Claimed by Shadows (The Shadowmen #2)

Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“ONE WAY OR ANOTHER” BY UNTIL THE RIBBON brEAKS

NIKOLAI

“ T voyu mat bliad !” Sergi screams as he throws the newspaper down on his desk, the front page showing a picture of the bombed-out club, along with a small image of him and the Russian Ambassador shaking hands at a recent function. The headline reads, “Russian Embassy Linked to London Club Blast; Mafia Ties Suspected.”

Sergi is fuming, his face a mottled shade of red, nostrils flared, and his breathing noisy as he takes a deep drink from his vodka glass.

“Not only was the club evacuated before the bomb went off because of ‘sewage issues,’ ”—he makes air quotes with his fingers, his dark eyes locked on mine—“but the Embassy have been on the phone, asking me what the meaning of this fuck up is, telling me I’m becoming a liability, and all I can think, Nikolai , is that I didn’t tell you to involve them.” His shrewd gaze lands on me, and it takes a huge effort to not let the shudder of fear show.

“It seems that, from the police records, which our contacts have shared with me, CCTV shows a car with three masked men fleeing the scene with Russian diplomatic plates,” I tell him cooly, my stance wide as I keep my hands in front of me, my gaze locked on his. “And that witnesses heard Russian men speaking, again, leaving the scene before the bomb blew. Those men were not me or any of mine.”

“Then who the fuck were they, pray tell?” he sneers, spittle flying from his mouth, and the vitriol in his tone sends another jolt of terror through me. A jolt that doesn’t show on the outside, only through years of training.

“I’ve reason to believe that the Volkovs are involved, trying to make a bid for London.” His entire body stills, his eyes laser-focused on me. “I’ve had my contacts keeping a close eye on them, and it seems they got wind of our plans for Depravity and saw it as an opportunity to cause a rift between you and the Embassy. They planted evidence and then leaked that same evidence to the press.”

He growls, his glass smashing against the wall in the next second as a string of Russian curses flows from his lips. I don’t so much as flinch, though my heart pounds inside my chest as he swallows my lies. With a deep, noisy inhale, he smooths his hair back.

“How do you know it was them and not someone else?” he questions, his eyes once again on me.

“The witnesses say that the men they saw had black eagles tattooed on the sides of their necks,” I answer, knowing that is the insignia of the Volkovs.

Sergi’s jaw clenches. “So we have a rat in our midst.”

My stomach roils, knowing that the rat he seeks is his own son.

“So it seems,” I reply with a curl of my upper lip, presenting the face of a dutiful son and heir who has been betrayed by one of his own. “I will start investigations and exterminate anyone who thinks they can betray us like this.” This fits into another one of my plans; getting rid of some of my father’s loyal men.

“Yes, they do not deserve to live,” he muses, looking down for a moment, then back up at me. “And keep an eye on those fucking Volkovs. Any chance we get, we take them out too.”

“Yes, Father,” I agree, nodding but not moving yet, as I’ve not been dismissed.

“In the meantime, we shall throw another party, get the Embassy back on board, reassure them and the others that this is a minor setback. You’ll be there. It’s good to show them we are united and aren’t going anywhere.” His mouth quirks up in a half smile. “Let’s invite the Volkovs. They need to learn too.”

“Yes, Father,” I repeat, his hand flicking out to finally dismiss me. “I’ll make the arrangements.”

With a nod, he goes back behind his desk, and I spin, striding from the room, my face blank even as a smug smile lights up my insides.

Music fills every room in our mansion, the sound of crystal glasses and giggling girls floating around the space to create a symphony that grates on my skin. I fucking hate these parties my father throws, loathe the corrupt men and women that attend them, uncaring of the blank, dead-eyed stare of some of the girls they accost. The lights are low, dark corners filled with undulating bodies and sounds of pleasure and pain.

It makes my skin crawl.

The Russian Ambassador is here, living his best life with a young girl on each knee and one on her knees in front of him. He seems to have forgiven Sergi for the moment. The Volkovs are here too, huddled in a group and barely touching their vodka as they look around the room with narrowed eyes. They know they’ve been blamed for something, they’re just not sure what.

I catch the eye of Alexi Volvo, an heir, just like me. His hair is such a light blond it’s practically silver, his eyes a piercing grey that freezes you where you stand. Rumour is that he has connections to The Fallen, may even be one of them, though no one knows for sure as you only ever see them masked. Still, the resemblance to the one they call Belial is not to be dismissed.

That gaze of his locks with mine, his lips twitching up in a smile that sends shivers down my spine. There’s an unhinged quality about Alexi, and I know that he also spent time in the Russian prison system. I heard stories about him when I was there, stories that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and were spoken about in hushed tones by even the most hardened of criminals.

I tilt my head to the side, indicating that I’d like to meet him outside, away from prying eyes. His smile widens as he gives a small nod, and my years of training prevents the shudder that wants to run through me at the look in his eyes.

Casting my gaze around to check I’m not being watched, Dima inclines his head from across the room, giving me the all-clear. I make my way across the room and towards the doors that lead outside.

Sergi is in another room, Andrei monitoring him while I see to the business I must attend to tonight. The warm summer air hits my face as I step from the cigar smoke-filled room, and I take a deep inhale of the fresh air, letting it calm the racing of my heart as I walk across the stone balcony and down the steps into the garden. I trust Alexi to follow me, so I don’t look back as I head for the woodland I often took Iris to when she was here. It’s one of the few places I know my father doesn’t have eyes on.

When I arrive, I pause as my eyes land on the man leaning against a tree, my pulse thrashing in my veins until he straightens up and steps into the moonlight.

“Jesus fuck, Alexi,” I hiss, his face splitting into an even wider grin as he takes in my surprise. “How the fuck did you get here before me?”

“I have my ways, Nikolai Petrov,” he replies, stalking towards me like a jungle cat, all feline power and threat. “The question surely is, how did I know this was where you were headed?”

I raise a brow at him, not asking, but yeah. How the fuck did he know this was where I wanted to bring him? He just chuckles, the sound sending shivers up and down my spine, despite the warm summer night.

“I have a question for you, Nikolai Petrov,” he states, not coming any closer and sliding his hands into his suit trouser pockets. “Why does Sergi believe the Volkovs had anything to do with that bombing, hm?”

I take a deep inhale, knowing that at some point I’ll need to take a leap, and it might as well be now.

“I told him.” My words are short and to the point, and instead of the anger or even confusion I’m expecting, Alexi’s smile grows wider.

“Yes, you did. You set the whole thing up, planting the evidence and then leaking it to the press and police, all to aid your cause,” he tells me, taking a step closer, that fucking smile playing on his lips as he catches my eyes widening slightly. Fuck. How does he know all this? “I see the thoughts swirling inside your pretty head, Nikolai Petrov. You’re wondering how I know your secrets. How I know you warned Hunter Anderson about the bombing so he could get everyone to safety before either went off.” He takes another step closer, our chests almost brushing. “How you also got Iris Montgomery to the Shadows that first night after her father sold her.” I take in a sharp breath, blood rushing in my ears as he lists all of my sins. I’m frozen, my hands clenched at my sides as he leans in, his hot breath whispering against my ear. “I have a secret too. You see, I find myself wanting to partake in a little patricide myself.”