26. Roman
CHAPTER 26
Roman
Many people who live in the city avoid Old Northam like the plague. It’s considered to be destitute and dangerous for various reasons. The part of the city that’s decomposed over the years into nothing more than an eyesore with its out-of-code buildings and cracked sidewalks. Even people who live in Old Northam avoid certain segments of the neighborhood.
Derevnya? * , the Russian word for village, is one of those areas in the city most refrain from visiting. Aside from the handful of charming Russian small businesses like the Café Voronezh and the seamstress shop run by the excellent Ms. Yeva, citizens tend to stay out of our neighborhood.
The day I captured Katerina was the day she appeared in Derevnya. By accident, she hadn’t been paying attention to where she’d been going and wound up stumbling upon our territory.
It seems like so long ago as me and my men pull up to the main street and get out of our cars. The children playing hopscotch on the sidewalk are Romanian immigrants whose parents work at the local grocery store. They stop in the middle of a jump to the next square, their little faces lit up in curiosity as we stride by.
They’re not afraid of us. More so deferential and obedient.
Their parents have made it clear what the bratva is and who runs things around here.
We’re fair to our people. We treat those who live in our territory with respect and decency. We don’t seek to cheat them like many crime families would those under their thumb. The pakhan and sovietnik can be more careless about those they deem poor and working class, but I’ve served as a buffer. As captain over the area, I’ve run a tight but fair ship.
Anyone who meets my wrath more than deserves to suffer.
Anyone who meets my wrath knows why.
We stop outside the barbershop, which is full of men of all ages. Even one or two boys who have come to have their hair cut with their older male relatives. The shop window’s frosted over with painted letters advertising current specials.
Dve strizhki za odnu tsenu .? *
Two haircuts for the price of one.
Kazan grunts from my side. “That’s pretty good. Should we go in?”
His question is asked with a dark grin that flits onto his scarred face.
We both already know the answer.
Seated in the chair at the second station is none other than a bloated toad having his nose hairs trimmed.
The barber’s hunched over Uncle Leonid with small scissors, carefully snipping away.
“It’s the most hair he has on his head,” I say. “Let’s go.”
Over the last few weeks, Uncle Leonid has hid behind the sovietnik’s protection. He has only lived as long as he has because he was rubbing his nose so far up my father’s ass that eliminating him was virtually impossible.
But I have been lurking in wait. I’ve been counting the seconds until the moment presented itself where he got so cocky, so brazen, he would be exposed.
Despite my vow otherwise, he seems to think I won’t go against my father’s wishes.
Kazan jerks open the shop door and I stride in, quickly followed by my crew.
The handful of men Uncle Leonid has with him pop to their feet, hands fumbling for their weapons.
I ignore them and stop in front of the station where Leonid’s seated. His barber stumbles back with a startled gasp once he spots me out the corner of his eye.
I snatch the pair of scissors from him and jam them into Leonid’s thigh. He squeals more like a fucking pig than toad, which might suit him better in the moment considering his skin tinges pink and pigs are bloated too. He jerks in the barber chair, kicking out his legs. Blood spreads and stains the fabric of his pants.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” he screams. “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”
My hand flies out and clenches shut around the rolls of fat he calls a neck. His men shift as if to close in on me, but my men have got my back.
They’ve drawn their weapons quicker and outnumber his minions.
Uncle Leonid squirms in my grip, his eyes bulging as I glare into his sweaty pink face.
“Did you think I was joking, dyadya? * ?” I ask. “Ty dumal, chto ya ne pridu za toboy? * ?”
“Zver, you piece of shit!”
I squeeze his windpipe even harder, making him choke. “Is it polite to call me a piece of shit right now? Is that smart when your life is in my hands?”
His eyes bug out of their sockets as he claws at my grip to no avail. He may be strong—he had no issue demonstrating that when he beat up my kitty cat—but I’m stronger. I’m bigger. I’m better than he is in every fucking way.
I slam him back down onto the barbershop chair and snatch the sleek straight razor that rests on the counter of the workstation.
“This is going to be painful,” I say, and then I grin. “Kazan, Dmitri.”
Kazan and my other soldier quickly step forward, aware of what I’m asking. One stands on Leonid’s left while the other gets on his right. No matter how hard Leonid will struggle, they will hold him down.
I point out the barber who had been working on him, who’s face is ashen and covered with shock. “You,” I say, “C’mere. You’ll be using this.”
Thrusting the straight razor into his hands, I glance around at the rest of the barbershop. Half of the men inside aren’t bratva. They’re regular citizens caught up in our warring, though they know better than to ever speak of what they witness.
“If you do not wish to see a man skinned alive, I advise you leave now.”
The men with children are first to dart for the door, covering their boys’ eyes and ears. A few more rush out a couple steps behind.
I nod at my men once they’re gone and they lock the doors.
