Chapter 16 #2
“Jaxon mentioned the photograph?” Mikhail asked.
“He did. Any thought to the identity of our escape artist?” I could tell by his face he had the same instinct of recognition without benefit of knowing for certain.
“We will find out.”
I turned my head toward the hanging man, my grip on the duffle bag I’d brought with me tightening. “Yes, we will. One way or another.”
Before I had a chance to walk any closer, Mikhail stopped me, even stepping in front. “I know you don’t want to hear this, and I can understand your frustration, but you and I both know the attack at your house is only the beginning.”
Exhaling, I knew exactly what he was alluding to.
“Another warning of war. We’ve had six. Eight?
How many, Mikhail, and how many more lives will need to be lost, or innocence lost before we finally figure out which organization is determined to destroy us?
My little girl might have been kidnapped or worse had it not been for Lainey risking her own life to keep her safe.
And Emily. Children. At a birthday party. ”
“Perhaps they weren’t after the children, Sasha.”
“Yes, they were. They knew our ultimate weakness and that losing our children, breaking apart our families would cause us to lose our momentum and do something rash. Or expose our underbellies so they could call checkmate.”
“That’s why I’m telling you right now not to accept their challenge. We need information.”
He was talking about not killing the man who’d dared enter my private residence and threaten my child. “You heard about the other security breaches.”
“Of course I heard. We’re at a crossroads at this point. We need to be extremely cautious.”
“Forgive me, Pakhan, if I don’t have the ability to forgive someone for invading my home and my life.”
“This isn’t about Selena.”
I almost laughed. “You’re right. It’s not, but I do fear history repeating itself and that I will not allow that to happen. You know what I’ve already lost. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
“I know exactly what you lost, Sash. I lived through your anger and grief. Just take it easy. That’s all I’m suggesting. So you are aware, he’s Irish.” I could tell by the gleam in his eye he wasn’t certain if that was real. “Or so his accent states.”
“Interesting.” Someone playing a role. But I wasn’t buying anything at this point.
“After we’re finished here, we’re going to have a nice chat with Liam O’Leary. He could be vital in putting boots on the ground.”
The former brother-in-law of Halle O’Leary, soon to be Halle Dmitriyev.
While the Russians and Irish were notorious enemies going back generations, the small crime syndicate living and thriving in Las Vegas had been placed under our watchful eye and protection in exchange for information on the O’Shaughnessy family out of Los Angeles.
A larger Irish mafia clan who’d fought for territory with my father and uncle two decades before. They’d lost and had never given up their grudge against the entire family.
After another defeat several years before, they’d vowed revenge.
Again.
His smile was sly. Mikhail had certainly come into his own as Pakhan. “Agreed?”
“Agreed,” I answered. “Let me guess. You want to drop our guest’s ass off for the O’Learys to interrogate as well.” There was also bad blood between the two Irish organizations since Tristen had tried with moderate success to snuff out Liam’s father.
Oh, the games people played. Fun to watch, but dangerous.
“Why not? I can only imagine what Liam’s response will be.”
A creative idea and left our hands clean for the time being.
“We will finish this, but our way. Understood? Bratstvo stoit.”
The brotherhood stands. That was something his father as Pakhan used to say, also the motto of generations of Dmitriyev Bratva, but rarely used given our discovery of our extended family in Russia. The meaning was clear. Loyalty above all.
My cousin was giving a direct order. “Understood, Pakhan.”
“One more thing. You’re getting on a plane with Nina and you’re heading to the house in St. Lucia where you’ll stay for a couple weeks.”
“Because of the possible security breach at the house.”
He nodded. “That’s part of the reason.”
“I have too much work to do and Nina can’t take that much time away from school.”
“This is another time when I’m not asking or suggesting. I’m telling you. Word on the street is that you were supposed to die in the attack. That means someone has placed a hit on your life, Sasha. Think about that. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“Why me?”
His sigh meant he was as frustrated as I was. As we all were. “That I don’t know, but I can’t have you continuing with the same habits while I’m trying to find out.”
What the hell did we know? The puzzle had turned into a ruse.
“We’re much stronger when we fight together.”
“We can’t do that if you’re dead. Imagine what that will do to Nina.”
