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I follow the other three guards into the huge building, their shoes slapping smartly against the black and white checkerboard tile that we cross, pass a fountain in the center of the large central room, up a mahogany staircase to a room with broad double doors. As we pause at the doorway, the guard raps on the door, speaking the password again.
“Vkhodit!”The word is barked from inside the office, and the guard pushes open the doors. As we stand there, I see a tall, sharply dressed man with his back turned to us, looking over a series of papers on a long desk.
“Volk.” One of the guards speaks. “A man named Kasilov. Says he is here to see you.”
The man at the desk turns to face us. His hair is blond, neatly combed back, his eyes a flinty blue, his expression harsh andforbidding. His eyes rake over me appraisingly, and it’s hard to tell if he approves of what he sees.
“Mikhail Kasilov.” He says my name flatly, and I nod, stepping forward.
“Thank you for seeing me, Babanin.”
“Only because of what you say you have.” He raises an eyebrow. “Information on the Obelensky girl. I had heard she was dead, or long gone. How is it that you have uncovered information the Syndicate has not?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to say something smart-assed, but I’d likely leave without my tongue for it. It’s not worth the momentary pleasure. “Luck, Babanin,” I say smoothly. “And so I have brought you my luck, in hopes that it might be worth something to you.”
Vladimir snorts. “You were one of Viktor’s,da? Just like one of his men, to think of it in such a crass manner. What do you hope to get out of this? Favor with the Syndicate? Money?”
“I’ve looked for over a year for a way to get to Obelensky,” I tell him plainly. “It has not exhausted my resources, but it has been costly. If you would be willing to pay for me to do the dirty work of removing this girl for you, I would be happy to do so.”
“So you don’t wish us to take over the task of dispatching her?”
“No,” I say as firmly as I can, a small bolt of panic shooting through me at the thought of Vladimir taking my mark from me before I can finish my plan. As quickly and succinctly as I can, I tell him what I’ve been doing, the plan I’ve had in order to kidnap Natalia, in brief. “I have my own reasons for going after the Obelensky girl, and I wish to see them through to the end.But I will give you the information I get from her. And you will not have to expend any of your manpower on the task. All I ask is that, in addition to whatever you think this work might be worth, that you allow me to dispense of her as I see fit, when I’m finished questioning her.”
“Mikhail Kasilov,” Vladimir repeats my name, tapping his fingers against the desk as he leans back against it. “You are fortunate that your reputation precedes you, or else you might leave here with a few pieces missing for wasting my time. But I know your name well enough to know that you can question as well as the men I set to that sort of task. If it were her father–” he shrugs. “I would want him down here in my own territory, to see what I could extract from him personally. But as far as the daughter–” His shoulder lifts again and drops.
“I don’t believe she knows as much as you might think she does,” he continues, looking at me thoughtfully. “My concern with the girl is more that she is removed from the chessboard, so to speak. With her father dead, there is a power vacuum in Moscow, and I have my own ideas about who should fill it. It’s not often that a woman rises to power among our kind, but I heard the girl was stubborn, and she was his only living and legitimate child. If she made a claim to his money and connections, it could complicate things. So as long as you can ensure that she will not survive whatever you have planned for her–skhodit's uma.Enjoy.” He grins, a wolfish smile. “I will not pay you as much as I’m sure you hoped, but there will be a stipend.”
Vladimir pauses then, considering. “Where is it you plan to take the girl?”
“I have a penthouse that I’ve been using as I work on gaining her trust. When I am finished with her, I plan to take her back toNew York and give her to Viktor to finish off. Proof that I was not a part of Obelensky’s plot against him.”
Vladimir nods. “And Viktor will kill her, you think?”
“Her father had his wife kidnapped and raped and helped to organize a coup within his Bratva. I think he will enjoy taking his anger out on her flesh.”
“As he should.” Vladimir steeples his fingers, frowning. “I have heard, though, that theUssuriis a changed man these days. What will you do if he does not take your gift in the spirit in which it is intended?”
“Then the girl will remain with me, to finish off as I please.”
“A different deal, then.” Vladimir smiles. “If your plans with Andreyev do not go as planned, then you will bring the girl back here. I will provide you with protection against him, if need be, in exchange for the pleasure of finishing off the Obelensky girl myself, as I please. You will be finished with her by then.”
I consider it for a moment, wanting to be sure. But there’s no flaw in it that I can see. “Agreed. If Viktor does not respond as I think he will, I will bring her back to you. I may need assistance in that.”
“Of course. You will need a different place to take her to when you have decided it is time. You should not wait much longer. Come back tomorrow evening, and I will have you set up with a stipend and keys to a house where you can take her. A penthouse in a neighborhood like the one you are staying in–not good. Too many eyes. You will be more hidden where I will send you.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to refuse, if I can. The idea of being beholden in any way to the Syndicate, of having Natalia in a place that Vladimir knows, feels like a dangerous one to me.
But I’m also reasonably certain that I don’t have much of a choice. I’m not the only one pulling the strings now, and I wonder if taking Valeria up on her suggestion was the right one, even for the money and backup that I’ll get out of it.
It’s too late to question it now.
“Thank you,volk.” I incline my head, showing respect. “I will come back the evening after next, then.”
“You will receive a call. Come then.” Vladimir straightens, and it’s clear that the meeting is over. “Until then, Kasilov.”
I’m not sure my pulse returns to a normal pace until I’m back in my car and driving away from the compound.It’s done,I tell myself.I’ve made the steps; now, I simply have to stay on the path. And in the end, this might be for the better.
I can’t allow my feelings, whatever they might be, to run away with me now. I’m locked in now–if I fail to follow through, I’ll have the most powerful shadow organization in Europe after me.
