Malachi #2
‘I know this is weighing on him, but I’m the one giving up eighteen months. I’m the one going back in when I just barely got home.’ I think, anger radiating my thoughts. ‘Alina is going to kill me, we are supposed to be getting ready to announce our engagement. Now we are postponing, again.’
I know Dadushka and Otets will make it up to us, I know this is the right thing to do, it just sucks. Placing my hand on the door handle, I call to him over my shoulder, “I am going. See ya on the other side of this.”
Looking up from the table as I speak, he stands, striding towards me and reaches for me. Pulling me into a hug, he kisses the top of my head. He pulls back, hands holding the sides of my face, making eye contact, “You know if we had…”
Pulling away I interrupt him, “I know, I got it. Let me go do this. When you fuck Mack up for this, throw a couple extra punches for me.” I say, smiling slightly.
Nodding towards the door, “I gotta go, Alina is expecting me for a bit before I do this.” I turn to open the door, he thumps my back as I walk out.
Two hours later, I’m being thrown into the back of a cop car, a bloody lip and a crazed smile on my face, thinking, ‘Time to meet Maddox.’
Zakhary
It’s been two weeks since I spoke with Mack, two weeks since Anton went in and I have heard nothing from Vanya.
“What the fuck is going on?” I mutter to myself.
The guys haven’t seen Mack making any moves to do what he was told and I’m starting to lose my patience.
I was told to give it two weeks and today is the last day he has a choice on the matter.
Just as I finish speaking my thoughts out loud, my phone rings. Picking up my phone, I check the screen. Recognizing the number I answer it and wait for the pre-recorded message to finish.
“Where is he?!” being growled into the phone is how I am greeted. It has been two weeks, Mack has not showed up and Otets is pissed.
‘I need to find this fucker and deliver him today. Guess he lost a day.’ I think with a smirk before answering.
“I have narrowed it down to one of three places. I am headed for one as soon as we hang up. Today was last day. I was waiting to see if he showed. He has been in hiding since my little visit,” I say, tossing back a shot of vodka to settle my nerves.
“Anton?” Is the next question. Otets is not a man of many words, but normally I at least get a ‘hello’ and a ‘how are things?’ before we jump into business.
“In and settled in Maddox’s cell. Mylo say thank you for taking care of that.” I respond, clenching my fist.
I think of the very upset girl that showed up at my doorstep the other night wanting a hoodie and his pillow. With the ring on her finger, I could not tell her no.
“Alright. Get Mack in here today! No more delays,” is the last thing I hear as the line disconnects. ‘Rude!’ I think as I pocket my phone and grab my keys. Tomas and the guys pull in as I step outside and lock the door.
“Find him. Otets is getting testy and I am not taking heat for this one,” I yell as we pile into my Jeep. I long to take out the Denali, but it’s too flashy for where we are going. And I do not want to have to get it detailed to wash any blood out.
We head over to the southside, to his hole in the wall bar. ‘Holy fuck,’ I think, grinning when I see him walking to the door as we pull up. ‘Today is starting to look up.’
Half an hour later he is loaded into the Jeep with the guys surrounding him in the back. Taking in the looks of him, I am even more grateful that I took the Jeep for this. His busted nose is gushing, all his cussing and squirming is getting blood everywhere.
Suddenly everything gets quiet. The gun Tomas pressed into his side must have quieted him down. The rest of the ride to Vanya was peaceful.
Vanya
I watch as Zak manhandles a bruised Mack into a chair, busted nose still bleeding. True to his word, he’d dragged Mack in.
Dismissing Zak, I sit in the available chair, staring Mack down from across the table. The sheer hatred I have for this waste of space is seeping out of my pores. “Start talking, Suka.”
Mack looks rough: a black eye, a crooked nose, bloody knuckles and a torn shirt. “I made a deal. It worked out for everyone,” he says smugly, shrugging as he sits back in his chair.
I stand and move between him and the table, “You seem to have forgotten who you are talking to.” I explain as I press my thumb into the bridge of his nose, watching him wince in pain.
He jerks back in pain, shooting me a death glare, “Fine, one of the guys who bought from me is a public defender. I fronted him a few times and he owed me.” Mack sneers at me. He’s finally talking so I move back to my seat to listen as he digs his own grave.
“Continue. But make it quick. You are trying my patience. Make this make sense to me. Because from where I am sitting, I see blatant disrespect and disobedience. Neither of which I take lightly,” I say, settling back in my chair, taking a sip out of the coffee cup sitting in front of me.
