A Treacherous King- Dark Mafia Romance

forty one

Caine

It was completely dark by the time I pull my car over on the side of the abandoned trail. Kroliki Nory was completely shrouded in darkness, the moonlight couldn't even penetrate through the thick copse of trees. My headlights illuminate the trail and I am met with the sight of Ilya Sokoklov leaned against the hood of a slick black Mercedes.

I get out of the car, straightening my cuff links and approach him. I flick my gaze around, fully expecting someone with a gun to pop out from behind a tree.

"Caine." He greets me with a cocky smirk painted on his lips. "You came alone?" He questions.

"I did as you asked." I have no doubt that he knows Leo and Maks are lurking near by. The knowledge doesn't seem to make him nervous.

"I never thought I would see the day that you and I were standing on the same side of a war." He peels himself from the hood of the car and saunters over to me, stopping a mere foot away, his hands buried in his pockets.

"Who said we were on the same side?" I say. I'm impatient. I don't want to stand out here longer than I have to. I feel unprotected, like an open target.

The corners of Ilya's mouth draw up at my statement. "Oh, but we are. You and I want the same thing."

"And what's that?" I question.

"Power." He lets the words fall over us in a dramatic fashion. I have to refrain from rolling my eyes.

"You want to over throw your father." I say more of a statement than a question.

"My father believes in the old system, the one that keeps us closed off and formidable. He's never been interested in expanding."

"And you? What do you want?" I question.

"I want clubs and restaurants in cities outside of Moscow. Chicago and New York, you name it. I can't do that with my father as the Pakhan."

"What does that have anything to do with me?" I snap.

Ilya is breathing a little heavier now, his breath mixing with the chilly air. "I want you to help me kill my father." I could feel him building up to this but I still pause at his words.

"You're going to kill your own father." I've known Ilya for years. He's sneaky and conniving and as slick as grease. He's also been nothing but loyal to his father, doing all his evil bidding. I didn't for one second believe he would be willing to murder his own father in cold blood.

"I'm not going to be the one that pulls the trigger. That's where you come in." He walks a wide arc around the opening we're standing in. "My father has been planning an attack on you for weeks. He plans to storm your manor and take out your organization, although with my help you will have the upper hand."

"How do I know he will even be there? He could just send some of his soldiers while he stays hidden in the shadows." A man like Vlad wouldn't want to get his own hands dirty, he would rather send some other guy to get the job done, just from him to take all the credit.

"I will ensure he will be there." Ilya simply states.

"And what of Ivan?"

"He's all yours. Chop him up and throw him in the Moscow River for all I care." Ilya says. "They will both be at your mercy. I'll even throw in Alexei Petrov." I clench my jaw.

"So he's a willing participant in of all this?" I had already figured as much.

"He gave my father the idea to attack you at your manor. He knew you'd likely expect an attack at the dock or at the Beyala Roza, wouldn't expect them to show up on your doorstep." Ilya says.

I don't bother replying. I knew better than to trust Alexei. His word meant nothing when it came to turning his back on his father. He had been feeding me small amounts of useless information on Vlad and Ivan to keep me sated. Meanwhile he was taking advantage of my trust by planning an unprecedented attack on me. I hadn't been stupid enough to try and attack the supposed hiding place of Ivan. I'm sure if I had, I would been ambushed immediately.

My mind wanders to Nadia. She will be heartbroken to learn of Alexei's betrayal. I had sat before her not too long ago and defended his honor to her. I had told her that loving Alexei wasn't wrong, that she should love whomever her heart wanted. I feel sick now just thinking of it.

If Alexei's betrayal has taught me anything, it's not to trust Ilya. He could be playing me for a fool just like Alexei.

"With my father dead and me as Pakhan, you and I can lay aside our differences. I don't want any bad blood between the two of us. You have my word that I won't stray into your path again, unless of course you agree to be business partners." He grins.

"I'd rather be stabbed through the eye." I growl.

"I figured." Ilya chuckles. "You never know, you might need me one of these days Morozov." His tone hints to something I can't quite grasp, as though his words have a deeper meaning.

"Where will you be during all of this?" Ilya's smirk grows and I know what ever he's about to say next will either make it break the deal.

"I can watch Maeve for you." I tense up, my lips turning up in disgust.

"Absolutely fucking not." I bite.

"You're so predictable Morozov." He laughs. "I will be close by but I can't allow my father or any of his men to see me. He will know I tipped you off and if his men see that I helped betray my father by helping the enemy, they won't be so willing to follow my orders." What he was saying made sense. In the Bravta, whoever kills the boss becomes the boss, but if Vlad's men knew Ilya was making a deal with me, they would undoubtedly kill him for it.

My mind wonders to Maeve and her trust that Ilya is telling the truth in all this. I make a final decision and pray that I'm not falling into one of Ilya's famous schemes.

"Fine." I say. "But I want an oath." I pull my knife out of the sheath hidden inside of my jacket, holding it up so Ilya can see the headlights reflecting off the blade. He doesn't even hesitate when he pulls his own knife from his jacket and cuts a thin line on the palm of his hand. He offers me his bloody palm.

"I swear that I am telling the truth. You have my word." He says, his expression deadly serious. I hesitant for a moment before slicing a small cut on my own palm, watching the blood run from the wound.

I take Ilya's cold hand into mine and seal our deal.