Chapter 2
Kazimir
The sale and trafficking of illegal weapons had been the bread and butter of our organization for years.
While we’d dabbled in the sale of drugs, they were not nearly as profitable as we’d found in the business of arms deals.
With our own manufacturing plants buried in the heart of Siberia, we produced quality items that had built our company’s stellar reputation throughout the world.
Our only true issues had been with secure transportation through various locations throughout the world. With such high demand for our products, my father had excelled in creating new avenues.
The Italians being one of them.
However, I’d heard Italians were prickly people, incapable of foreseeing the future, which made them terrible business partners.
Plus, they were highly passionate, wearing their emotions on their sleeves.
That was dangerous for everyone involved.
Smiles, laughter, and especially reckless behavior were all seen as signs of weakness.
In the case of meeting with Don Giovanni Pollizi, both his prowess and power had provided him with a solid reputation. I found him to be savvy and well versed in knowledge of our product.
Did that mean I trusted him completely?
Of course not.
Trust was reserved for very few, usually only certain members of the family.
However, I was confident we could work together. For how long would remain to be seen.
“Here’s to a great and long-term friendship,” Don Pollizi stated as he lifted his glass.
“Pust’ nasha druzhba budet okutana istinoy i protsvetaniyem.” Seeing his quizzical look, I smiled. “An old proverb as taught by my grandfather to my father and so forth. May our friendship be shrouded in truth and prosperity.”
It was my way of telling him if he crossed us in any way, he would pay for his sin with the blood of his family.
His eyes flashed, yet he half bowed as if offering his limited respect. “Yes, for without truth and trust, we have nothing.”
I lifted my glass inches higher before taking a swallow. “That is very true. This is magnificent, Don Pollizi. Sambuca. A favorite.”
“A man of discerning tastes and please call me Giovanni. Your father and I were lucky enough to build a friendship. I hope that will continue.” He also lifted his glass toward Mikhail, who’d handled a good portion of our limited presentation. “I will have a case sent to you.”
“That would be very much appreciated, Giovanni.”
“You have a beautiful home,” Mikhail told him. “Sicily is incredible.”
“Well, I do hope you’re planning on spending some time in our beautiful country.
I could offer you a few highlights that you must see.
Our beaches must be a far cry from your icy terrain.
” Giovanni laughed. “One never knows. You might fall in love with our culture and our people and decide to make Sicily your home. We have some amazing women who can fill your nights with passion.”
There was no reason not to be cordial, even if doing so went against my beliefs.
But his comment pissed me off. I wasn’t here to play tourist. “Our family is grieving the death of a very important man. Our entire country is grieving as well. Family is what’s most important after all. I’m sure you would agree.”
His face clouded and I sensed his light irritation. “Yes, you’re right, of course. My apologies. Please allow me to express my family’s condolences. The loss of one’s patriarch is often necessary yet always painful.”
“Necessary,” Mikhail repeated. I knew the moment my brother’s fuse was about to blow. “A very crass statement considering our father’s body hasn’t begun to decay.”
The Don looked to me for guidance. “I am very sorry. I did not mean to insult you.”
I’d be damned if Mikhail wasn’t eager to pick a fight.
His hands were clenched, which was exactly how he’d reacted to Stash.
“Grief has many stages, Giovanni. For some, death is a bitter pill and difficult to understand. Unfortunately, we must be going.” After tossing back the remainder of the drink and placing the glass on the table, I noticed he was the first to offer his hand, the gesture the only contract required.
And he was offering his respect as well.
With the business completed, I nodded to Kirill and the others, eager to return to Moscow.
“Yes, of course. When can I expect the first shipment?” Giovanni asked as he led us from his office to the estate’s front door.
“Now that the details are settled, within the week. I’ll have my secretary notify yours of the actual date,” I told him.
“Excellent. I highly respected your father, Kazimir. He was always wise beyond his years. I can see so much of him within the two of you.”
Mikhail laughed. “I’m not sure my father would look on that as a compliment. He believed he was one of a kind.”
Giovanni shared in his laughter while I stood stoically. Maybe I was simply exhausted from the weight of all that had occurred.
