35. On
Chapter thirty-five
On
Kazimir
Tisha cleared his throat and gazed down at Emily. “The bombs went off right at midnight. They were planted outside, near the entrance.”
Emily remained still with the gun at her side. “So, they had time to kill our guards in the front with no one knowing and then they had even more time to set bombs?”
Tisha’s gaze didn’t waver. “Yes, Emily.”
Valentina spoke, “The first two explosions took out most of the front of the club. Everyone by the front or on the stage died instantly.”
Emily didn’t turn my sister’s way.
Instead, she kept her view on Tisha.
Valentina’s eyes darkened, and her voice turned into a whisper of its usual strength. “After the explosions, men stormed in, searching. Shooting indiscriminately. It was chaos. Bullets flying. People screaming. But in the end, I believe they were looking for you two.”
Emily still watched Tisha. “Kaz and me?”
“Yes.” Valentina’s eyes watered. She pursed her lips, and I knew that she was biting back tears. After a few silent seconds, she cleared her throat. “When one of the men saw Maxwell, they signaled for others, and it turned into a battle solely between them and Maxwell.”
Rage spread over Emily’s face. “They knew who he was to me?”
Valentina nodded. “Harlem Crew joined in. Many died. Then, some of the men saw me too and. . .”
I frowned. “The same thing. They recognized you as someone important to me and made sure to kill you.”
“If not for Maxwell, I would not be here.” Valentina’s bottom lip quivered. “I was near the bar, trying to find cover and shoot. Maxwell saw one of them aiming at me, ran over. . .”
Emily turned to Valentina.
My sister fisted her hands. “Maxwell didn’t hesitate, not even for a second. He jumped in front of me. . .shielding me with his body.”
Emily’s grip on the gun tightened as she put her view back on Tisha.
Valentina continued, “Maxwell caught the bullets, Emily. In his chest and stomach. Those bullets were for me. . .”
Anger and sorrow battled in my soul.
Maxwell, always the protector, putting the women that he loved before himself without a second thought. The fact that he was now lying in the hospital bed and fighting for his life because of his selflessness, was a cruelty that I could barely comprehend.
Valentina swallowed. “Harlem Crew and Lemon finished the men from behind. We managed to get Maxwell out. I held him the whole ride to the hospital. He was shaking. Blood. . .spilled from his lips. . .”
Valentina hugged herself. “And all he kept doing was talking about Emily and that damn lemon tree on and on.”
My mouse trembled next to me. “What did he say?”
“He wanted me to tell you not to let Lunita come out because he was shot, and that if he didn’t make it, he wanted you to paint huge murals of him in the boys’ bedrooms, so they never forgot their uncle.”
Emily looked down at the floor.
“Then, he went on and on about how to properly mist Lemonisha and all the jazz songs she liked, and he kept making me repeat the instructions back. . .” Valentina’s eyes watered. “Finally. . .he said that if he died. . .he wanted Lemonisha buried by his grave. . .somewhere in Harlem. . .with Xavier’s ashes mixed in with the dirt over his casket.”
Emily hissed. “He’s not going to die.”
Valentina slowly nodded. “He is not.”
Emily gestured to one of my people. “Get Max’s tree, Lemonisha along with his music. I want him to see his tree and hear jazz when he wakes up.”
The man nodded and rushed off.
Emily put her view back on Tisha. “Why haven’t you said anything about what happened in the club?”
He kept a neutral expression. “I was out of the club after the first two explosions.”
What?
I stiffened.
My mouse studied him. “How did you get out so fast?”
“I was in the men’s bathroom in the back stall. The building rocked. I caught the sound of gunshots being fired. I didn’t have a weapon on me, so I opened the window and climbed out to get everyone help.”
Emily flicked the safety off the gun. “You just happened to be in the bathroom when everything went down?”
Tisha eyed the gun.
I was sure Valentina noticed the move too because she widened her eyes and gazed at me.
Relax, sister. I trust my mouse.
Emily kept the gun at her side. “You said you were in the stall. Doing what? Taking a dump?”
Tisha sighed. “I was. . .”
Emily sneered. “What?”
