Page 49 of King

He nods.“I will consider.”

Then the call ends, and Natalia closes her laptop.I can tell she’s not really very happy.While Stepan didn’t outright reject the idea of cooperation, he wasn’t happy about it either.

I understand because at first, I had a deep desire for revenge, but in the end, it’s better to be free than to have revenge and be in prison.

As Stepan said, revenge is best served cold.When your blood is hot, revenge feels good but it potentially has very bad consequences.When your blood is cold, revenge is sweet, especially if it’s served with justice.

Natalia turns to me, and her eyes are filled with pain.“What do you think he’ll do?”

“He’s a smart man.You don’t get where he is without being very intelligent.He’ll talk to his lawyer, who will encourage him to cooperate.At this point, anything else is suicide, and Stepan is not suicidal in any way.”

I pull her into my arms, and we embrace for a long moment.It feels good, and I don’t pull away, letting Natalia decide when she feels good enough to separate.

Later,I get a call, and it’s Fogarty on the line.I point to my cell and mouth,businessand point to the stairs.She understands I’m going to my office and nods, turning back to the game we were watching together.I leave the living room and go to my own office so I can speak in private.Not that I don’t trust Natalia, but I don’t want her worrying any more than she has to.

She’s been through enough.

“We’re going after the other branches of the Andropov family.It’s going to be a busy day, and I want the two of you to stay put.Don’t venture out for anything.If you need groceries or food, just ask one of the men I have guarding you to arrange Uber Eats or something.A lot is going down, and it’s going to be a very tense afternoon and evening.”

“Okay,” I say, and for a moment, there’s a silence on the line.I want to talk to him about Ryan and Tommy, but I’m not sure when I should broach the subject.

“Is there anything else, Harrison?”he asks, as if he already knows.

“Well, yes, there is,” I say, rubbing my forehead, deciding at the last minute to reveal what I know about my father’s death.

I tell him, piece by piece, what I know and how I know it.

“I have this friend.Former Ranger.Contacted me with some intel he came across, that directly implicates my uncles in the deaths of my father and brother.”

I tell it all, every single sordid detail.

Fogarty is silent, as if the news isn’t shocking him in any way.

“Well,” I say, impatient to hear his take.“What do you think?”

“I have enough to take them both into custody,” he says.“We already knew about the connection between Tommy and the man seen on security cameras entering and leaving the warehouse the night of the fire.As for Ryan, well, he’s a co-conspirator.We can pick him up, too.I need to see those intercepts,” he says, his voice firm.“They won’t be used as direct evidence, but I still need them to justify my actions.”

“I can’t reveal my source,” I say, adamant that I won’t betray Fillmore.“He can’t reveal his source.But if all you want is the document, I can provide that.”

“Sure,” Fogarty says.“It’ll be enough to get the ball rolling.We’ll take them both into custody, give them both a chance to cooperate to get a better deal, and if they agree and help us dismantle more of the network they’re involved in, it will help.”

“I want justice,” I say, anger in my gut that my father was betrayed by his own brothers.

“We want it, too, but remember.The whole underworld is a network, and taking down one little node has barely any effect on the whole.If Ryan and Tommy can help us get the really big fish, there will be some leniency.Reduced sentences, better conditions, wherever they are going to be staying.That kind of thing.”

I have to close my eyes and take in a deep breath to stop my own selfish desire for blood.I know that getting as much cooperation from Tommy and Ryan will help the FBI in the bigger picture, but it still hurts.

“Okay,” I say.“I’ll send you the document using an encrypted channel.No identifying ID or anything.”

“Sure thing.Remember: give this a few weeks, and it will all settle down.Once we have Andropov and Ivanov kingpins in custody, the smaller pieces will fall into place, and your lives will return to normal as promised.It’s up to you what you do with it once you’re both free.”

“Got it,” I say, and we end the call.I send him the intercepts via a secure channel and go back to the living room, where Natalia is waiting.She smiles when she sees me and pats the sofa next to her.

“All done?”

“Yes,” I say and sigh as I sit beside her, my arm around her shoulder.I kiss her and turn back to watch the game on the big screen.

Finally, it’s over.There’s nothing else for Natalia and me to do but wait.What happens over the next twenty-four to thirty-six hours is up to the FBI and is out of our hands if we both want to be free.