ANTON
That scream.
Fuck.
I set the gun down and watch with my teeth clenched so hard they might shatter as Lev drags Jessa into the room.
Why the fuck did it have to be her eavesdropping? It could’ve been any of the dozen other busybodies on board snooping at my door. They would’ve been so easy to kill and dump overboard.
But her?
It will pain me to do what I must.
Yulian appears at the door looking flustered. “What happened?”
“This is why you don’t step out of important meetings for stupid phone calls,” I growl. “Clear everyone out.”
The Meninsky boy is staring down at his dead father as though he can’t quite compute what he’s seeing. Omer is the only one who seems to have his bearings intact. He doesn’t spare a glance for his murdered boss. He’s looking at the man in charge.
He’s looking at me.
“Anton, listen, I had no idea the weapons were tampered with,” he begins.
“Did the boy?” I ask.
Omer glances towards the shell-shocked kid. “I don’t know.”
My eyes flit to Jessa. Lev has a hand clamped on her arm like cuffs. From the look of her pale, stricken face, he might be the only thing keeping her standing.
Goddammit. As much as I need to sort this shit out, I need to deal with Jessa first.
“Clear the room,” I order both Lev and Yulian again. “I’ll deal with these traitors later.”
Everyone starts to stomp towards the door, but then I call out, “Wait.”
They all freeze and look at me. I jut my chin at Jessa. “She stays.”
All of us hear the sound of her swallowing hard past the knot in her throat.
Lev drops Jessa’s arm and moves towards the Meninsky boy, Moshe. His eyes glaze over, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He doesn’t fight. Neither does Omer.
“Should I send in the team?” Yulian asks, glancing towards Benyamin’s body.
I nod and he disappears, leaving Jessa and me alone.
She’s clinging to the jacket I gave her earlier in the night like it’s a life raft. Her skin is bleached white with fear and her hands are shaking badly, but I can’t help admiring the clench of her jaw. She’s steeling herself up for whatever comes next.
Brave little kotyonok. What a shame that I can’t keep her.
“You were looking for me,” I say. It’s not really a question. “Did you find what you were after?”
She opens her mouth, but her voice comes out in a garbled squeak. She looks down at her feet in embarrassment and takes a breath that doesn’t quite seem to do the trick.
“I… I was trying to return your jacket,” she mumbles.
I extend my hand and she flinches back. Gently, I pluck the coat from her grasp. “How thoughtful of you.”
Her eyes flicker past me to the man on the floor, which makes my upper lip curl in anger.