Chapter Twenty-Four - Ryurik
“And how is the baby?” Viktor asks, but it’s more of an investigative question.
“As far as the doctors and Emily have told me, she and our baby are doing well. She looks as if she’s about to pop, but it’s good.” Viktor nods, but I know he’s not sold on Emily, and I can’t say I am completely either, but I’m feeling things I’ve never felt for a woman before. Part of me fears becoming a father.
“Fantastic. Do you think you’re going to bring her into the business?”
“I was raised this way, and I can’t see why not. She’s not going to live a normal civilian life, is she? But then again, she’s a girl. If she wants to go to college and do normal things she’s got a better shot at it than I do.”
“Hmm. Could be a problem. I ask because Emily followed her own path into law enforcement.”
“She did, but she wasn’t influenced by her father. He left her for dead wanting to forget about her.” As I state the impassioned plea on Emily’s behalf, a film reel of traumatic events bonding us together flashes through my mind. The Heart and Lung Ball with Paul Butcher, her mother’s transplant, and us at the ultrasound finding out we’re having a girl.
I get up from my seat, my eyes blurry from consuming too much paperwork from the club, and looking down at the bustling streets below, then over to the Chicago skyscrapers wrapped in a cocoon of misty clouds.
“Hmm. He might have, but she could have turned out different. There’s Mafia in her DNA. Look how she ran right into you,” Viktor scoffs, but there’s a soft spot building for her, and it’s only getting deeper the closer we get to the birth of our child.
“She did, and I’m happy about it.” I stop there. I’m not one for mushy goop, but Emily has my heart, and she doesn’t know it.
“Happy about it?” Viktor parrots, unimpressed as he clasps his hands together, leaning forward in his seat. “What are we going to do about the Vegas venture with Paul? Don’t tell me it’s off the table because of Emily.”
“I’m working on a different angle for Paul. We’re not going to cut a deal with him.”
Viktor’s eyes clamp down on mine, confusion on his face. “I trust you’ve got a plan, and it’s going to be just as lucrative?”
“Yes. Leave me to work on that one, and I’ll keep you informed as we move along, but I won’t work with him. It’s too dangerous, and I promised Emily. I can’t do that to her.”
“Boss, you’re getting soft. We can’t leave Vegas on the table.”
Throwing Viktor an icy glare, I reiterate my stance. “We won’t. Wait for my go-ahead. I have another plan.”
Viktor coughs clearing his throat. “Alright, alright. Is this Laura woman recovered?”
“Yes. Her mom is doing well and looks fantastic.” An ache tugs inside my chest, thinking about the woman who saved Emily. Meeting her made it real, and the hugs and kisses she gave me for saving her continued to stockpile the guilt I felt about manipulating Emily.
“She went to see her today,” Viktor informs me as I watch the Chicago ferry head upriver.
“I know. It’s better if they spend time together. She’s my wife and has the freedom to come and go as she pleases.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea? I don’t trust her completely. Are you in love with her or something?”
Love is such a powerful word, and if I was to say it, it would be to my own mother and father, not a woman. I don’t think love is a word for me. Pausing, I contemplate it. “I care deeply for her. She’s the mother of my child.”
But there’s more, and part of me is wanting to keep the curtain of denial in front of me, but my feelings are too real to ignore. I can’t see myself not waking up beside her, snuggling with her in the morning before I leave.
It’s nice to hear her humming around the house, fixing things and helping her pick out items for the nursery. I enjoyed doing those things with her. It’s a contrast to the rest of my life, which is filled with meetings, sizing other men up, moving product, and reporting back to the Bratva.
“Sure, sure, but what if she turns on you? She was hell-bent on taking you down only months ago. Don’t tell me she doesn’t still want to string you up for Willy Dee’s murder.”
He’s right. And maybe that’s why I’ve let her open herself up first and said very little. I don’t want to expose my true feelings to her, only for her to jam them in my face and have me arrested and used for her benefit.
