Chapter 15

Chapter 15ViktorBoris sat in the back with me while Andrei drove the sedan. He was silent, his eyes flicking from me to his hands, which were curled nervously on his knees.He was drunk. I had seen him drunk a hundred times before, but never during the day, and never on duty. But now, he’d done it twice within a week. And just like then, he was trying to hide it from me now.We had gotten into some decent fights in our youth. I always beat him—he had the size and reach advantage but he simply never trained as hard, and he wasn’t as clever as I was either. Toughness only held him for so long when I was just as tough and persistent.Right now, I wanted to order the car to the side of the road and kick his ass like we were still a couple of rowdy Russian orphans. But instead, I had to retain my composure, and handle this professionally.The only problem was, in the Bratva, there were no firings. There were punishments, there was a form of exile involving the forcible removal of one’s tattoos…but ultimately, the only answer to the worst offenses was a bullet.I was a long way from that with Boris, but I worried. I worried that he would be stubborn, that he would double down on his newfound stupidity if called on it. That he would disappear into the bottle he was now pulling on by lunchtime. And that he would once again fail in a way that got one of us killed.When he finally spoke, however, it wasn’t any kind of apology. Nor did he ask what was on my mind that kept me quiet as well. No. He cleared his throat, and then said in a low voice, “You’re fucking that auction lady, aren’t you?”I shot him an incredulous look. “What in God’s name are you bringing that up for?”“The hypocrisy.” He stared at me, then scowled and bobbed his head. “Yeah, you are. You’re fucking her. On the regular, I’m guessing, from the way you looked at her.”I stared at him silently for several seconds and watched him start to fidget again. Then I said, in a low, cold voice, “What hypocrisy?”“You didn’t like my screwing around when I was supposed to be focused on business, and that was fair. But then you turn around and do it yourself!” His face was darkening. Little snaps of anger showed in his small, black eyes.I turned on him, the anger that had been simmering inside me since I noticed he was drunk rising in me like magma before an eruption. “Have you completely lost your mind, speaking to me this way? Olivia was doing her job today, as was I. She did not distract me from it in ways that cost the Bratva, like your Maria did. She’s helping me settle my uncle’s affairs.“The fact that she’s been in my bed a few times does nothing to damage my performance as leader. None of us have died on my watch because of my minor involvement with her. Can you say the same?”He sank back in his seat a little, big arms folded on his barrel chest and his face as sullen as a teenager’s. “That was just bad luck.”I fell silent and just stared at him, amazed how my strong right hand had become so weak and childish so fast. I knew his feelings were hurt that I was no longer showing him any favoritism, but I couldn’t afford to. Not while he kept fucking up and then pretending it wasn’t a problem or wasn’t his fault.“That was a mix of exhaustion from carousing all night with a lover who may just be working for the Puerto Ricans, and drunkenness from your newfound alcoholism. Which I see won the fight again today.”He went pale at that, and I snorted in disgust and looked away. “Of course I noticed, Boris. And very likely, so have others.”When I looked back at him, he was staring at me red-faced, jaw set, stubborn anger in his eyes. I shook my head incredulously. I hadn’t seen him act like this since we were twenty. “What do you think is going to happen once it gets around that you’re often drunk, arguing with me, failing at your duties in ways that get people killed, and possibly sleeping with a Pueblo member? Once that happens, I’ll be expected to discipline you, or then I really will seem weak.”No answer. His mouth worked, but not a word slipped out of it.“Why the hell are you acting like this?” I watched him squirm under my gaze and refuse to look back at me. “You’ve let your drinking get out of control, and you’re acting like a boy half your age—”“Don’t insult me,” he growled under his breath.I slapped him. Back of the hand, across his face. Not even that hard, but it startled him into silence. He’d seen me do it to others before, but I’d never had to do it to him before.“You are drunk, you are fucking up, and you are being an asshole about it,” I told him in Russian. “You are embarrassing me. You are embarrassing yourself.” That seemed to get through his defenses, he flinched slightly. I calmed a little as I switched back to English.“If you find the truth insulting, perhaps you should change it. I find it insulting that you’re failing me and giving me a bad attitude on top of everything. But when I ask you what’s going on—”“Nothing is going on,” he snapped a little too quickly and loudly for comfort. “I’ve just been having a run of bad luck.”