Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
T wo hours before
Vadim
Itsy-bitsy bikini.
Thinking about seeing Caroline in the little red one she’d borrowed from Sofiya continued to trouble me. Or maybe just arouse me. Whatever the case, I certainly didn’t have my mind on business at this point.
Nikolay had enlisted Sergei and Maxim to assist in handling the situation at hand. Maybe that was a damn good thing since my mind was obviously stuck in some gutter. With Francois and two other men on a shopping excursion, I felt as if the two women were adequately protected.
“Has there been anything else unusual with Tanner?” I asked as Sergei pulled onto the construction site. I had the man’s employment file in front of me. Tanner Banks had never to this day caused me any difficulties. That’s why he’d been promoted to construction supervisor in charge of every project. With his hands-on background, his father once in the construction business, it had seemed a perfect fit.
“Nothing that I could find but get this,” Nikolay said. “I also can’t see what he’s done with the damn money.”
I gave him a look as Sergei found a parking place.
“No fancy cars or houses? A gambling debt or two?” I paid the man more than a decent salary by anyone’s standards. He’d once told me he was careful, preferring to save most of what he earned.
“Nope. I even went by his home last night, a shitty place in Brooklyn. He drives the same older Dodge Ram he has had for years. His bank accounts reflect nothing outrageous. By all appearances he seems like a guy who works hard, is a homebody, and other than a receipt for a new big screen television, doesn’t need much.”
“Something is off here. Either you’re wrong about him or he’s farmed the cash somewhere else. What about family?”
“Maybe. He and his wife broke up a few years ago. His parents are alive but living in Idaho of all places. Now, he has a younger brother, but I can’t find him anywhere. I thought the same thing. Something is off but it’s his signature on every document.”
I was definitely getting too old for this shit. Back in my father’s heyday of running the Bratva, you knew your enemies. They were blockheads half the time, those intelligent enough to use more manipulative tactics also generally the same ones who liked to brag. I hadn’t anticipated this would turn into an interrogation but when something was off, that usually meant another entity was involved.
People certainly sold their souls for money, but sometimes their reasons for doing something had little to do with their personal needs and more about a friend or family member. Blackmail was a powerful tool. I’d used it often in my reign myself.
As I stepped out of the back of the SUV, taking a second to button my jacket, I admired the work that had been done already. The previous building had been standing vacant for years, but it had taken an act of God to purchase and obtain the permits. I’d been lucky to be offered the two buildings beside it so the complex could be turned into a hotel and conference center.
I did enjoy expanding our business opportunities. There were still a few months left but I was more than pleased with the design.
“Where is Tanner?” I asked as I squinted at the late morning sun. The girls had been out shopping already for a couple of hours, my daughter eager while Caroline had continued being reserved.
There was still something she hadn’t told me. I was certain of it. Tonight she would come clean. My palm itched just thinking about what would happen if she didn’t.
“Likely in his construction trailer.”
“Instruct the workers to go get an early lunch,” I told Sergei.
“Yes, Pakhan.” He was just like Nikolay in that he’d be happy to get his hands stained with blood.
I moved through offloaded crates of steel bulkheads, noticing the gravel was ready to be dumped into the main part of the foundation. Tons more would be needed. As soon as I walked into the trailer, I overheard Tanner talking to someone that didn’t sound exactly like a supplier or employee.
“I can’t do this any longer,” he said. He had his back to me, oblivious that I’d walked in. “Don’t you dare threaten me. I’m putting everything at risk for you.”
He seemed to sense he was no longer alone, finally turning around.
“I need to go, Rock. I’ll call you later.” He ended the call, tossing his phone onto the desk and wiping his hands. “Mr. Chernoff. I didn’t expect to see you here. What can I do for you?”
Sadly, one of my gifts had always been I could sniff out fear. And this man was riddled with terror.
I took a second to remove my sunglasses, placing them in my suit jacket. With the file regarding the discrepancies. “I haven’t been to the site in a couple months, which wasn’t my intention.”
“Well, you had good reason.”
“Mmm…” I found the particular piece of paper on which I’d outlined issues in red. I pulled that out alone, placing it on the desk where he could easily see it. “Yes, I did, but you know the saying. When the cat is away, the mice will play. Only this time, the mouse was dumber than usual. Which I admit does surprise me. You had a very promising future.”
“Sir, I don’t understand what you mean.”
I nodded toward the paperwork. “Come on now, Tanner. The jig is up. You were very creative in your method of stealing from me but if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a thief. What I don’t understand is why. You have very few wants or needs. You don’t excessively spend money and unless Rock is your bookie, then you don’t have a gambling problem. So what the fuck is it?”
He appeared strangled. And also resigned. After a few seconds, his entire body slumped, fear increasing. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“There are always choices, my friend.”
“Not this time. Not if I want…” Tanner glanced out the window. “I don’t want money. I don’t need anything, and I would give all the money I had to protect him.”
“Him?”
Tanner nodded. “My brother. He’s in deep and the only way to work it off is by doing what I did.”
I glanced at Nikolay who shrugged. My other gift was knowing when someone had lied to me. Tanner wasn’t. In fact, I was certain he was about ready to piss his pants. “How much money are we talking?”
“Seven hundred and fifty thousand plus interest.”
Nikolay whistled. “Let me guess. Given it was compounded that debt is over two million.”
“And going up every day. Trust me, Mr. C, I did what I could, but when I couldn’t pay the first exorbitant amount they made one offer, saying it would be my only opportunity to save my brother’s life.”
“Stealing from me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Christ. The business I was in was often uglier than it needed to be.
“Tanner, this could be your lucky day. Tell me who we’re talking about and I might let you live.”
I’d never seen such a strained look on any man’s face. He was clearly distraught. Then I was certain the guy was going to start blubbering. “I can’t. They will kill both of us!”