“I had a woman in the stall with me, and she was performing oral sex—”
“You were getting head while my brother was getting shot in the fucking chest?”
“Kazimir told me that I was off tonight—”
Fast.
Emily moved fast.
In less than half a second.
No longer than one blink of an eye.
Had I not known she had been next to me earlier, I would have always thought she was right in front of Tisha with the point of her gun pressed against his cheek.
My heart. . .raced.
Drumming a beat of fear I had never known.
I held my breath.
Tisha didn’t move.
He didn’t even blink.
Valentina parted her lips.
And my mouse’s voice turned so icy a shudder ran down my spine. “Say that again for me, Tisha.”
Somehow he kept his composure with the gun pressed against his face.
Emily raised her voice. “I didn’t hear that. Did you say that you were on a break tonight? Vacation? A little self-care moment due to the stress of the job?”
“There is no excuse, Emily. I fucked up. I put Kazimir, you, and everyone else at risk.”
“But did the woman get out with you or did you leave her ass in the stall? How fast did you try to get us help?”
He swallowed. “I helped her climb out of the window.”
Tisha. . .
The tension in the hallway grew thick.
Valentina didn’t even look that way. Clearly, she had been through enough tonight. There was no way she could watch Emily kill our cousin.
I couldn’t either, but I refused to look away.
Did I want him to die?
No.
Never.
But what could I do?
I put a ring on my mouse’s finger for a reason, not just because she was beautiful, not due to her sweet pussy or her big heart.
I made her mine because she was smart, deadly, and acted fast in the toughest times.
She knew when to lead.
She knew when to listen.
She brought joy during horror. She was my light in the darkness.
And I trapped her to me long ago. . .because she saved me in New York. . .when many had plotted my death. . .and since we’ve been together, she has continued to save my life and make it better.
That meant that if she thought Tisha should die. . .I would stand by it.
There would be no doubts.
There would be no questioning her.
This was the rule of our world.
And this was the silent pact that I made with my mouse when I put that ring on her finger.
I slowly returned to breathing.
Silence.
This spooky, freezing cold silence hung around us.
Not even my men moved or dared to breathe.
Emily stood, gun pressed firmly against Tisha’s face, her arm steady, betraying none of the turmoil that probably raged within her small frame.
Tisha, despite the cold metal against his skin, maintained an eerie calm too, as his eyes remained locked on Emily.
Each second stretched into eternity.
Then, Valentina put her gaze on me. Fear and disbelief ran through her eyes, and there was this silent pleading for me to intervene.
But I remained still, rooted to the spot, understanding the sacred, unspoken rules of our world where actions bore consequences, where accountability was not just expected but demanded .
How many times had I killed Emily’s men for making a fraction of the mistake Tisha had made?
How many bullets had I put in Harlem Crew’s heads?
Therefore, I could not say anything.
Yet, still this unbearable pressure rose in my core, making my chest feel tight and constricted.
Rapid, shallow breaths left me.
I did my best to make sure no one noticed. I wanted so bad to clutch at my heart to try to physically contain the anxious pounding within, but I refused to move.
Instead, I blinked through the pressure.
And Valentina watched me and frowned, probably knowing exactly what I was struggling with.
Emily’s voice—when it finally broke the silence—was laced with venom. “Were you still on a break, while Kaz and I were being hunted and while Max was bleeding out on the floor?”
Tisha’s response was barely audible. “I messed up. If you pull that trigger, Emily. You should not feel guilty. I deserve to die right now.”
“You see my eyes, motherfucker?”
“I do.”
“You see any guilt? Any hesitation?”
“No, Emily.”
“In fact, I want to pull the trigger bad. Sooooooo fuuuuuucking bad. I kind of think. . .it would feel good to do it. Maybe. . .it would be satisfying. Shit. . .it could be closure. What do you think?”
I swallowed hard.
Emily’s finger lightly touched the trigger. “You better hope Max wakes up. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“Because I am Kaz’s moral compass, but Max is mine.”
I trembled, realizing the utter truth of that sentence.
Maxwell. . .you better be okay.
“And if my brother goes. . .a lot more people are going to die than necessary.” She pulled the gun away from Tisha’s face and stepped back as if needing to distance herself from the decision she was on the verge of making.
