Chapter 5
Alexei
The thing about rats is, they're a dime a dozen in this city - flooding the back alleys and the underground like a virus.
But rabbits...they're a whole lot easier to spot, especially when they wander into uncharted territory.
The little rabbit graces T-bar's CCTV footage quite a number of times. I recognise her almost immediately as she steps past the threshold into the small ante chamber, looking like a lost lamb.
It's clear she's never set foot in my place before.
I'm seated in the new gaming chair I bought last weekend. I never had time for computer games but I have to admit, I could spend hours in this chair and not get up with a backache. It's the most comfortable thing in this room.
The towel wrapped around my shoulders falls forward as I lean closer, studying the screen of my computer. The image is clear, highlighting the lone person idling in the empty room.
She's slim and short, probably around five foot four, give or take. The dress she's wearing hugs her body a little too tightly, showing off every curve, every dip of her hourglass body. Despite being short, she has long legs - her thick thighs illuminated by the dim lighting of the room.
I watch as she fiddles with the bookcase and enters the bar, my thumb gliding over my bottom lip as she idles at the entrance unsurely. How could someone who looks so out of place end up at the back of the building with a bag of coke in hand?
Either she has the worst luck or she's an insanely good actress.
Her demeanour changes when she catches sight of a curly haired guy. He's tall and lanky, dressed in a plain black shirt and her entire body language changes as she walks up to him.
I press a few keys, zooming in on their faces.
Up close, I can see her bow shaped lips tipped into a wide smile. I can't make out the colour of her eyes here but I remember the shape - almond shaped, slightly hooded.
She's acting all shy and I lean back, perching my feet over the study table.
She came here for this guy. Interesting. It becomes even more interesting when I see him handing her the bag of coke. Could he be with another organisation?
Only someone with backing would be suicidal enough to deal in our territory.
The asshole must have lured her there as a drug mule. Poor little rabbit, if I hadn't intercepted her path, she might have been arrested and charged for drug possession. And how does she repay me?
By injuring my lip and groin.
My jaw clenches, that familiar rush of embarrassment flooding through me. For a second I'm filled with a blinding rage, one that makes me want to press her up against the wall and kiss her so hard that she forgets to breathe, let alone escape my clutches.
But then I take a deep breath and calm myself. I don't even find her attractive like that. This is all some misplaced guilt and it will be absolved once I find her and use her to my advantage.
I screenshot a few pictures of the curly haired sleaze bag and send them to Yuri.
"Find this guy. NOW."
He replies with a quick thumbs up and I continue the feed. This is my second time watching and I already know what happens next.
My men and I were in one of the back rooms at the time when the gun shot went off - most likely the decoy to distract us.
It sounded like a loud bang and it coincides with the curly head leaving the rabbit alone on the couch.
Curly head disappears suspiciously, I don't find him on any of the other camera feeds after and then the rabbit goes to the back.
Most likely in search for him.
Unfortunately or - in the Italians case - conveniently, the cameras leading to the back alley were all disabled but I already know what happens. Our distributer was killed, the rabbit must have seen this and panicked, running the other way, I catch her....
And well, let's just end the summary there.
I stand up and pace the room, running a hand through my damp hair. Across from me, the wall is filled with pictures of the don and everything connected to him - every picture and article linked by red pieces of string.
My house keeper Greta did a good job neatening it up for me. The mess has finally started to make sense, a series of interconnecting events all leading back to one person.
I stand before the board, my fingers bunching into fists as I stare at the man at the centre of it all.
My phone buzzes suddenly and I snatch it up from the table. Finally, Yuri has some good news to share.
He found the curly head. His name is Aaron Waters, a twenty two year old South American who's currently studying computer design at Daltech College. His record is clean, nothing that could tie him to any crime organisation.
However, the kilos of coke he possessed doesn't exactly paint an innocent picture, and neither does the sleazy way he stares at the rabbit throughout the entire feed.
I need to find him. Find curly head and I'll find the rabbit.
"Yuri." He picks up the second I call him. "Get me all intel on Aaron Waters, I want his social media pictures, his friends, his family, anything and everything."
