Slipping into the Dark Side (Morozov Mafia)

8. Weakness

Chapter eight

Weakness

Y akov sat on the windowsill. The party was well underway, and the hall was full of gentlemen. Gambling was currently illegal under the Soviet Government, but here in his household, he dared any KGB to tell him he couldn’t do something.

Speaking of, several KGB soldiers sat at a round table drinking his liquor and smoking his cigarettes. Their table was rigged to help them make the most money. Keeping members of the KGB happy was the only way to survive in this decade. Little did they know that the men they were playing with were listening for any juicy detail that could help Yakov blackmail them in the future.

Luerna’s husband, Novo, was the center of attention. Having healthy twins was a miracle, and they made sure he was celebrated for doing absolutely nothing with drinks, drugs, and women. Novo was nearly forty and a captain in the army with an attitude to match it. Yakov never liked him much, but now that Yakov was the boss, Novo was very accommodating. It could have been the threat to cut off his balls if Novo ever beat his sister again, or they just understood each other better now.

Fedor entered the room, a little taken aback by the amount of people. Yakov tried to see it from a virgin’s view, and he could say it was a little overwhelming. Women were walking around topless while others gyrated on a makeshift stage. Yakov hid his scoff with a quick drink. Fedor’s innocents annoyed him but Yakov raised his hand in greeting, and Fedor gaily approached him.

Fedor held out his hand in greeting and said, “This is very extravagant, Mr. Morozov.”

Yakov shook his hand. “How many times must I ask you to call me Yakov?”

“I’m sorry. It doesn’t feel right.”

Yakov poured him whiskey and passed him the drink. “We are the same age.”

“From separate worlds.” Fedor raised the glass in salute and inhaled it. An embarrassing cough followed that he tried to suppress.

Yakov couldn’t disagree. He killed for the first time at ten, merely by accident, which taught him all the ways he could get away with murder. He lost his virginity at twelve, learning early how he could use his good looks for nearly anything. He was drinking and doing drugs by fifteen. Unfortunately, the only lesson learned from that was addiction can screw you up worse than STDs.

As good as a man Fedor appeared, Yakov was using this night to find his flaws because everyone has shortcomings. And Yakov’s theory was that women were Fedor’s downfall. So, he made sure to have plenty of options tonight. Every race was in attendance. How often did Fedor meet with people of his own color? Being surrounded by people who looked nothing like him had to be odd. Yakov could relate. There weren’t many people that possessed the amount of power he had and whenever he met someone like him, he became enchanted.

With a few drinks, Fedor sat relaxed on the couch. Yakov passed him a vial full of white powder, but Fedor waved it away. It annoyed him. Fedor was keeping track of his liquor intake, staying just above plastered. No matter how much Yakov pushed, the man knew his limits.

“So when is your wedding?”

“Two months,” Fedor said with a smile.

“It is a long engagement.”

“Yes. Tatianna wanted to have enough to plan a glorious wedding. She likes to keep busy.”

“How did you meet?”

“Many years ago. Her brother and I were best friends. Before he passed away, he asked me to look after her.”

“I didn’t know.”

“It was terrible. Alexei was a very funny man. A disease ate away at him till he was nothing more than skin and bone. Tatianna suffered greatly at his loss.”

Yakov nodded. Loss wasn’t something he was privy to. There was very little grief when his mother and father died. And though he saw death often, he didn’t connect the pain of it. There weren’t many people Yakov cared for. In fact, as of right now, there was only one.

“I look forward to an invitation to your Stag party.”

Fedor snapped his head. “Really? Would you come?”

“Of course. Are we not friends?”

A wide grin spread on Fedor’s face. “Of course,” he laughed. He took up his drink and clinked Yakov. “Wonderful.”

Yakov watched him gulp it back. He made sure to quickly refill it before he waved to the women waiting against the wall. He leaned back and gestured. “A preview.”

