Chapter 22
ALEXEI
The cabin sits on about half of an acre of land so it’s going to take us a little bit to survey the entire property.
When we’re done, I’ll decide which other soldiers can come and patrol for me.
I don’t relish the idea of doing so given the mistrust I have for my brothers at the moment, but it’s going to prove too much for Dmitri, Anya, and me to do alone if things get really bad.
I still have the hope that I can convince Father to call this whole thing off, but I’m still at a loss as to how. At least Pavel is with me. I’ll need to call him in a little while to let him know that we’re safe.
“You’re quiet, Brother,” Dmitri says in Russian. “What’s on your mind?”
I scoff. “This situation. What else?”
“Don’t take offense to this, but I have to ask—”
“I had nothing to do with Pecora,” I tell him, reading his mind. He nods in acceptance.
“I would tell you if I did it,” I add. “It makes no sense not to let you know the entire scope of this situation.”
“Right.” He pauses as he looks over the tree line at the edge of the property.
We’re both armed with rifles, cocked and ready for anything that might try us from the darkness of the trees and beyond.
The shadows from the tree trunks near us are starting to grow long as the afternoon sunlight moves across the sky above us.
We keep walking, making our way back around and heading toward the cabin.
“What I can’t figure out,” I tell Dmitri, “is who shot him. I know it has to be one of Father’s men, but…”
I can feel Dmitri’s eyes on me. “But what?”
“He specifically asked me to handle it,” I tell him. “In fact, he was angry at me because he thinks I fucked it up.”
“He explicitly asked you to carry out the hit?”
“No. Not explicitly. I don’t think he expected me to do it personally, but he wanted it done and he wanted me to make sure that it was completed.”
He nods slowly. “If you were inclined to do it, who would you have asked?”
“I don’t know. Probably you. Pavel… he has the passion. He still lacks the skill and the experience.”
Dmitri doesn’t respond. His silence suddenly sounds very loud to me.
“What?”
He shakes his head and shrugs. “Nothing,” he says. “I didn’t say anything.”
Here we go again. “Just say it, Dmitri.”
He sighs. “Do I have to at this point? You know what I think about Pavel’s role in this.”
“I know that the two of you have had it out for one another since we were kids.”
Dmitri scowls. “This isn’t about some childhood rivalry, Alexei. I wouldn’t bring it up if it was. We’re talking about something much more serious.” He leans a little to the side to shake off a little mud from his boots. “I know you don’t want to hear this—”
“Then don’t say it.”
“You need to hear it, Alexei. Pavel has had his eye on your place in line for years.”
I sigh. This is such an old fucking argument. “He admires me. You’re mistaking jealousy for appreciation. He would never—”
“My father probably thought the same thing of Maxim,” he says. “But now he’s dead and your father is Pakhan.”
I stop and glare at him. “What did you say?”
He turns around and meets my glare, the rifle in his hands pointed toward the ground. “You heard me. Let’s not pretend that the brotherhood has been so solid all these years. Brothers fight brothers for power all the time. It’s almost an inevitability at this point.”
“Pavel and I are not them,” I growl at him. “Our fathers were never as close or as loyal to one another as Pavel and I have been. You should know that better than anyone.”
“Yes, I’ve grown up with you both,” he says. “All the more reason you should listen to what I’m saying—”
“I hear what you’re saying, and you are wrong.”
We stare at each other in the shade of the tree line. The afternoon is waning above us. In several short hours, the sun will start to give way to the darkness, but I have no intention of moving from this spot if Dmitri wants to challenge me.
He rolls his eyes and says, “We should get moving. There’s still a lot to do back at the cabin.”
He turns and starts walking. I follow him, letting it go as well. I don’t know what’s gotten into Dmitri for him to make such a suggestion. I won’t hear of it. Especially now when it’s crucial that I know whom I can trust and whom I can’t.
We walk the rest of the way back in silence. When I walk through the door, I notice that Isabella isn’t in the front room. Anya tells me that she isn’t feeling well, so she went to lie down. I suppose that’s fair. After everything that’s happened, I’m sure she’s overwhelmed.
Anya and Dmitri go into the kitchen to check on our supply of food.
I know there’s a stash of canned goods, but we’ll have to make plans to travel into town for fresh groceries if this goes on for too long.
She volunteers to go for food, leaving Dmitri here to check the rest of the house and lock any doors or windows that might allow someone inside.
I take that opportunity to go into the den and call Pavel. I’ve yet to contact him and he still needs to know what’s going on.
He picks up on the second ring. “Thank God,” he says. “Where are you? Father’s been asking about where you’ve gone.”
My stomach tightens. “Has he said anything about retaliation as of yet?”
“He’s said plenty of things about retaliation. He’s already organizing a plan of attack against Pecora. As soon as we find out what hospital he’s in, the word has come down to take him out.”
“Shit.” I sigh as I look over the covered furniture in here. Anya didn’t bother to do anything to this room and it reeks of dust.
“I need you here,” he says. “This whole thing is spiraling out of control.”
“Pecora’s men think I tried to kill him. You know I can’t come back there. At least not until I figure something out.”