Once the gun was back at her side, I swore we all loudly exhaled—me, Valentina, and even some of my men that stood nearby.
Tisha was the only one that looked upset that she didn’t shoot him.
Goddamn it. So close. . .
Emily gestured at Valentina and Tisha with the gun. “You both left us exposed. They should not have had the ability to even put bombs in the front or the back of the club. Were there men on the roofs guarding?”
Tisha shook his head. “No.”
Emily looked at Valentina. “No one thought to have other posts besides the streets and entrances?”
They remained silent.
“What the fuck?! You have been in this game longer than me. Get your heads out of your asses!” She glared at Valentina and then Tisha. “When it comes to our enemies, you do not play a simple game of pick up ball, you are playing CHESS! You are several moves ahead, anticipating what the enemy will do next.”
My breathing returned to normal.
“You.” Emily pointed to Valentina and then Tisha. “And you were standing next to the Lion , not your brother, not your cousin, not your fucking bestie. Party or not, you are ON! Not off. Never off. Not a break. No fucking self-care moments. Not head in the stall. Not head in your fucking bedroom in the middle of the night. You are on, when Kaz is awake. You are on when he is asleep. In fact, you don’t fucking sleep.”
Emily’s fury radiated from her body as she began to pace in front of them. “AND! On means your head is in the game, always!”
Dear God, mysh.
I wanted to edge back as if I was in trouble too.
And they say I am the one with the temper.
She roared, “ On means you’re constantly in touch with the guards, with Misha’s people, with every single person who’s supposed to be keeping us safe!”
Her eyes blazed as she paced back and forth, the gun now hanging by her side but still a clear threat. “It doesn’t matter if there’s a party, if it’s Christmas, or if the goddamn Pope is in town. You are always on duty. You don’t get breaks when lives are on the line. You don’t abandon your post for a quickie in the bathroom while people are getting blown up and shot at! You run into the fucking fire. Suffer the burn. Take a gun from anybody. And. Find. The Lion!”
Valentina and Tisha stood frozen, bearing the brunt of her wrath.
Emily stopped pacing and got back in front of Tisha. “Before we went out to the strip club, did you consult Misha’s people on keeping us safe and make sure he had satellites focused on us?”
“I did not.”
“Did you talk to King David to get some tips?”
“No. I thought I had everything under control.”
She tilted her head to the side. “Now what do you think?”
“I was wrong.”
Emily glared at Valentina and then Tisha. “Did you two think this was a game?”
They were both smart to keep quiet.
And for a quick second, I realized that Paolo and Emilio better not ever get in trouble when they grow up because I would not be able to save them from their mother.
Emily’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “You think because there’s music and dancing that the danger is on pause? Because bitches are naked and twerking on the stage, it’s fun time? Let your guard down. All will be okay.”
Valentina’s face went pale, her eyes downcast, while Tisha looked like a man condemned.
“Our enemies don’t take breaks. They don’t wait for an invitation.” She glared at Tisha. “They saw an opening, and they took it, because someone decided his dick was more important than the Lion’s safety!”
Emily turned her gaze sharply towards Valentina. “And you. . .”
Careful, mysh. She is my sister.
Emily pointed. “You’ve been next to Kaz long enough. This was your time to shine.”
One tear left Valentina’s eye.
“I was rooting for you. We had fun together, but before we went inside, you should have checked, double-checked, triple-checked every single security opening, every person and position. We rely on each other to survive, and tonight, that reliance was betrayed. You two got my brother shot five. . .fucking. . .times.”
Valentina swallowed hard. “I. . .fucked up.”
Emily turned to address everyone present, her voice loud and clear. “This is a wake-up call for all of us!”
Some of my men stirred.
“From now on, no more surprises. We tighten our ranks, we double our efforts, and we make damn sure this never happens again. We are on , always on because the moment we forget that, we are as good as dead.”
Valentina’s voice showed how defeated she must have felt. “I understand.”
Tisha remained motionless. “I do too.”
