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I jog down the staircase that has been completely ripped apart by the constructor workers and make my way to the kitchen to start brewing coffee. I need something in my system before my day starts. Although, when you’re in the Bratva, your day never ends. It’s twenty-four hours a day and three-hundred and sixty five days a year. Since I’m next in line to become Pakhan, my days seem even longer. As if on cue, my phone rings. Ivanna. I press the ignore button. She works at one of the clubs that we own downtown. We’ve had a thing going on for a while, but I ended it. She hasn’t gotten over it if she’s still blowing up my phone. I’ve been with a wide range of women over the years to keep me occupied, but now it’s time to get serious. It’s only a matter of time before Gavril tells me that my wife has been selected. I’ll act surprised, but everyone knows it’s Delaney. She’s the only eligible woman right now, and I’m on my way to becoming Pakhan as soon as Gavril steps down. I’ll need a wife soon.
My coffee finished, and I’m only able to take a sip before my phone rings again. This time it’s Mikhail.
“Privyet,” I answer. Mikhail’s supposed to be at the bank this morning making some deposits. My job is security and intelligence. I work directly under Gavril to make sure we keep the peace between other brotherhoods, and we stay informed of everything happening in the Bratva, not just in Boston. I also oversee all of the Vory, members of the brotherhood that work as personal bodyguards or provide some kind of protection. I’m in the second-highest-ranking position.
“You need to get down to the bank.”
His words are a shock to my system. Nothing good can come from a sentence like that. I set down my coffee and grab my keys off the entryway table. “What’s going on?”
“I came by to drop off the deposit, but we’ve been hit...hard.”
“Fuck! Don’t move. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Shut the whole thing down, no one in or out until I’m there.”
“Alright.”
I hang up and get into my blacked-out Range Rover. I’m glad I got dressed before making my coffee this morning. We’ve never been hit at our bank before. This is bad, real bad, and only one thing pops into my mind; the Miami brotherhood. They’ve been having problems down there with cash flow. Their Pakhan has a gambling problem and, from what I hear, a nose problem as well. He sniffs up half the drugs they need to sell. Why would they risk hitting us? Something isn’t adding up. When I get to the bank, I’m relieved to see that there aren’t any cops, which means the banker we hired has managed to keep this under wraps. I tap on the glass door twice, and Mikhail opens it for me. Unlike me, Mikhail has been awake for a while getting work done, so his green eyes are wide and awake.
“What happened?” I say as I step around his large frame and into the bank. Everything looks normal except the fact that the lobby is empty. I glance up at the clock hanging on the wall—seven in the morning.
“Rick came in to open up this morning, and the alarm system was off. He went to the back, and our safety deposit box was open on the counter empty.”
“Just ours?”
Mikhail nods. “Yes, sir, looks like they targeted us.”
I walk down the aisle to the back of the bank where Rick’s office is. We choose to keep our money here because Rick plays on both sides of the fence. He runs a legal banking business, but he also cleans our money for us. He scrubs our money clean and delivers it back like freshly washed laundry. He’s pacing the length of his office when I walk in. Mikhail stays outside.
“What the hell happened?”
Rick stops his pacing and runs a hand over his face. He’s a tall, lanky man with salt & pepper hair and round glasses that he keeps perched on the end of his nose. “I have no idea. Whoever came in here either had the code to the alarm system, or they hacked it.”
“Your managers have the code?” I ask.
Rick nods. “Yeah, but they wouldn’t do this.”
I scoff. “People will do all sorts of things when it comes to money. Pull up the cameras.”
Rick grimaces.
“What now?”
“They were all shut off just before the break-in. The video starts up again right after they must have left.”
I plop down in the chair across from Rick’s desk, and he joins me. “You know how this looks, Rick.”
“I know, but like always, your money is insured. Everything will be replaced.”
If only that was the problem. It’s about more than the money. It’s the fact that someone is targeting us, and our bank is too weak to keep that person out. I won’t admit it to Rick, but we don’t have any other place to keep our money at the moment. Of course, most of our wealth is tied up in nightclubs, restaurants, and real estate, but all the cash is kept right here at Rick’s place of business.
“Let me see the video.”
Rick hits a few buttons on his computer before turning it to me. I watch as all the cameras cut out a little after two am and then come back on just fifteen minutes later with nothing out of place. If you don’t watch the clock carefully, you might not even notice they were out.
“Whoever did this is fast as fuck,” I grumble.
Fifteen minutes to get into the bank and our safety deposit box before getting back out. They’re skilled, that’s for sure.
“You need us to vet your employees?” I ask, looking away from the screen to Rick. Mikhail would have no problem slapping some people around to get answers out of Rick’s employees.
Rick shakes his head. “I’ll take care of it.”
I stare at him for a minute. I trust the guy, maybe only because I know that this robbery is hurting him more than it hurts us. He’s the one that has to cover our losses because if he didn’t, he’d pay with his life. I still never put too much trust in anybody. That’s when you become a fool. I stand from the desk and button my suit jacket.
“We’ll be in touch,” I say before stepping out of the office. Mikhail pushes off the wall as I come closer.
“What are we going to do?” he asks, following me outside.
“Well, first, I gotta tell Gavril.” As second in command, I always have to tell the bad news.
“Shit, good luck with that. Gavril’s going to be pissed.”
I grimace. “Yeah I know.”