Nobody’s leaving until I’m satisfied with my revenge.
Uncle Leonid leaks beads of sweat, still wriggling against Kazan and Dmitri.
“What’s your name?” I ask the barber.
“Lu… Lu…Luka,” he stammers nervously. The razor I’ve given him trembles in his hand.
My grin widens. “Well, Luka, I’m afraid I’m going to ask you to do something you might find repulsive. I would do it myself, but I have no interest in touching his putrid fucking dick. Undo his pants.”
“Wha… I… I…” he shakes his head side to side.
“Now!” I bark. “Or you will be first.”
Luka glances at a couple of the other barbers remaining in the shop. His Adam’s apple bobs in a hard swallow. He waits another second and then steps forward with the boldness of a meek mouse. Hands trembling and unsteady, he does as I’ve asked. He unfastens the front of Uncle Leonid’s pants.
“No!” Leonid yells, jerking even more wildly. “NO, YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!”
But his protests go ignored.
I direct Luka the barber to pull down his boxers. The pair is faded, stained, and a strange gray color. All things that fit him.
All things that are more repulsive when I think about how he thought he would have Katerina. He truly believed he could force my kitty cat.
His shriveled up dick and balls flop out unimpressively.
Hair everywhere. It’s like a fucking jungle, the thick bush that surrounds his dick.
It gives me new respect for the girls Uncle does pay to sleep with him—they’re putting up with a lot to allow him anywhere near them.
“Looks like somebody needs a shave,” I say. Several of my men chuckle, aware of what’s next. “Luka, go ahead and give him one. Cut it all off.”
A loud silence follows my command as everyone digests what I’m really saying.
Once it sinks in, Uncle Leonid erupts into his loudest screams yet. The squealing sound plays out like nails on a chalkboard that would normally make ears bleed but instead serves as a beautiful melody to listen to.
Pubic hairs float to the ground before there’s nothing left to shave.
Then it’s just skin. It’s just blood squirting from the incision, getting everywhere.
“Deeper!” I yell. “Press the blade in deeper!”
Luka nods, so shaky and nervous still that he makes mistakes. He causes Leonid even more suffering as he does more than shave away Leonid’s delicate, sagging skin. He slices into him, nicking and cutting.
It’s a slow, agonizing forty-two minutes for Leonid, who eventually passes out from the pain.
But I’m a patient man when necessary.
I wait for him to come to. He wakes to the bloody horror of what’s sitting in his lap. Now detached from the rest of him.
So long as I’m alive, I’ll never forget his screams of agony. I’ll savor what’s sweet revenge as far as I’m concerned.
As he slumps in the chair, pitiful and weeping, I step to him one final time.
“It seems you’ve finally learned your lesson, dyadya. You should’ve known you never had a chance.”
Kazan withdraws his gun and shoots him in the face.
I order Luka to stuff his shriveled up dick in his mouth, and then we’re done. His men are shot on our way out. The barbers are left in traumatized silence. They’ll have to digest what they’ve witnessed and clean up the mess.
Except for the body.
My men know to deliver Leonid to the sovietnik.
It will communicate what it should—they’ve decided to fuck with me, my penthouse, my kitty cat, so there will be consequences.
I will come out on top.
My pulse is still racing when I return triumphant to the factory. We pull up in our Hummers, the doors springing open the second we’re in park.
It’s barely evening time, but I’m calling an early end to my day. I’m going to surprise Katerina by taking her out for dinner to celebrate the victory.
She won’t know the gory details of how Leonid met his end, but I will tell her I’ve finally done what I promised I would. I’ve finally avenged her for what he did. She’ll be so relieved to know he’ll never lay a finger on her again.
I can already envision the beautiful smile that’ll pop onto her face. Her arms that she’ll wrap around my neck. The kisses she’ll give me in thank you.
Maybe before we leave for dinner we’ll spend some time in the bedroom. We can fit in a quick fuck before the dinner reservations I’ve made.
I’m approaching the main doors flanked by my men when Oleg dashes toward me. Right away it’s clear whatever he has to say is serious.
He’s paler than usual, his expression shaken. “Zver , Zver, we’ve been trying to reach you!”
“I told you I was fucking busy,” I snarl. “Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. Ya provozhu vecher so svoyey zhenshchinoy? * .”
“B-But, Zver?—”
“What?! What is it? Speak now! Quickly!”
“She has been… she’s been,” he chokes out, then gives a grim shake of his head, “Katerina has been taken.”
* ? Derevnya - village
* ? Dve strizhki za odnu tsenu - two haircuts for one price
* ? dyadya - uncle
* ? Ty dumal, chto ya ne pridu za toboy - you thought I wouldn’t come for you
* ? Ya provozhu vecher so svoyey zhenshchinoy - I’m spending the evening with my woman