Chapter 342: How To Melt A Frosty Heart

[FROLO]

Aleksandr Petrov was in cuffs.

Tied. Bound. Dragged into a police van from an executive entertainment joint at one o’clock in the morning.

He’d been out with Kenzo and some of his bratva associates doing their business as usual. The club was his, but no one knew that, and frankly his arrest wasn’t surprising even to the people inside the club.

He had been implicated as a terrorist earlier that day, and evidence had been released to the public. There were long sheets of paper that had been photographed and published, not to mention verified by the citizens, that it was the conclusion that the city had gotten to.

"Senator Aleksandr, is it true that you bombed the expo a month ago?"

"Senator, do you agree to the charges filed against you by Moskowsky Group?"

"Senator, do you have anything to say about the accusations?"

"Did Katya Romanov file the charges against you?"

"Is this a performative arrest to make us believe you are following the rules?" a familiar voice asked in the middle of the questioning once they got to the police station.

It was crazily packed with journalists, independents, and those who belonged to stations. The accusations were right there, and a midnight arrest was not something that happened daily in Frolo.

Especially of powerful figures like the former senator.

"Irina," Alek seethed at the familiar figure.

"Journalist Irina, Mr. Senator. Don’t tell me you’ve been hiding for too long and forgot that I am a trained journalist;

"...beneath everything that I do in and for the city," Irina chuckled darkly, the microphone in her hand a haunting reminder for Alek that he was never going to have it easy.

Alek knew she was Sergei’s only best friend.

"What do you want?" Alek asked, ignoring all the other accusations from the other journalists.

His focus was on Irina because if he was right, Irina didn’t just pick up a journalism career she’d dropped over a decade ago just so she could be a good citizen of Frolo and prod where everyone was afraid of prodding.

"What every journalist wants, Senator. The truth," Irina said with a smile like she didn’t know the timer on Alek’s life had long begun.

Like she wasn’t part of the psycho team in Sergei’s Basement One who had been plotting against the bastard senator.

"The truth, huh? Where was that truth when my boyfriend was buried in the rubble, and no one at Moskowsky said a word about it? Where was that truth when he depleted, and everyone just moved on?

"Did you hound Sergei like you’re now hounding me? Or was he an exception because you and him are best friends?" Alek spat like he had every right to be disappointed.

Irina just laughed at the man’s absurdity.

"Did you plant the bomb or not, Senator? That is what we want to know. Not your tattle tales of what could have been.

"Besides, you and Chairman Romanov are no longer in a relationship," Irina reminded before she stepped to the side like she was giving the other journalists the chance to ask what they wanted to.

She didn’t even have an agenda today. She just happened to be around and grabbed a mic from one of the independent journalists. Oh, she was a menace.

"I’m innocent," Alek insisted even when he was taken into holding.

It was interesting how he was determined to keep up the facade, but then, as a bratva leader, Alek didn’t care about appearances.

This was the second attack from the Moskowsky camp in a day. It wasn’t the kind of shit he had expected, but he knew he had to be better.

He hadn’t survived this long just to be beaten by Sergei Moskowsky and his minions. He would not let that man have any peace at his expense.

Outside, Irina was on her way home when she ran into Kenzo and his men. Five, to be exact.

"Hello, bratva. Come to kidnap me because your leader is stupid?" Irina taunted, not having time to play nice with these men.

She had an early morning training session with Rastenkin, and from the histories, that man was a monster when it came to his training methods.

The schedule itself was one that everyone had complained about when they got it, but they would still have to show up. Because this wasn’t just a regular dance anymore.

They had to win.

There was no space for screw-ups.

Irina needed to be well-rested for that, and the bratva interrupting her walk home wasn’t exactly the kind of thing she was in the mood for.

There was already little time between now and morning, and she would be damned if she let them have her late for that session.

"You are his best friend," Kenzo seethed like he was trying to intimidate the one woman who wasn’t scared of anyone save for an angry Sergei. That was her only fear, really.

"Yeah, yeah. What about it? I didn’t tell your boss to leave a coat and incriminate his boyfriend. What do you want? Come to fight me to send a message to Sergei? Come to try and buy your boss time and mercy from the police?

"I’m afraid I don’t have enough time to deal with you tonight. So how about we go our different ways?" Irina asked calmly, and Kenzo stared at her like he was not in the mood for this.

Maybe he wasn’t.

Maybe he was.

Irina just didn’t give a shit about it.

"You blew up the residence," Kenzo said, and Irina paused.

Not because they knew, but because she couldn’t believe that was why they stopped her.

"Me? Blow up a senator’s residence? What do you take me for? Your boss? Come on, man, I thought the bratva puppets had brains at the very least," Irina gasped, the fake surprise on her face making a show and having Kenzo sigh.

She was way too dramatic for his liking, and he didn’t have time for this.

"Did you know falsely accusing someone of terrorism is a crime in Frolo?" Irina continued, as she stared at Kenzo, her wide eyes making the man wonder if she was being real or just playing with them.

Then again, she was part of Sergei’s inner circle. This woman couldn’t be trusted. Not even if she said there was relief coming their direction.

"Cut the crap, Irina. You know what you did," Kenzo said.

Irina stayed as dramatic as if she couldn’t believe she was being accused of arson. The way her hands flew around and her eyes were filled with pleas of innocence was almost convincing.

Almost.

Hell, if she wasn’t one of Sergei’s most trusted, he would have bought the act she was putting on.

"Listen, Kenzo. I’m having a really long night, and I have no time to play games with you. So how about you go home and find a way to prove your leader’s innocence and leave me be?

"I’m just a girl who wants to go home, yeah? Let’s try this encounter thing tomorrow, yeah?" Irina said like she was trying to negotiate for her life.

But then one of Kenzo’s men pulled out a knife, and Irina let out a dramatic groan.

"We’re in the modern times; why the fuck would you walk with a literal butcher knife, man?" Irina sighed.

"If you want to go home that badly, you have to go through us," Kenzo said, like he knew he would win against her.

But a woman who was trained by Sergei, who was perfected by Rastenkin’s monstrous training techniques...

Was Irina really that feeble?