Chapter Nineteen Vladimir
Following Alexandr into his office, Dominic and I take our seats. Igor is in the room and standing off to the side.
“Thank you for taking the girls shopping,” Alexandr says. “After what happened to Rurik, I don’t know who to trust with my daughter.”
“You think the attempted kidnapping was an inside job?” I ask.
“I don’t know, but whoever attacked Rurik knew he was going to be on that street at that time. I had asked him to run an errand for me. He wouldn’t have normally been there at that time. His normal routine had him going to the coffee shop and then the library until it was time to retrieve Anya.”
“What was the errand?” I ask.
“I asked him to deliver the invitation for tonight’s party.”
“Did Rurik deliver the invitations?”
“Yes, he did. Someone attacked him on his way back from delivering the last invitation.”
“Who received invitations?”
“I can give you the list. I invited my lieutenants as well as the three men who are under consideration for Alexi’s position.”
“So, basically, everyone coming tonight?’
“Correct.”
I share a glance with Dominic. “You want me to figure out who attacked Rurik and tried to kidnap Anya?”
“If you can, I would appreciate it. I want to see my daughter settled, but I don’t want to make a mistake and select someone who intends to harm her.”
“I know it is none of my business, but why are you forcing your daughter to marry anyone? Shouldn’t she be able to select her husband? I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I don’t understand.”
Alexandr sighs loudly before sitting back in his chair.
“I don’t want to force her to marry anyone, but this situation isn’t about her.
A Stepanov has been at the helm of the Bratva for several generations.
Alexi should have inherited it from me, but that’s not happening.
Whoever I select must marry Anya so that the Stepanov line continues and the Bratva remains under the Stepanovs’ control.
I know it seems unfair to Anya. I wish there were another way, but Alexi’s death took away my choice.
And Anya’s. Now, tell me what you have planned for New Orleans. ”
I share my plans with him to expand our control into other states along the Gulf of Mexico. I think we’ve missed out on significant potential by focusing only on the coasts. When we leave the meeting, I’m confident that he’ll support my plan. I just wish he’d let Anya have control over her fate.
I stand. “I’ll see what I can discover tonight,” I assure Alexandr. Dominic and I don’t speak until we’re in the car and on the way back to the hotel.
“You’re worried about Anya?” Dominic says, breaking the silence. “You know she’ll get her happy ending when Alexi reveals himself, right?”
I slowly nod as I consider Alexandr’s plan. “If Alexi stands up and takes what is his. He’s still reluctant about revealing himself. I’m wondering if Alexandr’s attempt to keep the business in the family isn’t what put Anya in danger.”
“You think whoever tried to kidnap Anya plans to use her to force Alexandr’s hand?
” Dominic muses, nodding as he considers the scenario.
“That would make sense. Why sit back and wait for Alexandr to choose? If the person is aware of Alexandr’s overwhelming need to keep the business in the family, they could kidnap Anya and force her to marry.
You think Alexandr would hand everything over if that happened? ”
“I do.”
“You think whoever tried to kidnap Anya is the same person who tried to kill Alexi?”
I consider his question. “I don’t know. It seems like that would be the logical conclusion.
We need to talk to Alexi and see if he’s discovered anything that can help us figure this out.
If whoever tried to kill Alexi knew that Alexandr would select a replacement, then yeah, I can see all of these incidents being related.
However, we don’t know for certain if gaining control of the Bratva was the reason for the attack on Alexi.
Alexi said he doesn’t know why someone wanted him dead. ”
“Maybe he’s figured something out while we’ve been out shopping.”
When we arrive at the hotel, we find Alexi sitting in a chair, a glass in his right hand, his head resting on the back of the chair as he stares up at the ceiling.
“How was your day?” I ask him.
“Quiet.”
“What have you been doing?”
“Thinking.”
“About telling your father that you’re alive and reclaiming your heritage?” I ask. Up until now, I haven’t been pushing Alexi into a decision, but Anya’s future has my patience with Alexi waning.
Alexi ignores me. “I’ve been thinking about who wanted me dead, and I have an idea.”
“Okay, let’s hear it,” I say, taking a seat and accepting the glass of whiskey from Dominic.
“A few months ago, during one of our lunches, we were talking about the history of the Bratva and specifically about how the Stepanovs took control. I remembered my father telling me the story of how the Bratva was led by a man with several daughters but no sons. He wanted to ensure his blood stayed in control, so he had his lieutenant marry his eldest daughter. That lieutenant was my father’s grandfather.
