Forced to Marry the Russian (Nikolai Bratva Brides #2)

Chapter 23 - Lev

“Cillian made his move,” Lev said, his fist tight with rage. “It’s time I make mine.”

“As much as I’m dying to put a bullet through that motherfucker’s skull, we’re not ready for war yet,” Adrian countered, logical as always. “We need to strategize before we attack.”

Ivan snorted, but there was no amusement in his eyes. There was rage and a thirst for blood. “You’re too smart for your own good, brother. Zia is family, and he attacked her. There is no time to strategize. We need to attack now.”

Lev agreed with Ivan. There was no time to sit around and wait for Cillian to make another move. He might have missed this time, but there was no telling what would happen if he was allowed to attack again.

But there was one thing that disturbed him the most. The poisoning had been an inside job. Cillian had somehow known his every move before the meeting with the other mafia bosses, and now this. Someone among his men was working for the enemy and he needed to find out who it was.

“Does Mikhail know about this?” Adrian asked.

“No, he’s with his family. I don’t need him here. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to him.”

Mikhail loved his family, which included his brothers. He wouldn’t hesitate to go into the battlefield for them, but Lev couldn’t let him. He didn’t plan to tell him anything about this until it was over.

The door opened and Ilya entered the office, holding a man by the collar of his white shirt. The man was so badly beaten up that his eyes were swollen, and his skin had turned purple and green.

Ilya tossed the man to the feet of Lev’s desk. “I found the traitor, Chief.”

Lev’s gaze bounced between Ilya and the man whimpering on the floor. “The traitor?”

“I had a chip installed on all their phones after the meeting. This one seemed odd. He eavesdropped on your conversations and hid away to make shady calls. I caught him trying to board a ship with his family.”

Lev tilted his head. So this was the mole. “Where is his family?”

“They’re being held in one of the VIP rooms. What would you have me do with them?” Ilya asked.

“Nothing… for now.” Lev stood from his chair and prowled to the man. Squatting in front of him, he gripped his hair tight and pushed the man’s head up. “What is your name?”

The man’s breathing was labored, and he winced each time Lev’s grip on him tightened. “Viktor.”

Lev clenched his teeth for control. “I’m not in a very happy mood right now, so whether your family makes it out alive or not depends on how satisfied I am with your answer. Do you understand?”

Blood dripped down Viktor’s mouth as he chuckled. “I know you don’t hurt women and children.”

Of course, the asshole would know since he’d worked for him for a while. But Lev didn’t give a flying fuck about rules and moral codes. He’d thought falling in love and becoming a father softened him. He was right, but it also made him an overprotective beast.

He tugged harder on the man’s hair until, reveling in his whimpers and screams. “You would be right if this were a normal day, but you just tried to kill my wife and unborn child, so I won’t have mercy for yours.”

Viktor’s eyes widened and sparkled with tears. The threat had hit him right where Lev wanted. “I work for Cillian,”

“Come on, Man. That can’t be the only thing you’ve got for us,” Ivan chided from where he sat. “We know the basics, so go into details. Tell us everything about your boss and all the secrets he’s keeping.”

“I wasn’t the one who tried to poison your wife. I wasn’t the only spy.” Viktor paused and winced. “The other guy, Dom, he was the one who tried to poison her.”

Lev looked at Cillian. “Who the hell is Dom?”

“One of the new guards,” Ilya answered.

“Where the hell is he now?”

“He was one of the guards who took Amy to the hospital.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Lev let go of Viktor’s hair and stood up. He ran a hand over his hair. How did Cillian infiltrate him so easily with all the precautions he took to stop that from happening? “Bring me that son of a bitch. If it’s too hard, just kill him.”

“Yes, Chief.” Ilya glared at Viktor one time before he left the room.

Ivan plopped his legs on Lev’s table. “Seriously, is that all you know?” Taking his legs down from the table, he leaned toward the man. “Let’s play a game. Tell me ten secrets about Cillian Moore. Each secret counts for each of your toes. How much you’ll have left by the end of the game depends on how much you’re willing to share.”

Viktor nodded. “And you won’t hurt my family?”

“Like my brother said, that depends on whether he likes the answers you give. I’ll ask the first question: what is Cillian planning? I’m sure he wouldn’t make such a bold move if he didn’t have a plan.”

“He wanted to take her out and attack when Lev is weak and vulnerable.” Viktor groaned and reached for the ribs on his right side. “I didn’t want to do anything. He threatened me into this.”

“You should have thought of the consequences before you did what you did.” Lev walked back to his desk and sat on the edge. “How long have you worked for Cillian?”

“Ten years. I started working for you on his order two years ago,” Viktor answered. He coughed, and every sound from him sounded like he was in a lot of pain. “Contrary to what he makes you believe, his fight has nothing to do with Dostoevsky’s death. It’s merely an excuse for him to attack.”

Adrian sat up, seeming to take interest in the conversation for the first time. “What was it about?”

“Territories. He thinks your brother took over some of his territories, thereby weakening his authority. He wants revenge for that.”

Anger churned in Lev’s chest, but he laughed. Cillian’s foolishness was hilarious. The fucker had no right to any territories. He’d been given one after the outfits lost their control over the city. His greed was going to be his destruction, and Lev was more than happy to take that destruction to him.

It crossed his mind that Zia had mentioned her father. Lev had looked it up, but his family had never had a connection with James Kincaid, although the news around his death was suspicious.

For the next question, I need you to think very carefully.” He crossed his leg over the other. “Have you heard of James Kincaid? He was a cop who was brutally murdered years ago during an investigation.”

Viktor shook his head. “I don’t think—”

“I need you to think very carefully,” Lev said. Since it had already got to this, he wasn’t taking no as an answer tonight.

Viktor appeared lost in thought for a couple of minutes, then his eyes shone as a memory flashed through them. “He died while investigating the case of missing girls twenty years ago. That case involved Dostoevsky. Cillian helped take care of the cop to show his loyalty to him.”

Cillian had not just killed James; he’d tried to kill his daughter and unborn grandchild as well. He needed to be stopped.

“I’m certain he didn’t pull a stunt like this and expect me not to react,” Lev said. “What did he plan to do if he fails?”

“There’s a shipment leaving for Sicily tonight. He planned to leave with it if everything failed.”

“What time does it leave?”

“Ten p.m.” Viktor bowed his head and took in deep breaths before he continued. “One more thing, I’m not certain but I heard something about an ambush as plan B.”

Lev peered at the man intently. “An Ambush. Plan B.” His whipped head to his brothers and they had the same calculative look on their faces as him.

“It was a trap,” Adrian said, suddenly jumping up to his feet. “Zia wasn’t the target. You were.”

Lev flew up to his feet, grabbed his phone, and called Konstantin. It rang for a minute and went dead. No answer. He tried again and Konstantin finally picked on the second call.

“Where the hell are you?” Lev barked, his heart throbbing against his ribcage. He didn’t have the patience for an answer. “Turn the car around. It’s a trap. Cillian’s men are probably following you.”

“I can’t hear you, Chief,” Konstantin yelled back. He never yelled, no matter how angry he was.

Something was wrong. Lev could feel it. Something was definitely off.

“Turn the car around, you’re being followed,” Lev yelled even louder, hoping Konstantin would hear him this time, but he didn’t.

There was a gunshot in the background. Zia screamed, and the call disconnected.