The poor guy was shaking. Now I was an asshole, brutal and unforgiving. I had to be or people would think me soft, and I certainly didn’t need that, especially right now. However, using a family member for blackmail was disgusting even in my book. But Tanner needed to understand I wasn’t fucking around. This wasn’t a democracy.
“Come with me, Tanner. I want to show you something.”
He appeared sick to his stomach, holding it with one arm as I led him outside and toward the temporary observation platform that had been set up to ensure the gravel was distributed evenly. As we walked up the rickety stairs, I could swear the man was whimpering. “Tell me about your brother.”
“He’s a good kid. He really is. He just… He got into drugs and thought he could make money by being a card shark. He didn’t have any clue the kind of men he was fucking with. My dad washed his hands of Timmy a long time ago, but I can’t let the kid just toss his life away. You know? Tough love is harder than I thought though.”
That much I could attest to. When we were on the top of the platform, I guided him to the very edge. “You did some good work here and at the other site. I really value how you handled the workload and the employees. However, as you might imagine, I’m not the kind of man or leader who can handle being fucked with. You see that load of gravel over there? If I’m not mistaken, that’s about three, maybe four tons. But you would know better.”
Tanner was still shaking.
When I placed my hand on the lever that would offload either a portion or all of it, he started blubbering. “Please, Mr. C. I swear to God I’ll do anything you want. I just… I’m so afraid for Timmy. I did what I could. I ignored them for two weeks.”
“Who are we talking about, Tanner?”
“You don’t understand how powerful they are.”
Really? The dude was saying that to me. Both Nikolay and Sergei started laughing.
“Do you want me to push him in, Pakhan?” Nikolay asked. “Or should I break a few bones first to make it much more painful going down?” He cracked his knuckles and I gave him a hard look. Yes, the art of intimidation was also necessary but hell, maybe I had a little humanity left in comparison.
Great. Now I smelled piss.
“I honestly think I do, Tanner. You might be surprised if you give me the benefit of the doubt,” I answered. “Where is your brother now?”
“I made him come to my house late last night, but I know him. He’ll skip out when he can.”
“Well, my last deal, a one-time offer, is that you tell me who’s behind this requirement of payment and I’ll make certain your brother disappears to a very nice place far removed from New York. I’ll give him enough seed money to start a new life but after that, it’s up to him. However, you’re going to keep doing what you’re doing, providing me with certain info as required. Otherwise, all your hard work will simply allow you to become a part of the… foundation.”
He was shaking so badly given the breeze I had to hold him to keep the guy from accidentally falling off.
“Up to you but you have five seconds.” I glanced at my watch, fighting disgust. The damn Cosa Nostra had done this. I was certain.
Tanner didn’t seem as if he was going to budge. Well, I guess today was as good a day to die as any.
“Four. Three.”
I glanced in his direction. He had his eyes closed.
“Two. One.”
“The Armenians. It has to be. They own that casino and my brother first got a job there then everything went south.”
I was more shocked than I cared to admit. The fact the Armenians were also attacking us from the inside out likely meant they’d joined forces with the fucking Italians. However, the fact he wasn’t certain meant there could be more going on with the situation. Often, when things appeared too easy and clear were because deception was involved. I had to keep that in the back of my mind.
It would seem more prudence was in order. I took my hand off the lever, clapping Tanner on the back. “You need to keep in mind I never give out second chances. You’re a lucky man. Use your newfound life wisely.”
I now owned him.
“You are one wealthy man with a healthy retirement fund.”
I chuckled and glanced up at my financial advisor. He was an expert in wealth management and the only man I’d wanted to talk to about my holdings. He was also trustworthy, his family having advised my family financially since we’d arrived in America.
“Well, that’s good to hear. I’d hate for some of my funds to be slipping away. I do want to retire in Boca Raton.” It was a standing joke, but he still always looked at me strangely. “Kidding, Jim. Just kidding. Incidentally, how are the stock values on the Armenians’ food manufacturing corporation?”
He eyed me even more warily. “Let me check.”
While he allowed his fingers to fly across the keyboard, I sat back, thinking about my options on how to handle the fucks. I could either destroy them, taking out their soldiers in a blitzkrieg or do something a bit more… conniving. I was a businessman after all. Then again, the nagging feeling they weren’t behind Tanner’s forced position also stuck out in my brain.
“Up thirteen percent in the last month. On track to make record profits this year.”
“Open stocks?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then make plans to start buying up as many shares as possible over time. Make certain and use the dummy corporation to do so. Don’t draw any red flags.”
“Why are you doing this since you usually target technical manufacturers?”
“Oh, I have my reasons.” I stood, buttoning my jacket.
“I need to disagree on this choice, Mr. Chernoff. It’s not particularly likely to stay profitable.”
I held out my hand as soon as he stood as well. “I pay you twice the going rate for your advice, Jim. While I’ve appreciated your recommendations over the years, there are some reasons why I made decisions that are quite frankly none of your goddamn business. Do I make myself clear?”
He paled, accepting the gesture. “Yes, sir. I’ll make this happen.”
“See that you do.” I was barely to the door when my phone rang. Noticing it was Francois, one of the three men I’d sent to guard the two women, I was instantly on edge. I walked out into the hallway before answering. “What is it?”
“We have an issue,” he said in a winded voice.
“What do you mean issue?”
“I mean I’m trying to get to the girls now. Sofiya enacted the escape plan through the mall but we got ten guys after us.”
Fuck. Fuck.
“Get them out of there or face my wrath.”
“Trying, sir. I thought you needed to know.”
Hissing, it was all I could do not to toss my fucking phone. How the hell had this happened? Once I found out, the person responsible wouldn’t be so lucky as good ole Tanner.
Now I was angry.