Chapter Five Vladimir
I nod at Dom, who uses a knife to shred Maxim’s shirt and expose his back. With a flick of the wrist, I lay a lash across his shoulders. His scream releases some of the anger I’m carrying.
“Now, tell me what you had planned for Delphine and the girls,” I order.
Maxim whimpers, but refuses to speak. Rather than ask the questions again, I flick my wrist to lay a second lash across the first so they criss-cross. Once his scream subsides into sobs, I speak. “I won’t hesitate to strip the skin from your bones. Fucking tell me your plan.”
“Okay!” Maxim shouts. “I was going to use the time on board the ship to train them and then give them to Alexandr as a bribe. He’s a believer in the supernatural and has always sought out the advice of psychics.
By giving him Delphine, I hoped to curry his favor.
With his son missing, he’s looking for an heir to his title. I wanted him to select me.”
“But why Shayna and Sasha? They’re not psychics.”
When Maxim doesn’t respond, I flick the whip and lay a third slash across his back. He screams before panting like a dog.
“I’m running out of patience,” I growl. “What did you have planned for Shayna and Sasha?”
When he doesn’t speak, I lift the whip. He pleads with me before relenting.
“Fine, I’ll tell you. I thought that if Stepanov didn’t agree to make me his heir and chose someone else, I could use the girls to bribe the winner into giving me the East Coast. That’s all I wanted. I wanted it for you, for us!”
Dom stiffens at Maxim’s words. I know he just met Sasha and Shayna, but he’s established a protective stance where they’re concerned.
I may not have grown up with Delphine’s twin daughters, but that doesn’t mean I don’t see them as my sisters.
The idea that Maxim planned to traffic my mother and sisters in exchange for territory has me ready to slit his throat, but I still have questions that need answers.
“Why did you hire Sigil to kill me and the others? Don’t bother to deny it.
Delphine’s man, Dixie, works for Sigil. He knows who paid for the contracts.
” Along with my death, Maxim had paid for the elimination of two other Bratva leaders–Dimitri Shrevchenko and Ivan Orloff.
Dimitri is the head of the Bratva family in New York.
Ivan controls the Bratva in Boston. Both men received warnings of their pending assassinations and went into hiding.
“Fine. I wanted to eliminate the competition. With them gone, I thought I could convince Alexandr, or his replacement, to give me all of the Eastern Seaboard.”
“Why order my death?”
“Because I knew you’d kill me once you discovered what I did to Delphine and the girls,” Maxim admits. “No matter how hard I tried to turn you into my son, you’re still hers.”
I grin at that. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. You’re right. I am going to kill you for what you tried to do to them. Where are we?” I ask Dom.
“We’re still in the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll be in the Atlantic in a day or two.”
“Good enough. Leave him hanging here. Let him suffer, then toss his ass over once we hit open water. Let the sharks feast on him.”
Maxim screams for me as I leave the room.
Ignoring him, I slam the door shut and take a deep breath.
Maybe I should feel guilty about signing the death warrant for my father, but I don’t.
Not after all he’s stolen from me. I could have had a mother, a brother, and two sisters if not for him.
Ridding the world of Maxim is my pleasure, not my sin.
Returning to the stateroom I’ve claimed, I pull out my laptop and review my emails.
By now, the world believes that I died. I know Dixie will be telling Sigil the truth, but in the meantime, I need to lay low.
My death allows me to do some digging and shifting.
Especially since I can spend this time pretending to be Maxim.
Maxim gave me the perfect cover when he decided to sail to St. Petersburg instead of taking a faster mode of transportation.
I spend the next few hours crafting emails to restructure Maxim’s organization.
I shift men who are loyal to me into positions of power while thrusting Maxim’s most faithful men into areas that will weaken their influence.
When I return to New Orleans and announce Maxim’s death, I want everything in place so there’s no chance of an uprising.
A knock on my door precedes Dom’s entry.
“Everything under control?” I ask him, even though I already know the answer. Dom has never let me down.
Dom has been my right-hand man since I found him fighting off three of my father’s men outside a bar one night.
I came upon the brawl and was impressed with how Dom, who appeared younger than my eighteen years, handled himself.
He had all three men unconscious before I could intervene.
When he turned to me, ready to fight, I held my hands up and offered him a chance to explain himself.
That’s when I heard the whimper. A young girl, no more than ten, cowered against the side of the building.
She had the same white-blonde hair as the boy and the same sky-blue eyes.
Without considering that the young man might attack me, I kneeled in front of her.
She whimpered again, but she didn’t seem frightened of me.
Her eyes slid to the boy who came to kneel next to me.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
“I’m Dominic, and this is my sister, Dina,” the boy says. “If you touch her, I’ll kill you.”
I smirked at him, but simply shook my head. “I have no doubt. But I have no intention of hurting her or you. I’d like to hear your story, but maybe we should get out of this dirty alley. It’s no place for a young lady.”
“I have to get back to work, or I’ll lose my job,” Dom says.
“You work here?” I ask, looking at the bar with contempt. It’s one of my father’s businesses.
Dom glares at me. “What of it?”
“This place is a dive,” I said, shaking my head.
“Yeah, but it's the only place that will hire me and let me keep my sister with me.”
“What if I made you a better offer?” I ask.
He eyes me suspiciously. He takes in my expensive clothes, shoes, and watch, then nods.
“Great, let’s go somewhere to eat. I’m starved. What do you guys like to eat?”
We ended up at a local place known for its gumbo. Once we were seated, I pressed Dominic for his story.
“My parents died less than a year ago. I had to drop out of high school and get a job so we wouldn’t lose our apartment. We’ve been dodging social services ever since. I can’t let them take Dina from me.”
I grin at the girl as she slurps her food. She has splashes of broth on both cheeks. “What happened tonight? What did those guys want?”
“Her. One of them was pulling her outside when she cried out and got my attention. I rushed outside to save her, which is when the other guys jumped me. I couldn’t let them have her.”
“You were impressive. I know those guys, and they aren’t weaklings.”
“She’s my sister.” That was all Dominic said. “Dina, go wash up, baby. You have food all over your face.”
She grimaces at him, but slides out of the booth. “Can we go get beignets after this? Please?”
I chuckle at her enthusiasm.
“They aren’t open yet,” Dominic tells her.
She pouts as she turns toward the restrooms. I watch her slouch away and make a silent promise to get her beignets.
“I think if I had a sister, I’d fight for her just as hard. Do you know who those guys were?”
Dominic shakes his head.
“They work for Maxim Zoloth.”
I watch the color drain from Dominic’s face when he realizes the level of trouble he’s gotten himself into.
“We need to leave the city,” Dominic mumbles. The fear is turning into panic as he stares at the empty spot his sister just vacated. “I don’t have enough to get us far enough away. He’s going to kill me. What’s going to happen to Dina?”
“Nothing. I’ll make sure of it.”
“How?”
“I’m Vladimir Zoloth. Maxim is my father. I’ll take care of everything. But I have a favor to ask of you.”
He eyes me suspiciously, but nods. “I owe you. What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to come work for me. I need someone I can trust to stand by me. My father has his men, and he wants me to build my own crew. I don’t trust any of his men, and I haven’t found anyone strong enough to stand up to the assholes he hires, until you.
I’ll make sure you and your sister have a nice apartment.
You won’t have to worry about social services coming for her.
Hell, you’ll never have to worry about money again.
I need someone I can trust, and I believe you’re that man. ”
Dominic accepted my offer that day, and since then, we’ve been inseparable. Dina is living her best life, and yes, of course, I got her a bag of beignets that night.