CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
YURI
Forty-five minutes later, I’m at my parents’ apartment to check in with Pap about Alek. I walk through the door and head toward my father’s office. The door is wide open, but I still knock announcing my presence.
Pap looks up from his desk. When our eyes meet, I can feel his furry.
“Why are you just NOW getting here?” He asks, his eyebrows drawn together creating a deep crease across his brow.
“I ran into an issue.” I say not elaborating.
He points at me and it’s like a knife going through my chest, “I needed you here! This is the only issue that matters right now!”
“The two are related.” I say confidently. Looking around the office, I see Viktor and Jeremie, but no Maxim, “Where’s Maxim?”
“I could ask you the same question!” my father growls out.
“He said he was on his way here thirty minutes ago.” I say, confused.
“Well…” Pap says, looking around, “unless he’s invisible, he’s not here.”
“I’ll go see where he’s at. Maybe he got hung up on something.” I say exiting Pap’s office quickly before he can respond. I make my way toward the living room and head over to the floor to ceiling hutch that makes up the bar area, pour myself a small glass of whiskey for fortification, then sit down on the couch and shoot off a text to Andrey because I haven’t heard from him tonight either.
Yuri: Call me back ASAP! Maxim is MIA and Charlie ran off. I need an update from you NOW!”
Taking a sip of whiskey, I call Maxim but he doesn’t answer.
Fuck! This is bad! What could have happened to cause both Maxim and Andrey to ignore my calls and texts? Andrey’s been off for months now, but to go completely silent is not like him and it’s definitely off for Maxim.
With the way our plans have been getting royally screwed, nothing would surprise me at this point. Finally, I send off a quick text to check in with Charlie hoping she’ll respond so I know she’s alright.
Yuri: Hey Charlie, I’m sorry for coming over unannounced, but I really needed to see you and try and talk through these things with you. Please text me back so I know you’re ok. We’ll work this out, I just need you to trust me.
I hear the door to the apartment close and turn around to see my father walking toward the bar. He grabs a glass off the hutch, adds some ice from the ice bucket, grabs his favorite whiskey bottle, and pours generously.
I just stand there and watch the strongest man I’ve ever known remove his mask of power and replace it with one of fatherly concern.
“How’s Alek?” I ask. When Pap doesn’t answer right away, I sigh, take a deep breath, and take another swig from my glass. His back is still to me when I ask, “How’s mom?”
He walks over, sits across from me in a dark brown leather armchair that used to belong to my Pap, takes a sip of whiskey and says, “Alek is the same. There’s no change. Your mother is…” he pauses, takes another sip and continues, “there are no words to describe how she’s feeling. She won’t leave his side.
“What happened?” I ask.
“We don’t know.” He says, swirling the whiskey and ice in his glass, “Konstantine, Viktor, and Jeremie are looking into it. We’ve made a call to Liam, he’s going to call if the cops get any leads.”
“What’s your plan?” I ask.
“Find out who did this and kill them! That’s my fucking plan.” He seethes.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, so I dig it out and see Maxim’s name light up the screen. I answer immediately, “Max, where the fuck have you been?” I demand.
“Yuri…” he says out of breath, “I was heading to talk to Andrey to tell him about Alek…” he takes a few shallow breaths, then continues, “but when I got out of the car someone bashed me over the head. I must have blacked out. When I woke up, I was confused and lying face down on the sidewalk. It took me a while to sit up and get into the car and find my phone. I couldn’t remember where I was or what I was doing right away, but as soon as I did, I called you.” he says.
“Fuck!” I say, “Did you get a look at who hit you?” I ask.
“No, they hit me hard from behind with a brick or a piece of cement or something. I don’t know how they got the drop on me.” he says.
“Fuck!” I say, because I can’t seem to think of anything else, “Everything has gone to shit! Can you go check on Charlie? She stormed off. Hopefully she’s back at her apartment by now. I can’t get a hold of Andrey either. See if he’s been knocked out too.” I say.
“Okay, I’ll call you back in a few.” he says.
“What happened?” My Pap asks and I bring him up to speed.
“This is getting out of hand!” he shouts, “Since when are my people so easily incapacitated?” He gets up from his chair and heads back over to the bar.
I wrack my brain for any detail I might have missed while I was entering and leaving Charlie’s apartment, but I didn’t see anyone or anything out of the ordinary. Pap brings the whiskey bottle and refills my glass.
“I didn’t see anything while I was at Charlie’s that looked out of place.” I say.
“So that was the issue you ran into?” He asks, stopping mid-pour.
