Chapter 44 Dom
We flew out a few days before the others with the plan to keep our distance while there. Ivan has eyes and ears all over the place, and we don’t want to risk anyone tipping him off that we’re working against him or with Jade.
I burned through every single contact I had trying to reach my mother, but I got no response and was starting to worry I wouldn’t be able to get my father there.
I’d fail in the one damn task Jade gave me.
In the end, it was Elio who saved my ass.
I don’t trust the guy, don’t trust anyone in the mafia, no matter the branch, but Jade does.
She seems to trust him more than she does me, not that I can blame her, so for now, I’ll go with it and just keep an eye on him.
“Are we sure he’s not just sending us to die?” Leo asks as he watches the scenery pass out the window.
“No,” I tell him truthfully, because I’d be lying if I hadn’t thought the same, but what choice do we have?
Elio’s sisters had ties all over the mafia world.
Their father had sold them off to spread his reach.
Ultimately, it backfired when Elio killed him and took over, using that reach to bridge some issues instead of taking down what his father believed was competition.
By a pure stroke of fucking luck, his sisters had ended up with mostly good husbands or as good as one gets in this lifestyle.
His two oldest sisters had been married to men in the Bratva before he had connections, but the other two were married to Italian men.
One of whom runs the American-Italian family; the other, who is helping us, is higher up here in Italy.
Elio wouldn’t tell us what his position was, proving he doesn’t trust us either, but that doesn’t matter.
If he has a tie that can reach my father, I don’t care what he does or even if he puts a bullet in my head.
I just can’t fail her again.
Three hours in a car is too long, no matter how nice the car might be. By the time we reach our destination, I’m ready to off my damn self so that I don’t have to make that drive again.
“This way,” our driver says, leading us up the front steps of the villa without bothering to see if we follow him or not. I guess after the drive, he assumes we have a reason to be here. He’s not wrong, and after a quick shrug from Leo, we both make to follow him.
The house is huge and open in a way I’ve only seen with homes in Italy. Our family home in Russia is seven times this size, though. So, while this is beautiful, it’s not exactly as awe-inspiring as I’m sure it is to people who are, well, not of the same social standing.
Our driver leads us to a sitting room at the back of the home, ushering us in.
“He’ll be with you shortly,” he tells us, sounding bored before closing the door and leaving us to wait.
Leo relaxes a bit the moment the door is closed, but I can’t. I refuse to let my guard down.
“At least if we have to wait, they left the good stuff out, huh?” Leo says with a laugh, nodding toward the small table out on the terrace lined with whiskeys, wines, and, of course, vodka. Everything is top-tier, though I expect nothing less.
Leo goes and helps himself, and while I don’t plan to drink, I join him.
One of my favorite parts of Italy has always been the way the homes are set over the water.
The terrace overlooks the second-floor garden, which opens to reveal the water beyond the cliff's edge. It’s breathtaking and also a good place to dispose of bodies.
With that in mind, I take a seat away from the edge, dropping into a chair closer to the room's entrance, just in case.
We aren’t left waiting long. Leo only has time to knock back one shot before the door swings open. We’re both on our feet a moment later, as a middle-aged man strolls through the door with a huge smile.
“Please sit, sit. Any friend of Elio is a friend of mine.” He says, making his way toward us. I don’t bother letting him know we didn’t stand to be polite or that we’re not exactly Elio’s friends. It doesn’t seem like the smartest move if we want his help or to survive this meeting.
We both watch as he makes his way to the table, pouring himself some wine before leaning lazily against the railing. He’s either cocky or stupid, but considering the fact that we need his help, I don’t intend to find out which.
“So, my brother-in-law said you needed help to get in touch with someone,” he says, taking a long pull from his glass. “He obviously couldn’t give me many details. Don’t want to be careless with any information, if you know what I mean.”
Winking at us, he laughs before tipping his drink back and finishing his glass.
I’m going to just take a wild guess that he’s stupid, at least with this kind of thing. He can’t be completely helpless, though, if Elio sent us here to find my parents. I might not trust him, but I really do believe he wants to help Jade.