Fedor’s eyes widened as they approached. He probably had never seen so many pairs of tits in all his life. They wore only panties and heels. Fedor shifted uncomfortably, glancing at him. “Tatianna is only in the next room. I think I should go.”

“Nonsense. You are only looking, Fedor. And perhaps touching.” Yakov winked. “There is nothing wrong. Don’t tell me you are a virgin.”

Fedor kept his attention on the women as they danced before him. “My father paid someone when I turned sixteen. But she was very aggressive, and I embarrassingly left.”

Yakov cackled. There were always horror stories when it came to hookers. He had a few of his own. “Well, they will be as gentle as you desire.”

With a nudge of Yakov’s head, one of the girls approached Fedor, taking his hands and shaping her breasts with them. He took in a sharp breath and watched his thumbs wave over the woman’s nipples. Only seconds later was she straddling Fedor’s lap, and his hands had her ass in his palm.

Yakov took that as his cue to leave. A woman touched his shoulder, but he waved it off. He lit a cigarette, leaning against the wall, and less than a minute later, Tatianna was in the doorway.

Right on time, Luerna.

Yakov observed Tatianna. He didn’t know what she would do. He imagined her stomping up to Fedor and slapping him, but instead, she backed out of the room.

Yakov chased after her. He checked the room the women were hanging out in. Their loud, shrill voices were enough to keep him hidden, but Luerna was checking the door, and as soon as she saw him, she winked and pointed toward the balcony. Yakov gave her a smile, the only sister out of the lot of them who was worth her weight. He walked along the hallway till he got outside, and there Tatianna stood against the balustrade with a cigarette between her lips and her arms crossed and hip propped. From behind, she looked like a woman of power equal to him, and it caught his breath.

He was slow to join her. Sometimes, watching her was better than talking to her.

Tatianna glanced at him but turned and studied the hedge maze below. “You must think I’m stupid.”

“Not you,” he assured.

“Then what was the point of that? To make me jealous? My father had a girlfriend every time my mother was pregnant. Men cheat. This is their nature. It doesn’t bother me.”

“I found a weakness.”

Tatianna scoffed. “That was it? I could have told you that. It is the same for all–”

“No. It is not my weakness.”

“For someone so self-aware, you shock me.”

“My weakness is poor planning.”

Tatianna fought a smile. She glanced at him, and his humorous smirk caused her to giggle. “And impulsiveness.”

“That too.” Yakov turned and leaned against the balustrade, slipping his hands in his pockets. “If it makes you feel better, I did try liquor and drugs first.”

“You could have just asked me.”

“Fine. What is a weakness in Fedor that I could exploit to destroy your relationship and get you to marry me instead?”

“I’m afraid you went the wrong direction. Cheating will make him feel terribly guilty, and he will be agonizingly sweet for the next two years.”

“And that won’t make you leave him?”

Tatianna was getting annoyed with how well this man seemed to understand her. “What good woman leaves a man like that?”

Yakov sighed heavily. He rarely felt defeated, but everything he tried to do seemed to fail with her. If she felt nothing, she wouldn’t humor him. But perhaps she was doing so out of fear. How to test that theory?

“If you don’t leave him, I’ll destroy your family.”

Tatianna giggled. “Okay.”

“Why don’t you take me seriously? Aren’t you afraid of me?”

“I was afraid of you at first. But after our last conversation, I’ve learned your weakness.”

“Are you insinuating you are my weakness? Because I must say, your ego–”

“It’s Luerna.”

His brows knit as he studied her. “What would make you say that?”

“I think it’s adorable. Your big sister–”

Yakov gripped her arm, pulling her into him. “Why would you say that?”

With a hand on his shoulder, Tatianna gently smiled. “Your secret is safe. Please don’t worry.”

His gaze flickered all over her face. She was smarter than he anticipated, and he didn’t know if she was better off dead. She knew him too well. Did she have some insider helping her? She could not have all this information just from moments alone together.

Yakov pushed her out of his way and strutted back into the house.