CHAPTER TEN
Fyodor
Dylan’s words bothered me, and I ended up knocking him out. For more than half an hour, I watched his unconscious body, thinking about if he really meant what he said. It's been several weeks now since the incident, and the fact that Dylan changes his tune when he comes around confuses me.
According to him, he had an emotional outburst stemming from the fact that I am the one who gets to be with Anastasia.
He whines about the benefit of being with Anastasia and how it would have been a life-changing opportunity, and I can’t help but wonder if I can really believe what this guy is saying.
Yes, something about the way he spoke about Anastasia's intentions still bothers me. All I know is that she had come to LA to check out the university. Matteo mentioned that he did not think much about it, and he simply let her come to Los Angeles.
He made sure that he had some of his men follow her, and that should have been enough. Now, the big question is, did she really trail me like Dylan claims? Perhaps there is something she’s hiding from both Matteo and me. Something dangerous.
I lean back into my chair, trying to remember everything. This is something I can’t bring myself to share with anyone, but I asked Dimitri if he knew anything about Alexei’s death. All I know for a fact is that Alexei died ten years ago in an accident when he traveled to San Francisco.
Strangely, ten years ago, I was in San Francisco, and while the details of where I was at the time of the accident are a bit fuzzy, I know for a fact that we never crossed paths.
Back then, I had just joined the Bratva and was working as a runner.
Sometimes, I was a drug mule; other times, I ran little errands and did whatever my boss asked me to do.
Yuri, the one who placed me under Ivan, had spotted my talents and brought me up to Los Angeles.
“So, why exactly would Dylan suggest otherwise? I mean, why would Anastasia approach me because of her brother’s death?” I mutter out loud.
Something about the whole situation doesn’t add up, but I can’t ask for Dimitri’s help, especially if there might be more to Alexei’s death.
If I’m going to get to the bottom of what really happened, there’s only one person I can ask: an old friend from back when I was in San Francisco.
Luke Ashford is now living in Colorado, and even though it has been a while since we last spoke, I know for a fact that I can trust him to look into what really happened.
A private investigator like Luke might be able to work through this whole mess and get me the real details of what happened. The only problem is meeting with Luke won’t exactly be that easy, especially since I don't know who might be watching me.
I know for a fact that some of Matteo’s men are in town watching over both Anastasia and me, and even though Anastasia is in Dallas at the moment, that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped.
When she mentioned that she would like to visit her father, I did not give an objection, as that gives me time to do some things without looking suspicious to her.
In the past few days, I’ve felt that the wall between us seemed to have vanished, even if Anastasia is still a bit reserved, but not like she was before we got intimate.
If I didn't know any better, I would say that she's trying her best to hide the fact that she is excited to see me. I slowly crack my fingers as I think about how much I miss her. It’s funny that we’ve been living together for just a few weeks, and already, I am missing her this much.
Perhaps it is because she is the mother of my children.
I try to convince myself that’s the only reason, but the truth is that I know better.
Something about this woman drives me crazy.
I mean, yes, I know that I am attracted to her physically, but this is beyond attraction.
After all, she is not the first woman I have been attracted to.
It doesn’t even make sense that I feel this intense attraction to her when a part of me might still be in love with Natalia.
Natalia might have broken my heart but that doesn’t mean that I gave up on her.
Yet every time I look at Anastasia, a part of me craves her.
There is nothing more I want than to hear her moan out my name.
For her to shiver with pleasure as I rock her world and teach her more about her body.
I shake my head quickly, pushing the thoughts out of my head. Two times was a big mistake, and I promised myself that I would never get intimate with her again. However, should Anastasia appear in front of me naked, I won’t be able to hold myself back, and that, to some extent, scares me.
Just as I am about to return to work, my phone rings, and the call is from none other than Yuri, the man who brought me under Ivan's wing. Yuri is currently retired and living somewhere in the suburbs of Los Angeles. He had called me a month ago to congratulate me on my wedding, but him calling me now when I’m looking into Alexei’s death can only point to the fact that something is wrong.
