20. Rowan #3
I had expected some level of suspicion after the argument Ivan had with the other Pact members during their last meeting, but not this level of scrutiny.
Ivan’s proposal had been too bold for them to handle, that much had been obvious.
But I didn’t think it would look too ambitious for Malyshko to assign another Pact member to actively monitor Ivan’s movements.
Had it been before or after visiting Ivan when he returned home? Did he come to Ivan’s estate under the pretense of assessing the damage to his fellow Pact member, all while it was to actually see what kind of man emerged from an assassination attempt?
It would be a shame for you to also get caught up in the undercurrent.
The warning had not felt random even then.
Now I’m seeing it in an entirely different light.
“What exactly did Malyshko ask you to watch?” I ask.
Volkov’s mouth curves. Instead of answering me, he moves on.
“Imagine my surprise when his niece started sneaking out of the Kuznetsov estate to come visit some random squat apartment. Naturally, it caught my attention.” That smirk widens.
“I see I was right to investigate. Seems there are more players to this than I initially thought.”
“That isn’t answering my question.”
He laughs softly. “You really are Kuznetsov’s pet. Everything must be neat and categorized for you, hmm? Placed in the correct mental drawer or else you start going crazy. Sometimes I wonder if it is some kind of disease you all share over there.”
“It has kept him alive this long,” I counter.
He lets out another laugh. “I can admire the knife while criticizing the hand that holds it, Vasiliev.”
“Your beating up my father has nothing to do with the Pact,” Sofia snaps at him.
Volkov’s attention finally turns toward her. He takes her in slowly, his eyes roaming over her, studying her like she’s an interesting puzzle rather than an angry young woman showing him disrespect.
His voice loses a shade of its humor when he asks, “Is that so?”
I pull in a tight breath. “My Pakhan isn’t involved in any of this.
This is a personal matter. Nothing more than that.
If Malyshko is apprehensive about my Pakhan’s dealings outside of the Pact, he can take that up with him personally.
He will find that he has wasted his time, though.
There is nothing going on outside of regular syndicate duties. ”
Volkov watches me for a few seconds before chuckling quietly.
“Loyal to the bitter end,” he mutters under his breath. He lets out a dramatic sigh, his hand lifting to holster his weapon at his hip. “Sometimes, I find myself feeling quite envious that Kuznetsov managed to secure himself such a loyal pup.”
I fight the urge to glare at him.
He moves around me then, stepping back toward the entryway into the kitchen. Sofia quickly moves aside to let him through, darting over to me. I grab her arm and quickly pull her behind me, using my body as a shield between them both.
Amusement twinkles in Volkov’s eyes again. “Let me offer you a valuable piece of advice. Don’t follow someone into an unwinnable situation simply because of a shared history. No one but yourself will save you from death’s hand when it comes calling your name.”
He turns then and heads back down the short hallway, his footsteps growing distant as they reach the door. It opens without another word, the apartment falling quiet the moment the door shuts behind him.
Sofia pushes away from me and quickly crosses the kitchen. Her hands fumble with the rope as she fights to untie the knots.
I come back to her after retrieving my gun and help work the ropes apart. He winces as circulation returns to his wrists, coughing when the gag is pulled free from his mouth.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“I’ll live,” he says hoarsely. “I didn’t realize we were being watched closely. Things are moving faster than I thought. You need to be careful, Sofia. If the Pact is already involved…” His gaze flicks toward me briefly before settling back on her again. “Then we may be in over our heads.”
I spend the rest of the visit barely present.
I stand in the small apartment while Sofia speaks quietly with her father, answering questions, exchanging hurried reassurances, but the words pass over me like distant echoes. My mind replays Volkov’s warning instead.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until my entire body becomes numb.
Ivan’s plan is far closer to exposure than I ever imagined.
Before tonight, Ivan’s ambition had been a private concern, a fracture visible only to those in close proximity.
If the Pact moves against him, the fallout will not be contained to simple arguments within the war room at Nikolai’s compound.
It will become war inside the very alliance that has held Moscow’s underworld together for decades.
By the time we finally leave the apartment and drive back to the estate, my thoughts have spiraled deeper into possibilities I don’t want to face.
For the first time in my life, Ivan’s estate feels less like a sanctuary than a place I may have to bury those I love soon.