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“You’re staying?” Igor asked hoarsely.
I bit my tongue. It was better to keep things vague. How much did he know? He was supposedly the leader of this syndicate. Was he aware I was in the know? Did it matter? “I’m taking a well-deserved vacation.”
Uncle Igor huffed. “This generation. They know nothing of hard work. One project accomplished and they think they’ve earned a reward.”
Sophia let out a squeak of protest. “Saints, dyadya! That’s not fair! Bri is one of the hardest working people I know. And that’s saying something considering the exports our family makes.”
Igor smiled fondly at his niece. He lapsed into Russian when he said, “Alright, darling, I jest, I jest! I’ll play nice.”
The fondness in his voice cinched my heart. For a family that had lost so much, they were close knit.Unlike mine.I squeezed my eyes closed and pushed back the ache that would never be remedied.
“Dyadya,” Sophia suddenly said, “I want to do something special for my friend.”
Igor grunted.
“I want to take her to the fights.” Sophia raised her hands, as if to physically block her uncle’s protests. “I want to show her a little of the darker side of the underworld. Please, dyadya, please let us.”
Igor pursed his lips. Mock scorn filled his features in a comedic fashion. “Ah, plemyannitsa, how can I deny you?”
The vehemence in his voice was overly stressed, but that was the way of partially intoxicated foreigners. There was a round of cheek kissing; the triple lip smacking was a common demonstration amongst relatives.
“Oh!” Sophia added, after her cheeks were thoroughly slobbered. “We can’t give Viktor warning. He’ll be displeased if the guards take us to an undesignated event without prior approval.”
Igor wagged his finger. “You naughty child. You knew that would be the case, and so you come to Uncle Igor for help.”
Sophia shrugged innocently. “Something like that.”
“Do not worry yourself. I have it under control!”
And that was how we ended up at Mission of the Valley, an abandoned industrial plant, at a quarter after midnight.
Chapter 23 – Viktor
Nikolai had been withme all evening. We’d watched a few of the earlier matches. The sight of their blood staining the canvas mats of the rings only served to fuel the darkness I kept carefully caged, and after the last few days, it needed release. The energy drink I’d downed did more than fuel my brain; my muscles now pulsed with a wicked energy.Pain.I needed it. More than I needed air to breathe.
We’re through.