Emily wasn’t just a street cop; she was a detective with vengeance in mind from the start. I didn’t experience seeing her in that part of life, only when she was interviewing me, but I heard from the inside, she already dismantled part of my operation without me realizing. She was the one who brought down my racketeering job within the school.
I swing back from looking down on the street, moving over to my office bar and pouring a stiff drink. I hand one to Viktor as well. It’s a game of wait-and-see between Emily and me.
“Sure. She did, but that was before both of us knew she was carrying my child,” I remind him, letting the amber liquid burn down my throat, taking the edge off a little.
“Or did she already know?” Viktor proclaims, playing the devil’s advocate. “She might have had her sights set on you from the start. This could have been her whole plan. Don’t you see?” Viktor raises one hand, stretching it out, the frustration plain on his face.
“I see what you mean, but no. She didn’t target me that night. She was in the same spot the entire time.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Wake up.” I stop drinking for a second.
“I said she didn’t target me that night. If anything, it was me that wanted her. Stop reading into things that aren’t there.”
Viktor stays quiet for a few beats, downing the rest of his drink. “Sorry. I want to protect what’s yours and make sure we stay on track.”
“And I commend you for that. It’s why you work for me, but this—is not what you think.”
Viktor taps his foot on the floor as I sit on the edge of my desk. “Do you plan on marrying?” I ask, not usually discussing my private matters with him, but we’ve been together long enough that I trust him with most elements of my life.
“I do. Just not right now. I’m committed to the Bratva, and there’s so many beautiful women out here, I can’t choose.” He smirks, looking my way. “Remember that. A cop isn’t the smartest move.”
“We could make it a smart move. She’s connected on the inside,” I counter, trying to see the bright side of events.
“You made her quit, remember? She can’t stay in the police department and be carrying your child,” Viktor scoffs, aggravating me with his push back as he heads to the bar himself, pouring another drink.
“Even if I didn’t force her to quit, she probably would have done so herself.”
“She seems like the type of woman dedicated to taking down criminals. You said so yourself.”
I’ve not seen Viktor with a woman on his arm for some time, and his responses are laced with envy, and if he doesn’t stop, he’s about to be bitch slapped.
“She used to be. That’s what I told you. Don’t exaggerate, Viktor,” I bite back.
“Hmm. Something’s off. I don’t think you should trust her. She used to be a cop, and yeah, I get you had to marry her because of the kid and stuff, but don’t get fucking attached. We’ve got big deals on the table and your head needs to be on straight.”
“It is on straight. You stick to your job. Where’s the distribution paperwork from Sully?” I ask angrily, wishing I’d never opened up to Viktor, but I had to tell someone, and who other than my right-hand man.
Viktor points to the desk, holding up the paperwork. “Right here. Waiting for you to sign it.” Viktor sips on his drink as I pick up the contract, flipping through its pages, annoyed about his comments. I don’t appreciate his negative commentary on Emily. It’s starting to hit a little close to the bone.
“Go back and renegotiate the rate. This seems low. We want to squeeze him down to get him to hand over the club to us.” Handing back the contract, Viktor nods and I get my footing back as a boss.
“Sure, sure, headed across that way this afternoon. I’ve got the bank run to do as well.”
“That’s good. Any trouble with it?”
“Nope. Easy, easy.” All the money from our drug deals is laundered through the club, but if there’s too much “street money” it might skew our books, so we have to bank it and hold it in a trust fund. We’ve been audited as a club more times than I want to count.
“I think we’re done here.” I see talking to Viktor was a mistake.
He stands up stretching, but I want him out of my office pronto. “Don’t let the big girl pussy get in the way of business, Ryurik. You’re a Bratva man first.”
“What did you say?” I bark, ready to rip his head off. He’s lucky I haven’t drawn my gun on him.
“Nothing much. Sorry, that was out of line.”
“Don’t you ever fucking speak about my wife like that again, otherwise I will have you back on the street thieving like you were for years. Don’t forget where you came from!”
“I get it. I crossed the line. You know what you’re doing.” Viktor walks out of the door, a sheepish look on his face as I keep a cap on my anger, keeping my explosion inside.
What is it about Emily Utkin that has me so hooked?