Chapter 27 Dimitri
DIMITRI
The kitchen table is crowded with men and weapons and coffee cups that have gone cold.
Yuri sits at the head with maps spread out in front of him showing every Kozlov territory we know about.
Vadim and Fyodor are on either side studying the layouts while Lev takes notes on his phone.
I'm standing near the counter with my arms crossed watching Tatiana move around the room refilling drinks.
She's been on her feet for an hour despite my protests.
She should be resting, but she insisted on helping, so she's playing hostess while we plan a war.
And this time, she's not trembling at the facts she's overhearing like when she heard me tell the guys about Volodin the night after he was murdered.
Yuri taps a section of the map. "The Kozlovs, what's left of the Veche crew, and at least two smaller operations we haven't fully identified out of the Balkans have aligned against us.
" My brother has taken command of everything now that Tatiana is back in my home and out of harm's way. I can’t say I'm not glad to cede the leadership to him.
"How many men are we looking at total?" Vadim leans closer to examine the markings with narrowed eyes and a finger that glides over the waxed paper. Even I had no idea how large the alliance territory was. We're up against a formidable opponent by any right.
"Best estimate is around sixty to seventy." Yuri sits back. "Maybe more if they pull in outside help."
"We've got forty, not including Luka's people." Fyodor does quick math on his fingers. "But that still puts us at a disadvantage if they coordinate properly."
"They won't coordinate properly." Lev looks up from his phone.
"They're desperate and scrambling after we took out half their leadership at the church.
They'll make mistakes." My nephew is cocky, and cockiness gets you in trouble.
Tatiana glances at me, and I nod and smile at her in appreciation, then notice the sadness in her eyes.
She looks too thoughtful. I hate seeing how this weighs her down.
"We can't count on that." Yuri's voice is firm. "We need to assume they're smarter than they've been and plan accordingly."
Tatiana sets a fresh cup of coffee in front of Yuri, and he nods his thanks without looking up.
She moves to Vadim next, and I watch her wince slightly when she reaches across the table.
The movement pulls at her bandaged wound.
It's all scabbed over now, which probably makes it hurt worse. I can almost feel the pain for her.
"After slaughtering their men in that church, we've created an actual war.
" I push off the counter and walk over to the table to look down at the map—so many safehouses circled in red.
This is only what they've got here in St Petersburg.
There's more in Serbia and Romania. "They're not gonna back down now. This is survival for them."
"So we need to move fast." Fyodor traces a route on the map with his finger. "Hit 'em before they can organize a proper defense."
"Even with Luka on board, we might not win if we give 'em time to dig in." Yuri circles several locations with a pen. "These are their known strongholds. We'd need to hit all of them simultaneously to stop them from reinforcing each other."
"That spreads our forces thin." Vadim shakes his head. "We'd be vulnerable if even one location goes sideways. Besides, we'd have to coordinate an attack, and pulling their best men away to one location would be our only shot."
Tatiana finishes her rounds and sets the coffee pot back on the counter. She's been quiet this whole time, but I can see her mind working. I know that look. She's thinking about something.
"What about a setup?" she asks casually, and she turns to walk back to us with her arms crossed over her chest. Every man at the table turns to stare at her and the room goes completely silent.
It isn't often we even let a woman into these meetings.
Our women are our greatest weakness because if our enemies can leverage them against us, we fall.
Having her here is an anomaly, something no one intended.
Though instead of shooting her down, Yuri's eyebrows go up. "What kind of setup?"
"Tatiana." I cross the room and take her elbow. I don't want her getting involved. I've seen the nightmares torment her in her sleep. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"I was just asking a question." She doesn't move when I try to guide her away from the table. That stubborn expression is gonna get her in trouble one day.
"In the other room." I tighten my grip slightly. "Now."
She lets me lead her into the living room, but I can feel her tension. The second we're out of earshot, she yanks her arm free.
"What was that?" Her voice is quiet but angry.
"What was what?" I gesture with my arms, tossing them upward. "You're serving drinks, not participating in my strategy meetings."
"Why not?" She steps closer like she's challenging me. Her eyes search my face as she lets her shoulders relax. "I have ideas too."
"This isn't your world," I explain, letting the edge fall off my words. "These men have been doing this for decades. You don't just walk in and start making suggestions."
"So I'm supposed to stand there quietly and pour coffee?" Her eyes flash with anger, and I see what she's saying, but this is about keeping her safe, not controlling her or assigning value to her. "Is that all I'm good for?"
"I didn't say that." I run my hand through my hair. "But you're recovering from being kidnapped and nearly killed. You should be resting, not getting involved in planning a war."
"Those assholes took me," she says, louder now. "They killed Rurik and they wanted to use me as bait to murder you. And you think I'm just going to sit quietly while you plan how to deal with them?"
"Yes," I growl. "That's exactly what I think you're going to do. This is too dangerous and you're not trained for it." She's trying my patience. I don't like the idea of her getting involved and putting herself in harm's way again. I almost lost her once.