“Our kids were almost orphans tonight. For that reason alone, I want to kill you both.” Emily put the safety back on the gun. “But the boys love their Aunt Valentina. And my lion loves you too with all of his heart. And he is still not over Pavel’s death or Olga’s.”
Tension gathered in my shoulders.
She sighed. “And I need Kazimir to be on for this war. And he would not be that way if he were mourning you two sad-sacks of undisciplined shit.”
Valentina blinked.
Tisha ran his shaking fingers through his hair.
“So. . .” Emily gave one of my men her gun. “Say thank you to the Lion.”
Together, Valentina and Tisha looked at me. “Thank you.”
I blinked, but at least the rest of the tension in my chest left, and then pride for my mouse entered.
Emily slowly shook her head. “Tisha, you are relieved of your duties. Roland—the Bear—takes your spot in an hour and is in charge of Kaz’s safety until King David arrives this week.”
I blinked again.
What? Who decided that? Roland is aggravating.
I could picture his big burly frame at my side talking about candy all day and forcing me to behave like he was my damned father.
Plus, he was probably one of the few people on this planet that could truly stop me from going too far.
I will not stand for that. Only I pick my men, mysh. Not you. I am the Lion. I am the—
Emily glanced over her shoulder and scowled at me as if she heard my thoughts.
I chose to stay silent.
Not because I was scared. . .
I simply had nothing to say in that moment.
Emily returned her view to Valentina. “Misha takes your spot, when he arrives.”
This wild rage hit her eyes. “The Mosquito?”
“Yes.” Emily crossed her arms over her chest. “You have anything to say about that?”
“Well. . .” She lowered her voice a notch. “Well. . .I am not returning to Russia.”
“You’re not. Instead, you have the duty of watching over the kids, since now your daughter will be with Paolo and Emilio too.”
To my surprise, her face lit up. “So my baby is coming too?”
Aww. My little princess. I will be able to show her New Orleans.
“Yes.” Emily nodded. “Get a special crew together to watch the kids. I want killers. Snipers. People ready to die for our babies. The Comedienne is offering a special team for the kids too and his property to keep them safe for moments when we are gone or in the midst of an attack.”
Tisha spoke, “I choose to not leave New Orleans either. I want to stay and fight. I want to earn your respect back.”
“Motherfucker, you couldn’t go, if you wanted to.” She pointed at me. “You will still stand by Kaz because you’re right, you are going to make this up to me.”
“I am.”
“If you’ve got to give your life to keep Kaz safe, then you will. You are now his shield. You are his bulletproof vest. As Max jumped in front of Valentina to save her, you will be jumping in front of Kaz.”
“I agree.”
“Good.” She sighed. “Valentina and Tisha.”
They watched her.
“Get your heads out of your asses.”
Without another word, Emily abruptly turned and headed back to Maxwell’s room.
But right as Emily began to pass, I caught her arm, gently brought her close to me, and whispered, “It is late, mysh . Say goodbye to Maxwell so that we can go.”
She looked at me. “I am not leaving Max’s side tonight. You go. I will sleep here.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Kaz, when he wakes up, he will see my face. Period. There can be no other way—”
“Say goodbye so that we can go. You need your sleep, and the kids will need to see your face when they wake up.”
“Let me go.” She sneered at me. “I said what I said.”
I tightened my grip on her arm and leaned down until my forehead pressed against hers. “And I said what I said, mysh .”
She shuddered and gazed down at the floor. “If Max doesn’t see me, he will think I don’t love him or—”
“That is bullshit and you know it.”
“Kaz. . .”
“If you stay here and sleep next to him, he will not be waking up to your face. It will be Lunita’s face and probably a pile of dead nurses on the side of his bed offered to him like a bouquet of roses with a Get Well card inside.”
She shuddered again.
“And Lunita would think the pile of dead bodies was a nice surprise for him. Not thinking that this would traumatize Maxwell and possibly give him a heart attack.”
“W-who is going to tell me that he is awake?”
Valentina spoke, “Emily, I plan to stay by his bedside all night and make sure no one comes near him. I owe him my life.”
“Then, it is settled.” I loosened my hold on her arm. “Valentina will let you know as soon as he opens his eyes.”
If. . .he opens his eyes. . .
