Page 220 of Sexting the Pakhan

“I don’t need all of them breathing.”

“No,” Stepan said. “But you’ll need to cut out the rot if you want it fixed.”

“I’m afraid that rot has spread too far,” I murmur leaning back on my chair.

“What are you thinking, boss?” he asks.

I don’t answer at once.

“If you don’t move, he tells people you’ve lost control. If you move and something happens near those children, he tells people you’ve lost judgment.”

“Neat.”

“Yes.”

“Stupid, but neat.”

Stepan didn’t smile. He said quietly, “If we grab Ilya now, the rest scatter.”

“Then let them scatter. I’ll find them.”

“You’ll find some.”

I turned.

He said, “Not all.”

I knew that was true, and I hated him for making me hear it.

Stepan stepped closer to the desk. “They need to believe I’ve turned.”

I stared at him.

He said it again, softer. “They need to believe I’m done with you.”

“No.”

“Ruslan—”

“No.”

He stopped.

Good. He still knew when to stop.

But he didn’t leave.

That was the problem with Stepan. He had been loyal too long to be afraid of my temper.

After a moment, he said, “Ilya doesn’t trust Dima. Dima doesn’t trust Kirill. Kirill is terrified of everyone. Lenkov thinks he’s more important than he is. The only person who can bring them together is me.”

“You want to play traitor.”

“I want them to believe it.”

“And if they do?”

“Then we’ve got them right in our palms,” he says.