“Any theories in your head of who might have hit us?”
I lean against my range rover as we talk. I look around, making sure no one is within hearing range.
“You didn’t hear this from me,” I start.
Mikhail nods. “Of course.”
“The Miami brotherhood has been having some financial problems, but I can’t see why they would hit us. We don’t have any beef with them.”
Mikhail runs a hand over his beard. “Except for that issue with Ivan.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What?”
“You know. He went down there to visit. Got too messed up and fucked someone’s wife. They wanted Gavril to take care of him, but Gavril refused.”
“How come I didn’t know about this?”
“I thought you did. You know everything. Maybe Gavril is trying to keep it quiet for some reason.”
“How’d you hear about it.”
“Ivan told me.”
My entire job is knowing everything that could be a threat to this brotherhood, and I can’t do that if my Pakhan is keeping secrets from me. He’s never kept anything from me before. What the hell is this about?
“You think he’s trying to shut you out?” Mikhail asks.
I shake my head. “No, I think he has some kind of plan that he doesn’t want to tell me about.”
Mikhail scoffs. “Great, that means we’re not going to like it.”
“Probably not. I’ll see you around.” I slap hands with him and watch as he gets into his car and drives off. I hop into my range rover and head towards the clubhouse.
The clubhouse is a giant compound located several miles off the highway. A twelve-foot fence surrounds it, and Vorys, take shifts standing outside with their rifles across their chest. I give Dustin a two-finger wave as I glide through the gate that he’s opened for me. Three metal buildings make up the compound—each connected by one long hallway that stretches between them. I park closest to the main building and get out. The spring Boston air fills my nose with a mix of freshly cut grass and freshly baked bread. The cooks must have already started making breakfast—some of Vory’s stay here full-time along with Gavril. I scan my finger at the door before walking inside. Pool tables, big screen TV’s, a kitchen, and a bar fill the space. It’s the hangout spot for the whole brotherhood. It’s also the place where we hold meetings.
I spot Katya at the pool table with Luka, and I slap him on the back as I pass by. Gavril’s office is off to the side of the main living space. I knock, but there’s no answer. Fuck, I was hoping he’d already be up and working. I’ll have to visit him at his place. The Pakhan has always lived at the compound. It’s a tradition. He’s the biggest target in our organization, which means he needs 24/7 protection. When I become Pakhan, I have no plans to stay at the clubhouse. The old traditions are outdated, and although they’ve served their purpose, we’re overdue for some change.
I walk down one of the long hallways to the second building. This building is more like a hotel with rooms on both sides of me. There are enough rooms for every member of the brotherhood, just in case shit hits the fan. Gavril’s apartment is at the very end of the hallway. It’s the most oversized room in the compound with three bedrooms, a kitchen, and everything else they’d need never to have to come out.
Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door. I shove my hands in my pocket as I wait. A moment later, Nina, Gavril’s wife, opens the door. Nina’s a petite woman with long black hair. She’s ten years younger than Gavril, and from my understanding, the Bratva arranged their marriage.
“Hey, Alek. Early isn’t it?” she asks.
I plaster on a fake smile. “Sorry to interrupt your morning, Nina. Is Gavril around? I need to discuss something with him.”
She opens the door wide enough for me to step inside. Their apartment is cozy with new carpet and the smell of baked goods lingering in the air.
“Take a seat. I’ll grab him.”
I sit down at the kitchen table while Nina disappears down the hallway. A moment later, Gavril pulls out the seat across from me.
“This better be good. It’s nine in the fucking morning,” Gavril says, switching to Russian at the end of his sentence. The gray in his beard seems more prominent this morning, as well as the wrinkles around his eyes.
“We got hit this morning at Rick’s. Emptied the safety deposit box.”
His eyes darken from the slight annoyance at me, interrupting his morning to full-on rage. “You’re shitting me.”
I shake my head. He slams his fist on the table.
“Rick’s replacing everything, but whoever took the money is good. They were able to hack into the system and not only get into the bank but also shut off the security cameras for fifteen minutes while they did it.”
“Fifteen minutes?” Gavril asks, his jaw twitching.
I nod.
His hands ball into fists on top of the table.
“It has to be one of his employees. Who else-“
“Miami?”
Gavril leans back in his chair as if thinking it over.
“Heard, through the grapevine that Ivan-“
Gavril waves a hand, cutting me off. “I’m taking care of that.”
“How?” It isn’t like Gavril to cut me out of a decision, especially one so important as this.
“I’ll let you know when I want you to know.”
I grind my teeth together to stop myself from saying what I want to say. Whatever Gavril has planned, it must be something I’m not going to like. I have respect for Gavril, but he needs to hand the torch over to me already. He’s gotten weak. If what Mikhail told me is true, Gavril should have immediately killed Ivan and stopped any potential issues with the Miami brotherhood. He should have made an example out of Ivan so no one else would dare do something as fucking stupid and reckless as sleeping with a married Bratva woman.
“How am I supposed to do my job if there are things I don’t know in my organization.”
Gavril leans forward and puts his elbows on the table. “You’ll know soon enough. For now, keep your ear to the ground. Stay away from Miami. I don’t want them to know we’re sniffing around.”
“Why would they care? Unless they’re the ones who stole our shit.”
“The situation is tense. I don’t want to stir the pot. Drop it, Alek. Leave Miami for me to deal with.”