think I’m what? Some kind of double agent?”
Nikon’s temples throbbed. He hadn’t slept more than three hours in almost as many days. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.” The confession scraped his throat raw. “My brother—” He stopped, unable to finish.
“Is selling Matvei weapons to our enemy.” Reuben completed the sentence for him. “And instead of dealing with it, you’re hiding in here wondering if I’m in on it, too.”
Nikon frowned. He looked at Reuben—at this man who’d somehow become as vital to him as breathing—and saw the hurt beneath his anger. Hurt that Nikon had put there with his doubt. But if Andrey could betray them all, after a lifetime of brotherhood...
The phone on Nikon’s desk chimed. Their argument froze mid-air. Both gazes dropped to the screen simultaneously. A text from Stepan.
Andrey heading to the nightclub again. D.M. already there.
When Reuben looked up, something had shattered behind his eyes. The vulnerability vanished, replaced by a mask Nikon recognized all too well. It was the same one he saw in his own mirror each morning. Armor sliding into place. Walls fortifying.
Just like that, they were back to business. The personal wounds would have to wait their turn to bleed.
“We set a trap with fake shipment details. We caught him red-handed. What more do you need?”
“I need to understand why .” Nikon moved to the window, staring out at the city below. “Andrey has everything. Money. Power. Why would he risk it all?”
“Maybe for the same reasons everyone else does. Greed. Resentment. Or maybe Dmitrii manipulated him. Found a weak spot and exploited it.”
“Like he tried to do with you.”
Reuben flinched as if Nikon had struck him. “Yes. Like he tried to do with me. The difference is, I didn’t fall for it.”
Nikon’s mind flashed back to Alexei’s warning at the last Matvei meeting: “Dmitrii doesn’t just take what’s yours. He moves pieces so subtly that by the time you realize you’re in check, you’ve already lost...” The very thing happening now. Dmitrii had gotten to Andrey somehow. But now it felt like he was trying to get to Nikon through Reuben.
A cold realization settled in Nikon’s gut. This would be exactly what Dmitrii wanted; the brothers fractured, suspicious of each other and those closest to them. Divide and conquer. The oldest strategy in warfare.
And Nikon was playing right into his hands. And yet...
“Didn’t you?” The words left Nikon’s mouth before he could stop them. “You came back from every meeting with him looking... I don’t know. Different.”
“Different how?”
“Excited.” Nikon turned to face him. “Like you enjoyed the game.”
Reuben’s laugh held no humor. “The game of pretending to be interested in a man who makes my skin crawl? Who talks about you like you’re some prize he lost? Who touches me every chance he gets?”
“You never mentioned that.” Something hot and sharp twisted in Nikon’s chest.
“I didn’t want to worry you.” Reuben raked a hand through his hair the way he always did when frustrated, a gesture Nikon had first noticed during that high-stakes poker game where they’d met. The night that had changed everything. “The only reason I could even stand being in the same room with him was knowing it was helping you .”
The phone chimed again. Another text from Stepan.
Unusual activity at south casino. Multiple SUVs circling block.
Reuben glanced at the message. “Maybe we should continue this conversation later.”
Nikon was already reaching for his jacket. Whatever was happening between them would have to wait. Business first. Always business first.
“I need to check this out.” He pulled his gun from the desk drawer, checking the magazine before tucking it into his shoulder holster.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No.” The response erupted from some primal part of Nikon’s brain before logic could intervene.
Reuben’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
Nikon’s jaw clenched. Every instinct screamed to lock Reuben away somewhere safe, somewhere Dmitrii’s men couldn’t touch him. The same instinct that had kept Reuben dealing cards instead of meeting with arms dealers. The same instinct that might have pushed Reuben straight into Dmitrii’s arms.
“It could be dangerous.” His voice roughened. “These aren’t poker players, Reuben.”
“All the more reason I should be there.” Reuben stepped closer, eyes flashing. “Unless you really do think I’m working with Dmitrii.”
The challenge hung between them. Trust me or don’t. There could be no middle ground.
“Fine.” Nikon grabbed his car keys. “But you stay behind me.”
“Always do.” Reuben’s mouth twitched. Not quite a smile.
They took the private elevator down to the garage, standing on opposite sides of the small space. The tension between them felt like a third presence in the elevator, heavy and suffocating.
A few moments later, the elevator doors slid open to the underground garage. Nikon’s Mercedes waited in its reserved spot, sleek and black and bulletproof. A necessity in their world, not a luxury.