“I had to talk to her Pap. She’s in just as much danger as we are.” I say defensively.
“There’s no excuse. Your brother was attacked and I told you to get your ass over here. I specifically said not to make any other stops. You blatantly disobeyed me!” He shouts walking back toward the bar and slamming the whiskey glass down so hard I’m worried it’ll crack.
“I’m sorry Pap, but…!” I say, starting to plead my case, but he cuts me off.
“No. Don’t apologize for something you’re not actually sorry for. You made your choice. How do you think it looks that my son, my own son and heir disobeys me?”
“I know Pap, but listen please,” I begin again.
“No! You listen! If you want to be in charge one day, you need to learn how to take orders. You’ve gone rogue these last few weeks. Your actions have consequences!”
“Did Andrey come crying to you? Because that slacker has been griping and moaning about having to protect her for weeks and I’m tired of it!” I shout.
“He did come and talk to me, but that’s not why I’m bringing this up!” he says, his anger at a boiling point, “We need to work as a team. We need to pool all our resources and not split our focus.” he tries to explain.
“I know, Pap and I’m sorry! I’ve come to you with my concerns from the start. You gave me the green light to work with Konstantine to come up with a way to ensure Charlie’s safety in a way that would allow me to complete all my other jobs. I know I’ve been distracted and let a few things fall to the wayside, but if you think that me being concerned for Charlie’s safety has caused all the shit that’s gone wrong these last few months, you’re wrong. There’s something bigger going on here.” I say as my phone buzzes again and it’s Max calling back.
“Hey Yuri, I didn’t see Charlie anywhere. I went up to her apartment but there’s no sign of her. Her door was unlocked and I didn’t see her phone.” he says.
I sigh, at least she has her phone. “I want you to go look for her,” I say.
“Do you think she’s still in the area? Where does she go when she’s pissed at you?”
“What the fuck, Max? You think she has an I’m-pissed-at-Yuri spot?” I say trying not to let my anger and worry get the best of me. I take a few deep breaths before I respond. “Check the local coffee shops and let me know when you find her!”
When I hang up the phone, my father looks like his head is going to explode, “This is what I’m talking about son! Your brother’s been attacked and you’re more concerned with your girlfriend’s whereabouts!”
“That is not true! I am concerned about both of them. I know where Alek is. I know he’s in good hands. I’m pissed that someone thinks they can come after my family like this, so I’m doing everything in my power to keep those I love safe. JUST LIKE YOU!” I shout before I can stop myself.
Before I know it, my father has crossed the room and has me by the throat, “I don’t know what gave you the idea that you can talk to me like this, but I won’t stand for it!” he says, shutting my airway.
“Pap, listen…” I struggle to say.
“I want you to listen son! And listen good! You will be in charge one day, but today is NOT that day! I know you love Charlie and you want to keep her safe, but I will NOT allow you to undermine me…” he says and then releases my throat. I stagger back hitting, my legs against the couch and struggling to maintain my balance.
“What the fuck?” I say, “Why did you do that? I’m not your enemy here Pap!” I decide to sit on the couch before I fall over.
“From where I stand, you don’t seem to be on my side either!”
“Of course I am!” I scoff, lifting my hands in frustration, “Everything I do is to protect this family!” I’m so confused right now. Pap has always been a hard nut to crack, but he’s never laid hands on us before. “Listen, I know you’re up to your eyeballs in stress with Nico making a push for territory, plans going up in smoke, and now Alek being mugged. But we need to stick together or whoever the fuck is messing with us wins!” I say trying to bring my anger down and show my father I’m on his side.
He’s pacing now and I wonder how we got here. When did things start to fall apart? I rub my neck, which is only a little tender, and run my other hand through my hair. My phone begins to vibrate, so I pick it up to answer. I clear my throat before speaking, “Maxim, did you find Charlie?”
“No sign of her. I’ve driven up and down the neighboring streets and alleyways and went into a few coffee shops nearby and nothing.”
“It’s dark and raining, there’s no way she’d still be walking around the city for this long without going inside someplace to stay dry and warm.” I say, getting more and more worried.
“You think something happened to her?” Maxim asks.
“Seeing as Alek has been mugged, you were hit over the head, Andrey’s missing, and now we can’t find Charlie, yes!” I say irritated.
“Do you want me to keep looking?” He asks.
“No, you need to come here and get your head checked out.” I say.
“My head is fine. It’s hard enough. There’s only a little blood and I have a small headache.”