“I would agree with you, but your bad luck is largely self-inflicted,” I replied with exaggerated patience. “I simply don’t understand why one warning wasn’t enough for you.”He was quiet for a long while. I watched him, keeping my face implacable. Finally, he looked up at me and said, “You should trust me to take care of my problems on my own.”“I did. But you’ve failed to do so, Boris. You have failed my faith in you, our brothers, and yourself. And most of all—”“Don’t say his name.” The exhausted despair in his voice shocked me.I sat back, looking at the traffic around us. “At least you have the decency to be ashamed.”He huffed with anger, then went quiet. We rode for a while in silence. Finally, he said, “I’m not that drunk.”“Not as badly as last time. But still noticeable. And it’s making you belligerent.” At least I hoped that was what his attitude was about. “If there is no problem behind all of this, why have you not taken your situation in hand?”“It’s not that bad,” he started, and I rolled my eyes.“Do you want the back of my hand again? You’re acting like a fresh recruit. If you want to keep your standing, get whatever help you need and dry out. I don’t want to see you in this condition again or I’ll have to punish you in front of the men. Harshly.” I locked eyes with him until he looked away.I hated this. Why did there seem to be no getting through to him? Or at least, very little.Could it be the alcohol? I had never seen any signs of addiction in him in all this time. He’d abused his liver plenty during weekend parties, but no more than the rest of us.Something was going on. And it bothered me deeply that he wouldn’t even admit there was a problem, let alone tell me what it was. Now he had challenged me because I had any lover at all, but had forbidden him from sleeping with a potential enemy saboteur.I didn’t know why, but it bothered me that he knew Olivia was my lover. That he knew her face and where she worked. I wondered why that would worry me, the man was still my best friend. It didn’t make sense to worry about his knowing.But then again, his behavior didn’t make sense either. I prayed I was wrong, but my gut told me there was going to be more trouble ahead between us. I just didn’t want Olivia dragged into it in the process.***It was raining the day of the auction, with a sunset-dark sky at noon and wind blowing umbrellas inside out all over Cambridge. Boris was beside me, but this time, sober and a lot less nervous. We were all packing, all wary.When you worked in the underworld and were more than semi-famous, you didn’t want to end up showing your face in public at any scheduled event. If your enemies knew you were going to be at a certain place at a certain time, it made it easier for them to set up an attack.It was a damned book auction. It shouldn’t have required us to wear vests under our suits, or for me to bring out my Taurus Judge just to settle family affairs. But with a war with the Puerto Ricans still looming over us, I couldn’t take any chances.I had brought ten men with me besides Boris to mingle with the crowd. Some would already be there, others would trail in after me, linked by their throat mics but seemingly here completely on their own.“I wonder who’s going to be there,” I mused as we drove into the auction house’s VIP parking lot. To hear Olivia speak of it, there were enough wealthy book enthusiasts in the Boston metro area to ensure a very large crowd. Hopefully, that meant that everything would sell.But large crowds had their drawbacks as well. Harder to watch for problems, or get to them before they blew up. More innocent people for the enemy to use as meat shields before we could get to them.Hopefully, none of the Puerto Ricans had gotten wind of the auction series. But if they had, we would be as ready for them as possible.Boris grunted and pointed across the street to the packed regular parking lot, where cars circled futilely looking for spaces. “Too many for the lot, apparently.”“I see that. Well, let’s see what Uncle Mischka’s books will get us.”I didn’t bother with an umbrella, as for Boris, he used one of the big golf ones that had a windproof flap and unbreakable struts. He held it over both of us as we hurried toward the awning-sheltered entrance.Inside, the lobby already bustled with activity. I looked around for Olivia and quickly caught sight of her standing by a small flock of suited employees with name tags, probably doing a last-minute briefing. They scattered away slowly after she finished, and I walked over, giving her a smile.“Good afternoon, my dear. You look lovely.” She had dressed up a bit for the auction, in a long aubergine gown just modest and severe enough to make her still look like she meant business. The silk shimmered slightly as she moved, making her look a little like a 1940s femme fatale.She lowered her head slightly and blushed at the compliment, which made me smile. “Thank you. We’re ready to head in when you are.”As she turned to leave, I wrapped my fingers lightly around her wrist and drew her close, reveling at the way her breath caught and her gaze softened as she stared up at me.