Chapter 2 #2
“Pavel had two sisters and one of them was later married to Oleg Kastonovic,” Sergi explained.
“Oleg had a son named Anton and he was about five years old when Pavel staged his departure from the Bratva by faking his death in that staged ambush. He couldn’t handle the training so he got out the only way he knew.
Back then, you could not just quit the Bratva unless it was toes up.
” He clenched his hands into fists. “Damn him and his laziness. He had to die in a fake ambush so he could go on to become someone else entirely. He had to be someone in the background so he could help set up the Blue Crusaders. We knew this group hated the Bratva. He worked with Anton’s father.
Every action between then and now he knew he could be charged with treason against the new Russian government.
He stayed in the shadows, hoping people would never see his face.
If anyone who knew him before could put the pieces together and figure out what game he was playing, he would have been ruined. ”
Sergi turned to Serenity. “I need you to look into his father’s death.
Adrik Dmitricoff. He was devastated by Pavel’s death and he blamed me for his son being gone.
I don’t know why, I never even met the man but Adrik was loud and he didn’t care who heard him putting me down.
He was screaming for the Bratva to shoot me for being a traitor for leaving his son to die in that alley but by then the Bratva knew what happened and because we couldn’t find his body there was no evidence he ever died.
His father lived twenty years after his youngest son was killed and I avoided him for all that time but I need to know what happened after he died. That could be our connection here.”
“Connection to what exactly?” Nikoli asked as he looked puzzled.
Sergi stared at him and replied, “We need to find if there was any connection between the three families. The Dmitricoffs, the Barascos and the Kasronovics. I think that’s the key here.”
Out in the Park...
Briar felt surprised then asked Willy, “You know who Sergi is?”
Willy ran his hand over his head and nodded. “Yeah, I know Sergi Armen Constantine. In fact, I’ve known him more years than either of us would like to admit.” Then he shrugged. “Not that he would admit it, at least not anymore. But yeah, once upon a time he knew me too.”
Briar waited and let his words sink in then she nodded slowly. “I see.”
Willy shook his head. “I doubt it but I really don’t want to talk about it, you know what I mean?”
Briar nodded. “Sure do and it's not my business anyway.”
Willy stared at her then he asked, “You really believe that don’t you?”
“Sure do.” Briar nodded. “Why wouldn’t I?
Those are the rules after all. Mind your own business, seems clear enough to me.
I mean most people know my story and there’s no hiding that but not everyone has the same story that lives on the streets.
It might be hard times or just plain being lazy but that’s their story and not mine.
” She paused then looked at him. “We all have our own problems. I don’t know yours because after all these years you’ve never shared how you ended up here.
Most people don’t care but some people can’t help but speculate what happened. ”
Willy looked away then he nervously ran his hand along his jaw. “Would you like to hear what happened? What brought me to this country almost thirty years ago?”
Briar reached out and patted his hand softly. “Only if you want to tell me. I really don’t need to know.”
Willy trembled again and nodded. “Oh, but I think you do. I think the truth needs to be told here and now. I might not have wanted it to be told before but I think I need to make the truth known. After all these years, maybe it's finally time.”
Briar grabbed his hand and curled her fingers around his. “Then tell me.”
Willy settled back into the trunk of the tree and holding her hand, he began his story, “It was when I was a snot nosed kid, back when I had the whole world by the tail and I thought I was unstoppable. I lived in Moscow and I just left college. Willy shook his head. “God, I was so young and dumb back then I had no idea how the real world worked. I went to college with Sergi’s son Misha and the day we graduated, we went out on the town. We were having a grand time and then Anton Kastonovic got into Misha’s face and they began fighting.
Anton circled him out because everyone knew that Misha’s father was in the Bratva and working his way through the ranks rather quickly.
Anton told him that his father was nothing but scum and that one day he would fuck up and ruin Russia.
That was the night that Anton’s own group was born and he swore he would stop Sergi anyway he could.
Then on our way out, someone came up behind us and knocked me out and after I went down, they beat Misha senseless.
I came around first and dragged myself over to where Misha was and I began screaming for help.
The Secret Police got there and I was covered in Misha’s blood.
So I was arrested before I could tell them what happened.
No one believed we’d been surprised. All anyone knew was that Misha had been almost beaten to death and I looked fine.
They didn’t even believe that I’d been hit.
I was in jail but I was also released the next morning as I had no evidence that I’d been in a fight the night before either.
I went and tried to see Misha the next day and all our friends were there and they attacked me on the spot.
