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“I found a way out, and I didn’t like it,” I say with a chuckle. “Prison sucks.”
“That’s the usual consensus, yes,” he says, smiling now as he grows more comfortable. “And so, you’re looking to get back into the thick of things out here. Any plans so far?”
“Relearn how to drive. That’s one.”
“Oh, yeah, that must be tough. They take a lot away from you when they put you away for that long. Probably have to relearn a lot of things.”
“More than I’m willing to admit, but I’m a fast learner. I always had my ear to the ground when I was inside, so I know how things go out here, more or less.” I take a sip of my drink, the amber liquid numbing my tongue. “And you’re in what industry, exactly?”
“Ah, questions like that require a little more information about you, my friend.”
“You think I’m a cop?”
“I can never be too careful.”
I shrug. “Well, I’ll tell you what. You search up a man named Avraam Severov, and you’ll find all you need to know.”
Bartek pulls out his phone immediately, his thumbs moving like crazy over the screen. I figure he’s typing, but I’m not used to phones like his so I can’t be sure. We had access to some in prison, but they were old and most of them didn’t even have a way to browse the internet.
I feel old. Like, really old, but I know I’ll get up to speed soon, especially if I’m around Kimberly enough. She’s a good twenty years younger than me, and she seems to have a good head on her shoulders.
A bit hysterical, but she’ll calm down once she gets used to me. I’m not that bad.
Bartek lays his phone down between us, an article about my sentencing on the screen. “Pretty serious felonies, but anyone can turn federal given enough money. What else can you tell me about yourself?”
I chuckle. “Oh, this is grand. You’re obviously a novice or something. You think a Bratva boss would ever turn federal? It’s against our code of honor.”
“Honor probably used to mean something when you were out hustling, but times have changed. You can’t trust anyone anymore,” he says with a hint of sympathy. “I’ll need to have you checked out, but it won’t take long. Then, I might be able to introduce you to some people.”
I raise my glass to him. “I’ll drink to that.”
He smiles, raising his glass and drinking with me.
It feels good to have a foot in the door, but I know this is only the beginning. Things can get ugly fast if I don’t keep my money in order and my people in check. I’m not looking for a job, I’m looking for a connection to help bring me back to the top.
And that inevitably involves rubbing some people the wrong way and taking what I haven’t earned. It’s how the game works. A king doesn’t give up his crown without giving up his head first.
And it’s only a matter of time before I start swinging my blade.
13
Kimberly
What a moron. I can’t believe Avraam has me coming in after hours on a Friday to close up some accounts. If he needed those done this week, he should’ve assigned them to me by Thursday.
I guess that shows how much he really knows about running businesses. I don’t believe what he said about buying and selling them. Since he arrived, the office has been chaotic, and I don’t believe anything has gotten done. People are too scared of him to be productive!
But I’m not afraid of Mr. Muscles. That’s all he is, really. All muscles and no brain.
I just wish he would leave me alone. The night we met was amazing. It would’ve been nice to never discover what he was really like, but as usual, cold hard reality proves to be much less glamorous than my fantasies.
I jumped with the delusion that I could fly. Instead, I broke my fucking legs.
The office is eerily quiet when I arrive, all the lights off and not a single hint that Avraam is even here. I’m almost ready to believe this is all a prank when he pulls up in a car that’s identical to mine, hopping out and grinning like an idiot.
I look back and forth between my car and his. They’re exactly the same, all the way down to the paint color.
“I really wish you weren’t such a weirdo,” I say as he walks up to me.