He’d just reached for the door handle when his phone rang. Leo, head of security at the south casino.
“What’s wrong?” Nikon answered without preamble.
“We’ve got trouble, sir.” Leo’s voice was tight with tension. “Security cameras picked up two of Dmitrii’s lieutenants scouting the exterior. They’ve circled the building three times now. They shouldn’t know about this location.”
The implication was clear. That casino was one of their most discreet operations, housing one of the family’s largest cash reserves in its reinforced vault. Very few people outside the most trusted immediate family knew about the vault.
“Dmitrii.” Nikon growled the name, his grip tightening on the phone. “Andrey told them.”
“Sir?” Leo sounded confused. “I don’t understand...”
“Never mind. Is Alexei there?” Alexei would know exactly how much cash they stood to lose and what money laundering operations would be compromised if the reserves were stolen.
“No sir, but he’s been notified. He said he’s heading over now.”
“Good. We’ll need him to assess any potential damage to our financial network. Tell him I’ll meet him there in twenty.”
He hung up, finding Reuben watching him with those too-perceptive eyes.
“Let me guess. Dmitrii knows something else he shouldn’t.”
“Yes.” Nikon’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles white.
They drove without speaking. Nikon stared ahead at the empty road, the muscle in his jawline pulsing rhythmically beneath taut skin. How long had Andrey been feeding information to Dmitrii? What other vulnerabilities had he exposed?
They were five minutes from the casino when his phone rang again. Stepan.
“Sir, you need to turn around.”
Nikon immediately slowed the car. “What do you mean?”
“Dmitrii’s men are inside. At least six of them, armed.”
“I’ll call you back.” Nikon hung up, pulling the car into an empty lot a few blocks away from the casino.
The silence inside the car was deafening. He could feel Reuben’s eyes on him, waiting.
“Stepan says Dmitrii’s men are already inside.” Nikon kept his voice neutral.
Before Reuben could respond, Nikon’s phone buzzed again. This time, a text from Alexei.
Shots fired at the south entrance. Stay clear. Will call when secure.
“We need to move.” Nikon started the car, making a quick U-turn away from the casino. “Alexei says there’s gunfire.”
Reuben stiffened. “Shouldn’t we help?”
“We’re not running headfirst into a gunfight.” Nikon accelerated, taking a side street that would circle around to approach from the rear. “But we’re not leaving either.”
He drove to a delivery entrance he knew about, one that connected to an alley behind several businesses. It wasn’t on any official blueprints of the building.
“How do we get in?” Reuben asked as they parked.
“Service entrance. It’s how we move cash in and out.”
Nikon retrieved a second gun from under the seat, handing it to Reuben. Their fingers brushed in the exchange.
“Stay behind me. If I tell you to run, you run. No arguments.”
“I’m not leaving you.” Reuben checked the weapon, though not with the fluid confidence of someone born into this world. In the months since Nikon had started training him at the family’s private range, Reuben had progressed from the awkward handling of someone whose only experience had been with his father’s hunting rifles on childhood trips, to a cautious but growing competence. Enough that Nikon now trusted him with a weapon in situations like this.
Nikon hesitated, then reached across the space between them, pulling Reuben into a brief but fierce kiss.
“Stay close,” he murmured against Reuben’s lips before pulling back.
They exited the car in unison, and moved towards the service entrance cautiously, keeping to the shadows. Nikon punched in a code, and the door unlocked with a soft click.
The service corridor was empty, but he could hear commotion from the main floor. Shouting. The crash of furniture being overturned.
“This way.” He led Reuben through a maze of hallways, heading for the security room where they could assess the situation without exposing themselves.
They were halfway there when gunfire erupted, much closer than before.
Nikon’s hand shot out, fingers digging into Reuben’s shoulder. He jerked his chin toward a supply closet. “In. Now.”
Three heartbeats later, the door clicked shut behind them. The closet reeked of industrial cleaner and cigarettes. Nikon pressed his eye to the crack between door and frame.
Three silhouettes materialized around the corner. The tallest one stepped into a shaft of emergency lighting, illuminating a face Nikon had memorized from surveillance photos; Vasily, Dmitrii’s lieutenant. The same one who’d met with Andrey’s man at the warehouse.
Nikon’s finger tensed against the trigger of his gun. One shot. He could take Vasily out with one shot. But the noise would bring the others, and Reuben was too close, too exposed.
“I’m telling you, he’s here.” Vasily hissed to the others. “The back entrance was just used. It’s got to be Nikon. Find him.”