The Beluga Gold Line Vodka goes down with a slight burn.
Mack looks around, his shoulders falling in defeat as he realized he had no choice.
“Ronnie, the public defender, owed me. So in an effort to pay me back, he suggested I use the kid. He would get a lighter sentence and I would stay out. It cleared his debt with me and I had one less mouth to feed for a bit.”
I take another drink, toying with the cup, “I see. Now who pays me?”
Mack looks up, eyes going wide as the confession sinks in.
It was fun to see this man go white. I continue talking, “You weren’t concerned about food on the table when you fucked up kid’s life.
You weren’t concerned with food you take from my table when you let shitstain public defender make deal with you.
So, how much did you front and where did it come from? ”
Mack swallowed hard, “I’m sorry. No, I wasn’t thinking about anything when I did this. But the deal is done. What can I do about it now?”
Sucking my teeth, I think, ‘Sukin syn, glossing over questions and acting as if he can run his mouth to get out of it?’ Hitting my fist on the table, “I believe I asked you how much and from where?”
Mack twitches and looks at me, there is a little fear in his eyes. ‘Not as stupid as he looks,’ I think as he opens his mouth to speak, “Roughly five grand and from some of the stuff at the docks.”
‘Maybe he is as dumb as he looks,’ I think as we sit in silence.
I pull a smoke from my jumpsuit, twisting it between my fingers a moment.
Lighting it I take a drag, watching the smoke dissipate as I exhale.
I leave him in suspense for a moment, leaning forward and resting my chin on my hand.
“You are right, this is now done. You were one of my best ispolnitel, but you keep making stupid mistakes.”
“I’ll do better. What can I do to prove it?” Mack asks, suddenly singing a very different tune. Too bad for him I knew it was all an act.
“Since this is already in motion and there is nothing I can do to change it this time, I guess we let it ride. However, you will be pulling third shifts at the Pump Palace till he comes back, seven days a week. You will do it at one-third of pay until I am repaid the five grand…with interest. You will report to Zak, if he checks in and you not there, it will be very bad for you.” I explain, my eyes hardening with every word.
I see the anger building in his eyes, “But, what about my regular…”
“You have no more regular anything but that which I have assigned you. You put your son in a cell, I do same to you. In a way. You will not take one step towards docks. If you are caught there, it will be dealt with,” I say, giving him a once over before continuing, “Worse than what you took today.”
Mack glares, “Fine. Anything else?” he asks through gritted teeth, venom in his words.
I shake my head, “You brought this to yourself, Suka. This is last warning, I am over your shit. Now, get out. We will talk again when your debt is repaid.”
Mack growls, realizing how long he will be pulling the shifts at the gas station we deal out of.
“You have long time to think of who you work for. I suggest you not fall out of line again. Get out of my sight, you look like shit,” I growl, annoyed at being interrupted, as he stands and knocks on the door.
Zak comes back in as Mack exits. “See you out front, Mack.” he says, watching as Mack disappears before shutting the door and moving to the empty chair.
“It is confirmed, ‘Kitten’ is definitely a guy and he is close to the Mikhailov girl. Follow her and it should be easy to figure out who this ‘Kitten’ is,” I tell Zak as he sits across from me.
“Anton says Maddox is cagey and wants answers. He doesn’t trust Anton,” Zak explains having gone to see him this weekend.
“No reason to tip our hand, leave it. Find this ‘Kitten’ kid and put a tail on him,” I ordered.
“Mack is gonna spend some time on graveyard at the Palace, relearning his place. Dock his pay to a third until money he owes is paid. He is not to be at docks around the shipments and only to be used as an ispolnitel as needed.” I explain to him quickly, finishing my ‘coffee’.
“But I have a few questions, how did no one notice five grand of product missing? And…I want to know about this Ronnie guy in the Public Defender’s office,” I add, cocking my eyebrow.
“Fuck! We knew some shit was missing, we talked about that. We were still trying to figure out final numbers. Tupitsa must have given it up himself today. I will get on this Ronnie thing. See you in a few weeks, Otets.” Zak says as he pulls me into a one armed hug.
I smack his back a few times and send him on his way.
Getting back to my cell, I find a letter from Moya Zhizn, something I had called Andrei for years, and feel myself relax as I pull out the letter and see what is new in his life.
Melody