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“I always knew he was a crazy bastard,” Vanya said. “If he showed you DNA results, how did you know it wasn’t the truth?”
“Because I’m not an idiot. I went to the homeland statistics department and the lab that did the DNA test years ago.” His eyes darkened. “Turns out they did four different tests. Whether or not he had sex with my mother that night, I can’t say, but one thing I can confirm without any doubt is that Viktor Guzun wasn’t my father. I chose not to disclose my knowledge to Janos. I learned the most valuable lesson from him—how to play on both sides of the fence. I knew the day would come when he overplayed his hand. All I needed to do was be patient.”
“So, it’s true then,” Zafira said softly. “You’re not the one who tried to assassinate me.”
“No,Comare, it wasn’t me.”
“Then who? Who else hates the Guzuns so much?”
“The same man who shot me.”
Vanya turned pale. “I thought you couldn’t remember. Isn’t that why you blamed and came to hate Arian? Because you believed he betrayed your confidence?”
“At first, yes. My memory returned in flashes since then, but it took a while before the entire picture made sense.”
“So, you’re not angry with Arian anymore?” Vanya prodded.
“As I said earlier, I’m still on the fence about him. Taking into consideration who I saw that night, he is still the only one who—”
“So, youdoknow who shot you?”
“Yes, Vanya, I do.” His eyes swirled with hatred. “Which is why I warned all of you to stay out of my way. None of what I just told you matters. Nothing has changed. If any of the Guzuns get in the way of me taking out the bastard, I’ll not hesitate to take them out as collateral damage.”
“Who is it?” Vanya snapped. “I want to know who destroyed our happiness, Andrei. It’s my right!”
“Ah, Vanya, when will you ever learn that not everything in life revolves around you? He didn’t destroy our happiness. I ended it before I got shot, remember? We were never meant to be.” His eyes hardened with resolve. “If you were hanging on to the belief that I still loved you, I suggest you disabuse yourself of that notion right now, because I don’t. I never did.” Andrei watched the hurt turn her eyes cloudy.
Through tight lips, he said to Zafira, “Breakfast is ready. I suggest you go eat so you can take your medication.”
“Andrei, don’t you believe it’s better to tell us?” Zafira implored him. “Don’t forget the other lesson we taught you—that there is strength in numbers.”
“You’d be better off concentrating on the Bratva-Mafia war looming,Comare. If there is one thing I came to desire more than anything in my life, it’s to be in charge of my own destiny. To stand as the leader of the Red Bratva goes hand in hand with that. Now that I’ve achieved that, no one is going to take it away from me… no matter the consequences or who has to suffer along the way. I suppose among Viktor, Janos, and Arian, I learned the value of being the top dog.”
He walked out the door with the damning words following in his wake.
“Believe me, when the war erupts, and with the Red Bratva leading the way, if you’re not ready, you might just lose everything… your precious children included.”
Chapter Eleven
“This is a precautionary visit, sir. We received a call just after midnight of a stranger lurking around the southeast corner near the base of Kypchakskaya Hill just outside the security fence. We combed the perimeter of the estate and didn’t find anything untoward. As always, the community’s safety is our first priority, so please ensure your doors are locked at night.”
“Of course.Thanks for letting me know.”
Andrei watched the two security guards drive off. His sharp gaze roamed across the lake and the adjacent rolling hills. He didn’t believe in coincidences. In all the years he’d owned the property, there had never been a break-in or any reports of unauthorized persons loitering in or around the fenced area. That a suspicious man was seen not too far from his house a day after Vanya arrived, immediately raised a red flag.
“Something’s not right,” he muttered to himself. “Vanya is too careful to be followed, which begs the question… how the hell did anyone know to come here?”
After scanning the immediate perimeter one last time, he shut the door. It would be wise to have a covert security team in place to monitor the house and property. Even if someone had discovered Zafira was staying here, it was still the most secure location for her to be at. He already had security cameras and infrared motion detectors installed in overlapping fields of coverage, positioned around the house. To multiple force protection and intelligence, Andrei had deployed fixed early warning threat identification and target-tracking devices hidden well beyond the treeline that served as the last line of defense against an invading force of enemy operatives. If necessary, a hard exit in a high-powered speed boat across the lake could be made within minutes.
With so much at stake, he was willing to take every reasonable precaution to ensure Zafira’s safety during her stay. The more eyes watching over her, the better.
The fact that there had already been an assassination attempt on her life told Andrei that Gareth Sanders was becoming desperate. Nothing he had done to weaken the collaborative strength of the Bratva groups loyal to the Guzun organization had succeeded. He believed that decapitating the matriarchal head of the three sibling leaders would be a catastrophic blow to their operational integrity.
“Fuck him. He’s in for a surprise.” Snorting with disgust at his thoughts, Andrei quickly made a call to the Red Bratva Underboss and arranged to have an immediate covert team embedded.
His thoughts wandered as he walked toward the kitchen. Sanders might have the weaker Bratva groups allied with him already, but no one would dare oppose the Red Bratva or the Guzuns. People in positions of power in the criminal world had assets on their payrolls to provide real-time intelligence that would enable them to weigh the strength of their enemies. What Sanders and Uncle Jonas had planned wasn’t sustainable.
“He’s an idiot if he believes it is.”
