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“Well, doesn’t seem like things are dull around here. And what’s your role?”
“Most of the time I work with Mirko. He’s in charge of logistics.” She nods toward the salad guy sitting close by. “He arranges the trucks and the routes, and I help him with that. But he’s also in charge of surveillance here and at Naos. Oh, and I also help Keva to launder the money.”
“Keva?” I look toward the end of the table where the woman in question is pouring a cup of coffee for some guy. “I thought she’s the cook.”
Jelena laughs. “Yes, she prepares meals for everyone, provides first aid when necessary, and makes sure all the money that’s brought in passes through Naos and comes out clean.”
“Wow.” I shake my head. “And why do you call her Keva? Is that a nickname?”
“It’s slang.Kevameans mom. Fitting, since she orders everyone around.”
“It must be weird to have fifty people calling you ‘mom.’” I glance down the table one more time. “I can’t believe that all of them live here. It’s like a hotel.”
“Oh, it’s nothing like a hotel, believe me.” She snickers. “More like a military base.”
“So, Drago insists on everyone living here?”
“God, no. He often grumbles about it, but he lets us stay,” Jelena says between bites. “When Jovan and I joined the organization a few years back, we got a room on the second floor. It was meant to be temporary, a way for us to get to know everyone and see how everything works since this is the main base of operations. But we ended up staying.” She motions with her hand down the table. “It was kind of the same for the rest. They feel safe here.”
“Because the house is well guarded?”
“No. It’s because of Drago. People tend to gravitate toward him.Hemakes them feel safe.”
I try to imagine living in one house with so many people. Unbelievable. Absolutely crazy. A small smile pulls at my lips. It’s almost . . . like the wolf pack in my story.
“I think it’s because they know Drago will take a bullet for any of them,” she continues. “They’ve witnessed it happen more than once.”
My head snaps back to Jelena, a smile vanishing off my face. “What?”
“He got shot during an attack on the compound a few years back. Even though there were plenty of guys on guard shift to fight the attackers off, Drago was the first to rush outside. He got hit while covering a position left exposed because one of the soldiers got wounded.”
I imagine a bullet piercing my grumpy husband’s chest, and a shudder racks my body. Jelena doesn’t seem to notice my distress because she keeps blabbing.
“And it’s more convenient when most of the people are in the same place. It makes organizing things much easier.” She gestures across the table, toward the guy who was talking about the priest. “That’s Adam. He’s been friends with Drago for a long time, even back in Serbia, and moved here fifteen years ago or so. He is in charge of the foot soldiers. As for the rest of the guys, there aren’t any strict job definitions. Everyone does what needs to be done. Transport. Delivery. Guard shifts. Some of them work as additional security at the club when needed.”
“Okay . . .” I nod as if it all makes sense. Only, it doesn’t. In Cosa Nostra, every member has a very strict job description and obligations. Cooks prepare food. They don’t launder money. I look again at everyone seated around the table. How can a crime organization function with such an undefined structure? “So, one big happy family.”
“Oh! I forgot Tara. Drago’s sister,” she adds.
“Drago has a sister?”
“Yes. She lived here, in this house, but she moved out last week.”
“Why?”
“Well . . .” Jelena cringes and avoids meeting my eyes. “There was kind of a confrontation between us and Cosa Nostra two years ago.”
“Yes, I heard about that.” I nod. It happened while Asya was missing, so I didn’t pay much attention to what was happening within the Family.
“Tara’s boyfriend got shot and died.”
“Shit.” I look down at my plate. “So, she left because of me?”
“Yeah. She didn’t take it well when Drago told her that his bride was from Cosa Nostra.”
I continue to nod like I’ve turned into a fricking bobblehead all of a sudden and focus on my food. No wonder most of the people here have been glaring at me.
“If you want, I’ll show you around the house later,” Jelena says between bites. “Also, did Drago tell you? Don’t go outside by yourself at night.”