“Yes, sir. I need to contact my parents, but I have no connection to them. Every contact my mother has used in the last two years has gone cold.” I explain, giving him the short version.
“How rude of me!” he exclaims, moving toward me with his hand outstretched. “My name is Aldo. Now, no more of this sir stuff,” he says, waving his other hand around in the air as if it’s nonsense.
Up close, I can see that he probably isn’t much older than I am. I can’t say I would like to be called sir, either.
“Nice to meet you, Aldo. I’m Danslav, but you can call me Dom, and this is my cousin, Leonid.” I introduce us, shaking his hand before he moves to do the same to Leo.
“You can call me Leo,” Leo tells him, glaring at me. He hates his full name, which is exactly why I used it.
“Sì. Now, finding your parents should be easy enough. Finding people is my specialty, after all.”
The grin on his face is a bit cocky as he all but falls back into the chair across from us. I can’t help but wonder if he’s really that good or if he just doesn't know what he’s gotten himself into.
Only one way to find out.
“Do you have any information about your parents? If not, we can do DNA, but that will make the entire process take longer, and judging by how quickly you boys got here, I don’t think that’s what you're looking for.”
I shake my head. Not because he’s wrong, but because he seems to have the wrong idea.
“A DNA test won’t be necessary. I know who my parents are. They're just in hiding, so to speak.”
I’m unsure if that’s really the appropriate way to describe it. They aren’t really hiding from anything. They just don’t want to be around people, and they don't trust anyone.
Aldo claps his hands together loudly as he springs to his feet with a smile.
“Fantastic! That makes this much easier. Just give me their names, and I’ll find them for you right quick and in a hurry!” he exclaims.
Poor guy has no idea I’m about to rain on his parade. Nothing about my life has ever been easy. Somehow, I doubt this will be any different.
“Vera and Mikhail,” I force their names out. Saying their names is hard enough, but giving away who I am and drawing attention is almost impossible. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I close my eyes and force myself to speak the name I haven’t said in years.
“Kharitonov.”
Even though we're outside, it feels as though everything around me stops. I no longer hear the water below or the birds in the sky. No breeze or movement of those around me. After a moment, I peel my eyes back open to look around, sure that my panic is what’s affecting me.
My eyes go to Leo first. He’s the safest bet. He knew what I was going to say, but even he looks uncomfortable at the mention of our family name. Something that once gave us such pride has been tainted.
His father did this, made us feel grimy just to be part of our once-great family.
I’m sure most people know my sister's story. It was huge, with national coverage years ago. Not to mention, anyone with ties to the main families was called on for help. We don’t often mix, but to have a child taken, one from such a position, shook everyone.
Especially when nobody knew who did it, families were worried about assassins and the like coming for their children.
I turn my attention back to Aldo, knowing I can’t avoid his gaze forever. We need his help, which means I need to face him.
For the first time since Aldo walked into the room, he looks completely serious. No sign of his easygoing nature or smile. I wonder if he’s regretting offering his help before he knew what he was getting into. I know I would be if I were him.
“You’re Mikhail’s boy?”
His voice is hardly more than a whisper, but the way he says my father’s name, it’s almost as if he knows him.
The only question is whether that’s a good thing.
My father was a great man, but he wasn’t without his terrible side.
He was gentle with us, but I’ve seen the demon inside him.
Watched him kill men without hesitation or remorse when necessary.
He taught me to be the same way; Jade, too, when she was younger.
He’s not without enemies, even if his greatest one hid under his nose all this time.
I nod, unable to make myself speak. I very well might have just fucked us, depending on where Aldo stands with my father, but it can’t be helped. If he can’t help us, at least we still have a few days to try and find another way, but I had to try.
Aldo looks at me for so long that I have to fight the urge to fidget. It feels as though he’s looking through me as his eyes search mine for something.
I’m ready to stand up and cut our losses. Just leave and try to find another way when a smile once again splits his face.
“You’ve found her!” he exclaims, startling me after such a long stretch of silence. My brain doesn’t process his words right away, and before I can really understand, he’s on me. Wrapping his arms around me and pulling me from my chair in an awkward, jumping hug.