13. Yana
Fyodor’s Rules #17 - Always be ready to adjust the plan.
My body had still been shaking when I arrived home from the ball. Fyodor had been there waiting, as well as James, the security guard that I was currently influencing. Fyodor wasn’t happy about him remaining around, but it brought me a little comfort, it was a small part of the plan that I controlled. And after what had happened tonight, having him around made me feel safer. Before the ball, I had laid down the mental commands for him to protect me, to keep me safe from any men who might try to hurt me, even if they were his previous employers.
Fyodor had two glasses of wine poured, clearly waiting for me. James was seated on the couch where he could see both the front and back door, and the two were not talking. The first thing I did was set down my purse, then I made my way over to James and placed my hand on his shoulder. I wanted him to feel reassured I returned, and remain emotionally invested in my safety. To crave that relief; it was the easiest way to get the bonds of control to slip deeper. Once he smiled at me, I made my way over to where Fyodor was sitting, his eyes sharpened as he watched me, taking in my every movement.
“You seem tense, rybka. Did it not go according to plan? I know I trusted you with a lot, but you’ve proven yourself over the last decade. We are doing this for you, so you can have your vengeance.”
I frowned a little at what he was saying, as we weren’t just doing this for me. Yes, I wanted revenge, but it was not only for me. Fyodor had raised all four of us, taking us in when we had nowhere else to go. He gave us a home and a family. He was the reason we were all still alive today. The fact they hadn’t just betrayed me, but had betrayed him as well, burned away at my soul and filled me with unquenched rage.
“I did what we planned. Let them catch glimpses of me and I didn’t give away the game. I’ve made notes on everything I learned for us to go over. You should know, there was a moment I thought I might have been caught, Lukas came right up to me. He was standing over me, looking me in the eye, and he didn’t even recognize me.”
My hand came up to rub at my aching chest. Now that I had time to dwell on it, it hurt me more than I realized, more than I imagined it could have, even though I didn’t want to admit it. I would know my brothers anywhere, and I had known the moment they had walked into that ballroom tonight. But even when he stared me directly in the eyes, Lukas, the one I had been closest to, hadn’t recognized me. He hadn’t known me. While yes, it would have ruined all our plans if he had suspected it was me, it still hurt.
“We didn’t want them to recognize you, rybka. Also remember, you were looking for them, they were not looking for you. We put a lot of effort into making them think we were dead, that they had succeeded. Now they have gotten complacent, and that is the mistake they are making, that is how we will take them down.”
He seemed so confident about his plan, and I knew he should be, Fyodor was a tactical mastermind. It was something he and Lukas had bonded over, both of them enjoyed looking at the bigger picture, moving the pieces to where they wanted them to be, trying to predict a person’s next actions.
It was why I was happy to let him take the lead in planning all of this out. I knew I could be impulsive when it came to plans, adapting to what was happening around me was my preferred method of operating. I knew human nature well enough to predict what most people would do, and I was confident in my ability to improvise. Planning out every contingency chafed at me.
“I extracted myself from the conversation without him figuring out my true identity. And I even planted a seed with Pasha to encourage him to seek me out soon, so we can get more information out of him.” Fyodor looked proud of that at least, and some of the tension in my chest eased. Ultimately, that was all I wanted, for him to think I had done a good job.
“Tell me what else you learned, we have been away a long time. Even though I have been fed information, there is only so much that can be learned from afar, especially from sources who don’t understand everything that we’re looking for. We need to know what the landscape looks like at this moment. I was also out doing some reconnaissance while everyone was busy.”
I was just as curious about what he had learned as he was about my information, but I knew I would have to share first. Fyodor was never the sort to give up information for free, even to me. It was the way he had raised us. He cared for us, loved us even, but he didn’t spoil us. We always knew what was expected. And he always treated us with fairness, like we were as much a part of the Bratva as he was. I was sure there were people who would ’disagree, but what did I care about their opinion? They weren’t the ones who had raised me. And Fyodor had strengthened us. He had encouraged me to become more than I could ever have hoped. He had never looked down on me for being a woman or took advantage of my gender. Fydor never made me seduce people, although he knew it was something I was capable of, and a tactic I later employed. It was always my suggestion and my choice.
