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“Her time’s almost up,” Sokolov said.
I shrugged. Time was fluid. Who was to say what would happen next? AI could take over the world, empower robots, make humanity obsolete, and thus void our deal.
When I didn’t say anything else, my old mentor relaxed and turned his attention back to Viking. My second-in-command was marrying one of his nieces, after all.
“Nazdrovnia!” Sokolov saluted. “May she give you many sons.”
I raised my glass, as did Viking.
Sokolov’s eyes turned pensive. “In the old days, this wouldn’t be possible, yes. Avor v zakonecouldn’t have a family of his own. My brother should have listened, held on to the code. Then he wouldn’t have a murdered wife and fatherless children.”
I handed him a cigar. “Times change, old man.”
Taking the cigar, he nodded.
A knock sounded on the door, and Baran entered. His gaze locked onto Viking.
“We have a situation.”
A yell sounded outside in the corridor. It was a woman’s voice. I didn’t recognize it, so I relaxed. This wasn’t about Katya.
“So, handle it.” Viking leaned back as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Pride filled my chest.
“Your little bird has fled her cage,” Baran continued.
“Then clip her wings and shove her back inside.”
Baran’s lips curled up. “I took care of that. But sadly, before I could tie her up, she’d already clawed at Vasili. He ruffled her feathers, so she broke a vase on his head. Vasili’s bleeding like a stuck pig and is demanding his pound of flesh, as retribution.”
For a split-second, a cascade of emotions swirled on Viking’s face. There was rage, dread, fear, and finally resolve. Then he locked them away, just as I knew he would. Viking would be fine.
I was more concerned about Vasili, Sokolov’s second in command, who had the audacity to attack someone in my home.
Viking rose from his chair and set his shot glass on the table. He followed Baran out of the room. A feeling of impending doom filled my stomach. When Sokolov trailed after them, I joined him. Soldiers from both my Bratva and Sokolov’s gave us a wide berth as we passed them on our way into the living room. The picture which greeted us there was as I’d expected.
Elena Morelli, who was becoming more and more of a nuisance, sat on top of the coffee table. Someone had ripped her top and a fresh bruise colored her cheek. The tension in the room was sky high, but she still had a defiant look on her face.
I immediately searched the scene for Katya. There was no way that woman could have left her room without inside help. Katya walked in, holding a bag of frozen peas. She gave it to Elena, then glared at Vasili, who stood on the other side of the room. Blood coated his collar, and his lips were curled up in a snarl.
Between Vasili’s crew and the women stood Yuri with several of our soldiers by his side. Together, they outnumbered Sokolov’s Bratva.
I gave Yuri an approving nod. He had managed to take control of the situation, placing our men in strategic places around the room. I didn’t give a damn about Elena Morelli, or whatever had happened to her. But it had happened underneath my roof, and that was something I couldn’t let slide. No one got to dole out punishment in my house but me. It was the ultimate disrespect.
Baran had placed himself in front of Katya, shielding her from Vasili’s men. It was one of the things I admired most about the Turk, his canny ability to recognize the most important asset in the room. If Vasili so much as looked at her the wrong way, I would rip out his spine.
Instead of apologizing to me for assaulting someone from my household, the dumb fuck said, “Thesukamade me bleed. I demand blood for blood.”
If the phrase ‘too stupid to live’ had a picture next to it in the dictionary, it would be of Vasili. Never mind the fact that the fucker had assaulted a woman who lived underneath my roof, he had also asked for retribution. I’d circle back to that little fact later, when I’d cleared up this mess.
Katya’s head shot up. “What?”
I motioned to Baran. “Take her out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Baran hauled her over his shoulder and carried her out of the room.
All eyes went to me, awaiting my ruling. In this household, I was judge, jury, and executioner.
