Chapter Twenty-Two: Andrei

The days are only getting busier, but I’m in my element back in the office. I look over the paperwork on my desk, wanting to do away with the mountain of contracts I have to sign. Some of them aren’t mine. Some are signed NDA contracts with strict policies and stipulations pertaining to new business deals. A phone call comes through, interrupting my sandwich.

“Andrei.” I smile when I see the caller ID.

“Ruslan. Nice to hear from you, cousin. How are you?”

“Everything is going along nicely here. Business is good. Fiona and the kids are brilliant. I live in a house full of chaos. We just added a new member of the family.”

Shocked, I raise my eyebrows. “What? You’re having a third child?”

“No, no, no,” he quietly laughs, sounding more content than I’ve ever known him to be. Maybe it’s Fiona’s presence, or because he was able to get ahold of the coveted Omerta Files. Or even a combination of the two. It’s hard to say, but either way, there’s a blueprint for family success I want to emulate from him.

“Then what?”

“A cat. We have the dog already on deck.”

“Ah, domestic bliss over there. Sophia and I will have to come around for dinner when you’re free.”

“That works. I’ve been hearing some things. Let’s compare notes.” The casual conversation takes a serious turn.

“Sure. What are you hearing?”

“I’ve heard you’ve got a problem starting with R.” Often when we speak, and if we don’t know if the line is clear, we speak in code. Today is no exception.

“Still haven’t found out who sent him. It’s being worked on as we speak, but I might have to call in more resources to get the information I need.”

“Hmm. Want me to help?” Ruslan offers.

“No. I’ve got a handle on this one,” I respond, thinking about how I’ve long been in the shadow of my brother Pakhan, but it served me well, giving me the confidence and the credentials to manage my own arm of the Bratva organization. Not that I’m upset with Ruslan offering me help, but any day Ryan’s boss is going to be found.

“No problem, and congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thanks. So far, so good.” And that really has been the case because Sophia’s just been attending doctor appointments. Seeing the ultrasound of the baby did freak me out a little, but secretly I’m getting excited to see what my child will turn out to be like.

“Are you doing any work for the Bratva?” I poke, changing the subject, not wanting to harp on about the sore subject of not finding Ryan’s boss yet.

“I’m working. We’ve got a new brand deal for our liqueur, and we’re in production talks, discussing new flavors.”

“Congratulations. That’s good news.” My cell phone rings and as I slide my chair across to my phone, seeing that it’s from Dimitri. “Talk later, back to business, Cuz.”

“No problem. Call me if you need backup,” Ruslan offers.

“Will do. Bye.” I hang up the office phone, picking up my cell phone, anticipating news.

“Are you in your office?” Dimitri’s voice can be heard in two places, throwing me off a little.

“Dimitri?” My office door swings open as Dimitri takes up space in the door and stuffs his phone in his back pocket.

“Cousin. I thought I would pay you a personal visit on this one,” he remarks soberly, capturing my attention.

“Why? Is everything okay in New York?” I quiz. If he’s flown in specially to see me, then there’s news. Dimitri rubs a hand over the back of his neck, exhaling.

“That bad?”

“Depends on what you call bad. I’ve got some news that’s worth me showing up for. And I have to see a horse about a dog.”

“Man about a dog,” I correct, smirking at my cousin. We work together and have formed a network of alliances between here and New York that are both good for future blackmailing purposes and business.

“No. Horse about a dog. I’m thinking about buying into horse racing, and there’s some bookies I need to see, but that’s neither here nor there.”

“What’s up?”

“I came to tell you who Ryan’s working for,” Dimitri adds.

Pushing back in my chair, I stand, walking closer to perch at the front of my desk. Finally, we’ve got some answers.

“ Who? Who the fuck is it?” I ask, glad the mystery’s been solved.

“Here,” he quips dryly, handing me a glossy photograph of a short, stout Italian guy in a blue suit with a bulbous nose and a receding hairline.