“The Irish and the Armenians have been making a lot of marriage matches between themselves recently. I am unsure if the Irish are trying to absorb them, or if they are banding together to go after one of the other families. There have been four marriages in the last year. It’s definitely drawn the attention of the Italians. Fiorenza is pushing for an alliance with the boys, she wants her granddaughter to marry Nikolai.” I couldn’t keep the disgust from my voice, and had to work hard to ignore the amused look Fyodor was giving me. “It seems like he is entertaining it too, which is odd. Surely, he would have to know if they ally themselves with one particular family, it will either mean being absorbed or wiped out by one of the other families. I am honestly surprised they have let them have the space they do.”
Or I had been surprised until I had read about how they had secured it, another note in the files Fyodor had given me. I hadn’t really kept abreast of what any of the boys were doing until I had read the files, as while I had been in Europe, it had been easier to pretend my brothers didn’t exist. To treat them like some fiction from my past, a children’s story I had grown too old for.
“Fiorenza can be very convincing when she wants to be.” There was a begrudging respect in Fyodor’s voice when he spoke about her. I knew he wasn’t overly fond of her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t show respect where it was due. Fiorenza ruled her family with an iron fist. That iron fist being her husband, who was just as intimidating. Together, they were an influential power couple who had grown the Italian’s influence over the last three decades.
I understood why she’d want to secure the future for when she was gone. And as much as it pained me to admit, the Sirota brothers would be an excellent addition to any family. They were strong, trained, and loyal. They were raised for this life, and had blossomed into it, even without Fyodor’s continued guidance.
“I don’t know if she is planning on marrying off some cousins or other granddaughters to the other boys. She didn’t have very nice things to say about Lukas or Alexei.” The scoff Fyodor emitted soothed the part of my soul that had been upset on their behalf.
“Your brothers were always underestimated. It’s why we must be careful not to do the same. If you have drawn Lukas’ attention, we will need to be even more careful. You were wearing your arm cuff, I assume.” I nodded, lifting my hand to show where it rested against my skin.
“That is why he approached me, actually, he was angry that I didn’t smell like anything.” That drew a look of concern from Fyodor, but there wasn’t much that either of us could do about it now. If I took the cuff off, then everything would definitely crash down around us.
“You need to be more careful. I am sure you can’t be tracked by your lack of scent, but let’s not put that to the test, hm? Maybe your new pet will be useful after all, from now on he can bring you anything you need.” He rolled his eyes as he looked over at James, who was focused on the television. I had ingrained in him to not pay attention to my conversations with Fyodor, they didn’t concern him.
“You can’t keep me locked inside, Fyodor. If it is so risky being here, why don’t I return to Europe where I can be of more use?” It was a half-hearted offer, and he knew it. I wanted to be here, needed to even, to see what happened firsthand. I deserved to be involved in our vengeance.
He shook his head, just as I hoped he would. “Any victory we have, rybka, will be because you are here. I would not keep you away from this.”
I was glad he wasn’t benching me. While I knew Fyodor didn’t involve me in all his plans, it still felt good to know he needed me, that he wanted me to be here by his side.
“I will take precautions. I still plan to meet with Pasha. We can separate him from the others, I know we can. It won’t take much to get him under my sway.” Pasha’s weaknesses were easy to press on, and he would be effortlessly caught in the kind of net I was very skilled at weaving.
Fyodor didn’t look as sure as I was, but he didn’t argue. He knew I needed something to do; I wouldn’t be content to just sit in this house until he wanted to send me out with the intention that they caught their next glimpse.
If I had something to do, it wouldn’t be so bad, feeling like a princess locked in a tower. Anyway, I was looking forward to pulling Pasha apart, piece by piece.