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She presses her hands against the window, looking around desperately for a way to open it. Her mouth moves, her breath fogging up the glass. Frantic. She’s trying to tell me something, but we’re too far away and the window is too thick for sound to escape. I try to read her lips, but I only get bits and pieces.
What is she trying to tell me?
For now, I’m just happy to see she’s alive and well—and quite literally kicking. I can tell she’s a serious handful for her guards.
“Release her,” I demand. “I’m here. You have what you want. Let her go.”
Konstantin takes another long drag of his cigarette. He takes his time, lets the smoke sit in his lungs. I’m not an idiot. It’s a negotiation tactic, an attempt to instill a power imbalance. While I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for a response, he has all the time he needs to get a read on me. It’s a strategy I’ve personally used in many client meetings. If there’s one thing people can’t stand, it’s silence. It’s a matter of who breaks whom first.
I’m really starting to hate how similar we are. It looks like the proverbial apple hasn’t fallen very far from the Antonov tree.
“I’ll release her eventually,” Konstantin finally says, silver smoke filtering out through his nostrils. “Afteryou’ve been officially initiated into the Bratva.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Haven’t I done enough?”
“You know as well as I do that I no longer have any legitimate heirs.” He says this as he glances down at his shoes. Is this a rare display of weakness I’m seeing? Or is this just another tactic to garner my sympathy? “My enemies are everywhere, Misha,” he continues. “Ourenemies. And they’re getting ready to make their move. I need your help to keep them at bay.”
“I’m not like you.”
“You can tell yourself that all you want, dear nephew, but whether you like it or not, this was the life you were born into.This—” he gestures vaguely about the compound “—is your legacy. Lev and I… We made the Antonov Bratva to be great.”
“Keep my father’s name out of your mouth,” I seethe.
He claps me on the shoulder, moving in close to growl in my ear. “I meant what I said in New York, Misha. Let bygones be bygones. Lev and I built this empire for our boys. I regret what happened, but that’s how we work. Lev knew the rules and he broke them, but that doesn’t mean I want to see you and your brothers punished for his lapse in judgment. I’m not completely devoid of sentiment.”
“So you want me to be your heir, is that it?”
“You must look at the bigger picture, nephew. Family comes first. It mustalwayscome first. I plan on being around for a very long time, but you know how this business is. Messy, yeah? Full of twists and turns. And if something should happen to me, I want the Bratva to fall to you. Would you rather see all this fall into the hands of our enemies? The Stokayevskis, the Volkovs… You remember those sick bastards, don’t you?”
I grind my teeth. These are names I haven’t heard in decades, but they still make my blood run cold. They scared me more than stories about the boogieman.
“Those violent fucks…” Konstantin hisses. “They destroy everything they touch. They don’t care who gets hurt in the process. At least the Antonov Bratva operates with honor. We keep Moscow under control. Atpeace.”
I sneer. “So what you’re saying is joining you and running the business is the lesser of two evils.”
My uncle winks, clicks his tongue. “Now you’re getting it.”
“What’s stopping me from letting all this burn? I don’t give a shit about the Bratva. I could kill you in your fucking sleep.”
He smirks. “You could, if you wanted to. I’m not going to stop you.”
I squint at him. There’s a catch, I just know it.
Konstantin smiles up at the third-floor window. Aurora’s been watching this whole time, her face twisted in anguish and horror. “Why do you think I brought her, hm? Your woman. Your dear mother. Do you think I went to all this trouble, smuggling them out of the country, just for shits and giggles?”
His threat goes unspoken, but I catch his meaning just fine. If I do anything to betray him, he’ll kill Aurora and Catherina without hesitation. My back is against the wall and he knows it. As long as I do as he says, as long as I fall in line, nothing will happen to them. He’s forcing my surrender, my compliance.
And I have no choice but to give in.
“The initiation,” I grumble. “What does it entail?”
Konstantin smiles wide. The bastard thinks he’s won, but this is only the beginning. I’m biding my time. I’m in for the long game now. When I find the right moment, I’ll kill him without remorse. Until then… if he wants a mobster, I’ll show him a fucking mobster.
“The Stokayevskis,” he says slowly, taking one last drag of his cigarette before tossing it to the ground. He crushes the butt beneath the heel of his shoe. “They have a son, Nicolai. The idiot made a move on my territory while I was behind bars. I need you to send them a message. The Antonovs won’t tolerate that kind of disrespect.”
I set my jaw. “What are we talking about here? A few broken bones? Take out his teeth?”
Konstantin shakes his head. “No, dear nephew. Heavy is the hand of the law. We must make an example out of him.”
