Page 115 of Victor's Lethal Desire
"His rogue faction has been purged. All loyal men have been dealt with."
I lean forward slightly, my eyes locked on Ivan.
"And the trafficking?" I ask.
Ivan turns to me.
"It's in the process of being dismantled," he says. "It will take time."
"I'll want proof," I say.
Lev shifts in his chair as he leans toward me, his eyes narrowing.
"You don't need shit," Lev says.
"Enough," Ivan says, raising one hand.
Lev settles back, but his glare doesn't waver.
I stare at him, unflinching.
Thanks to Danika, I know Lev is the one who's most likely to escalate this into something we can't walk back from.
Ivan exhales slowly, folding his hands on the table.
"Look, Lucian," he says, his tone shifting. "We've got some things to discuss, so I'm just going to be straight with you."
Lucian doesn't react. He just waits.
Ivan sits upright, his voice growing stern.
"Dimitri was a traitor. Fine. But Maxim..." He pauses, his gaze sliding to Adrian. "He was my nephew."
The room goes still, and Ivan's eyes bore into Adrian.
"He put a bullet in his head. In the Bratva, a life demands a life."
Adrian's jaw tightens. His hands flatten on the table, and I see the faintest tremor run through his fingers before he locks them down.
"We gave you your traitor brother, as you said," Lucian replies, his voice calm. "Stopped your family from spiraling. Kept you from losing control. So, in my eyes, it's even."
Ivan flashes a faint smile.
"You didn't give me anything," he says, pointing at Danika. "She did. So it doesn't count."
Lucian and Ivan stare at one another, and the tension in the room presses down on us.
I glance at Matei. His hand rests casually near his waistband.
Adrian's breathing has gone shallow, and Danika's gone stiff, dreading something.
Time slows for a moment, and then it breaks.
Lev Volkov loses his temper.
He draws his weapon in one fluid motion, lunging across the massive table directly at Adrian.
Everything happens at once.
