AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I thought you were dead!” she sobs for what seems like the millionth time.
Smiling indulgently, Galina pets her hair. She catches my eye, and I give her a look. We’re running short on time here. She fixes me with one of her own that tells me to relax. But it’s hard for me to do that.
Especially because Josh keeps tapping his pen on the surface of the long wooden table in my sunroom like he owns the place.
I picked the place, thinking the pleasant sunshine would brighten the mood somewhat. But somehow, all it does is make everyone equally uncomfortable. The bright rays keep bouncing off the shiny table into my eyes, forcing me to squint. Damp patches of sweat are soaking through Josh’s pale lavender suit.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that things are already off to a rough start.
“Audrey,” Josh mutters. “Can we focus, please?”
She wipes at her eyes with both hands, laughing self-consciously. “Right, right, sorry, everyone. I’m just overwhelmed.” Giving Galina one last hug, she moves to stand by the window. Galina joins her, her eyes on us, but her hand is encased in Audrey’s.
The sight of their closeness makes me jealous. Somehow, my own reunion with Galina—as passionate as it became—lacked the emotional intimacy that she shares with Audrey. And when she squeezes Audrey’s hand, as if she’s seeking a comfort that I can’t provide, I feel my mood go from sour to black.
“Thank you for coming,” I begin.
“Thank Audrey.” Josh narrows his eyes. “If I had my way, I wouldn’t have come at all, Isakov.”
I force my smile to stay fixed in place. But given how flippant Josh is in my presence, it’s a hell of a lot harder than I thought.
“Noted,” I say through tight teeth.
“What are you up to, Isakov?” Josh asks, craning forward over the table, his eyes hooded. “Why invite me here?”
“Because we want the same thing.”
“The destruction of the Grachev Bratva?” he sneers.
“You’re a fool if you think that’s possible.” My neck becomes a roll of knots. “And an even bigger fool if you think it won’t just set off more violence than you can ever know.”
“Nothing is impossible!” He pounds his fist on the table. Audrey jumps, but Galina just glares. “The Grachev Bratva is a rot upon this city. Has been for years. This was supposed to be my chance to end it once and for all!”
“Is that all this is for you?” I ask pointedly. “Glory? Fame? A chance to be remembered?”
I know men like Josh Sanders. Sure, they may dress in fine clothes, parading their supposed power and influence in the daylight. But they are nothing but rats scurrying beneath those who hold the real power. The ones who operate in shadows. The ones who pull their strings, even when they don’t realize it. People like Josh never want to put their own lives on the line. They’re happy to scheme so others do the work while they claim the victory because they did the fucking paperwork.
“This isn’t about any of that,” he retorts. “This is about doing what is right!”
“You can’t even hear yourself,” I snap. “Do you imagine that the Bratva is so easy to collapse that taking me down will end it all? Do you think the corrupt cops who’ve gotten fat off Bratva money will simply allow their livelihoods to be threatened? Do you think the brigadiers who’ve been champing at the bit for their chance to taste power will just abandon that opportunity if you remove me? Do you imagine that all you have to do is kick in the door, and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down?”
“You don’t believe in this city, do you?” He levels me with a haughty glare. “You’ve never believed in it.”
“I’ve seen this city in ways you never could.” I shake my head in disgust. “I’ve seen it for what it is: a dirty, twisted thing that cares neither for its people nor itself. And here’s the awful truth: you remove me, and you might get a year of ‘peace’ before things become infinitely worse.”
“How do you know?”
I pause, knowing that every word I say to him can potentially incriminate me. What does it matter? I think savagely. I’m already a criminal. And there is room for both of us to help each other before we’re back at each other’s throats.
“Because I’ve seen it,” I tell him. “Because I was the cause of the war that has been raging in these streets for the last ten years. Because I did exactly what you’re trying to do now. Tell me, why do you think this is a Grachev Bratva and not an Isakov Bratva?”
“Why don’t you enlighten me?” Josh crosses his arms. “Since you seem to hold all the answers.”
“Because this Bratva once belonged to Yevgeniy Grachev,” I confess to him. Behind Josh, Audrey glances at Galina. How much does she know? “Until I stole it from him.”
“So what?” Josh licks his upper teeth. He’d spit, I think, if some part of his sense of civility didn’t stop him. “Do you want me to thank you for sending so many people to their grave because of your little argument with this … What’s his name? Yevgeniy Grachev?”
He’s so fucking smug that it takes everything in me not to grab him by his stupid tie and beat him bloody.