“Where is Michael today?”She blinked at me, her blue eyes wide and slightly confused. “He’s with his aunt, Anna. She’s babysitting—”“Good.” I smiled, and resisted the urge to dip my head and capture her slightly parted lips. “You’ll be leaving with me once we’re done here.”“O-oh,” she stuttered. Adorable. “I…okay.”My smile stretched, and it took all my willpower to take a brisk step back from her. The only thing that made the distance between us bearable was the way her breath escaped her in a long, shaky exhale that left me in no doubt that she was equally affected by my nearness.I wanted her to sit with me, but had to satisfy myself by sitting in the front row of the auction room in a spot where I could watch her backstage. She was buzzing around still, making sure everything was just so before we started. And then, the auctioneer was walking out to the podium, and the first book in the series was set out for display.The crowd truly was enormous, filling every seat and the back half of the aisles. My men mingled with them. If anything happened, I would be able to give orders to them instantly, despite the crowds and noise.It was fifteen minutes into the auction when I realized three things. One, book auctions were so sedate as to be almost boring. Two, Boris was watching me more than the crowd. And three, I probably would have been having trouble staying awake were it not for Olivia.Every glimpse of her was like a bright spark in my mind, giving me focus despite the sleepy proceedings. Just a flutter of deep purple silk, the flash of her sweet, pale face and white shoulders, that rich spill of red hair, and I was alert again, looking her way with an eagerness that reminded me of the crushes of my youth.It amused me to realize that I was this preoccupied with her. First, the watch I had sat outside her apartment out of fear someone would disturb her, and now straining for glimpses of her backstage like it was the only reason I was here.I wanted her again. No, scratch that. I always wanted her, but it grew unbearable as I struggled to sit there seriously and keep an ear out for any word from my men.I wanted to make her want me just as much. I wanted to make her beg for it again. And after that I wanted ordinary. Breakfast together. And finally, the chance to meet my son.I would talk to her afterward, I decided, and not just for business. Unless she had to watch my boy this evening, I wanted her with me. In my arms.I snapped myself out of it just as a first edition set of Mark Twain’s stories went on the block. I had almost kept it for myself, but realized I already had one in better condition in my library. My own book collection had grown larger than my uncle’s, thanks to the few dozen volumes of his I hadn’t owned. Sometimes, it took me a minute to keep straight what I had already collected.I was watching the bid paddles go up as the auctioneer pointed around when Boris leaned over and murmured in my ear, “One of the guys is checking out a car that just pulled into the alley next to this place. They’re just sitting there and letting the engine run.”I frowned and checked my earpiece. It was on. I took it out and fiddled with it, and discovered the spiraled cord that ran down into my collar had come slightly loose from the earpiece. I fixed the situation, swearing under my breath. I had been listening to dead air for almost twenty minutes while something had been brewing outside.“Going to need to find a better design for these things,” I muttered as I switched the earpiece back on.At once, the radio crackled with voices speaking Russian.“I’m heading in. Got my gun drawn but I’m hiding it by my leg. Looks like there’s only two guys in the car.” The main voice was a hoarse whisper in my ear. “Might be Puerto Rican. Not sure in this shitty lighting.”“Don’t start shit unless you have to,” I advised firmly. “Are they responding to you?”“They’re just sitting there ignoring everything. Looks like they might be waiting for something.” Mikhail’s voice sounded low and tense, like he was expecting trouble.I didn’t like this one bit. It felt like there was something very strange and potentially dangerous going on back there. “Get a photo of the plates,” I advised. If doing that didn’t get them some kind of negative attention, the people in the car were just oblivious bystanders.“Yeah, doing that now.” A second later, I heard a scuffle followed by a staticky click.