Tisha spoke, “The witch’s men are also surrounding the hospital. There are over fifty of them. I was told that she will be here in the morning with something for him to drink.”
Delphine has now entered this war? Did she know that Maxwell would get shot?
Emily looked at Valentina and Tisha, biting her bottom lip. “If anything happens, I want to be the first to know.”
Valentina nodded, “I promise you, Emily.”
“Then. . .I will say goodbye. . .”
I fully let her go.
Emily headed back to Maxwell’s room.
Tisha spoke, “You chose well, Kazimir. Emily is fierce enough to be next to you. I did not know it before, but dear God. . .I know it now.”
Valentina looked at the window, watching Emily. “She almost killed you, Tisha.”
“She should have killed me.” Tisha looked my way.
“Enough with the regret. Let us get to the planning.” I snarled. “Which Cartel did this?”
Tisha placed his hands in his pockets. “Sinaloa.”
So the Mexicans want to dance with the Lion?
Tisha continued, “We caught around thirty of them outside of the club. Currently, our people are torturing them for information in a hotel next to ours. I didn’t want the screaming or the sounds of the chainsaws to wake the kids.”
I thought about how in Italy, when Emily was stressed, she had this sudden affinity to torture, and how that had brought Lunita out. “Do not tell my mouse about these men for now, just get the information, and then kill them. Give us both a report in the morning.”
Valentina sighed. “King David got in touch with the New Orleans mayor and Louisiana governor.”
I widened my eyes.
“David said whatever he said, but now we have our portion of the French Quarter blocked off. The news to the locals is that there is emergency-construction going on with no deadline in sight. David instructed me further, and I followed his orders.” Valentina formed a big circle with both of her hands. “There is now a perimeter of armed men around the hotel. There are people on the roofs near the hotel and other roofs further out. There is also a perimeter of armed men around that perimeter as well as another perimeter around that.”
Thank you, David.
The Cartel had awakened a fury within us, one that would not rest until we had avenged those who had fallen, and with all the ones coming to New Orleans. . .unfortunately. . .the war would be worse than Italy.
I narrowed my eyes at Tisha. “Find out the jail their leader is in, and the cell where he lays his head to go to sleep.”
“I knew you would want that.” Tisha nodded. “We will have the Hunter’s location within the hour.”
“Then, let us hope that the Hunter has made peace with his God.” I deepened my frown and scanned the faces of my men, my sister, and cousin. “Tonight, we mourn our fallen. Tonight, we heal our wounds. Tomorrow evening. . .we begin our vengeance.”
Rage rose within me. “For the next days, we are going to dismantle them piece by piece, starting from their lowest ranks and working our way up. No one, and I mean no one, associated with Sinaloa Cartel remains untouched. Baggers to money launderers, assassins to lawyers and tax preparers. Get the message out that if you work with them in any way, you die. Your family dies.”
I pointed at Tisha and then Valentina. “I want the Sinaloa Cartel to feel our wrath in waves, relentless and unending.”
Valentina eyed me. “You said our vengeance begins tomorrow evening. Why not the morning?”
“My mouse and I had planned to meet the Mexicans, Colombians, and a representee of this rich man that started it all—”
“You cannot.” Valentina shook her head.
“I want to see if my mouse still wants to go to this dinner on neutral ground.”
Valentina scowled. “It will not be safe.”
“It will. The Butcher is hosting the dinner.”
She stilled.
While we all picked at the French and called them pansies, we knew the Butcher was still the Butcher.
“The Perfumed Pansies are not just sweet-smelling little dandies.” I shrugged. “Jean-Pierre will make sure that no one comes with weapons and no one violates his rules. And I am sure that he has precautions in place for those that do.”
I looked off in the distance. “But it will be up to my mouse if we attend. For now, wait for my signal to push things along.”
Tisha bobbed his head. “And when you give the signal, Kazimir, what do you want to happen first?”
“The Hunter goes. Take their hope away from them. Then, we strike them where it hurts most. Their operations, their homes, their sense of security. . .by the time we are done, Sinaloa will be nothing but a whisper of fear. A legend about a forgotten group of nobodies that made the Lion roar.”