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“Shit.”
“That’s not very nice.” He chuckles, and we walk out of the garage. I watch a few minutes later when Leif sneaks in.
“I’m going out of town for a night or two starting tomorrow. She’ll have to stay here. Franci goes back to campus tomorrow.”
“What’s a babushka?” Leif asks, and Gray turns to look behind us.
I watch as his eyes drift to the doorway to the garage and then to Leif before he looks down at me. Something passes over his face before he shakes it off. Leif’s question keeps me from answering any of the ones that I can see in Gray’s eyes.
“Babushka is Russian for Grandma.”
“So, I know you’re associated with the Bratva, Gray, but what about you Ley?” Leif asks, and everyone turns to look at me. I watch as Leif crosses his arms across his chest. I know he’s asking because he wants to get to know me. I’ve answered this question for Erika before, and Ryan knows too, but Jasmine doesn’t. Neither did Leif until now.
“Our father, Vladimir, is the Pakhan in Latvia, and Andrei, my other brother, is the Pakhan in Las Vegas. But no, I don’t have anything to do with the Bratva.”
“But then that makes you…” Jasmine says, but Ryan interrupts her.
“Baby. No.” I turn to see him shaking his head and decide it’s time to start letting those in my life know more about me. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have.
“It’s okay, Ry.” I completely forget myself and call him by his nickname. Jasmine smiles big.
“You are friends. I thought so.” She bounces on her platform high heels like she’s a kid, and I shake my head. She’s the opposite of my best friend, and I find it funny that he’s so into her. But I like it too because he deserves her and happiness.
“Okay, yes, Ryan and I know each other. We’ve been friends for years. I moved here because he suggested it. But back to the Bratva.” I turn so that Leif can see me and my honesty. “I was raised by Babushka since I was six. My father had nothing to do with me before then and very little after. I walked away as soon as I could.”
“Now, wait,” Gray starts. “He loves you, Ley. He asks about you. So does Andrei.”
I shake my head. I know why, and I won’t argue with Gray about that in front of everyone.
I briefly close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I’m sure they do. But for everyone who doesn’t want to know our family drama, let’s let it go for now.”
I know my brother is going to corner me later and want to discuss it, but I make it through the night. As I head out to my car, I stall and wait for Leif. When he’s alongside me, I slide my business card into his hand.
“If you want it.” I give him a small smile and then climb into my SUV and head home. I’ll see him Friday and then everything will be good. When no one was paying attention to us earlier, Leif managed to tell me he’s changing our appointments to every week. I didn’t fight it.
Nine
RIDLEY
I slink through the cornfield to the farmhouse on the outskirts of the small farming town in Southern Michigan. I’m dressed in all black and am wearing a mask, and I have my eyes blacked out. I also have contacts in, just in case. I know Thumper has security everywhere, and I suspect the company is Roger’s. I cut the wires and hope that will stop me from being seen. I also have a personal scrambler on my body.
When I get to the back door, I peek into the screen and see him passed out on the sofa asleep. This can’t be this easy. I look around me and notice the door has a secondary alarm on it. I see the blinking light on the interior motion sensors. I round the house and check the front door. This one also has a secondary alarm. Noticing the tree next to the house, I climb it. The second story doesn’t have a secondary alarm. Big mistake, asshole. I climb in through an open window. I wait at the top of the darkened stairs as I key in a few strokes on the jammer attached to my wrist. The lights go out, and the detectors go black too. I move down with none of the stairs squeaking under my weight. My eyes have already adjusted to the darkness.
Before I get across the room to where he’s asleep, he stirs. The quiet alerting him to my presence.
“Who’s there?” His voice trembles slightly, and I smile behind my mask.
“Vengeance,” I tell him as I step behind the sofa and slide my blade against his neck. I only nick the carotid artery, so he’ll slowly bleed out.
He gurgles as he looks up at me when I come around the sofa to stand in front of him, but he can’t see me. As soon as I flick the lighter in my hand, his eyes go to it and then up to my mask covered face. I throw the Molotov cocktail at him. The man is a drinker. No one will know he was dead before he burned. He continues to gurgle and beg me to help him, but I stand there until all the light leaves his eyes.
He'll never come after us again.
When I take off, I make sure I don’t leave any sign I was there. His murder will never be traced back to me. I’ve got three more to go before I can go after Roger. My next one is Mule. He’s all the way over in Montana. I’m going to have to wait a month or two before I go for him. Then it will be Fasttrack. He’s going to take some time. I’ve found him, but he’s in the Florida Keys on a very secure property. I guess Bart didn’t make the money these others did. After Fasttrack, I’m killing Crank. He tortured my daughter and myself. I’ll make him sorry for thinking he could touch her. He’s the one who found Franci’s hiding spot and pulled her from it. That’s when I knew I had to do something. Bart had threatened to rape her first, so he died first.
* * *
By the time I get back to Eastport, a darkness has settled over me. My heart aches because I know what I’m doing is wrong, but I won’t’ stop. This is the only way I can save Franci. I know I’m dangerous to most people, and I know I’ll have to walk away from Leif eventually, but not yet. I want more with him. I want to feel that weightlessness of the orgasm he gave me. I crave the feel of his whip against my skin.
