Her unexpected gasp brought a smile while she grew more disgruntled. She didn’t like being made fun of, which meant one of her father’s methods of punishment had been humiliation.
Whoever the bastard was, I already hated him.
“I think you know I didn’t attend some specialty school.”
“Why is that? They train soldiers to handle jobs the military and the CIA don’t want to do.”
“True, but that’s not how members of the Bratva are trained.”
She lifted the knife she was holding toward me. “So you’re admitting you’re Bratva. I knew it.”
“Then you assumed correctly.”
“Why are you here? And what do you mean I know?”
As she studied me, I knew I needed to handle my answer with caution. “You’re highly intelligent, Vivian. You work in New York. My guess is you’ve experienced your share of criminal activity while working in the hospital.”
Her sense of relief was written on her face. “I have. Too much. Which is why I know you’re dangerous.”
“I never lied to you. I am very dangerous.”
“Why are you here?” she repeated. “I assume you have connections in New York. Or is this personal business?”
A question that deserved an answer. A truthful one. “Maybe a little of both, but yes, I have connections in town. As you so aptly established, the Bratva do exist even in New York.”
“I was honest with you. Why don’t you attempt the same, since you seem to require trust.”
She was right. Why not? “The man I worked for in Moscow was attacked, his wife and two children almost murdered during the newborn baby’s christening. It had been my responsibility to keep them safe and I almost failed. That can’t happen. They are like family to me. Unfortunately, even with the church surrounded, the bastard escaped. Word on the street was thatthe man responsible was little more than a ghost. Through our various connections, we discovered the possibility the Ghost had left for New York. I was tasked with hunting him down.”
A range of emotions swirled within the woman I both admired and was jealous of. She had an incredible capacity for rage and hatred, but deep within her soul was a woman who longed to bring joy to the world. A true innocent in a sea of monsters eager to strip away that very innocence.
“Did they… survive?”
“Yes, they did, including the emotional support Golden Retriever my Pakhan’s wife needs.”
“Wow,” she said, glancing away as if something came to mind. “This happened in Moscow?”
“Yes, inside a church.” She was concerned about a connection. Perhaps her family.
“They were lucky.”
“No, Vivian. There is no such thing as luck in our world. There are only truth, lies, and death. In between, games are often played. Ones of power and prowess, the stakes higher than ever before. Empires are made and lost with single decisions, single deaths. And yes, I think you know exactly what I’m talking about, your life mirroring mine. Perhaps there’s a difference, but at the end of the day, the people pulling the strings have the ability to ruin lives with no sense of wrongdoing.”
She knew exactly what I was saying. That she could never escape from her past and her family. At least not forever. Her eyes were briefly filled with moisture, but I knew the sadness wouldn’tallow it. That’s how determined she was to remain strong no matter the situation around her.
Good for her.
How sad that throughout her life, she would be sorely disappointed in the world around her.
“Who is here in the United States?”
She was pushy. I admired that about her. “Kazimir’s cousin, their organization formidable.”
“Are you thinking about moving here, expanding business?”
“Would you like me to remain?”
Her huff was followed by a roll of her eyes. “For what reason?”
