Chapter 13 #2
I reread the document in front of me again and again, hardly believing it.
The merger contract. Signed and stamped by Tremblay.
His voice echoed from my phone lying on my desk, “I don’t get it either,” he grumbled, while I quickly scanned the pages one by one, making sure everything was in order.
“Viktor backed out, and the other Council members jumped on their phones to give me their approval for the merger.” Why such a sudden change?
What the hell had happened? A fight between the Yelsky cousins?
Or had Vassili made a fatal mistake? I didn’t know what was going on, but the Ivanovs had the upper hand again and I fully intended to use it.
My office door opened and Roman walked in, a strawberry milkshake in hand.
“So, how’s moy brat doing?” he greeted, sitting down in one of the chairs across from my desk.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, frowning, he never left Elif’s side when he had nothing else to do.
“Grigori and Nikolai are at home,” he sighed, propping his feet up on the coffee table.
“Selina’s having more and more contractions as the delivery gets closer, and Elif is still fragile, you know.
” I sighed, sinking back into my chair. We’d agreed that at least one of us had to stay at the house until things settled down.
Security came first. Speaking of security…
“Any news on the shooter?” he straightened, dropping his feet, suddenly serious.
“No. He vanished before our men reached the apartment,” he said darkly.
“He left no trace except this.” He pulled something from the inside pocket of his jacket and placed it on the desk.
A bullet casing. I picked it up, turning it between my fingers, examining it.
“From a SR-25 round,” he said and I looked up sharply.
“SR-25?” “Yes. Like the SR-25s we bought to replace our Dragunovs,” he explained, referring to the sniper rifles we’d decided to upgrade.
“You don’t find that kind of weapon just anywhere, moy brat. Either the shooter has damn good connections, or…” “…it’s one of ours,” I breathed, slumping back in my chair.
Fuck. If that was true, if the man who killed Maria was one of us, then hell was about to rain down on the Bratva. “Shit,” I muttered, elbows on the desk, rubbing my face with both hands.
“Yeah. Total shit,” Roman agreed, finishing his drink with teeth-grinding slurps as he struggled to get the last drops through the straw.
“It’s even a shitstorm. We might have a killer and a traitor in our ranks who just murdered Elif’s closest friend.
We’ve got assholes grinding their teeth because Niko married an Italian and gave our name to the only Rasili heir.
We still have no leads on Vassili’s side business trafficking kids.
The Italians want Sienna and Selina dead.
And on top of it all, the merger is kaputt. ”
I closed my eyes, as everything spiral into chaos.
“Let’s not be so pessimistic,” I sighed, lifting the file in front of me.
“The merger isn’t kaputt. It went through”.
A slow smile curled my lips. Roman shot upright, flinging his empty cup over his shoulder.
“It went through? Like, it’s done? Like Yelsky and Vassili can go fuck themselves?
” “Like you don’t have to hold back with their men anymore at the slightest misstep,” I replied, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes!” he shouted, jumping to his feet. “Fuck yes ! I’ve gotta tell the others, they’ve been waiting for this.
” He was already halfway out, referring to his Karatel men as I nodded quietly.
Now we just had to uncover Vassili’s business.
One problem at a time. Eliminate them, one by one.
We weren’t Ivanovs for nothing. We weren’t at the head of the Bratva for nothing.
—
“Thank you, Velma,” Sienna said as Velma served her breakfast the next morning.
I filled her glass with orange juice, sitting across from her and she thanked me too without looking at me, which instantly pissed me off.
Since our… since what had happened in the forest two days earlier, she had been avoiding me even more harder than before.
Refusing even to meet my eyes, despite all my attempts to get closer.
I pressed my lips together, handing the pitcher to Roman, my gaze fixed on Sienna as she ate silently beside her sister.
Under the table, I extended my leg and brushed her foot with mine and she froze, fork halfway to her mouth, but kept her eyes down on the table.
We’d see how long she planned to ignore me.
I set my glass down slowly as my foot slid up her shin, lifting her skirt.
I saw her swallow, drawing a sharp breath as she set her cutlery down.
Conversation buzzed around us, the family eating, completely unaware.
