“While I mean no disrespect, Kazimir, your father was quite insistent that his last will be handled right away.” While my father valued had Sergei’s counsel, I found him to be nothing more than a money-grubbing brown-noser. In my mind, attorneys were synonymous with filthy cockroaches.
However inappropriate, I’d had revenge fantasies about the man and those like him for years. Now wasn’t the time for such indulgences. What a pity. “Yes, Sergei. Perhaps you are correct in that my father’s will requires my attention. My father’s riches must be distributed in accordance with his wishes. However, there will be no further riches added to the coffer should anyone within our business realm gather a whiff of hesitancy with my regard to handling business. The reading of the goddamn will can wait.”
While I hadn’t raised my voice, I didn’t need to. Several of the men were already back-stepping toward the door. In addition to my bloodthirsty reputation, it was widely known that the short fuse was attached to an impressive stack of explosives.
Right now I needed to exercise control. As with any tragedy, there were those eager to see if the family fell apart, fading into a weakness sufficient enough for one of our half dozen enemies to swoop in. I couldn’t allow that to happen.
With my direct stare at the attorney, his face paled and he lowered his head. “Yes, Pakhan.”
“Kirill, make arrangements for the trip. We leave in the morning. I want you as well as at least two other men on the trip.” The last thing I wanted was to vacate the country during the tumultuoustime, but there really was no choice. My father had nurtured a relationship with the Italians after their initial approach. That had taken almost a full year.
To turn away now would be an act of abandonment we wouldn’t soon recover from. Besides, there were millions to be made in using their ports and connections. My father would roll over in his grave should I allow the opportunity to pass. Or he’d reach out from the depths of hell, dragging me down with him.
The thought brought a wave of images, which in turn brought another smile.
“I’d like to go with you,” Mikhail said while taking a step toward me. My brother had been my shadow for years, his love of his family one of many attributes I admired. While he was a talented young man, I wasn’t certain he was ready to be indoctrinated into the world of the Bratva.
Maybe our father had been too protective.
Or maybe I’d been.
“You’d be better suited remaining here, Mikhail. I need a show of strength for our soldiers.” In my mind a decision had been made and it was time to move on, but I should have known better with my brother. He was the one person who’d seen my softer side.
His smile and the fact he made direct eye contract meant he wasn’t letting this go. “Stash is perfectly capable of handling business for a couple days. I deserve a chance to prove to you and everyone else that Chertov blood runs hot through my veins. Plus, the show of solidarity and force will dispel any rumors of weakness the Italian pigs might have heard.”
He’d hated all things Italian for years, blaming them for our mother as much as he had everyone else.
“He does have a point, Pakhan,” Kirill encouraged. “A show of utter strength will be beneficial. And highlighting the family unit will be considered highly respectable.”
I took a deep breath while allowing the thought to linger. He did have a point. They both did. “I will consider your recommendation. Kirill, have extra security placed on our buildings and incoming shipments. We need to send a message to the people of Russia and beyond that our family is handling our father’s death with no interruption.”
Kirill moved closer, lowering his voice. “Why don’t I have a brief conversation with the reporter who mentioned the funeral? Just a few words. Their newspaper goes beyond Russian media. I will ensure people know nothing has changed.”
“Not a bad idea. But make it brief.”
“Yes, sir.”
I headed from the room, thinking about where I could find Stash. He was also a creature of habit, preferring the outdoors even in icy weather to a warm fire and a glass of cognac. Noticing him through the window in the kitchen, I grabbed my overcoat and joined him, both of us staring at the statue of Virtus, an artistic piece our father had insisted be placed near the fountain.
“Did you know Virtus is supposedly the personification of honor, bravery, and moral strength? A virtuous god.” His question was rhetorical and I knew the reason he’d asked.
“A little-known secret, Stash. As a young man, our father had his heart set on becoming an attorney, defending those wrongfully convicted of crimes.”
Stash was notably surprised, turning his head toward me. “You’re kidding.”
I grunted and studied the face of the unanimated Roman god. “No. Now, I assure you I’m likely one of the only people in the world who knew that.”
“What happened? Why didn’t he pursue his dream?”
“Because of our grandfather, the man currently residing in the Shamrock Glen.” The retirement center was well worth every penny spent, my grandfather safe and secure from the outside world and from himself. He had occasional bouts of lucidity but not enough for the funeral, but his anger was a family trait. He’d raged when told about his son’s death, blaming me for his murder. Challenging the former patriarch would mean disrespect, something I wouldn’t do.
“So he was forced to become a criminal.”
“He was required to follow in his father’s footsteps, an honor to be asked.”
Stash laughed in the same bitter sound I’d heard from Mikhail. “So now you’re being forced into becoming something you have no desire to be.”
I needed to find the right words to help him understand. “Stash, I’ve seen the world and been allowed to sow enough wild oats I should own a damn farm. My father encouraged me to find my place in the world and I took him up on the offer, but at the end of the day, nothing changed the fact I was the firstborn sonof a powerful man in an even more powerful regime. Stepping into my father’s shoes is an honor. That doesn’t mean my methods of leadership will be the same. It just means I value the opportunity.”
