35
Who was it?
I called Yuri as soon as Romeo left.
One thing was clear: I needed explanations, and a simple phone call wouldn't suffice. I wanted to look him in the eye and see if he was lying or telling the truth. I wanted him to tell me what the hell was going on.
As soon as I was in the room, I opened the minibar and downed a couple of bottles to steady my nerves.
R offering me a divorce had been completely unexpected. Of course, I didn’t sign; I wasn’t even sure if that was what I wanted to do. I was well aware that if I put my signature on those papers, I would sever ties, both with him and with my brother.
And that was a third option I hadn’t considered until now. My independence, doing my own thing, forgetting about what everyone else wanted.
It was a tricky path because my brother would have Putin on his side, and the president would never fully trust me if I was alone. He would demand that I marry a man of his choosing, which would put me back at square one.
There was a knock at the door, and I opened it cautiously. There stood my brother, dressed in the same hoodie, cap, and sunglasses as last time.
He took me by the shoulders and kissed me gently.
“What’s going on, Kalinka? Why the rush?”
“Was it you?” I accused him. I didn’t want to beat around the bush.
“What are you referring to?”
“Last night.” I didn’t want to give more details to see if I could catch him.
“No, it wasn’t me.”
“Then how do you know what I’m talking about?” He forced a smile.
“Don’t underestimate me, little sister. I’m informed about everything that happens, even your visit to Huang’s restaurant.” My brother had eyes and ears everywhere.
“They say you can’t change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust the sails to reach your destination. Are you adjusting the sails behind my back?”
“Please, Kalinka! Do you really doubt me? I told you I’d keep you informed.” I wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth. Too much time had passed, and Yuri had always been very skilled at lying.
“Do you know where Cheng is? Why do her men have no idea of her whereabouts? Maybe it was her.”
“I already told you the problem she has. Her men fear reprisals from Jing, and Huang wants her position.”
“And are you going to face Jing by hiding his daughter?” I hadn’t missed that he didn’t confirm whether he knew her location.
“On the contrary, it seems like you don’t know me, Kalinka. My intention remains the same, a confrontation to oust the Calabrian mafia and weaken the Chinese forces. Putin has alliances with them, so I have to be careful. The best way is to reach an agreement, and returning Cheng to her father is a strong bargaining chip.”
“So, you have her,” I asserted.
“I may know where she is. She shouldn’t be your concern; you know your role, the loving wife.”
“Gossip says you’re playing your part very well, that you’ve got Capulet going crazy.” I didn’t feel like talking about Romeo with him.
“If it wasn’t you, who was responsible for what happened yesterday?” I insisted.
“Your husband and father-in-law have been making plenty of enemies. Maybe the attack was by the guy whose balls Romeo blew off. Or perhaps it was Fatso for messing up his business? Or the port director you blackmailed? There are plenty of candidates.”
“No one is crazy enough to go up against the ‘Ndrangheta for such petty reasons.”
“Well, then, maybe it was that redheaded whore who’s screwing your husband. Jealous mistresses are capable of anything.”
“I don’t see the brainless Irene capable of something like that.”
“The enemy you underestimate is usually the one who kills you.”
“Now you’re quoting Robert Jordan?”
“It seems like a very fitting phrase.”
“I could have died yesterday, but not at the hands of that incompetent.”
“Then we’ll have to find the person who dared to attack my little sister. Though I don’t see any scratches on you.”
“R and I had to stop; we ran out of fuel.”
“How fortunate!” he commented, moving closer to hug me and resting his chin on my head. “I can’t wait for all this to be over and for us to get the life we deserve. You’ve always been my favorite sister, so much like me, so beautiful, so cold and lethal.” He pulled back and caressed my face.
His reflection stirred childhood memories, those where the world revolved around us, the perfect duo. Yuri had been everything to me, and now... Now I wasn’t sure. What is lost in the fire never returns from the ashes. I had lost the brother of my soul, and I wasn’t sure who had come back.
“Have you found the person behind the Mentium resale?” We had agreed that he would handle finding out.
“I have a very good hacker tracking who’s behind it. It’s a matter of time; the person who created the app isn’t an idiot, they’ve made sure to create a labyrinth around it. However, I’m not worried; sooner or later, I’ll find them.”
“As soon as you find out…”
“I’ll tell you.” He rolled his eyes. “For God's sake, Kalinka, I know what I have to do. I’ll serve the culprit to you on a silver platter and let you squeeze his balls.”
“Alright,” I couldn’t say anything else. Yuri took my chin and pinched it gently.