Nikon’s blood ran cold. How did they know about the service entrance? How did they know the code? Only family had that information.
Only family.
Beside him, Reuben’s breathing had gone shallow. He’d heard it too.
The men moved past their hiding spot, continuing down the hall. Nikon waited until their footsteps faded before turning to Reuben.
“They knew about the back entrance.”
Reuben’s eyes were wide in the low light. “Andrey told them. He must have.”
“I need to find Alexei.” Nikon checked the corridor before pulling Reuben out. “He was supposed to be waiting here.”
They moved swiftly through the back halls, avoiding the main casino floor where most of the commotion seemed to be centered. Rounding a corner, they nearly stumbled over a body sprawled across the corridor—Leo, one of the newer additions to Nikon’s security team. A bullet had torn through his throat, leaving a ragged exit wound. Blood pooled beneath him on the polished floor, his sightless eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Nikon paused just long enough to catalog the scene with clinical detachment before he stepped carefully around the body.
Reuben followed, his face grim in the emergency lighting.
The security room was just ahead when more gunfire erupted.
This time, it was much closer. The bullets hit the wall beside them, sending plaster dust into the air.
“Run!” Nikon shoved Reuben forward, turning to return fire.
He got off four shots, forcing their pursuers to take cover, before following Reuben around the corner. They sprinted for the security room, bullets pinging off the walls behind them.
Nikon punched in his code, yanking the door open and pulling Reuben inside. He slammed it shut just as more gunfire erupted in the hallway.
“Nikon!” Alexei was already there, blood streaking one side of his face. “What the hell is happening?”
“Are you hurt?” Nikon’s eyes fixed on the red trail running from Alexei’s temple.
Alexei waved him off. “I’m fine. Just caught some debris when they first came in. Not important right now.” Alexei slammed his fist against the security monitor, causing the image to flicker. More blood trickled down his temple, but he seemed oblivious to it. “Do you understand what this means?” His voice sharpened slightly at the edges, eyes narrowing as he spoke. “This isn’t just any location. The south casino handles our real estate cash... damn near all of it. Three years building the East-side shell companies...” His hands trembled as he pulled up the security feed showing the vault corridor. “If they compromise this, that entire business front collapses.” He turned to Nikon, eyes wide with disbelief. “How could they have known about this place?”
Alexei’s gaze flicked to Reuben, then back to Nikon. A silent question.
“It wasn’t him,” Nikon said firmly. “Reuben didn’t even know about the back entrance until tonight, when I brought him through it.” The certainty in his voice surprised even himself. The doubt that had plagued him from earlier was gone, replaced by a wave of self-recrimination.
Nikon’s gaze found Reuben across the room. How many times had Reuben proven himself? He’d seen the worst of the Matvei world and chosen to stay.
The man who’d entered Nikon’s life as a reluctant asset had become the only person he could trust completely. The irony wasn’t lost on him.
“It was Andrey,” Nikon continued to Alexei, his eyes hardening to glacial points.
“I know.” Alexei wiped blood from his eye with a sharp, agitated motion. He stared at the red smear on his hand for a long moment, as if the sight might somehow make sense of the incomprehensible.
“I caught one of Dmitrii’s men out there.” His voice sounded hollowed out. “Got him talking before he ran out of blood.”
The fresh bruises on his knuckles and the splatter pattern on his sleeve told the rest of the story—how Alexei, usually the most controlled of the brothers, had lost himself in the interrogation.
“He confirmed Andrey told them the codes.” Alexei’s fingers curled into a tight fist. “My own twin...” His voice faltered, then hardened. “I made him repeat it. Three times. I thought—” He stopped, jaw working soundlessly for a moment. “I didn’t want to believe it,” Alexei whispered, “but that bastard sold us out. And he knew exactly what he was giving away.”
“He’s been helping Dmitrii systematically dismantle us,” Nikon said, voice dangerously soft, cold rage hardening his expression. “Selling us out piece by piece.”
“Guys, we need to get out of here.” Reuben pointed to one of the monitors. More of Dmitrii’s men were entering through the main casino, at least five of them. “There are too many of them.”
“There’s a tunnel.” Alexei moved to a storage cabinet, pushing it aside to reveal a hidden door. “It leads to the building next door.”
The sound of gunfire was getting closer. They were running out of time.
“Go.” Nikon pushed Reuben toward the tunnel. “I’ll cover our retreat.”
