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and drawn, Grisha looked as if he'd been on a week-long meth bender. He
absentmindedly scratched at one of the weeping sores on his neck. "You always were a
greedy fucker, Nikolai."
Hoping to shield Santos, Nikolai slowly edged around the poor man who still dangled
from one leg. "I seem to remember you were always the one skimming more than your
fair share and dipping into the product."
"Eh, a man's got to eat." Grisha's eyes narrowed to slits. "We aren't all lucky enough to
be born as Maksim Prokhorov's son."
Nikolai tried to decide if he could grab his pistol fast enough. The spray from that
shotgun would blast them both even if he managed to get off a round. "How long have
you known?"
"About your daddy? Not long," Grisha admitted. "I'd always wondered why he sent
you here when the rumors started."
"Rumors you started," he interjected.
"Of course," Grisha confirmed with an acid laugh. "Drop the gun that's behind your
back. Slowly," he added. "I'd hate to have to kill before I've had my fun."
Nikolai kept his knife hidden behind his back but grasped the pistol from his
waistband and tossed it over as he ordered. He decided to keep Grisha talking. "Why did
you start those rumors?"
"I saw the way you were coming up behind me." Grista kicked aside the weapon. "You
were so hungry to prove yourself. You and that fucking gorilla Ivan. I knew it was only a
matter of time before you two replaced me." Grisha's face contorted with anger. "Maksim
would have killed anyone else over those rumors but not you. No, he gave you this
place."
"And that just pissed you off even more," Nikolai rightly guessed.
"This should have been mine. This whole new world of earning and what have you
done with it? Huh?" Grisha practically spat the word. "You've pulled your men out of
dirty money easy money, big money for this clean shit. It's a disgrace."
"It's a different world here. Big and flashy gets a man sent to prison."
"What do you care? As many times as you've been behind bars, prison must feel like
coming home. Besides, I'm sure you find plenty to keep you busy on the inside. A pretty
boy like you probably enjoys all that attention. You've been taking it in the ass since you
were& what? Eight?"
Grisha's mocking laugh enraged Nikolai. He refused to be goaded by the crazy bastard
and tried to remain calm. Boxed into the room with Santos who remained bound and
helpless, Nikolai's options were few. The knife he had hidden behind his back might buy
him a precious few seconds but only a few.
"I can't believe you married that little bitch who tried to kill you," Grisha continued to
rant. "I should have known better than to trust that fucking loan shark to contract out
that hit."
Loan shark? Afrim Barisha had been the go-between for Grisha and Romero? Now his
murder made more sense to Nikolai. That had been the first loose end Grisha had
wrapped up when Romero was popped from prison. He'd probably worried that Afrim
would finally confess to Besian who would have run to Nikolai with that news.
"What's so special about her, huh?" Grisha tilted his head as if truly perplexed. "Maybe
I should have tested her out when I had her in that dog cage. She had perkiest little tits
I've ever seen." He started to laugh. "You should have heard the sounds she made when
we hit her with that cattle prod. Squealed like a baby pig!"
His description of Vivian's torment sickened Nikolai. When Grisha pushed his finger
to his nose and started to make squealing sounds, Nikolai welcomed the advantage. He
jerked his hand back and threw the knife right at Grisha. The sharp blade slammed into
Grisha's chest and stabbed deep into his target.
Choking with shock, Grisha yanked the blade from his chest. Blood spurted from the
wound. Shrieking with fury, he raised his shotgun but Nikolai rushed him before he
could fire.
With the shotgun between them, they punched and slapped at each other. This was a
fight to the death and Nikolai had to be the one who walked out alive. For Vivian, he
had to win this.
Grisha got the upper hand just long enough to slam the butt of the gun into Nikolai's
jaw. The burst of impact rattled his still healing brain. Dazed by the blow, he lost his
balance for a few seconds. It was long enough for Grisha to knock him to the ground.
Refusing to go down alone, Nikolai grasped the front of Grisha's shirt and dragged
him to the floor. Grisha ended up on top of him and pushed the barrel of the weapon
against Nikolai's throat. He seemed intent on strangling him. Nikolai fought back, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]