6. Snitch
Adrik swam to the steps, wiping the water from his face. He snatched a water gun off the rim of the pool and turned, aiming it for Helina, but she dived beneath the water only to come up sputtering and wide-eyed. He couldn”t help smiling at her. She always managed to bring out happiness, like the sun in the middle of a storm.
I can”t believe I almost lost her.
He dived after her, chasing her, making her squeal and shriek. But, like always, it was interrupted. He rarely had time to be with her. Alexei approached the pool. Adrik tossed Helina again and then waved to the nanny to care for her. Adrik exited the water, running his hands through his black hair to slick it back. He dripped his way over to Alexei.
Alexei cursed, backing up. ”Don”t get me wet.”
”How”s the arm?”Adrik snatched a towel from a chair, wrapping it around his waist.
”It hurts,”he bit.
Adrik sat and pushed out a chair for Alexei. ”Drink with me.” He poured a glass of bourbon and went to pour Alexei one, but the man pushed the glass away.
”I can”t. I”m on pain pills. I”m barely conscious as it is.”
”Why don”t you take a nap?”
”Because my niece was almost killed.”
Adrik hardened and pinned his gaze on his brother. It was the same look their father gave, but he didn”t realize that. Adrik drowned the glass, swallowing, allowing the harshness to ease the bubbling dragon beneath.
Alexei only hesitated a minute before he broke, saying, ”It”s not that I know you don”t care, but why aren”t you pissed?”
”I am pissed. Don”t assume to know how I feel. They tried to murder you, Gil, and my five-year-old daughter. There aren”t words for what I feel.”
”So, then, what is going on?”
”I want to know who to be pissed at. I want to know who I”m going to set on fire. I want to know whose screams are going to go unheard. I want to know who. So, do you have that answer?”
Alexei answered, depressed, ”Not yet.”
Adrik sat back. ”Not yet.”
It would be so easy for him to storm through this house, stomping and shouting, but aside from scaring his daughter, what did that do for anyone? Everyone was working to find out who the fuck was stupid enough to do such a thing. So now, all he had to do was wait. And that was torture, but the answer would come. The answers always came.
”Did you stop production?”Adrik asked.
”Yes. Twenty minutes ago. There are a dozen phone calls already. I”m having the warehouse take the calls, since they”re out of work for the moment.”
”Father said less than two hours. Then, brother, you will see my rage.”
Helina escaped the hands of her nanny. ”Uncle!” she squealed, running into him. He kept his arm up, saving it from harm. ”How”s your arm?” She reached for it, touching the cast.
”It”s okay, sweet girl.”
”Can I have a cast like yours?”
”Yeah, I can make you one.”
Helina ran her hands along it, envious. ”Hey, can we visit that lady with the cats? She was really nice, and she had so many stuffed animals. I don”t even have that much.”
Adrik smirked. Now that he recalled, it was an obscene amount of pandas.
”No, baby girl,” Alexei answered. ”She was a stranger. What do we say about strangers?”
”Don”t trust anyone you don”t know.”
”And what do we say about people we know?”
”Don”t trust anyone unless Daddy, Mommy, or you say it”s okay.”
Adrik looked out toward the sunset. The sky was a dark red, a promise that there would be bloodshed tonight. He curled his fist, containing his anger like a lid to an inferno. ”Did the teacher talk?” he asked in English, knowing his daughter didn”t understand.
”No. You were right.”
Adrik knew people; it was his job to know when to push and back off. It”s something Alexei never understood. Despite how sweet he was to his niece, he was a more violent man. It”s why Alexei spent the most time building his strength.
”Daddy, what are you saying?”Helina crawled onto his lap, gazing at him with her sweet blue eyes. ”Hi,” she said in English. ”My name is Helina. What you name?”
Adrik ran a hand over her hair, admiring her beauty. She may have gotten the looks from her mother, but he was grateful her personality came from him. ”Do you want to learn English?”
”I want to go to school.”