“I need you here now!” I demand, “I don’t need you passing out. You’re no use to me that way.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll be there ASAP.” he says, hanging up the phone. I look across the room to find my father standing at the window looking out at the city.
Clearing my throat, I stand and start walking toward him. I try to break the ice, “Pap… I’m sorry that all of this is happening. I don’t know if anything I did made things worse, but I’m here, on your side. We will figure this out. Alek will be okay.” I reach out my hand and tentatively place it on his shoulder not sure what to expect.
He takes a deep breath and says, “If you think this is all connected, who’s behind it all?”
“I think I have an idea…” I say shoving my hands into my pockets and walking toward the kitchen. I decide to sit on one of the island stools.
Pap follows me into the kitchen, stands across from me, leans his elbows on the granite countertop, and with one hand gestures for me to continue.
He raises his eyebrows and just stares at me for a few heartbeats. He’s going to pretend like nothing happened. Okay, I’m fine with that. I’d rather spend the next few hours locating Charlie and Andrey and figuring out who hurt my brother than hashing things out with my father.
“Okay…” I begin, “You know how you suggested I use Charlie as a resource to get closer to the Romanos? I went to talk to her today about Dominic, to try and show her who he really is, but she freaked when I even brought up the idea of Dominic using her.” I begin.
“And…?” he questions irritably rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“I think Dominic attacked Alek to get back at me, at us.” I say.
“No, that’s not possible!” He says, getting frustrated again.
I attempt to explain without setting my father off on another tirade, “Pap, a lot has been getting fucked up lately. I think everything is connected.” I lift my index finger and begin counting off my examples, “Daniil’s attack, then our last two exchanges were nearly blown, and now Alek is getting mugged! Then Maxim is knocked out? Maxim, of all people? There’s no way there are that many coincidences.”
“NO!” He shouts, “I won’t accept this! I worked too hard to keep you boys out of harm's way!”
“Pap, we’ve been in danger from the moment we moved back into the city. Since we were inducted into the family business. You couldn’t keep us a secret forever.” I say.
“This isn’t what I wanted for you boys.” He says, covering his face with his hands. I’ve never seen my father like this and it’s frightening me. I need him to be the strong, immovable rock that he’s always been.
“I know, but when uncle Boris fucked with the whole must-kill-Nico situation, you did what you had to. We respect that. If you hadn’t come back, think of where this city would be. Nico would have moved in and taken control and you know you wouldn’t have been able to live with yourself if that happened.”
“You were just children when we moved back into the city. I should never have brought you back here.”
I’ve never seen him like this. “Your plan worked Pap,” I encourage. I want him to know that I’m in this with him. “We all knew the danger we were walking into. You made sure of that.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you boys again!” he says determination crossing his face.
“Pap, there was always a chance that one of us, hell, even all of us, would be hurt in this life. You couldn’t prevent this. You tried and succeeded in keeping us safe for a long time. It’s not your fault.” I say placing my hand on his shoulder.
“Okay, enough of this self-doubt and pity party nonsense!” he says, “We need to get to work! You think Dominic is behind it all, but how? There’s no way his father would allow his son to endanger all he’s worked for over the years.”
“I don’t know how much control Nico has anymore.” I say, connecting the dots in my mind, “With how unorganized the attacks on us have been, I think Dominic is doing this without his father’s permission or knowledge.”
“That weasel doesn’t have the balls to do this on his own!” My father says, “His father must know about this. Nico’s never been the greatest leader. His ambition outweighs his skill. His father must be thrashing in his grave with all the fuckery Nico and Dominic have caused over the years.” he says, chuckling a little. I can see the courage returning to his face.
“Okay, well if it’s Nico and Dominic, how do they know so much about our operations?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” Pap sighs, “We’ve suspected there was a rat among us, but I never imagined this one of our people would work with Nico.”
“The only way Dominic would know about me, about Mikhail, or Alek is if someone we know, someone we trust, told him. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” I say.
“Whoever it is, they have to know we’re onto them.” he says.
“Remember Lev?” I ask, thinking back to a conversation I had a few weeks ago.
“Lev? The boxer-mob-boy-wannabe?” Pap asks.
“Did you learn anything from talking with him? How did he hear about the gym? How was he welcomed into the fold so quickly?” I ask, the gears beginning to turn in my mind.
“He’s just an ambitious boy with big dreams. We scared the pants off of him, and didn’t learn anything of consequence.” He says.
We both sit in contemplative silence for a few minutes. Whoever this rat is, we’re going to coax him out. We just need to connect a few puzzle pieces.