“Call me when R tells you the plan against the Chinese. With last night’s incident, he’s probably climbing the walls and blaming them. I’m eager to fuck those Italian bastards over and gift you their empire to run as you please. Would you like that?” I nodded. “Of course you would, my Russian pearl. That will be my gift to make you forgive me.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “I’m off; as soon as I can solve any of your doubts, I’ll get in touch with you. And remember, I appreciate your sacrifice very much; you’re the best sister in the world. Take care,” he said, adjusting his cap before leaving.
Once I was alone, I drank two more bottles from the minibar. I needed an alibi for my outing, so I decided to call Andrea and ask her about the place.
I got lucky. She told me she had an appointment with the real estate agent to see a place in forty minutes. The woman couldn’t attend to her until that day, so she hadn’t mentioned it to me.
I offered to visit it with her and grab a coffee beforehand. She was delighted with my suggestion, so I didn’t waste any more time and asked for the address.
Once out of the hotel, I got into a taxi. I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching me. Maybe it was just my paranoia and the nervousness from meeting with Yuri behind everyone’s back, not to mention still not knowing who had attacked us.
I mulled over his responses. I couldn’t rule anything out, whether it was his doing and he was lying, or whether some of the people he mentioned were playing with fire. The world was full of crazies and assholes.
I called Andrey, the only person I trusted completely. I asked him to investigate the guy whose balls R blew off, the gypsy, and to do the same with Irene. I couldn’t rule her out; after all, she left before everything exploded. Maybe she did because she knew what was going to happen, though I didn’t see her as cold-blooded enough to kill the men of the guy she wanted. It wouldn't hurt to know more about that bitch.
After finishing my orders, I wanted to check in on my man.
"Is everything okay with Aleksa? You didn’t come home last night."
"We had a lot to talk about," he replied tersely.
"Sure," I commented playfully, imagining the type of conversation they had. "I’m meeting with Arasagasti’s wife for coffee." Andrey was aware of my business proposal to have Andrea on my side.
"Do you want me to send some of our men to escort you?" I hadn’t told him that I had already left the house.
"No, I’m fine, I took a taxi. Thanks for your concern."
"You shouldn’t go alone."
"I’m old enough to make my own decisions. Handle what I’ve assigned to you and let me do things my way."
"I didn’t mean to bother you."
"I know."
"Did you read the newspaper this morning?"
"No, why?"
"An article came out that I don’t think you’ll like."
"Who wrote it?"
"Jonás Sánchez."
"The dead guy?"
"It’s a posthumous article. According to what I read, he sent it to the editorial office to be published today."
"Even from hell, he doesn’t stop being a pain in the ass. Is it serious?"
"We’ve had better days."
"I’ll read it later; I’m arriving at the café. Stop by the house when you’re done and bring me what you’ve discovered."
"Alright, boss. Be careful."
"I always am."
Andrea was waiting for me with a grin from ear to ear. We exchanged a couple of kisses and entered the café to the tune of her compliments.
She ordered a Rooibos infusion with berries and a glass of ice. I ordered a black coffee, though chamomile would have been better to calm my nerves.
A call from Romeo made my phone vibrate on the table.
"Where the hell are you?!" His tone was angry. My pulse quickened, and I immediately went on guard.
"I’m meeting Andrea for coffee. Why?" The said woman gave me one of her smiles.
"Because you left the estate without being seen! I got home and, seeing you weren’t there and no one knew where to find you..."
"I’m sorry, I didn’t think I needed to put up banners or explain myself to anyone. I took a taxi because I didn’t feel like driving," I said, irritated.
"My men could have taken you! Or yours!" he huffed, annoyed.
"It’s not that big of a deal."
"Do I need to remind you that you were kidnapped not long ago and that we could have died last night?!"
I stood up from the table and walked away so Andrea wouldn’t hear me.
"I’m not a fucking coward, and I refuse to live in fear."
"That’s not the point, amore ," he lowered his tone. "It’s just about being careful. You could have at least taken Andrey."
"I have him working." I didn’t want to give too many explanations, so I changed the subject. "How did it go with your father?" I asked, switching topics.
"You can imagine... He’s fuming, convinced that Huang lied to us."
"And what do you think?"
"I haven’t changed my mind. Tell me where you are, I’ll come to get you."
"I’m going to visit a place with Andrea."
"A place?"
"Yes, I’ll tell you about it. We have the visit in fifteen minutes."
"That’s enough time for me to get there. Don’t you dare move until I arrive."
"Alright," I replied, annoyed.
"I love you, amore . See you soon."