“Mikhail?” I asked sharply. It sounded like his signal had just been cut off. But then I realized all of them were. The voices in my ear had completely stopped. Boris frowned and tapped his earpiece beside me.I turned to him. “Take two of our guys and check out what’s going on back there. I think someone might be jamming us, and if they are, I’ll bet the gear is in that car.”He gave me a startled look I couldn’t fully read, and then nodded. “I’ll do that.” Then he got up and sidled to the edge of the aisle, looming over each person as he passed them with an awkwardly apologetic smile.I checked my connection again, then swore under my breath. If they were jamming us successfully, they had to know what frequency we used. If that was true, they were getting inside information from somewhere.How the hell could I give orders now? Not easily. I scowled, then checked my cellphone. No signal. Not one single bar. Whoever was jamming our mics had thought of that too. I wondered how long it would be before the civilians realized their own phones were down.The thought of that led straight to the thought of Olivia, and immediately I knew I had to protect her. If something was happening, I had a duty to keep it from slopping over and harming her.They were after me. I’ll leave and draw them away. She could handle selling things without me watching.If I did this right, she would never even know that danger had been knocking on her door.I set my jaw and stood, excusing myself down the row of seats until I got to the side aisle. I stepped out into the open, letting any of my men left in the crowd see me. Then I slipped out through a side door.The service corridors surrounding the auction floor were deserted save for a few guards. They walked around, spread so thin that I easily slipped past them and headed for the side exit. But before I could quite reach it, my attention was caught by quick, light footsteps coming down the corridor, accompanied by the soft rustle of silk.Olivia appeared, a worried look on her face as she looked around for me. I emerged from the shadows, and she jumped. “Sorry,” I murmured, but I couldn’t find my smile under the circumstances.“That’s all right. Look, you left suddenly, and all our radios are down. Cellphones too. What’s going on?”I opened my mouth to reassure her that I had no idea, and then decided she needed to know. “Someone’s parked a car in the side alleyway that probably has a jammer in it. I have enemies. They must have learned of the auction and decided it was a good time to try to take me out.”Her eyes widened, but she managed to keep her wits and keep her voice low. “We’ve got to get you out of here, then!”“No. I’ve got to get me out of here. You’ve got to go back and run the auction. I will draw them away.” I looked her in the eyes.“But, Viktor—” she started, one hand already on the exit door.“No. I will not have you endangering yourself for my sake.” Though it moved me that she would think of it. I wasn’t used to anyone outside the Bratva giving a damn whether I lived or died. “Go back, Olivia. I’ll contact you again as soon as I am able.”She stepped back from me, pale and trembling, but then nodded and turned to go.It was just then that a figure walked toward us in the dim hallway, one of the guards on his rounds. He stopped dead when he noticed us, then moved forward a little more slowly, not reaching for his radio. His hand was down by his holster instead.Olivia held up her ID for the man, but I frowned. I didn’t recall him from the photos Olivia gave me.I grabbed her one-armed a moment before he drew his weapon. My other hand yanked the Taurus from its holster while I turned to put her behind me. She was just reacting with a squeak when he took aim and the gunfire started.The man’s first bullet bit into the wall six inches from my head. The slug from mine hit him in his right shoulder, destroying it and spinning him completely around. The pistol dropped from his suddenly limp hand and he thudded to the ground a second after, his eyes wide with shock.Running feet, heading towards us from around the corner at the far end of the hall. Friend or foe? No way of telling. The door was steps away. I pushed Olivia toward it, and we ducked out into dim daylight and rain.Empty crates were stacked along the wall beside the door, I yanked them down to block it as we ran. “My cars are in the VIP parking lot,” I told her as we hurried to get distance between us and the door.“Won’t they know which car is yours?”I stopped dead. I had parked in the small, sparsely occupied VIP lot, along with three other cars from our motor pool. We were the only ones parked in it. “Damn it.” It seemed Boris wasn’t the only one off his game lately. “You’re right. If they haven’t rigged a bomb, they’ll at least be watching the cars.” I weighed my options. Stealing a car was out. The subway station was a few blocks off.“So we take mine. It’s a rental while the Prius is in the shop. Nobody knows what it looks like.”She was involving herself. Bravely. Loyally.Inside, I split down the middle—one half angry and worried that she wouldn’t let me get her out of this nasty business as fast as possible. One half suddenly wanting her with such savage urgency that I couldn’t push it from my thoughts.“Very well,” I told her. “We’ll do it your way.”