We headed to the awaiting SUVs Kirill had arranged. With the airport less than thirty minutes away, we’d be in the air within the hour.
“Once we’re on the plane, go ahead and contact the plant manager, and give the go ahead for the transport,” I told Kirill who grinned.
“You got it, sir.”
“But mark the shipment carefully. I want to ensure our weapons get to the correct location.”
He was surprised by my request. We’d experienced treachery before with men replacing our weapons with little more than an arsenal full of toys.
“Understood.”
Unbuttoning my jacket, I glanced around the perimeter of the Don’s estate. Other than the ocean, all I could see were miles upon miles of vineyards. A waste of turf if you asked me.
Once inside, I settled into the seat and pulled my phone into my hand to check emails. Even our brutal organization had learned how valuable having various methods of communication could be.
Mikhail climbed onto the back passenger seat beside me. He’d had several excellent ideas on the twelve-hour plane ride, many of which I’d implement.
But right now, the tension between us was justified.
“I’m sorry for my outburst, but I don’t trust the Don or his men.”
“You’re more like me than you choose to believe, Mikhail. Trust no one. Not a soul. I’ve ordered a security measure be used on the next few shipments being sent to Pollizi. If he is fucking with us, I will know immediately.”
“And if he is?” My brother seemed even more eager than before.
“Then it’s simple. He and his men will pay the price of betrayal.”
I sat back, studying the surroundings. Our father had a solid reason for encouraging the alliance. I’d allow the relationship to continue. For now.
My brother seemed pensive, which was totally understandable. Our father had never allowed him to join in any aspect of business, stating he wasn’t cut out for our ruthless world.
“What is it?” I asked after all three vehicles within our motorcade had passed through the estate’s gates.
“Have you ever had a bad feeling about someone?”
“Absolutely. All the time. Are you still concerned about Don Pollizi?”
He nodded several times before turning his head. “Yes, I am. I don’t know why.”
I took a deep breath, able to see both side mirrors to ensure we weren’t being followed. “Always rely on your instincts, Mikhail. They could be the only reason you survive. But in this case, I believe you’re experiencing nerves.”
My brother was highly intelligent, perhaps more than I, but he’d had no experience with the physicality of the business. No interrogations. No murders. No pain howling at him from broken bones or twisted ligaments. No gunshots or knife wounds. No incessant testing of morality or humanity.
But I wasn’t in the business of coddling anyone, at least not any longer. He had to make his way in our world or leave it completely. That was the way of things, as savage as that might seem. What occurred in the next six months would shape my world as a leader.
“I guess you’re right,” he said. At least his voice held strength. “Do you ever think about getting married?”
The question came out of the blue and allowed me to laugh. “Not at all.”
“But as Pakhan, you’ll be required to take a wife. Yes?”
Wow. He’d been listening to the rules as presented by the old guard.
There were still a few men alive, our grandfather included who were highly respected by almost every Bratva member.
They preferred the old ways and rules, which included the belief that for a Pakhan to be taken seriously, he must take a wife and build a large family. I did not subscribe to that belief.
“Perhaps in the distant future.” When I’d once again sowed some wild oats. It had been a long time since I’d enjoyed the company of a beautiful woman. Perhaps I was due.
Even though he laughed with me, he continued to rub his sweaty palms on his legs. After twenty seconds, he sat back, staring out the passenger window.
I resumed answering emails, constantly scanning the mirrors. I was no fool. If anyone had gotten wind of our meeting, we could be considered fair game. Between the Pollizi Cosa Nostra and the Chertov Bratva, we had dozens of enemies.
The Russians weren’t the only vicious predators who would enjoy claiming responsibility for undermining our regime.
“Have you ever wondered about death?” he asked minutes later. It was the same question I’d heard when he’d been a teenager, but for an entirely different reason. He’d been told by several doctors he had limited time on this earth.
I’d almost broken one doctor’s neck for being so blunt with a goddamn thirteen-year-old.
The old wounds had been ripped open, his entire world shaken to the core. I thought I was finished with being his surrogate parent. With our mother’s murder, our father had immersed himself in business, leaving me as my brother’s caretaker both in and out of the hospital.