“I don’t know who this guy is, but why is it his face reminds me of somebody?” I’ve seen him before, but I can’t quite place where.

Dimitri sighs. “That’s because his name is Bruno Salvatore, and you have set eyes on him at the gala event we attended.”

Slapping the photo against my palm, I stare at it once more as I bring it closer to my face. “Ah yeah, this prick. I bumped into him in the bathroom stall. He walked out when I came in. I never forget a fuckup.”

“He’s new to the scene,” Dimitri informs me.

“Why, where’s he coming from?”

“He’s here from Milan. He’s got a specific mission apparently. Too bad it’s not going to work out for him.”

“What’s the mission?”

“To take down the Bratva.”

Laughing, I stare at the picture again. “Fucking get lost! One guy?”

“Uh-uh. He’s head of the Italian Mafia syndicate called the Gravita. He’s linked in with the Lestoria Gang here and has his hooks into the New York casino racket. He’s also involved in illegal card tables, and has an underground circuit moving slowly, but I’m shutting down his venues one by one.”

“I was going to say, do your fucking job.”

“Problem is I’m doing my job a little too well, and he’s moving to greener pastures. I.e.—Chicago. You’re up, Cousin.”

“Hmm. What’s his plan here?”

“Like everyone else. He heard about the Omerta Files and that’s why he sent Ryan in. To find out how to steal it.”

“Who’s your source?”

“Lenny.” Lenny’s long been a street insider for Dimitri in New York, and as long as we keep paying him a nice fat bonus every month, he delivers.

“Ah. Lenny. But there’s more, isn’t there?”

“You bet. Guess who Bruno Salvatore’s lawyer is?”

“Who?”

“Christopher Brennan. You know this face very intimately.” Frowning, I take the second photo out of my cousin’s hands, balling up a tight fist.

“Asshole. The one Sophia went to the gala with. That’s why he invited her. He must be connected to the college somehow.”

“Now you’re thinking, Cousin. He is—”

“How?” Fuming, I want all the details.

“His sister is a doctor there, and she was working with Sophia.”

“Fuck! The prison.” Slamming a hand on the desk, I shake my head.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, fuck, I’m fine. Sophia came to the prison when I was in there and to kill time, I answered some research questions she was asking. There was supposed to be a different woman there.” Snapping my fingers, my brain fires, attempting to remember her name.

“Let me help you. Dr. Perri.”

“Yes! That’s her. She wasn’t there that day for some reason.”

Before we can get into the details and strategize a plan, Makar busts through the door.

“I’ve got bad news.”

On high alert, I switch on, thinking it’s time to load up my gun for some reason. “Which is?”

“Sophia left the house this morning and she hasn’t come back since. She normally runs short errands and returns, even if she is shopping. I wanted to touch base with you.”

Fearing the worst, Dimitri and I glance at one another as I ring her phone. With every ring, I grow more antsy. “Come on, Sophia, pick up!” But all it does is go to her voicemail. Fear sets in as I put the jagged pieces of the puzzle together.

“She’s not picking up?” Dimitri asks, checking inside his jacket for his gun.

“No. Makar she’s got a location sharing on her phone. Track her.”

“Done, Boss. Leave it to me.”

“ Damn it! ” Frustrated that I’ve only just found out the information about Ryan and slotted the pieces together, I swat papers off my desk, quickly regaining my composure and directing my energy back to Dimitri.

“What do you wanna do? I’m ready.” A dagger of pain slices through my heart when I think about anything happening to Sophia or my child.

“Do you have intel on Christopher and Bruno’s location?”

“Yeah, I’m confident I can get it, I’ll tail them. Let me get on with it. What are you going to do?”

Grim faced, I let the thick pounding in my heart recede. “What I do best,” I tell him, but this time it’s different. I should have finished Chris off at the hotel. In my gut I knew it was a bad decision to let him live.

I’m not one for leaving loose ends unraveled, but Sophia is my weakness, and if something happens to her, I’ll never be able to live with myself. Bratva take care of their family, and Sophia is my family.