Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
IVAN
“ W e're joining with European Allies to find and seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets. We're coming for your ill-begotten gains.”
U.S. President Joe Biden , 2022
I walk into the exclusive Crocodile Club right on time, 10.pm. sharp. It definitely was a genius idea to meet at the club, because the Southern District Attorney wasn't exactly reluctant to meet when he heard where it was to be held. You have to be a billionaire to be a member and this will probably be his only chance to see the interior of the Crocodile Club.
My conversation with him is important. It won’t decide whether I lose all my assets and end up behind bars, but I’m hoping it will shed some light on why I’m being investigated.
"Good evening, Mr. Ivanovich," one of the provocatively dressed hostesses, slinks over to me with a smile. “Your guest has not arrived yet. Would you like me to take you directly to your private room or would you prefer a drink at the bar first?”
“Private room,” I say.
“This way please.” She walks ahead of me. Her outfit has the high neckline of a Chinese Cheongsam, but suddenly stops halfway down her round ass. It is pure bait and while I appreciate the lure, I know I have it bad for Lara because I am not the least moved by the sight. Not even a twinge.
Turns out Lara’s rejection of my advances only makes me want her more. I’m not really surprised by that. Nothing gives me a raging hard-on like a difficult challenge, but what does surprise me is to learn the lengths I will go to, to get what I want. Lara has just brought out the monster that has been living quietly inside me. For the moment it seems as if there are no lengths I will not go to have her. Perhaps, if I had not held her in my arms and felt her heart flutter like a caught bird. Perhaps, if her eyes had betrayed her…
Under the chandelier the crystal glasses and gold cutlery on the table glitter and shine. The hostess pours me a glass of my usual Scotch and slinks out. The good thing about this club is the way the staff are discouraged from engaging the clientele in banal conversation. I look at my watch. I have read Greta’s file on David Madley. He is young, ambitious, hardworking, and unfortunately too idealistic. Probably why he hasn’t been selected by the right money connections yet. He is also always on time. The fact that he is three minutes late sends a very clear message that I am more than able to interpret.
He is the one in power and he would like me to squirm in my seat.
I take a sip of my drink. That’s one thing I’ll never do. Squirm for him. The only person who has ever made me squirm is Lara Fitzpatrick. Like mustard on a worm, I’m twisting hard. There is a knock on the door and I look at my watch again. Only five minutes late. He has already lost the power struggle.
“Enter,” I call.
“Mr. Ivanovich,” he greets quietly as he heads in.
He expects me to stand, but when I remain seated, he smiles and takes his seat as well.
"My apologies for being late," he says. "I don’t usually come to this part of town, but I do appreciate your invitation. Hopefully, we'll be able to put the opportunity to good use and get some progress out of our meeting."
"A drink?" I ask.
He looks towards the hostess, his eyes roaming her curves. “I’ll have whatever Mr. Ivanovich is drinking. If it’s good enough for a billionaire it’s good enough for me.”
The hostess pours him a drink and walks away. His eyes watch her ass as she leaves. He turns towards me when the door closes. “Nice girl.”
“There are more like her upstairs. I will take you up when we are done here if you want,” I say casually.
His eyes become sharp with interest. He hides it by looking down into his whiskey. “Thank you. I will take up your offer, Mr. Ivanovich.”
“Call me Ivan,” I invite.
“I've read up on your impressive success story, and always thought we could be friends, but of course, we move in different circles.”
"And yet here we are in the same room having a drink together.”
He takes a sip of his drink. "Yes, but only because you believe I’m about to dislodge you from your exalted circle.”
I smile. “No one can dislodge me. Not even the Department of Justice of the United States of America. Even if they succeed in unjustly stealing everything from me, in a few years, I will be again sitting in this club, in this room, and you, the representative of the unfair monster, will still only be a guest here because of my benevolence. And that is because this is where I belong, David.”
“What a shame for you then, that your real problem is your roots. Which means you will always be fighting the monster."
I know exactly what he is referring to. "You're referring to the assumed ties I have with my family?"
"Exactly. You're from a royal lineage, from a dynasty spanning all the way back to the last emperor of Russia. While you claim that your illustrious family has nothing to do with your businesses or your source of wealth, I find this hard to believe."
"Is that why you're investigating me?" I ask. "Because my family is rich and you don't believe that I’m a self-made man?"
He laughs. "This is the land of opportunities and capitalism, so I will not say you had absolutely nothing to do with your immense success. In fact, I don't care whether your family contributed or not. Hell, I wish I was from a bloodline like yours; being poor is not all that it's cracked up to be."
I take a sip of my drink. "Poor? You’re the DA of New York."
He watches me keenly. "True. Some days I feel like a king, and other days, well... more like a bug that can be crushed by people with raw power in higher places than me."
I lift my gaze once again to hold his. "What of now? How do you feel?"
He smiles slowly. "I feel like a king, Ivan, and I will feel even more like one once I get upstairs."
I smile back. "In that case, I’ll not make you wait much longer. Let's get straight to my case. What excuse are they using to look into my affairs?"
"The same reason the French and British are coming after you.”
“Because I am Russian and I am rich?”
He has the grace to look uncomfortable at the truth. He clears his throat. “Unfortunately, you invested in Chinese steel. Your steel, Mr. Ivanovich, builds our bridges and buildings. We can't have them being subpar. That's an unthinkable loss coming our way even if it's two hundred years from now."
As if anybody in the political sphere gives a damn what happens in two hundred years. All of them only care about what happens during their tenure, but I don’t voice my thoughts. "Yes, I’m one of the investors in those steel companies, but you know as well as I do, that the US can’t embargo me because of a problem of quality control.”
“As you yourself said, it is their excuse. But a head’s up. This is just the beginning. The real problem is the persistent rumors. Rumors of political intrigue in high places…”
“Who is purporting these rumors?"
"You surely don’t expect me to reveal my sources."
I study the man. "I have done nothing wrong and you know it. Not only that you have absolutely nothing on me, but I have something on you.”
"What do you mean?" he asks warily.
"You dream of being the higher power, or running for higher office, don’t you? What is it? Governor? Mayor? You’ll need backing and funds. Lots and lots. But no one will back you because you are principled and refuse to be corrupted. I am very open to being your ally. All you have to do is ask.”
He stares at me, and then he smiles. “You wouldn’t be trying to bribe me, would you?”
I chuckle. “You are smarter than that, David. We can be friends or enemies. I do not have reason at this very moment to consider you an enemy, but the ball is in your court."
"This meeting started out friendly and I’d like to conclude it in the same manner. As long as I find nothing untoward in my due process, I will owe you one courtesy call to warn you ahead of time if the bureaucrats decide to move against you."
"For that, you will never again have to feel like a bug," I promise.
“And they will never beat you. You are where you rightly belong. I see that now,” he says softly.