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A bitter spark flares up in me. “You give me solid proof and I’ll wipe the motherfucker off the face of the planet. But I need hard proof, Stieg, not idle speculation and rumors.”
“Look, I get it. You have to be the respectable face of the business, that’s why we sent you to school and all. We keep you protected, keep your hands as clean as possible when we can. All I’m asking here is that you give your,” he raises a level hand, wobbles it slightly, “your approval. You know, turn your head while we handle business.”
The cold hand of dread grips my gut. I stare at the grimy window on the far wall. “Who you gunning for?”
“We helped Medici out of a fix with the feds a few weeks back. In exchange, he gave me this intel. The bastard who put the hit out on your father did it for a power grab, but more importantly, because he had it bad for your mother.”
My eyes snap to Stieg and my head begins to pound. The distinct nugget of truth resonates with me and feels plausible. My mom had literally been a beauty queen in Moscow and had fallen hard for my dad which made him the envy of countless men.
“You ever wonder why she fled back to Moscow instead of staying here to raise you and Nicolaus?”
“She only came here to be with dad, when he died she returned to her family.”
“Ekaterina didn’treturn, she ran. She ran from the man who killed your father so he could have her and eventually, the position as boss.” He levels his gaze at me. “You know she wanted to take both of you, but your uncle kept you hidden from her. He meant to use you as a bargaining chip to keep her here.” He shrugged. “It was difficult for Ekaterina, but she made her choice.”
That certainly explains why several years passed before I was able to see my mother. And even then, it was because I flew to Moscow to see her and my brother.
“Sebastian…it is time to avenge your father. His blood has been crying out since the day he slumped over the steering wheel riddled full of bullets.” He shifts forward, elbows on table. “Just look the other way, and say nothing.”
Is it true? A hard lump forms in my throat and my vision blurs. “I give you my word that I will stand down, but first I need hard evidence, Stieg. I have to know we got the right man.”
He nods in silence, then pulls open one of the desk drawers. He withdraws a manilla envelope and slides it across the desk to me. I hesitate a second before I take it. After unfastening the clasp, I retrieve the 8 x 10 photos. The first one shows my mom and Sergei sitting alone at a bar, likely this one. They’re sitting on the stools, the place appears to be empty. The next photo shows Sergei’s large hand on Mom’s thigh. There is a look of outrage in her eyes. The next photo is of her attempting to slap him, but he appears to have caught her by the wrist.
A red mist hazes over my eyes and my hands tremble. I force myself to look at the next photo. Mom’s face is a look of sheer horror as Sergei’s hand seems to tear at her blouse. The next photo shows Mom smashing a glass against his brow. The final photo shows her running away. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“Where the hell did you get these?” I say.
“The feds had them. Been holding onto them for years.”
“How’d you get them?”
“Medici’s man on the inside leaked them to us as payment for alerting them to a sting operation.”
I process this information and file it away. “So, this proves Sergei is an asshole pig who tried to force himself on my mom. The sick fuck will pay for that, but how does this pin him for the murder?”
Stieg sighs and rolls his eyes. “Why do you have to be such a boy scout, Sebastian?”
“If someone wanted me to sign off to a hit on you, wouldn’t you want me to make damn sure of the evidence?” I let him digest that for a bit. “And boy scout?” I sneer. “You give me the evidence and I’ll personally chop that motherfucker to pieces.”
His eyebrows hitch up at the venom in my tone. He nods approvingly. “I’ll get you what you need. Don’t worry about that.”
“No moves until you do, right?”
He throws his hands up. “You have my word.”
“Your word’s always been good enough for me, Stieg.” I lean over to shake his hand. He grips mine firmly and grins.
“So, Natasha will be here in two weeks.” He laughs and points at my face. “That’s not happiness I see there, my friend.”
I stand. “Would you want Sergei’s sloppy seconds as a bride?”
He shakes his head. “The boss really fucked you over on that. He knew she was slated for you.”
I stare evenly at him, letting him know his tactic failed to provoke me. “Just the same, Stieg, don’t move on him without showing me the evidence.”
“You’ll have it soon enough,” he says, walking me to the door. “Meanwhile, this stays between you and me.”
“Of course.”
