Page 9 of Whispers in the Dark
I glance over at Alex, who casually adjusts his glasses as he stares at the fire. His calm, composed demeanor has been a little shaky since he shot and killed the woman responsible for shooting Madeleine. He’s the reason our sister is alive right now, yet I know he’s struggling with the knowledge that he took a woman’s life.
Something none of us in this room has ever done.
“I’ll make it as brief as possible.” Vin leans back in his chair. “First, the head of security at the Alarie Estate, Amadeo, will be retiring in two months. He has served our family with the utmost loyalty and professionalism, and I have made it a point to ensure he and his wife will have everything they need to guarantee a smooth transition as they will be moving to Florida.”
Leo arches a brow. “What does ‘everything they need’ mean?”
Vin waves a dismissive hand. “I purchased them a condo on the beach as a retirement gift.”
Alex scoffs. “Your extreme gift-giving skills never cease to amaze me.”
Leo and I try to contain our laughter, which only makes Vin red in the face. I mean, who buys all four of his siblings military-grade tanks for Christmas?
“You fuckers don’t appreciate anything.” He scowls and leans forward. “The reason I bring this up is that I would like to offer the position to you.” He turns his attention to Eli.
Eli’s eyes widen. “Me?”
“You’re more qualified than half my men out there. Plus, you have an asset inside these walls, aka my sister, that will guarantee you will do anything to uphold our family’s safety while here on the estate.”
“You know I would do anything for this family.” Eli rubs a hand across his jaw, thinking over Vin’s offer. “I’m honored. Really. I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” He taps his finger on his desk a few times, deep in thought.
“What else is going on?” Alex asks. “I know Eli’s promotion is not why you called us all over here.”
He waits a moment, his eyes looking down at his desk and then back at us. “I want to destroy the Vasilievs from the inside out,” he says matter-of-factly. “Every single one of them.”
The four of us sit up straight, our attention focused on him.
The Vasiliev family has been a thorn in our side for far too long. Mikhail, Kazimir, Emil, Alik, and Luka are monsters who spread their cruelty like a plague across everything they touch. Their latest endeavor that we became privy to was the kidnapping and torture of Eli, ending his career in the military. We had our chance to slaughter the brothers at Madeleine’s faux rehearsal dinner, but when it came time to do that or find Madeleine, Eli gave up his revenge in order to find our sister.
“You’re sure about this?” Leo asks.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything. I won’t play games when it comes to my family’s safety, and they’ve continually been testing my limits. The fact that they had Madeleine under their clutches… And after finding out what they did to Eli…” Hisfingers curl into fists, his neck muscles tightening. “I want them dead.”
“It won’t be a simple task,” Alex voices. “It will require time and patience. They have powerful allies. Multiple businesses. A whole goddamn skyscraper to seek refuge. Realistically, it could take years.”
“I’m quite aware.”
Silence grows amongst us as we soak in his words.
Bringing an end to the Vasilievs would ensure greater safety not only for my family but also for others.
It’s not a bad idea.
And it’s about time someone has the balls to do it.
But what about—
“Not to bring up a touchy subject.” Eli combs his fingers through his brown hair, his eyes jumping to each of us before settling on Vin. “But what about Liliya and the contract?”
Months ago, when the Alarie Estate came under attack, Vin called in a favor from our cousins. Now, he’s expected to marry Liliya, the youngest of the Vasiliev siblings. Assuming she can ever be found…
“She is clearly not one of them.” Vin’s eyes darken. “Therefore, she is not on my agenda to terminate. But her brothers are an entirely different matter.” He undoes the top button of his shirt and leans back. “I know this will take time and is something that will demand a lot from us, but every day we allow them on this Earth is another day putting this family at risk.” He pounds his fist on the table. “I won’t allow this to go on any longer.”
“We understand. You know we do.” Leo leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “I mean, when I think about what their father attempted to do to Scarlett, it makes me see red.” After Leo found out the involvement that Igor Vasiliev, the head of the family, had in Scarlett’s kidnapping, Leo had a chance to kill him and did. He looks directly at Vin. “But they are just asstrong and lethal as we are. How do you expect to win a war against them?”
“We start small. Hitting them where it hurts most. Starting with their businesses. Eventually leaving them vulnerable and defenseless.” Vin waits a moment before saying, “I’ve received word they will be expecting a shipment in our territory.”