The thought had never entered his mind. It wasn”t an option for kids of the Mafia. It was never safe enough. ”I”m sorry, princess, you can”t go to school. But I can invite some kids over this weekend.”
”Yes!”She jumped up, running in a circle. ”Yes, yes, yes.”
Alexei”s phone rang, and Adrik”s smile fell from his face. When Alexei”s eyes connected with his, he knew they had found someone with information. Adrik stood. ”Esfir”—he waved over to the nanny—”take her to her room.”
Helina deflated, but Adrik didn”t see it as he left them behind with Alexei on his heels.
The drive to the warehouse was only ten minutes, but it felt like getting his balls waxed. It was stressful and full of unwanted trepidation. His leg bounced uncontrollably. He had taken three shots of whiskey, and it still hadn”t stopped his brain. He went over every name, every person that could have done this to his family. And the implications were all the same. He”d have to exert his power. He”d have to remind the low families why the Morozovs were on top. He knew this day was coming, but he hadn”t known he”d be the next heir when it hit. Alexei was supposed to be in his seat. Alexei would have probably burned down the city by now.
Adrik didn”t wait for someone to open his door; he jumped out when the car stopped and went straight through the parking garage to the basement door. A trail of people was behind him, their footsteps echoed down the long stairway. They stopped at a door that had a big sign that read ”No trespassing.” He barreled through it.
Sitting on a single chair, with a spotlight, was their informant. He was jittery from drug use, the paleness of his skin and the darkness under his eyes a clear sign of approaching withdrawal. Adrik reached back, and Dima, his head guard, put a small bag of cocaine in his hand.
The addict heard them coming and tried to appear steady, but his hands shook as they rested on his lap. ”I want protection,” he quickly chimed.
Adrik stepped into the light.
The man”s eyes widened. ”Oh, shit. Look, we didn”t know it was your little girl. I would have never killed no little girl! I swear it.”
Adrik kept still, the fire he controlled so well was licking at the sides, and the lid began to tremble.
Alexei punched him, and he fell out of his seat. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth, and he groaned as he held his jaw.
Adrik basked in his pain and used it to sedate his temper. He listened to it for a moment more. ”Who gave you the order?”
”I want protection.”
”You lost that when you aimed a gun at my daughter. Who gave you the order?”
He shook his head and spit at Adrik”s shoe. ”I ain”t saying shit.”
Alexei smashed his foot into his stomach, and the man rolled, crying out as he held his ribs.
Adrik held out the bag and waited for the man to notice. When his eyes finally opened, all the pain disappeared, and he stopped whining.
”Who gave you the order?”
The man reached out for it, waiting for Adrik to take it away, but when he didn”t, he snatched the bag, sitting on his butt. He rushed to open it, sticking a finger inside it and rubbing it on his teeth. ”This guy paid us two grand to shoot up Salem’s. He had us waiting and then called when he was ready. I didn”t know who was inside, I swear it. I would never go against you.”
”Name him.”
”I don”t know his name. But he had a tattoo, a raven by his thumb.”
Adrik looked back at Alexei. There was only one family with ravens.
His wife”s family.
Adrik took the gun from his back and pointed it at the man sniveling on the floor. He was thankful for the information, which was the only reason he used the gun. He fired, striking him in the leg. The snitch howled, fueling the fire in his soul. Adrik shot again, hitting him in the other leg. The bone splintered and ripped through the skin. Blood expanded on the floor like a tipped-over gallon of paint. It was beautiful to watch.
Adrik kneeled down to get a closer look, sliding his toes back when the liquid got too close. He observed the pain in the man”s face, enjoying it like a kid engrossed in their favorite show. ”Did he have a scar on his face?”
The man rocked in agony, crying and screaming, begging and pleading.
Adrik reached out and grabbed the man”s shattered leg. The blood was warm on his hand, like touching hot sand at the beach. ”Did the man have a scar on his face?” He spoke louder in case it was hard to hear over his bitching.
”Yes!”
Adrik shot him in the head and stood as the body dropped back to the floor, thankfully quiet.