“Where are you, anyway? One of your properties?”
“The cabin. I figure it’s the safest place since not even Father knows about it.”
He sighs. “You can’t know that for sure, though. You know he has ears everywhere. You should just come back. Let me and Father handle things. You can trust us, at least. We will protect you. You know that. They can’t get to you through us.”
I frown. Pavel seems very confident that I will be protected in a den of deceit. “You truly think I will be safe?” I ask him. “We’re being attacked from within as well as from the outside. I’m in as much danger with you and Father as I am at home.”
“Well, yes, but… but you can’t expect Father to listen to you if you’ve already run.”
I guess that’s a valid point. “What else can I do?”
“I don’t know.” He goes silent, and I feel his pain, at least a little. His naivete about this situation is almost admirable. I wish I knew less about my situation and had more hope in our father’s ability to protect me against the men he trained.
Dmitri’s words float into my mind. You’re sure Pavel is on your side?
I’ve been sure about that. I haven’t had any reason to doubt it.
And yet, Pavel seems to think I would be safer back home where I don’t even know whom among our number I can trust… especially now that the shit has hit the fan. It’s slightly suspicious at best. Does Pavel truly have my best interests at heart?
I dismiss the thought almost as quickly as it appears. Dmitri’s nonsense has gotten into my head. Pavel’s suggestion just speaks to his lack of experience in these matters.
“Give me the night to think things over,” I say to him. “I’ll have a better plan of action once I’ve had a good night’s sleep. Hopefully, things won’t have gotten worse by then.”
“I’ll do my best to try and stall Pop. I can’t make any promises, though, so you stay safe.”
“Keep me updated.”
I hang up and stand in silence for a few minutes. If I’m gone too long, Father might start to look for me himself. I’m not sure what that would look like. He’ll probably view my running for safety as cowardice. That is, if Pavel can’t convince him that we have a problem within our ranks.
If he does come here, though, he will insist that I return. He won’t hear of any conspiracy theories. I think that if I were alone, I might be inclined to go with him. In fact, I wonder if I would have left at all. I’m certainly not afraid of any of Pecora’s men.
The fact of all of this is that it comes down to what would happen to Isabella. He should honor our marriage and accept that I have a duty to protect her just as I would anyone within the Bratva. However…
Ugh. Dmitri’s words again. Bringing up old history as if it were relevant now.
Whatever happened between our parents has been told a million different ways depending on whom you would ask.
Dmitri and Anya’s mother probably told them some horror story about how my father robbed them of their inheritance…
as if they ever wanted it to begin with.
Dmitri was never interested in being his father’s heir, anyway.
For the first time, I’m debating whether their version of the events is the right one. Did my father double-cross his own brother for a place at the head of the table? Not that it doesn’t happen, but it’s viewed with such dishonor. My father is nothing if not honorable under our code.
My head’s all turned around about this situation and I’m starting to get a bit of a headache. I leave the den and head outside to get some air. As I stand on the porch, all I can think about is what happens now? How do I fix this?
As the sky starts to change, I spot a car coming up the road. Anya. She pulls in front of the porch and I go to meet her to grab the groceries she’s gotten.
“You didn’t have too many issues?” I ask her as we both walk into the house. She shakes her head as we make our way to the kitchen just as Dmitri comes up from the basement.
“Water heater’s on,” he says. His eyes go to the bags as we set them down on the counter. “Cool. Food. How’d it go out there?”
“The market in town is small,” she says. “Little more than a general store. I was able to get the basics like milk, eggs, and butter, but anything fancy will have to wait another day, I’m afraid.”
“Shit.” Dmitri’s shoulders slump. “So, no alcohol?”
She smiles, reaching into a bag and pulling out a full bottle of vodka. “That much, they could at least oblige.”
“That’s awesome. Let’s crack this open.”
“Hey,” I say. “Let’s not forget why we’re here. This isn’t a vacation.”
Anya groans and rolls her eyes. “Damn. I forgot we were on the clock. Well, maybe we don’t drink too much of it this evening, then.”
“Speak for yourself,” Dmitri says. “I can shoot through a keyhole drunk.” We both laugh. That’s a fact that’s been proven on more than one drunken evening.
And so it is. We get shot glasses and take the bottle into the living room. The rest can wait until we’ve had at least one drink. We could use it. I look toward the stairs where the bedrooms are and wonder if I should wake Isabella to join us.
“Oh, wait,” Anya says suddenly. “Be right back. Anya wanted me to pick up some Pepto for her stomach.”
I’d noticed that she looked a little green in the gills lately. Anya disappears back into the kitchen and I call after her, “Let me know if she needs anything else.”
“Sure thing.” She returns with a smaller bag in her hand as she walks past us. After these drinks, maybe I should check in with her as well.
“Wanna do the honors?” Dmitri asks as he holds out the bottle to me.
I take it and open it. “Two shots only,” I say. “Then one of you takes first shift.”
“Three,” he says, “and I’ll volunteer for first shift.”
“I doubt Anya would object. Fine by me,” I say. “But if I have to pick either of you up off the floor tonight, I’m locking you in the cellar to sleep it off.”