Chapter 4
FOUR
Gabriele
Closing the door of my study, I cross to the window and stare out into the garden. I watch two of my men talking over by the wall at the rear of the property.
The house is well protected with a state-of-the-art security system and highly trained guards but for the first time I wonder if it's enough.
It's not just me I have to think about now. I have a wife whose safety I'm responsible for.
I take my seat behind the desk and rub my brow, the enormity of the step I've just taken finally sinking in. Marrying Katya brings me no material benefits.
I'll have a beautiful woman by my side and in my bed, but there's no alliance to be gained through this union. Her father's business is too small to be worthy of my attention. Besides, everything I've learned about Oleg Kuznetov tells me I wouldn't want to deal with him anyway.
Instead of bolstering my position with an advantageous marriage, I've taken on my wife's problem with Orlov, made it my own. Though I can do without the headache, I doubt he'll be difficult to handle. From what I know of him, he's all bluster and very little brain.
I reach for the bottle of Scotch I left sitting on the desk earlier and pour a generous measure.
When I first asked Niamh to help me find a suitable bride, it was because it was time for me to settle down. In three weeks I turn thirty and the need to produce an heir has been weighing more heavily on me lately.
As much as I want a son to take over my territory one day, I also want a steady woman in my life. I'm tired of fucking whores.
On paper, Katya meets every requirement I laid out for Niamh. Raised by a Bratva family with the single goal of becoming a good wife, Katya is beautiful and poised.
From what I've seen so far, she's also intelligent. In person, she's radiant, magnetic. She's more than I expected which, perhaps, is the trouble.
In my head I had it all worked out. I pictured exactly how she would be, imagined us together. The image did not reflect the reality. Faced with her in the flesh, I realize things aren't as simple as I thought they would be.
Katya has emotional needs I'm ill-equipped to meet. It was obvious in the car, from the way she tried to get to know me, that she's going to want things I'm not prepared to give.
Being a mere accessory on my arm, a convenient woman to fuck, is not going to satisfy Katya. It could get messy. Yet I can't bring myself to regret choosing her. The scent of her perfume clings in the air and I find I like it.
Though I haven't decided how I'm going to handle my new wife, there are practical considerations I can take care of now. I switch on my laptop and send an email to Giulio, my financial advisor, telling him to arrange access to a bank account with a generous allowance for Katya.
I emphasize the urgency of my request. I had my wife's things brought over from the hotel where she spent last night, but there was only one small suitcase.
She'll need more clothes. We have an event to attend early next week and I doubt she remembered to pack an evening gown when she was planning to flee St. Petersburg.
When that's taken care of, my next thought is that I should call my brothers to tell them of my marriage. They'd be happy for me, I think. But it's been too long since we spoke and I'm not ready to bridge the gap I created.
Though I would die for my brothers, I can't be in contact with them.
There's too great a risk they'll realize the damage I've sustained is not just to my face.
My weaknesses were always there but I masked them better before the attack.
I won't be able to hide from them and I hate to think what the consequences of them discovering the truth might be.
Damiano may force me to give up my control of Rome.
In any case, the prime opportunity for us to reunite has passed. We should have come together at our mother's funeral last year. Instead of taking my rightful place by my brothers' side so we could share our grief, I sat at the back of the crematorium like a stranger.
If it hadn't been for Damiano's wife, Violetta, finding me outside, I might not even have gone in.
I don't know why she wasn't with my brother that day, but it was clear something had happened between them.
In that moment, she needed me to go into the building with her as much as I'd needed her.
I gathered my courage so she wouldn't have to walk in there alone.
Dwelling on the past solves nothing so I turn my attention to business. I'm examining a spreadsheet recording income from our betting operations when Lukas knocks at the door.
I know it's him by the sharp rap which precedes him walking straight in without waiting for an invitation. Our twenty-five years of friendship have bought him the right to take some liberties.
He drops onto the seat opposite me and loosens his tie.
"You're not with your bride." It's a facile observation.
"No."
He quirks an eyebrow. "Why not?"
"She needs time to settle in."
He nods, understanding quite well that I also need a pause to adjust to my new circumstances.
"What do you make of her?" I value his opinion.
"I haven't spoken to her much, but she seems bright."
"Intelligent, or the other kind of bright?"
"What other kind of bright?"
"You know, bubbly, effervescent?"
"Bubbly?" He grins wryly then considers for a moment. "Both, I think."
I agree with his assessment. During our initial meeting, Katya was businesslike, brisk in her manner. I got the sense she's a woman who understands how our world works and how to make the best of it.
Throughout the wedding ceremony, she was more subdued, but I guess she was overwhelmed at that point. Having a priest who didn't speak English can't have helped. She clearly struggled to keep up.
In the car I saw another aspect of her personality.
She was friendlier, warmer, wanting to learn something about me.
I haven't decided yet whether I'll encourage that.