A corner of my mouth lifted into a smile as I reached her knee and gently pushed it apart.
She closed her eyes, tilting her head slightly to the side, moistening her lips as she shifted restlessly on her chair.
Suddenly, her hand struck her fork, which fell to the floor with a clatter, making her sister jump.
“Sorry,” she murmured, leaning forward to retrieve her cutlery.
I pressed my hand to my mouth to stifle a chuckle as my foot slid higher along her thigh.
“Fuck,” I growled, pulling my leg back abruptly, my knee hitting the table as a sharp pain shot up from my ankle.
“Sasha?” Elif called out, and I noticed that everyone was staring at me.
“Sorry, cramp,” I muttered, nervously scratching my chin, my gaze landing on Sienna, who had straightened up, a smug smile playing on her lips.
Had she really just driven her fork into my ankle? Yes. Deeply.
“The viper bites,” she mouthed smugly while the rest of the family went back to their breakfasts and I raised an eyebrow, my jaw tightening.
The image of her bent over the table while I gave her the spanking of her life was starting to feel dangerously logical.
She had that power, to drive me insane with just a few words, or a perfectly placed smile.
I grabbed my glass of water, locking my gaze onto hers.
“So, what are you doing today, Selina?” I asked my sister-in-law, lifting the glass to my lips while still staring at her sister, who had gone back to pointedly ignoring me.
“Us?” Selina repeated, confused and I felt her eyes flick from me to her sister before she sighed.
“I’m going to my midwife appointment with your brother, Sasha.
As for Sienna, I have no idea, ask her yourself! ”
Her sudden outburst made me blink, startled, while Roman nearly choked on his tea beside me.
Everyone stopped eating, staring at her as she aggressively cut into her pancakes.
Nikolai looked at his wife as if he were seeing her for the first time while Sienna slowly turned her head, shifting her gaze from her sister to meet mine, her hand covering her mouth.
“Don’t even think about it,” Selina growled, pointing her knife at her, and her sister shook her head but I could clearly see her face breaking into laughter.
She burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but follow.
Seeing Selina lose her temper like that, the stunned look on my brother’s face, it was priceless.
Then Elif started laughing too at the end of the table, slapping Roman’s back as he coughed like he was about to hack up a lung, still choking on his tea.
“There’s nothing funny,” Selina sighed, crossing her arms, while Niko wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“No, nothing at all, Solnychko,” he said, his lips stretching into a wide smile that he buried in his wife’s hair.
“Oh, by the way,” Elif suddenly added, turning toward us as she took her husband’s hand, “I booked a restaurant for tonight, to celebrate the merger” her gaze settled on me.
“Elif, are you sure…” Grigori started, but she shook her head, turning to him.
“Yes. People need to see that we’re not hiding.
We’re going to spend an evening together as a family.
Even if Tarik had to leave, it’ll be a change for the kids,” she replied.
Grigori nodded, though I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced.
—
“I never thought I’d have you both in my car,” Roman mocked as he drove his sports car behind the two luxury vans carrying Grigori’s and Nikolai’s families.
“There wasn’t any room in my sister’s car, and I didn’t want to ride with Grigori, he looked grumpy,” Sienna replied from the back seat, and I nodded.
She wasn’t wrong; a grumpy Grigori became unbearable fast. “But if you’re not happy, I can get out, Romy,” Sienna teased and I shot a dark look at her over my shoulder. Romy?
“Oh, Sisi, if someone’s getting out, it definitely won’t be you,” Roman shot back as I slowly turned my wounded gaze toward him.
He ignored me, wearing a stupid grin as he gently braked behind Samy and Marcus’s car at a red light.
“Sisi?” I repeated between my clenched teeth , not taking my eyes off him. He shrugged. “What? It’s cute, Sisi.”
I clenched my fist, ready to punch him, but Sienna’s voice caught my attention. “It’s cuter than viper, at least,” she muttered in the back, staring out the window. I looked at her, surprised, “I should’ve brought popcorn,” Roman commented as he drove on, clearly enjoying the tension.
Our arguments with Sienna had always been a favorite show for my family. I’d even seen Roman and Elif and sometimes even Grigori bet on who would win. Idiots.