Chapter 338: Oh, Golden Boy, Don’t Act Like You Were Kind

[FROLO]

"His eyes would make a nice addition to my collection," Rastenkin smiled as he made a list of body parts he would display.

"His ring finger too; maybe I’ll marry him occasionally when I’m bored," Rastenkin added a little too happily.

"The intestines are mine. Last time you took the intestines before we could stretch and see how long they were," Elara insisted like that was up to a vote.

"Research is research. You should have let me do it," Meera volunteered.

"Okay, okay!" Reeves suddenly interrupted, and the Myrtles glared at him.

"We have to share the result of the investigation WITH Frolo first. And then... We can roll the dice on which body part we’re taking," Reeves reasoned, and they just nodded.

It did sound like a reasonable idea, really, because they still had a long way to go.

"Is the camera recording? I need to look good and score more points," Meera said, and everyone let out a series of groans.

"This is not the time to be pretty," Rastenkin sighed.

"She’s just a girl; let her," Elara chuckled softly.

"Alright. We’re starting the official broadcast. Everyone is ready?" Reeves asked as they settled with the papers in their hands, standing before the camera like they were about to make a presentation.

It was a bit hilarious how they were so composed and excited at the same time.

"We..."

"The Myrtles..."

"Conducted..."

They began reading, but Reeves grabbed the pieces of paper from them.

"We were doing just fine!" Elara glared at Reeves.

"By the time we finish reading this statement at that pace, it will be three days. Shut up and let me read it so we can go play," Reeves said, and at the mention of playing, the Myrtles sat quietly.

So, Reeves continued the statement.

"Frolo, Senator Aleksandr blew up Moskowsky Research and Dev floor on the day of the expo. We have evidence. We have already posted it all on our social page. Check it if you need to.

"Moskowsky Group must have given you a different version, but we have the facts. Anyway, Senator, we need to have a chat. Not today, though; we’re still making the coat into an exact replica of what you left in Chairman Romanov’s office.

"We will reach out once we have the ren..." Reeves trailed off, turning to his crew as if to ask how to read what he was struggling with.

"Rendezvous," Meera chuckled.

"Right," Reeves said before continuing, "We have the rendezvous point. We will share the location with you. Bring us fifteen million in dru—"

Elara grabbed the piece of paper from Reeves like she knew this would not end well. It never did when they were involved, but maybe they were playing coy this time?

"Bring us a hundred and fifty million in shipments familiar to you. You know what we mean, Senator. Or, you’ll have a special-special date with us," Elara said.

"Herbs and sweets," Meera snorted in the background.

"I think we’re going to be scolded after this," Rastenkin whispered.

"That is all," Elara smiled at the camera.

"Oh... and say hello to Nadia for me!" Rastenkin said as Elara moved to end the live stream, and they all looked at him like he couldn’t be serious.

"What... I just asked the senator to say hello," the man shrugged.

And soon they were bickering again, ignoring the stream that was continuing.

At some point they forgot about the phone and continued bickering on their way out.

But did they?

Frolo erupted again.

Speculations that had once been buried because Sergei had chosen to go the corporate route of the investigations into the explosion resurfaced. This time there was evidence that couldn’t be refuted.

Some people claimed the Myrtles were playing the long game. Some said that the Shopkeeper had manipulated things.

But no one in the city knew the Shopkeeper’s face, just his reputation. No one except for the Moskowsky camp. So, other than the Myrtles and Rastenkin’s obsession with collecting body parts, there was nothing the city could go on.

Of course, the innocence of the Romanov omega was defended again.

While the city was distracted by the investigation results and trying to understand the situation, the bratva knew there was something wrong. They had been unable to trace the live stream source, yet...

"Signal isn’t bouncing. It’s coming from the entire city," the tech lady at the headquarters said, and Aleksandr stared at her.

Looked at her like he was contemplating what to say or do.

"He said hello to you, Nadia," Alek said as he stared at the woman whose fingers on the keys paused.

She had heard the livestream. But what was she to say to that?

"I don’t know what that means, Leader. I’ve been loyal to the bratva my whole life. There are odds that he was talking about another Nadia," the woman said like she was not ready to die.

No one ever was, especially at the hands of the man who’d been leading them for over three decades.

This was not just a suggestion.

It was suspicion.

And in an organization like the bratva, the truth could be two-faced. Maybe they were being manipulated. Maybe not. They didn’t know, and that was the hardest thing about the Myrtles.

Because unlike Sergei, who didn’t have time to play games with his enemies, the Myrtles always did their work like they had all the time in the world, and mind games were not a new system for them.

"Get up," Alek said, looking at the woman who’d worked for him for so long.

Nadia got up. Stepped to the side, following the alpha’s instructions.

"Look up at the ceiling," he said, and Nadia stared at him, pleading in silence.

Trying to tell the man that she was not a traitor.

But would Alek listen to her?

"Sir... please," Nadia begged, hoping to be understood.

"Help her," Aleksandr said to Kenzo as he loaded his gun, his eyes cold and determined.

He never trusted anyone.

Not even Kenzo, his second in command.

Alek was a paranoid man, and right now the Myrtles had pointed to one of his tech personnel while releasing the evidence of what he had done to Katya.

"Hold her hair tight," Alek said boredly, and Kenzo just scooped Nadia’s hair like a man on a mission from her back. And he pulled her head back, giving Alek the right access to her.

And when Nadia faced the ceiling, however forcefully...

Alek put the gun under her chin.

Then pulled the trigger.

"Get me a clean suit; the ’good senator’ needs a defense for this," he said, staring at the limp body in Kenzo’s arms.

"Yes, Leader," Kenzo said, letting the body fall to the side before he hurried out to carry out the command he was given.

But with Kenzo gone, there was a sudden chime, and then an audio suddenly played on Nadia’s workstation.

"What is that?" Alek asked, and one of his men checked the audio source.

It was from their CCTV feed.

Here.

"I’m willing to bet he killed her already," Elara laughed alongside the myrtles in a familiar corridor.

"He’s still a paranoid man since our last operation," Reeves chuckled.

"He really learned nothing from his predecessors," Meera mocked.

"This building hasn’t changed even after thirty years. Still as easy to get into," Rastenkin said as he opened the hatch to the underground exit.

And they stepped out one by one, leaving Alek with one realization.

He had murdered the only tech personnel who fiercely protected their operations for years.

Worse...

The Myrtles had been live streaming...

From the Bratva HQ.

Behind them was a placard:

"You can’t even dance right. Such a shame."