No one would ever mistake her as not being mine. She would always fall under the highest protection now, and she’d never have a reason to fear for her safety with the whole of the Volkov Bratva behind her.
It also showed how strong we were. How ready and alert I was to take over from my father.
There would be no grounds for enemies and rivals to whisper that the family was coming apart. No one would be able to get away with suggestions of a window of opportunity that could lead to a takeover.
And there was absolutely no chance of anyone lying that this was a coup, that we were ousting my father so I could take the throne.
Been there, done that.
I let the bitter thought fade from my mind as I waited out on the patio to speak with Stefan Rossi before he flew back to his territory in New York.
My uncle had tried a coup. He’d planted a bomb at a big meeting where he’d killed my grandparents, almost killed my father, and wounded many others. One of the first things my father had to deal with as the Pakhan was reinserting order among all the families. To remind them all that Gregori was no longer part of our Bratva, and if he’d lived, he would’ve been killed.
On that day, Gregori had shown his true colors and turned traitor on his own flesh and blood. But he’d also earned the wrath of the heads of other crime families who’d been in attendance at that large meeting.
That was why I was making time for Stefan Rossi now. I hadn’t had a chance to talk to him yesterday. I’d really tried to make it Elena’s day, our wedding day, not a meetup for business. I’d spoken with many guests, but Rossi and I had an understanding.
He, like me, had taken over as boss sooner than expected. Joseph Rossi was still alive and well enough to rule, but he’d taken a much younger wife a few months ago and wanted to enjoy his retirement now. Stefan wasn’t there when I’d gone to New York to ask around about Gregori. But he was here now.
Our shared hatred of Gregori was the link that ensured I’d always give him some of my time and attention.
As he showed up, though, nodding hellos at my brothers and cousins who joined me, it seemed like he was bearing bad news.
“Couldn’t have you leaving without catching up,” I said after we’d shaken hands and a server had brought him a drink.
He laughed once, wryly, and smirked at me. “Yeah, and you’re going to want to hear what I’ve got to share.” Tilting his head to the side, he indicated for one of his men to come forward. If memory served me well, this was one of his nephews. The younger man brought a thick sheaf of papers from a case he was holding and handed it to me. It wasn’t all one set of papers. Copies had been made. I took one and gestured for the man to distribute them to my brothers and cousins.
“Nofuckingway,” Lev snarled as he skimmed the front page inside the cover.
I flipped over the first sheet and froze.
“Is this a joke?” Alexei demanded.
I shook my head, both to tell him to watch his tone and that it wasn’t a prank at all.
Uncle Gregori’s face showed clearly on the image that had been printed. It was a grainy still shot taken from surveillance, but it had to be him. Itwashim. As I turned through the first few pages, I took in the variety of frozen still shots. Him walking along a riverbank, speaking with a man. Another of him eating with a group at a crowded restaurant. A couple of him getting in or out of a car.
“That’s your father,” Stefan replied with a bite in his tone.
“Where’d these come from?” I asked. Breathing as steadily as I could, I tamped down the beast of anger that rose in my chest.It fanned out, radiating through me and coursing through my veins. Adrenaline mixed with fury, but I locked down on this surge of white-hot anger to focus.
“One of the independent contractors we’ve dealt with before,” he replied.
“Not one of your own?” Maksim asked.
“How can you verify if it’s legitimate?” Lev asked.
“Because I fucking trust who I hire,” Stefan shot back. “Don’t come right out of the gate questioning me. I’ve got just as many stakes in this shit as you do.”
I gave him a dubious look.Really? Do you really fucking think so?
He cringed. “Not as many stakes,” he corrected. “But I’m not fucking jumping for joy, either.”
“How is this possible?” Lev asked, tossing the papers to the table.
“It ain’t that hard to imagine,” Stefan scolded him. “Faked his death and wants to come back for round two of his bullshit.”
“We had so many investigations, though,” Maksim said. “I was young, we all were, but I know for a fact that our father was thorough about making surethatcouldn’t happen.”