He married my great-great-grandmother. My family has been in charge ever since. ”
I lean forward and stare at Alexi. “Wait a minute. So, what’s happening now mimics what happened then. That’s what you’re saying? That someone may have worked out a plan to take over the Bratva from your father by eliminating you?”
Alexi nods. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. I haven’t done much of anything to piss someone off enough to kill me. However, if they thought that my death would open doors for them… Yeah, I think that’s a possibility.”
Dominic and I share a look before I return my focus to Alexi. “You know your father is planning to marry Anya to whoever he selects to take your place, right?”
Alexi nods as he runs his hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah. I didn’t think about her having to pay the price if I disappeared.”
“You know about the attempt to kidnap her. Your father thinks it might be one of the men he’s considering.”
Alexi’s head snaps up. “What do you mean?”
I explain Alexandr’s suspicions that one of the men knew Rurik was returning to the theater to pick up Anya and took advantage of the situation. “If one of the three men kidnapped her and forced her into marriage, would your father reward him with the leadership role?”
Alexi stares at me in horror before slowly nodding. “He would, especially if she were pregnant. Shit. Do you think that’s what is happening here? That someone is stacking the odds in their favor by going after Anya?”
“I think someone figured out how to gain control of the Bratva, and they put together a plan to make it happen. Shipping you to Ukraine was the first step. I know you don’t want to return to the Bratva life, but are you willing to sacrifice your sister?”
Instead of responding, Alexi jerks to his feet and strides out of the room.
Dominic and I share a look. “What are we going to do?” Dominic asks.
“Let him stew. He’s young and emotional. He needs time to sort out his priorities. In the meantime, we need to get to that party. It’s time I met these men.”
“And you want to see Anya again,” Dominic smirks.
I roll my eyes, but can’t deny that he’s right. I do want to see Anya again.
Alexi still hasn’t come out of his room by the time Dominic and I leave for the party.
All the lights are on when our driver drops us off in front of the house.
There is a group of four ahead of us: an older man, a woman who appears to be his wife, and two young men following.
I recognize Artem, one of the younger men, immediately.
The older man repeatedly glances back at Artem.
I can see the man’s mouth moving, but can’t hear what he is saying.
Whatever it was had the younger man’s shoulders hunching.
Dominic and I increase our pace to catch up to them.
“You need to do whatever it takes to gain Alexandr’s attention,” Denis Sorokin admonishes his son. “You need to inherit the role, or we’ll lose everything.”
“I’m working on it,” Artem responds.
“How are you working on it?” Denis asks, using air quotes. “How is partying every night working on it? How do you know your friends aren’t working against you? They’re under consideration, too. How do I know you haven’t done something they could blackmail you on?”
“I haven’t,” Artem snaps. “They’re my friends. They wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Like they didn’t hurt Alexi?” Denis hisses. “Don’t tell me they weren’t involved in getting rid of that boy.” Denis and I lock eyes when he realizes we are behind them. His mouth snaps shut as he rushes his family inside.
“That’s interesting,” Dominic murmurs as we follow them inside.
“Very. Maybe they all worked together to get rid of Alexi. We need to talk to the other two. We should mingle. You find Oleg and get close to him. I’ll take Pavel.”
“Do you think we’ll get lucky and overhear a similar conversation?”
“No, but they might let something slip. Denis’s comment makes me think his art galleries aren’t doing as well as I thought. We should dig deeper into them. Prescott was doing research. I need to touch base with him and see what he’s learned.”
Dominic sneers at the mention of Prescott, but he doesn’t voice his displeasure.
Instead, he disappears into the crowd. I see Oleg with his father in the direction Dominic headed.
I’m a few inches taller than the other party-goers, so I easily spot Pavel standing with a woman.
Her back is to me, so I can’t see her face.
I see flashes of blue as I approach the couple.
My focus is on Pavel, but when the woman turns her head, I catch a glimpse of her profile.
Anya. The crowd shifts, and I see her in all her glory.
She’s wearing the blue dress, and she’s even more stunning.
I stop dead in my tracks as I let my eyes roam over every delectable inch of her.
When my eyes reach her face, I find her staring at me with humor flashing in her eyes.
“You look as if you’ve seen a ghost, Mr. Zoloth,” she murmurs.
“Not a ghost,” I whisper. “But a vision.”