When the doctor cleaned me up they told me that Misha desperately needed blood but that his blood type couldn’t be mixed with anything they had.
I asked them to test my blood and see if he could have it but they couldn’t tell anyone.
” Willy ran his hands over his head again and added, “There was enough going on and everyone believed I got Misha beaten already. Well, when my blood was a perfect match for his. So I gave them all I could. Misha began responding and they had to smuggle me out the back way. But I knew I couldn’t go home.
No one knew what really happened but I knew not only were my friends looking for me to teach me a lesson but I pissed off the Bratva as well.
After all, Misha was Sergi’s only son. I had to leave Russia before I ended up buried in the frozen ground over a misunderstanding.
I had a feeling I knew who had really done the deed but I couldn’t prove it. ”
That evening...
Suddenly, a boom sounded and the room rocked as the lamp fell off the nightstand. The walls quaked too.
Gasping, they both got up as they listened to a low rumble.
“What the hell?” Briar asked as she tucked a sheet around herself and rushed over to the window. They were on a lower floor closer to the ground level, so she figured she might see something.
Artem rose too and put his pants on. “That was a bomb going off,” he stated as a fact. It wasn’t a question. He came over to stand next to her.
There in the parking lot on the ground was red spray paint on the asphalt.
In huge letters it read:
FREE ANTON OR DIE.
The next day...
Suddenly, Briar heard bootsteps running toward her. Dropping the phone, she picked up Nikoli’s gun. Swinging it around, she cocked it.
Artem raised his hands and came to a skidding halt. “Don’t shoot, babe!”
“Damn, how did you get here so fast?” she asked as she lowered the weapon.
“I was already out here hunting for you. Sergi texted me.” He walked closer and looked down at Nikoli. “Is he okay?”
“I am,” Nikoli replied as he opened his eyes. “Your girl is a fucking badass.”
Artem stared at him then he grinned. “I know. Why do you think I am in love with her?”
Briar looked from Nikoli up to Artem and shook her head. “Why are you trying to get on my good side?”
“You mean you have one of those?”
Briar peered up to see Felix now and scoffed. “Oh, great. My scaredy-cat cousin has arrived.”
Felix shook his head as he knelt and grabbed Nikoli up like he was a small sack of potatoes, which he certainly wasn’t.
He laid him over his shoulder as gently as he could and smirked at her.
“Scaredy cats cannot do this, cousin.” Turning, he took a step.
Then he halted as he spotted the dead men on the grass.
“The fuck?” he exclaimed. “You killed three men, Briar?”
She smirked at him. “Yeah, and that’s why you should be scared of me, cousin.”
Nikoli grunted then grumbled, “Hurry up Felix, I’m bleeding again.”
“Damn, Nikoli,” Felix griped back. “This is a new shirt!”
“Hey!” a man yelled.
They all looked over.
It was Pablo...or rather, Pavel and he aimed a gun at them. “You fuckers killed my brothers!”
Felix knelt down while balancing Nikoli on his shoulder.
Artem dropped his body on top of Briar to protect her.
Pavel took a shot and hit Artem.
A loud but odd scream rippled through the air as someone else came barreling out of the bushes and leapt up onto Pavel’s back.
Just as Pavel landed on the ground, the gun in his hand went off again.
Raising up, Briar saw that Artem was bleeding. “No!”
Concerned, Felix looked over at them.
Briar kept shaking her head as she turned Artem over.
Artem smiled at her. “It just nicked me. I am okay.”
A man got up from where he had dropped on top of Pavel and he looked over at them all. “Are you alright, Briar?”
Raising her head, she gasped when she saw who it was. “Willy?”
Willy nodded then glanced down at the man, Pavel, who shot himself when he went down. “I-I finally got him. B-but we need to run and now.”
“Run from what?” Felix hoisted Nikoli up to carry him.
“There’s a dozen armed men coming this way!” Willy yelled as he turned and ran off.
“Shit,” Briar swore.
“It’s gotta be the Nomads,” Felix said.
“Are you sure?” Briar asked him.
“Nope,” Felix replied. “But a man can hope, right?”
They all turned and hurried over to the bushes by the big trees.
His cell buzzed and Felix took it from his pocket. Then he asked Briar, “How many Dmitricoff brothers are left?”
Briar looked over at the dead men and counted then replied, “Um, one?”
“Damn,” Felix swore. “So, it is possible. One of the Dmitricoffs called Sergi and told him that they just took Misha hostage at the airport.”