Although I intend to raise a family with Katya, it's probably best if I remind her this is merely an agreement between consenting parties, not a budding romance.
It will be cleaner if we both adhere to that. I almost believe it.
"I'm surprised you didn't want to fuck her right away," Lukas says.
I allow him the impertinent remark. He sacrificed his own personal life when he returned to my side following the ambush which left my face in ruins. He's stuck with me ever since, often picking up the slack for me. I consider him my third brother.
"Did you come in here to discuss my bride?"
He shakes his head, his expression turning serious.
"The guards picked up a man just inside the east gate."
I close my laptop and massage my temples once more. It's been a while since we've had an intruder on the premises. The timing can't be a coincidence.
"Looking for Katya?"
Lukas nods. "Seems so. The asshole arrived just after we left for the church."
"Is that so?" I push to my feet. "Where is he now?"
"Guardhouse." Lukas smiles grimly. "With Eduardo."
Eduardo is one of my most brutal enforcers. If he's had the intruder in his hands since we left for the church, there won't be much left of him. Thankfully, I can trust that Eduardo has been extracting useful information from him. He works fast but methodically.
I come around the desk. "Let's go then."
The guardhouse sits at the far end of the property on the eastern periphery. It has accommodation for four men as well as a couple of cells which are rarely occupied and an interrogation room. That's where Lukas and I find our prisoner.
Tied to a chair, he's hanging on by a thread. His eye is swollen shut, his nose broken. His severed tongue lies on the floor on the other side of the room as if Eduardo tossed it away like trash. I’ve stood in rooms like this more times than I care to remember. The smell is always the same.
Stepping through the blood and gore to get a better look, I can't help thinking I've seen this man before.
"Does he look familiar to you?" I ask Lukas.
My friend cocks his head to the side. "He does."
"He's one of Bernardo Andretti's men," Eduardo says, his voice a deep, steady growl. "Orlov has made a deal with Andretti. He gets the Russian girl, Andretti gets your head on a spike."
"The Russian girl is now my wife."
"Sorry, boss. I didn't realize."
I wave off his apology. It's not as if Eduardo insulted Katya. If anything, it's gratifying to realize he didn't know. I prefer not to have my men gossiping about my private life.
I tilt my head to look at the man in the chair. Bernardo Andretti is President of an MC that’s been nibbling at the edges of my territory for years. They’ve never tried to push into it before. I guess with the backing of a Bratva organization they might feel emboldened.
It would be a fatal error to try to take me out, though. Even if they did succeed somehow, Damiano and Lorenzo would burn Rome to the ground in their quest for revenge.
I crouch in front of the chair so I'm level with Andretti's soldier. To his credit, he doesn't look away. Up close, his open eye is dark, the pupil blown. It's hard not to react when I recall staring into a mirror and seeing my own face looking much the same.
For a moment, I’m back on that cold, lonely pavement, my face ripped to shreds and no-one coming to my aid. I quickly pull myself back to the present, a stay-strong mantra repeating in my head.
"You told Eduardo everything?"
He nods once, even that slight movement causing him pain.
"Good. Then we're done here."
As I stand, the man closes his eye, smart enough to understand I'm not about to let him go. I take the gun from the back of my waistband, release the safety and shoot him, right in the center of the forehead. After I lost my left eye, it took months to get my aim back but it's near-perfect now.
I hand the gun to Eduardo to dispose of along with the body. We never keep a weapon that can be tied to a crime. I trust him to ensure no evidence can be linked back to us. He's been with me a long time.
"My wife will need a bodyguard," I say to Eduardo. "Who do you recommend?"
He looks surprised by the change in topic but the dead man before us is evidence of a need to ensure Katya's protection.
"Santo's good," he says.
I think about that. Santo is loyal and completely ruthless when it comes to dealing with our enemies.
"I agree. Let him know his new assignment."
Eduardo nods. "Yes, boss. Any requests for this asshole?"
"Drop him off at Lumina." It's Andretti's club, his attempt to make his mark on the city's nightlife. "Front door."
"Will do."
I turn and walk away. Outside, the air is cooler. I breathe in slowly for four counts, then out. Lukas falls into step as I make my way back across the lawn.
"It's a nice message to send," Lukas says. "Andretti should think twice before coming at us."
"A sensible man would think twice. I'm not sure Andretti has two brain cells to rub together."
"Perhaps you're right." Lukas pauses as we reach the door. He pats my shoulder. "I'm going to find some easy pussy. Why don't you blow off some steam with your wife?"
Ignoring him, I push past him into the house. I head upstairs and glance along the corridor to where Katya's waiting for me. A spike of adrenaline surges through me. After killing our intruder, I'm still keyed up.
I can't go to Katya when there's still violence pulsing in my veins, so I turn and head for my own bedroom. A shower and a change of clothes are needed. Then I'll go to my wife. Whether she’s ready for me or not.