"I don't need training to have good ideas." She's right in my face now, pressing a finger into my chest. "And I'm not a child who needs to be protected from adult conversations."
"You're not a child, but you're also not a soldier." I match her intensity, though I keep my hands to myself. "So go back to the bedroom and let us handle this."
Her hand comes up, and I don’t try to block the blow as she smacks me right across the face. It's a well-placed strike and it sends her message.
"I'm not your object. I'm not some possession you get to order around and protect like a piece of property.
I'm your partner, and if you want me in your bed willingly, then I want equal access to this conversation.
" Her nostrils flare, her chest heaves, and I grit my teeth as I realize she's never backing down.
"I don't like it," I tell her, but her hand splays on my chest and she sighs.
"Dimitri, I know you want to keep me safe. But you can't lock me away every time things get dangerous. That's not how partnerships work."
I open my mouth to respond but nothing comes out. She's right, and I hate it.
"Do you want to hear my idea or not?" She crosses her arms and waits.
"Yes," we hear, and we both turn to see Yuri listening to us. "Let's hear it."
I'm still angry, but listening to her doesn't mean doing what she says. And until I hear her plan, I won't know if I can even think about going along with it. But if it humors her to have a listen, we can. I glower at her hopeful expression but nod my approval.
"The reason they want me is two-fold." She's already thought this through completely. "They want to use me to draw you out for an ambush. And they want me dead because I went to the police and I'm the only witness who can identify them. Right?"
"I know all that." I lean against the wall. "What's your point?" I'm so annoyed right now, I can't keep the negativity out of my tone as she turns to my brother.
"My point is we can use that against them." She brings her hand to her mouth and chews her nails. "What if we set up a meeting with the investigators? Make it public knowledge that I'm going to give another statement?"
"That would make you an even bigger target." I shake my head. "Absolutely not."
"Let me finish." She stops chewing her nails and faces me. "We let it slip through the casino staff. I can talk to my coworkers, make it seem like gossip. Word will get back to whoever their mole is, and the Kozlovs will know exactly where I'll be and when."
"You want to use yourself as bait?" Yuri asks.
"No. Not happening—" I snarl, but Tatiana interrupts me and talks over me.
"Do you have men on the police force? People you trust who wear the uniform?" Her eyebrows rise in expectation as Yuri answers her.
"Yes, a few."
"So it's not real investigators who will show up, then.
" Her eyes light up like she's solving a puzzle.
"It's your men dressed as police along with your inside guys.
And while the Kozlovs are focused on coming after me at this fake meeting—bringing their strongest men—you coordinate strategic attacks on all their known locations and territories at the same time. "
I stare at her while my mind processes what she's suggesting. It's actually brilliant. Divide their attention and their forces while we hit them everywhere at once. But it puts her right in the middle of the danger, and I won't do it. I can't lose her.
"It would allow us to take out as many enemies as we can in one coordinated strike," she continues when I don't respond. "They'll be scrambling to get to me and won't be properly defended anywhere else."
"No." I push off the wall. "I'm not using you as bait. End of discussion."
"Dimitri—" She starts to argue, but I cut her off.
"I said no." My voice is final. "Find another plan."
"No, Brother, this is the plan." Yuri's face is granite, his eyes locked on mine, and when he's made up his mind, there's no changing it. "And as Pakhan, I'm approving it."
"Yuri." I cross the room toward him. "You can't be serious."
"I'm completely serious." He looks past me at Tatiana. "It's brilliant, simple, effective, and it uses their own desperation against them." He's nodding as he turns to walk back toward the dining room where the others are waiting.
"But it puts her directly in the line of fire." I can't believe he's actually entertaining this idea when we almost lost her. "What if something goes wrong?"
"Then we make sure nothing goes wrong." Yuri keeps walking and gestures for us both to go with him. "We plan every detail. We have backup plans for the backup plans. But this is our best shot at ending this war quickly before they have time to regroup."
"There has to be another way." I'm grasping now and I know it. "Something that doesn't involve risking her life."
"There isn't." Yuri crosses his arms and turns around to face me. "And you know it. This is the cleanest option we have." My nephews are now gawking at us, Vadim staring with wide eyes at our sibling feud.
I turn back to look at Tatiana who's watching me with an expression of worry, but I think it's more about how mad I am at her now and not because of the danger she just volunteered for.
"I can do this," she says quietly. "I want to do this, Dimitri."
God, I want to smack her silly and shake some sense into her. She may want to do this, but it's just not safe.
"The decision's made." Yuri's tone makes it clear the discussion is over. "We'll coordinate with Luka and set the timeline for three days from now. That gives us time to plan and position our people."
"Three days." I repeat the words. "That's not much time."
"It's enough." Yuri heads back toward the kitchen. "Come on. We need to work out the details."
He disappears, and I'm left standing there with Tatiana. The stakes just got raised and I didn't see this coming at all. Putting her at risk again was never on the cards.
And there's nothing I can do to stop it because Yuri has made the call as Pakhan.
She wants revenge on the people who took her. And now she's going to get it.
I just hope it doesn't cost us both everything.