Pap looks at me with renewed determination, “Call Konstantine, I want him working on this ASAP. I’ll call Viktor, I want Lev brought here from the club. I want to ask him a few more questions.”
While I call Konstantine, Pap calls Viktor and we get this plan in motion.
We’ve been working tirelessly for three hours and nothing! We still don’t know where Andrey or Charlie have gone and we’re no closer to figuring out who hurt Alek. Maxim saw my Pap’s doctor when he got to the apartment. He has a concussion and a nice size gash on his head, but he’s as strong as a bull, so I’m not too concerned.
Charlie’s phone must be off because we can’t trace her. I’m frustrated with myself because I’ve been so distracted with protecting Charlie that I opened the door for her to be a target and for this asshole, whoever he is, to mess with my family. I fucked up and now I have to fix this!
After seeing the doctor, I sent Maxim to see if he can help Konstantine in any way. Pap, Viktor, and I went to the basement to interrogate Lev, while Konstantine tried to locate Andrey or Charlie. After two hours of mind numbing questions, Lev had nothing new to say, if he knows anything, he isn’t giving it up.
Now, I’m pacing the apartment. I hate not knowing where Charlie is and it’s killing me. After nearly ten years of keeping her safe, I’ve failed her.
She could be in serious trouble and it’s all my fault because I tried to push her. If I had just listened to her, she never would have run off.
On top of that, Andrey is still MIA. Konstantine said his phone is off too, which is a coincidence I can’t ignore.
Everything is going to shit and I’m panicking. I’m about to go back to the basement and force Lev to give me something to go on, when my phone buzzes in my pocket.
My heart begins to race hoping it’s an update from Charlie, but I’m disappointed to see a message from Andrey.
Andrey: Hey boss, sorry I didn’t get your calls before. What is going on? My phone died.
Instead of texting him back, I call him and he answers on the first ring.
“Andrey, Where the FUCK have you been? I need you at my apartment now! Maxim was knocked out!” I say, trying to keep my cool.
“I’m on my way!” he says and hangs up.
Thirty minutes later he’s standing in the doorway of my apartment.
I don’t give him a second to settle in or gather his thoughts, “Where were you Andrey?” I ask.
“Sorry man, my phone died.” he says nervously.
“You said that. That’s not what I asked. Where the fuck were you?” I ask again.
I walk toward him and motion for him to move further into the apartment. Once he heads toward the living room, I close and lock the door. He takes a seat on the couch and I’m trying hard not to strangle him on the spot.
“I’m not going to ask again.” I say.
“There’s no excuse, Yuri. I’m sorry. You’ve just had me running around like a chicken with my head cut off for weeks…” he starts to babble anxiously, “...and I needed a break. I turned my phone off and decided to go for a drive to clear my head. After Charlie took off I figured you’d follow her and she’d be okay.”
“Well,” I say, seething, “you figured wrong!” I shout and don’t hold back my rage. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and shove him to the floor.
“What the fuck man?” He says.
“I don’t believe you for a second!” I say stalking over toward him. “You expect me to believe, after ten years of friendship, that I don’t know when you’re lying?”
“H- Hey, just calm down…” he stammers.
“I won’t calm down,” I say standing on his hand, crushing his fingers beneath my weight.
“Yuri! Stop! Fuck! That hurts!” he cries.
“I know… and it’s going to hurt a lot worse if you don’t tell me everything!” I say.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” he lies.
“Sure you do!”
“You’re crazy, mam!” he shouts.
“That may be, but I’m not stupid. You’ve been openly questioning my decisions and talking openly about your hatred for Charlie. Did you really think I would choose a weak sack of shit like you over her?” I say stepping down harder on his hand.
He reaches out to grab my ankle in an effort to free his hand, but I’m way ahead of him. I grab his other wrist, take my foot off his now crushed hand, and force him to stand.
I straighten him up and dust off his shoulders, “Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way…” I begin to explain.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he asks
“You can stop acting innocent and dumb anytime.” I say releasing his wrists.
He looks at me with disgust and is about to say something when Viktor and Pap leave the office and join me in the living room.
“H- h- hey boss,” he says shakily and starts backing toward the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask menacingly.
“I - I think you need some time to cool off and think clearly, so I’m gonna go.” he says pointing with his thumb toward the door, and turning to run, but I grab him by the back of his collar, which causes his shirt to rip, and I slam him to the floor.
“You’re not going anywhere!” I growl and bring my foot down hard on his face knocking him out cold.