“Yuri, to what do I owe this honor?” I begin in a humorous tone.
“We need to talk, Fyodor,” Yuri says in a serious tone. “Like, right away.”
Is there something Yuri and others would like to keep a secret? Some big information they don’t want me sniffing around? Of course, it could just be that I am being paranoid, but I am not the type of person that believes in coincidence.
The only way I can know what is really going on is by meeting Yuri, and I suggest a meeting at a café somewhere downtown, without wasting any time. I change into something comfortable and tell Oksana that I’ll be out for a while.
On getting to the café, I meet Yuri, who is already seated and sipping a cup of coffee. I join him without a word, and he places his cup of coffee down and looks at me.
“Married life seems to be treating you well,” he comments.
“I agree, but it’s taking a while to get used to,” I respond as I fold my arms.
Like always, Yuri has that aura of mystery and danger hanging around him. To the average person, he’s an old man in his sixties sipping coffee, but only a few people know what Yuri did back in the eighties and how his was a name to be feared.
“What exactly are you doing, Fyodor?” He finally breaks the ice.
I lean back in my chair, studying Yuri for a while. His face is difficult to read, but we both know what he meant by that question.
“Nothing much, Yuri. Just getting used to being married to Anastasia and preparing for the babies. Did you know there’s so much information about babies?”
Yuri looks at me before he picks up the toast right beside his cup.
He takes a bite and chews on it slowly before swallowing.
“Don’t play games with me, boy. I might be out of the game, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have contacts or people who reach out to me when someone is doing something stupid. ”
“And is that what I’m doing?” I ask him.
Instead of answering, Yuri picks up his cup again.
I watch as he slowly takes a sip, taking his time like he always does.
Yuri is a tough nut to crack, and one thing about him is that he likes intimidating people, and this subtle act of his is for no other purpose than to pressure me and get me to crack.
“Let's just say that you’ve been going around and asking questions that will put you and everyone you care about in danger,” Yuri finally answers as he places his cup down.
Now, he has my interest, and I place my hands on the table as he picks up the toast again. “I guess this is has to do with Alexei Federov’s death.”
“Yes,” he whispers, and tells me not to mention his name again. “The last thing we want is to get Federov's attention.”
There’s one thing I don’t understand: why is Yuri acting all scared? Is there something about Alexei Federov’s death that someone would like to keep secret?
“Tell me the truth, Yuri. What’s going on?” I try to reason with the man I've always looked up to all my life.
“Just drop it, Fyodor. You are married, you have kids coming, and you have your life settled; don't dwell on the past by searching for things that happened more than a decade ago.”
I wouldn’t have thought much about it if Dylan hadn’t brought it up. “What if my wife is involved in all this mess?” I ask him.
“She is already involved,” he answers. “She’s his sister.”
Yet I can't shake the feeling that there is something else that Yuri is not telling me.
But getting it out of him will be next to impossible, especially if he doesn't want to share things.
The only thing I can hope is that maybe Luke will be able to help me get some answers as to exactly what happened.
With Yuri reaching out, that means I will have to tell Luke he needs to be very careful. If Yuri is desperate to get me away from this, then the secret will be buried deep.
“Fine, I won’t look into it, but only because you asked,” I tell Yuri, even though I know deep down that’s a lie.
“Good. I know I can trust you to always be sensible,” Yuri comments as he picks up a napkin and dabs at the corner of his mouth. “So, tell me, how have your brother and sister been?”
The conversation easily switches from a tense one into a soft, friendly one. Talking about Katya and Leonid lightens the mood as Yuri laughs over and over again, telling me that he can't believe how much the two of them have grown.
He's definitely hiding something; that much I know. What he is hiding, though, I can’t guess, but I intend to get to the bottom of this whole mess. Even if it means confronting my father-in-law.