10. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Nikolai
A leksander locks the door behind us as we walk into the basement.
Greyson Amour, the groundskeeper and head of staff at Sidorov Mansion, stands at the other end of the room with his thick arms folded. The artificial light reflects off his wire glasses, obscuring his intelligent eyes from view. He isn’t as broad as Viktor, but he is the only man I knew that can rival Viktor’s physical presence.
Viktor sits staring at a chessboard, pondering over a move - as he probably has been for the last ten minutes. Greyson usually beats everyone at chess. I’m the only one who can beat him, save Aleksander’s occasional miracle game.
“The game is finished.” Alek’s voice snaps like a whip.
“Ah, come on Alek, I was winning this one.” Groans Viktor. I glance at Greyson for confirmation and he shakes his head.
“What inspired the interruption, Pakhan?” Asks Greyson.
Alek stands in the centre of us all, addressing us all at once.
“You are the three members of the Bratva I trust most. Whenever I’ve needed counsel, you’ve all proved yourselves worthy of my confidence.”
Greyson shows no reaction. Viktor turns his chair from the game to focus fully. I keep myself still, giving nothing away.
Aleksander’s blue eyes flicker to mine. “Nikolai, you know what I’m going to ask.”
The muscle in my jaw ticks. After everything we’ve been through, he still questions me.
“Will I ever be absolved in your eyes?”
Alek’s eyes flash. “This isn’t about that . This is about you and Don Leonardo’s daughter.”
Greyson’s eyebrows hit his hairline, and Viktor bursts into an inappropriate bout of laughter, which he covers as coughing when Alek glares at him.
“Don’t lie to me, Nikolai. I’ll only ask you once. Tell me what happened.”
I hold his gaze, my body tensing for anything. I’ve seen it before, friends for years stabbing each other in the back because of petty bullshit. The mafia poisons us all.
“She walked into my bar with her cousin. They were playing dress up, trying to cause a scene. Don Leonardo raised a princess, so she probably wanted a taste of the real world. Maybe she wanted to piss off her family, I don’t know. She walked in, sang, and then started a fight with one of the pups you have dealing in my clubs. He touched her friend. She started a fight. I ended it.”
Alek stares at me, making a judgement that might mean I never wake up again.
“You should thank me. What if that idiot picked up from where he started? She’s a Don’s daughter. If they hurt her, it would be chaos. If I hadn’t stepped in, this would have been much worse.”
Alek strokes the dark stubble on his chin. He shrugs and moves over to the chessboard. He picks up Viktor’s queen and moves it.
“Check.”
“That’s what I was gonna do.” Yells Viktor as Greyson curses under his breath.
“If that’s true…”
“It is.” I lie.
“… Then you won’t care that Don Leonardo has arranged a marriage for Isabella.”
I’ve been stabbed before, but this feels worse. A knife finds its way into my stomach, all the air driven out of my lungs, and my entire body ripples with adrenaline.
“If he’s offering, I’ll marry her.” says Viktor, but I don’t really hear him. I can’t bring my attention back to the room. All I need to know is who, so I can find him and put a bullet in his skull. Don Leonardo is punishing her for a mess I started. The thought of her with whatever piece of shit Leonardo deemed disgusting enough as punishment sends my thoughts into chaos.
“Who?” I growl, controlling my voice as much as I can. Greyson glances at me, studying my every movement.
“Callum O’Shea.”
The butcher in a suit. Cruel, cold, and power mad.
Fuck.
“That means the Irish are siding with the Italians?” I ask, covering my feelings with the right questions.
“We don’t know yet.” says Aleksander. “There’s an engagement party on Saturday.”
Don Leonardo moves fast. That bastard.
“O’Shea invited us. In fact…” Aleksander gestures to Greyson, who pulls out a small envelope from his blazer pocket, “he invited you specifically.”
Aleksander hands me the envelope. It’s already open. Can any of these fuckers keep to their own business? A laminated note lies inside inviting me to the “union of a happy couple”.
“What the fuck does that mean?” Asks Viktor as he opens a bottle. He’s clever when he doesn’t drink, but those days are becoming rarer and rarer.
“It means Callum O’Shea is playing a game.” says Alek.
“Are we playing, too?” I ask, trying to hide the desire in my voice. I don’t have a plan, but I will be at that engagement party.
“We can’t let the Italians form a marriage bond with the Irish.”
“This will start a war.” Chimes in Greyson. “Don Leonardo will take any interference as an insult.”
“We don’t have a choice,” spits Aleksander.
“Let’s crack some fucking skulls.” Slurs Viktor, murder bubbling in his eyes.
Alek stands to his full height, his body so tense you’d think he's about to snap. “We need to prepare for what’s coming.” Greyson nods and follows Aleksander, who stops just before leaving.
“Nikolai, don’t make me regret my decision.”
“I won’t.”
He isn’t talking about today, and we both know it.
Maybe you should have killed me when you had the chance, Aleksander.
After they leave, Viktor slumps back into his chair and ponders over the chess pieces. We hang in a long silence. He picks up the king piece and rolls it over in his huge hand.
“I didn’t tell them about the rumours.” Viktor says without looking back at me. “Alek asked. He’s suspicious. And I know there’s more to Isabella than you’re telling us. I trust you, Nikolai. You need to be careful.”
I chuckle. “What can possibly go wrong?”