“Like hell.” Reuben grabbed his arm. “We go together or not at all.”
The door to the security room shuddered as someone tried to force it open.
Nikon’s mind raced through scenarios; angles, exits, blind spots. Three of them against at least five of Dmitrii’s men. Bad odds, but not impossible.
His gaze locked with Alexei’s for a fraction of a second—a silent communication honed through years of operations together. His brother gave an almost imperceptible nod before turning to the door.
“Both of you go.” Alexei positioned himself by the door, gun raised. “I’ll hold them off.”
“Alexei—”
“Go.” His brother’s voice was steel. “I’ll be right behind you. I’ll create a diversion at the east entrance in exactly two minutes. Be ready.”
Nikon registered Alexei’s real meaning instantly: split their pursuers, improve the odds. Classic Matvei strategy, taught to them by Grigorii.
Nikon hesitated, torn between staying to fight and protecting Reuben.
The choice was made for him when the door burst open. Alexei opened fire immediately, driving the attackers back.
“NOW!” Alexei shouted over the gunfire.
Nikon grabbed Reuben’s hand, pulling him into the tunnel. They ran through the darkness, guided only by emergency lights spaced along the floor.
Behind them, the sounds of the gunfight faded, replaced by their pounding footsteps and ragged breathing.
They emerged into the basement of an adjacent office building. Empty. Silent. The emergency lights cast everything in a sickly green. Nikon led them up to street level, and the service exit yielded to his push.
Cold air slapped their faces. Sirens screamed two, maybe three blocks away.
“We need to move.” Nikon kept hold of Reuben’s hand as they hurried away from the building, sticking to the dark. “Police will be here soon.” They slipped between streetlights, moving against the flow of curious bystanders heading toward the commotion.
Red and blue flashing reflections danced across the wet pavement behind them as the two men hustled along, making it two blocks before finding an all-night convenience store.
Nikon pulled Reuben inside, both of them trying to look casual despite their disheveled appearance. “Are you hurt?” He scanned Reuben for injuries, a hand hovering just above his shoulder.
“No.” Reuben’s voice was steady, though his face was pale. “You?”
Nikon shook his head. Only then did he realize he was still gripping Reuben’s hand. He let go reluctantly.
“I need to check if Alexei made it out,” Nikon said, taking out his phone.
Reuben nodded, stepping away to give him privacy. He wandered down an aisle, pretending to browse while keeping watch out the store windows.
Nikon sent a quick text to Stepan, following security protocol. A minute later, his phone buzzed with a response. He read it, relief washing through him at the confirmation that Alexei had escaped through a different exit, though with some injury.
Nikon immediately called Stepan for more details. “How bad is Alexei hurt? Where is he?” he asked as soon as Stepan answered.
“Just a graze to the arm. He’s already bandaged up and moving,” Stepan replied. “Dmitrii’s men are retreating. Police are on scene now. We’ve accounted for all our people except you and Reuben.” He paused. “Leo didn’t make it. He’s the only one we lost.”
Nikon’s jaw tightened at the confirmation. “We’re safe. I’ll call you when we’re secure.”
Nikon hung up, finding Reuben watching him from across the store, a question in his eyes. He nodded once. Reuben’s shoulders eased slightly, though his expression remained somber.
The lone store clerk yawned behind the counter, more interested in his phone than the two disheveled men in his shop. Nikon casually adjusted his jacket to better conceal his holster, then grabbed a bottle of water from a nearby cooler. He gestured with his chin toward the back door, where a flickering exit sign promised a more discreet departure than the front entrance facing the main street.
Reuben understood immediately. He picked up a candy bar and approached the counter, paying with cash and making minimal eye contact with the clerk, who barely looked up from his screen as he made change.
They slipped out of the store’s rear entrance moments later, checking both directions before moving into the dark between the buildings. The distant wail of sirens punctuated the night, but seemed to be receding rather than approaching.
“Alexei got out,” Nikon said, checking his phone one final time.
Reuben leaned against the brick wall, finally allowing the adrenaline to subside. “That was close,” he said, his voice slightly unsteady. “Too close.”
“Yes.” Something had shifted in Nikon’s face. The conflict that had haunted him for the last couple of days hadn’t vanished entirely, but it had crystallized into something harder, colder. Necessity over sentiment.
Reuben straightened. “So what now?”
“We regroup.” Nikon’s hand briefly touched the holster beneath his jacket where his gun was already secured, his decision made. “And then we make Andrey pay for what he’s done.”