𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞 | ✔

sᴇᴠᴇɴᴛʏ

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without further adieu, I present to you the next chapter

༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

DEVI BHATT

The sound of cracking bones fills the air.

"Nice to fucking see you too," Demyan says gruffly. "But you're punching the wrong person–"

The sound of another punch. "Name one fucking reason I shouldn't kill you," Grisha growls, overtaken with boiling anger.

Demyan's head knocks to the side, stumbling back on his feet with blood running out of his nose and the corner of his lip. Dropping his head, he runs a hand through his hair with a bitter laugh. Then he lifts his head nonchalantly, rolling his jaw and scanning us with a disinterested gaze.

"Because," he wipes the blood off his face with the back of his hand, "I know who the traitor is."

The silence is incredibly uncomfortable.

"Who," Grisha demands.

"Kai."

I muffle my shocked expression and the way horror eats away my insides. Kai. It feels like oxygen has been stolen out of my lungs. How long has this been for? Has Kai been with the Russians for years? For years. Does this mean it's all been a lie?

Grisha shows no sign of believing Demyan. "You've committed treason and you're a fucking loose cannon. And you're also a shit liar."

Realisation fills Demyans eyes. "You– you guys think it's me?!" he snarls, eyes flashing dangerously as he turns to me. "You were and are the worst fucking thing that has happened to him, you know that?"

I wince as Demyan gets punched in the gut this time. "You fucking talk to her like that again, I will put a bullet between your eyes."

"I thought no weapons were allowed," Demyan says looking at us, then a slow grin rises on his lips. "Oh, I like this." He rubs his stomach tenderly, talking to Grisha now. "I've only wanted what's fucking best for this mafia and you know it, Grisha. She was messing with your mind and manipulating you this whole fucking time and only I could see that. I did what was best." he exhales hard. "But I see now that–" he grits his teeth hard finding it hard to say his next words.

"That what?"

He glares at us. "That it wasn't the best and nothing is going to change this," he gestures to us, "and maybe Devi isn't the devil my mind makes her out to be."

"That has to be the shittiest apology I have heard," I say, staring at him.

His lips twist into a bitter smile. "Russians don't apologise. Would you like me to kiss your feet?"

I return the smile in the same manner. "Both."

He snorts... amused?

"Kai isn't the traitor," Grisha says, still unwilling to believe him.

"I'm telling the fucking truth. Why else do you fucking think he was still alive just hours away from you? And he suddenly goes missing when he's not in the same vicinity as you? He was free then. Free to do anything. We couldn't even find him for Christ sake, and with Feliks– a fucking world-renowned hacker– we should have been able to. Only someone who knows Feliks personally would know his weaknesses. Kai wasn't kidnapped, he was hiding."

"What reason would Kai have to do this?" Grisha counters, clearly not believing him.

"The same as anyone–money."