He wasn’t going to let this go. And I couldn’t ignore his command. Even I could be made an example of disrespect. “Fine, but I’m taking Lainey.”
Fuck me. When his eyes lit up like freaking firecrackers, I knew a part of this had been some family coordinated plan.
“You beat me to it. I was going to insist that you did, albeit I was hoping that wouldn’t be necessary.
Besides, didn’t you tell me Ms. Rose was formerly an elementary school teacher? ”
He would use that against me in a manner of speaking. I cocked my head, half laughing. Maybe this was something Lainey also needed. Time away to rediscover the woman she thought she’d lost.
“Very funny.”
“Plus, there are photographs of the two of you crushing the internet. They’re on every social media platform. Some more provocative than others. It’s apparent the two of you are very close.”
“Shit.” I’d seen several, but nothing that would indicate how I felt about her. “She won’t like it.”
“I don’t think either one of you has a choice at this point. From what I can tell, she’s already involved and the responsible person knows you’re very close. Even without the photographs.”
“Damn you. Said with respect. Of course.”
“Of course.”
Mikhail didn’t try to stop me, moving aside so I could approach the assassin.
“My name is Sasha Dmitriyev, but I assume you already know that. Yes?”
The man barely opened his eyes, but I’d be damned if he didn’t sneer. The pulley system could hyperextend his shoulders. With a single crank or adding extra weight the anguish would become blinding. There was a soldier standing by waiting for nothing more than a nod of my head.
I placed the bag on the floor, crouching down and taking my time to unzip. I had a selection of tools I could use, but in deference to my Pakhan, and in the best interest of obtaining information, I grabbed the personal torch that I’d only used once.
“I’m going to ask you one time. Who sent you?” Irish. Russians. Both. At this point, the only reason it mattered was simply to know who to inform when the dead bodies started piling up.
My father had been right and I’d come to an important conclusion the night before.
No matter our legitimacy or respectable status throughout the world, we were still Bratva. There was no amount of money or diluting the bloodline that would change the past. But it would alter our future.
“No one.” Smirking like the devil, he eyed me as if a cautionary tale. Or perhaps believing he’d stuck a blade into my back. Yes, he was getting under my skin by just existing.
But he certainly wouldn’t know that.
“Ah, you just decided to stop by my house and instead of bringing a present, you brought gunmen. How kind of you.”
“You’re such a fool.”
“How so?”
“You don’t understand you’ve already lost.”
While I had no idea what he was referring to, what I did know was that it was just another part of the game.
Only this time, his Irish brogue was pronounced.
I’d be curious if he had the accent when he accosted Lainey.
Was he pretending to be someone he wasn’t to perpetuate the toxic puzzle initiated by Tristen O’Shaughnessy almost four years before?
Or were the Russians using hired help these days to handle certain aspects of their business?
“Who is this man?” I yanked out the picture and in truth, all I was looking for was a hint of recognition. What I noticed instead was a hint of surprise. “You know him.”
He looked away and I grabbed his jaw, yanking his face forward. “Talk to me, you asshole. Who is this son of a bitch?”
“No one.”
I squeezed and almost had the pulley jerked up so he could drop like a rock, but I resisted and pulled my hand away, regaining control.
“I assure you that he will be found and what happens to him will make what you’re about to face seem like Candyland.
What have we lost? An unseen war or just a vicious game played by little boys shoved out of the sandbox?
” While one eye had swollen to the point I was unable to see the glint in his eye, the other one wasn’t.
He didn’t like being treated like a child.
Too bad.
While he eyed the torch in my hand, his face cracked when he widened his smile.
I could see Jaxon out of the corner of my eye. The man was itching to finish what he’d likely been the one to start.
“Fine. Have it your way.” As the blue flame slithered from the slender opening, I concentrated more on the hissing sound the canister made. For some, the thought of being roasted to death by a hand implement was enough to bare their soul.
With him and given the number of scars covering his body, I had a feeling he’d been trained in the art of enduring torture.
We’d find out.
The flame was inches away from his chest when I noticed something. There were few men I knew in our world who didn’t wear a tattoo as a sign of loyalty to something. Whether the military or whatever syndicate they belonged to. The emblem on his chest was something else entirely.
It reminded me of a crest.
“What is that?” I asked, not expecting an answer.
“True power.”