Page 36 of Assassin: Part 1

The tension in the room thickens, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Zakhar straighten, eyes glinting. He’s on the same wavelength as me. What the hell would the Bratva Butcher be doing for Timur Belov?

“And you want to take over your father’s territory knowing that?” I don’t know if that makes him more stupid in my eyes or just plain ballsy. I’m leaning toward the former.

“It’s not what you think,” Simeon rushes out, taking the seat in front of me, eyes bright. “My brother, he was married before he died.” His lip curls. “The bitch got him killed, making him go out to get some shit for her instead of leaving him the fuck alone, but that’s something I’ll deal with later. Anyway, his wife is the Bratva Butcher’s daughter, Rayea Antonova.”

I know the name, but I haven’t heard it in years. I also never realized the connection between her and the Bratva Butcher. How did that slip past me? Over Simeon’s shoulder, I can see Zakhar is typing furiously on his phone. What more don’t we know?

“And what about her?”

“She’s the daughter of the best assassin in the world, duh. She was given to Mishka as a favor between my father and the Butcher. After Mishka died, she lost her mind and annoyed the shit out of my father until he agreed to let her go and do her own thing. She was no good to him as she was. He was hoping she would be a great assassin like her father, but she failed that challenge. Anyway, she became a bounty hunter and kept our guys out of the system. It’s been an okay situation, though I’ve always thought it was idiotic for him to let an asset like that slip away. She’s been living like the Bratva doesn’t exist.”

His sneer and hatred for the woman aren’t lost on me, but none of it explains how this is supposed to have me wanting to overthrow another Pakhan. “Get to the point, Simeon.”

“I’m getting there,” he bites out. “Look, the one rule Rayea had was that she was never to leave the state, and she could be called back whenever my father wanted. She’s broken the rules. She flew to New York City and is involved in some kind of war the Italians there are having with the Irish and another Pakhan. And she’s on the fucking Italians’ side.”

A betrayal of the worst kind. One her father won’t be happy about. I can’t feel too badly for the woman. She knew what she was doing, and she sealed her fate. And I have no clue why this would fucking matter to me. “Simeon …”

“Look, Rayea may not have been the assassin that my father wanted, but she’s kept in shape, working on her skills in secret. She even has a freaking dog to assist her now too. She’s pulled the wool over my father’s eyes, but that’s been lifted, and when I informed my father about this, he called the Butcher. They want to bring her back and make an example of her. It’s the perfect time to strike.”

I narrow my eyes on him, patience wearing thin.

“It’s no secret she hates her father, and this is her chance to get her revenge on him for whatever he’s done in her mind, and while she’s going after him, we get rid of my father. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

“You’re an idiot,” Zakhar hisses, stepping forward. “You think the Bratva Butcher won’t know what you’re planning? Why on earth would we help you and sign our own death warrants if this woman isn’t successful?”

Simeon sneers at him. “Out of everyone, I thought you’d be the one who wanted him and my father dead the most. Now you want to doubt and question me?”

“Explain,” I bark.

Simeon looks back at me and slowly pulls out a piece of paper from his inside breast pocket. I tense, the attack order on my tongue for Freya. Finally, he holds it toward me.

I eye it before taking it. Everything in me turns to ice as I read it. It’s the confirmation I’ve been trying to find for years.

Everything’s changed. There is no backing out of this now. Revenge for my niece has been far too long in the making, and knowing Timur and the Bratva Butcher set it in motion to come after me has sealed their fate.

“How did you get this?” I hiss. Zakhar presses the barrel against the back of Simeon’s skull. Simeon stills, eyes widening slightly. What did he expect? “Speak, or I’ll have Zakhar blow your brains out. Were you involved in this?”

“No! No!” Simeon yelps. His face pales. “Of course not. I would never… She’s a kid. I don’t do that shit. But I knew when you found out, you’d want to get your revenge, and this is your chance.”

Zakhar’s eyes are blazing, looking at me for confirmation. Or permission to pull the trigger. I don’t give him either. “Who gave you this information?”

“I… I hired someone to dig. They cost me a fortune, but we can’t win this without them.”

“Who, Simeon?”

“хамелеоном.” The Chameleon.

“You hired a fucking assassin?” Zakhar bit out. I can’t tell if he’s shocked or furious. Probably a bit of both.

“There’s only one other assassin that’s as good, if not better than the Butcher, and it’s them.” Simeon rushed to explain. “If we’re going to take them down, then we need the best. We just have to work with them, and all of this will be over soon. My father will be out of the way, and I’ll ensure no one goes after you or your family again.”

“And they’ve confirmed they are going to help with this? Why would they?”

“Because I’m paying them a shit ton of money, and it’s their chance to beat one of their biggest rivals too. And, well, they haven’t confirmed anything on helping yet. That’s not what they do. I have to wire them more money, and they’ll let me know if they accept.”

Idiot. He’s played his hand, giving the ammunition to one of the world’s deadliest assassins to take him and the rest of us out if they choose. I should kill him for that alone.

But not yet. No, there’s no guarantee the Chameleon will want to be involved in this, which means it’s up to Zakhar and me to figure out how to take them down on our own.