"Consider it done, boss." He's about to cut the call when I clear my throat.
"Umm, you should get a drink while you're at it. Use the bar downstairs, it'll be on my tab."
There's some shuffling on the other end before he thanks me profusely. "You're the best, boss. Have I mentioned before that you're the best? I'm so thank-"
I cut the line before he irritates me again and head downstairs to eat something. Yelena's already laid out dinner on the dining table before she left for the day.
I eat in silence, looking past the floor to ceiling windows that illuminate the city skyline. The living room is silent, just the way I like it and I think about all that needs to be done as I finish the meat dumplings paired with salad and bread.
My quiet reprieve doesn't last long though. It's quickly interrupted by a call from Yuri, his excited voice a glaring contrast to the dark and quiet surrounding me.
"Sending you all the pictures now, boss."
Food suddenly becomes the last thing on my mind. I leave the rest of it and head towards the sofa, plopping down on it as I sift through the pictures Yuri sent me. There are hundreds of them, this guy surely likes to photograph himself.
My eyes begin to glaze over after a while, it's mostly all the same - Aaron at parties, mostly in college. Some in bars.
I blink away the sleepiness, trying my best to stay awake. I should have people for this but noo...I insisted on doing this myself. I drink coffee after coffee, dozing off and then jolting awake as I try to concentrate on the pictures and documents Yuri's provided me.
Lightning strikes in the dark of the night, a flash of white slicing through the sky and suddenly I sit up straight, staring at the tablet screen.
"It's her." I murmur, staring at her smiling face. She's squashed between two others on a sofa, her attention lost to the curly head seated to her right. She doesn't even notice the picture being taken, only the blonde girl next to her is scowling at the camera.
My nerves spike and I wipe a hand over my face harshly to wake myself up. A quick glance at the clock tells me it's 3am. I've been looking through these damn pictures for hours and it finally paid off.
I study the interior of the room, looking for clues or any other hint to the conclusion forming in my head. There are a group of guys standing behind her, holding drinks in hand and wearing matching jersey's about some online gaming event.
This has to be a college dorm room. A Daltech college dorm room.
Finally, I've found her. The little zaychik.
"There is to be no kidnapping whatsoever. She has to be a willing witness." Father squashes all my plans with that one sentence.
I stop pacing the length of the patio and turn back to him. Sadly, my brother is still here as well. He's seated by the outdoor table, sipping on his tea while listening in like a busybody.
I clasp my hands together tightly, my jaw tightening with frustration. "Yuri has confirmed her location. The witness lives in a dorm at Daltech. All we have to do is grab her and keep her till the trial starts."
Father rubs his temples, looking like he's having a headache. "What part of witness don't you understand, son?"
I stop pacing and grab a piece of toast from the breakfast spread. "I'll keep her locked away. Consider it witness protection."
"No. No. No." Father slams his fist on the glass table, startling Viktor so much that his cup rattles and he spills half of his tea.
"The campaign is underway. We're closer than ever to power we never thought possible. We can't afford anything involving civilians tying back to us. Not right now."
I sit down on a chair half heartedly, side eyeing my brother who is the cause of all of this deterrence. We had no issues making people disappear back in the day, back when we weren't in the public eye.
Father taps a finger on the table and I glance down at the age spots marring his ageing skin. I wonder if being cooped up in this mansion day and night has somehow made him....soft.
"What do you propose then?" I ask, taking a bite of toast.
Father looks out to the vast field behind us. "Gain her trust. Protect her. Show her what she could gain from working with us."
"You're a good looking guy. Shouldn't be hard to fool a college student," Viktor adds after wiping down his white pants, now stained brown.
I groan, slowly realising how much work this is going to take. "You realise that in order to gain her trust, I'll have to bring her into our world."
"It won't matter. Once the trial and campaign is over she'll disappear. You'll make sure of it, right?" father says pensively and I nod in understanding.
I bite another piece of toast, staring off into the distance as silence surrounds us.
"Yes, she'll be gone. I'll make sure of it."