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I just got off the phone with Jordan Steele a few minutes ago. I did end up going to his house in his gated community for dinner. When I arrived, I met the rest of his children along with his lovely wife, Lacey. She’s a Latina woman who’s obviously the one who wears the pants in the relationship. At one point during the night, she asked him to do something, and he told her he’d be there in a minute. The look she shot him was enough for hell to freeze over.
The night went well, and we finalized the contracts. Jordan’s niece Leona was there, and it looked like she was either learning how these sorts of contracts work or drawing them up herself. Within the contract, I found they wanted more shipments than what we originally discussed the other day. It was a good surprise, and one Jordan didn’t authorize with me beforehand. He didn’t even ask if I had that type of inventory reserved for him, but he’s obviously my highest-paying client, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep him happy.
I arrive at the factory by myself and park where I typically do. I head inside the same metal doors, and sure enough, my entire family is there again. Last night Nazyr watched over his father along with Danill, but this morning Lom and Eset came back. Though, I’m a bit surprised to see Nazyr is still here. He’s asleep in a chair, but nonetheless, he’s here. I wonder why he hasn’t left, but knowing him, he doesn’t want to miss the good stuff.
“Brother, how’d you sleep?” Eset asks as she rises from her seat and comes to hug me.
I wrap my arms around her and kiss her on the forehead. “Well, and you?”
She shoots me a serious look. “With everything going on, I couldn’t really sleep.”
It’s the first time she’s ever had to deal with something like this, and it’s her first step within the crime world. I wasn’t even going to offer Eset a spot at the table yet, but she’s walked right up to it, and I won’t be the one to take it away from her. The last thing I’ll do is make her feel like her father could be right… like she’s just some sort of bargaining chip for my power.
“It will get easier as more time passes. In the beginning, it’s rough, but over time you get used to it.” I’m not sure if my words will help her, but I wish when I first started in this world, someone had given me some sort of reassurance.
I glance past my sister and look at my stepfather. He’s hanging by chains wrapped around his wrists, and his feet are touching the ground. There’s a mixture of dried-up and fresh blood across his entire body. The bullet holes are gaping in his skin, and there’s still blood that oozes from his wounds. There are now cuts along his torso and legs that weren’t there yesterday when I was here.
“Did he do something to piss someone off?” I question, looking at the rest of my siblings.
“Yeah.” Lom cackles and glances over at Eset.
“What? I’m getting really tired of being told I’m only useful for my vagina. Does it look like I’m just a walking breeder? No. Look at him. I can handle myself,” Eset grumbles at the rest of us.
Lom’s getting a kick out of it while I’m impressed with my sister’s strength. A strength I didn’t even know she had. Out of everyone, Eset’s really proven herself to me. Most would condemn me for even offering Nazyr and Eset anything, but I will come to them with some position. I think Eset could do a great job securing deals and going to public events where our family needs representation. She’s quick-witted, strong, and good on her feet. She’d, of course, have some a guard with her, but I could see her doing very well with a job like that.
“He won’t be here much longer. His heart rate’s been dropping, and he’s growing paler by the hour,” Nazyr speaks up, but there isn’t an ounce of disappointment in his voice. I wonder if he, too, feels bad for what his father did to Lom and me. Nazyr and Eset had their father growing up, but everything that’s come to light over the past few weeks has to have played some role in their lack of emotion. Granted, they probably held some sort of emotion at first. I remember when I dropped the bomb on them, they did have emotions, but I don’t think either of them was really surprised. If they dug down underneath the surface, I bet they expected their father to be this foul.
“There is something I want to know before I kill you,” I state as I approach Anzor. He flutters his eyelids open, and I can see how close to death he really is. He’s as close as Nazyr said. If we’re lucky, he’ll make it another couple of hours. “Why did Artos betray me? How did you get one of my longest friends to turn against me?”
Anzor cackles, but it sounds strained. He hasn’t been given water since he’s been here, and his voice is gravelly. “Artos was loyal to me as head of the family. He appeased you, boy. Everything the two of you ever spoke about was told to me. He was loyal to me as head of the family, not you. You’re a fraud pretending you have the power here. I still have the power, and you will see it after my death. People will plot against you and turn against you all in my name. I can’t wait for everything you think you have to be burned to the ground.” Anzor smiles in a sinister manner, and I’m done playing these games. I’m done with him thinking he has some sort of power over me when at the end of the day, he was the fraud. He’s always been the fraud.
I go over to Eset and hold out my hand. “The knife you used. I need to borrow it.”
Eset pulls up her pant leg and reveals a strap with a knife as long as the bottom part of her leg. She hands it to me, and I walk up to my stepfather. “I’ve really grown tired of your voice,” I say to him as I jab the knife straight into his throat, piercing his vocal cords. He gurgles on the blood, and I smirk as the fear rolls across his face. He wants to get out of this, but there’s no turning back.
I pull down on the blade and yank it as far as I can until I hit his chest bone. He continues to choke on his own blood, and I know I could stop here, but I won’t, not after everything he’s done to my family and me. I pull the blade from his body and decide to go into his sides. I want to pierce his lungs, so I slam the knife in as deep as it’ll go on the right side behind his ribs and then do the same to the opposite. He thrashes against the chains and then slowly comes to a stop.
I step back and look over his tired, worn-out body. I watch and wait for some sort of breath, sound, or any signal of life. But there isn’t one. There isn’t one damn thing. I sigh in relief, knowing I’ll no longer have to deal with Anzor, and neither will my brothers or sister. We’re all finally free.
The four of us go over to the chairs that have been here the last few days, and all take a seat. Nazyr doesn’t say anything, and neither does Eset. I think it’s finally sinking in that they’re free as well.
“What does this mean now?” Nazyr questions, and Lom looks at me.
“It means Ruslan is in charge, and we have a fresh start.” I nod at what Lom’s saying.
“We have a new age coming. A new opportunity for the family, and most won’t understand what I want to do. They’ll judge me for it, say I’m bringing two people who are enemies too close to me… but you are my siblings, and I want you to have roles within the organization. I don’t know how yet, but I will come up with jobs for the two of you if it’s what you want,” I pause for a moment and gauge their reactions, but there is one thing I need to make clear. “Eset, I think you know I’d never condemn you to what your father would. If you’re part of the family, you won’t have a marriage contract arranged for you. You will have actual duties and a significant role to play.”
Eset smiles at me and nods in thanks. “I’d like that very much, brother.”
“And you, Nazyr, what do you say?”
“I say I’ve come along on the ride this far. I’m ready to see it through.” I smile at Nazyr’s comment, and Lom looks at me with a serious expression crossing his face.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Tell me what’s on your mind,” I order him, and Lom wastes no time telling me exactly what he’s thinking.
“Do you plan on staying here in Atlanta?”
“I’m not sure. Why?”
