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“Yes, I know who you are. Why are you knocking on my door?”
“There’s… ummm… there’s someone here demanding to see you,” she said, but before she could continue, a man in a suit vest, white dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves, dress pants, and white sneakers entered the room, pushing Ashley out of the way. He was a big guy. Huge, even. He had to duck to keep from hitting his head on the ceiling, which meant he had to be about six feet eight inches. He had bulky muscles that made his neck look thicker than a tree trunk, and his arms were even bigger than that. The vest almost looked like it didn’t belong to him as it tapered to his waist in a manner that made it look like it was cutting off circulation to the top half of his body. Usually, when a guy that big was top-heavy, he would have tiny legs, but that wasn’t the case with this guy. Even in the loose dress pants, I could see how thick his thighs were.
He might have been the biggest guy I had ever seen.
“Thank you, Ashley. Please shut the door,” I told her. She looked rather flustered, but she did as she was told. I stayed where I was, sitting at my desk.
“Who are you, and why are you pushing your way into my office?”
“My name is Ivar. Ivar the Terrible to my friends,” he said with a strong Russian accent and laughed a deep, booming laugh. Maybe it was an inside joke or something, but I didn’t find it funny. I found it annoying, but then again, I was bound to find anything annoying today.
“Okay, Ivar. I repeat, why are you pushing your way into my office? I am a very busy man and have little time for visitors today, terrible or not.”
This made the man laugh harder.
“Oh, you arefunny! Daniel said you were a… how did he put it? A “stick in the mud”. That’s it! But you do not seem like this. You are funny man!”
At the mention of my little brother’s name, I became less annoyed and more concerned. I shut my laptop and gave this man my full attention.
“You know Daniel?”
“Yes, he and I are… working together.”
“Since when do the Italians work with the Russians?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. The stupid smile was still on Ivar’s face. It was almost hidden by his thick black beard, but I could still see it. He was bald and had tattoos everywhere, even on his skull, which made the smile look a little more menacing than it would have on, for example, someone like me. I felt I was an intimidating guy, but this mountain had me beat by about a mile and a half.
“More like dealing. Your brother wants something that I have. He came to me and asked me for it but does not have the money. He told me to come to you for the money so he could buy from me. Is this truth? Do you have money for him to buy from me?”
“What exactly is he buying?” I asked, and Ivar shook his head.
“I do not discuss business in places unsecure,” he grunted and, for the first time, his smile disappeared. I thought about what would happen if this guy got angry. He could crack my skull with his dinner plate-sized hands. I wasn’t afraid of him by any means, but I was concerned.
“Understandable. I am cautious in places I have never been before as well, and everything I deal in is legal.”
The smile reappeared within the bushy beard, and he laughed.
“Good! So, we understand.”
“We do. How much would my brother owe you for whatever it is?”
“He owes 800,000 US dollars,” he told me, and I shook my head. Of course, my brother would want to get in on something so expensive.
“How long does he have to get you the money?”
“Two weeks. I gave him the merchandise on that understanding.”
Great, so it wasn’t a prospective buy; it was a buy and reimburse. I hated when my family did stuff like that. My father did it all the time, but he at least had the means of obtaining the money. His was just all asset-related. Daniel didn’t have anything, as far as I knew. Nothing that substantial anyway. I wondered what it was he had bought.
“Okay. I don’t have the money right now, but I will either get it to you directly, or I will give it to Daniel to give to you within the allotted time. Is that fair?” I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose. The amount was doable. I could also get it in that amount of time, but my brother and I were going to have a conversation. A long conversation.
“Is fair!” Ivar called out, arms in the air with what seemed to be excitement. “This was easier than thought. You are good man, good brother!”
“Thank you. I try,” I said. He stood up, and so did I. He reached out to shake my hand but instead grabbed my forearm. His hand wrapped around it without any issue, whereas my hand barely covered the inside of his. He shook our arms up and down, then let me go. “Leave your contact information with the intern on your way out, so we can figure out how to get you your money.”
“Excellent! Have great day!” he said and headed to the door, ducking on his way out. When the door shut behind him, I sat in my seat, letting myself have a moment to recollect. He might have been the most agreeable Russian I had ever dealt with. He was certainly the biggest. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him becoming the head crime boss of the Russians one day. He could bully everyone around him into submission. I wasn’t even sure bullets would be effective against him.
What had my brother gotten himself into? How did he even know this guy? I knew my brother worked with Dad and that he was interested in becoming part of the Mafia world, but I didn’t think he would go so far as to deal directly with the Russians. That was dangerous territory right there. If the wrong person found out, Daniel could end up dead—no matter whose son he was.
I sent Daniel a text.
