15. Radimir

15

RADIMIR

For the next three days, I stomped around in an even fouler mood than normal. I couldn’t stop seeing Bronwyn’s horrified face, or hearing her tell me to get away from her. I should never have given in to that first moment of weakness, when I’d seen her in the bookstore. I’d fucked up badly.

But it was much worse than I thought.

I was standing on the top floor of a half-built tower block when it happened. The block was one of my pet projects, paid for by the tens of millions we’d made from our gambling operations, and I was grilling the foreman on why construction was behind.

Then Gennadiy stepped out of the elevator, followed by Valentin and Mikhail. The look in Gennadiy’s eyes was murderous. Valentin didn’t look much happier and even the always-upbeat Mikhail looked grim.

“Tell your crew to take a break,” I told the foreman, and he quickly cleared his people from the building. When I was sure we were alone, I turned to Gennadiy. “What’s up?”

Gennadiy pushed his phone under my nose. “This. This is what’s up.”

He played a video. Security camera footage, the outside of Borislav’s apartment building seen from across the street. There was me, head down, hurrying up to the front door and punching in the access code…

...my stomach lurched as Bronwyn raced up the steps, caught the door and followed me in.

I stayed silent and sweated it out. Maybe I could pretend she was a random civilian, some tenant who’d happened to walk in just after me. But the security footage kept playing. Bronwyn came charging out of the door and I chased after her.

“Our hacker deleted the footage from the buildings across the street like he was supposed to, but he was so worried by what he saw, he sent me a copy. What the fuck is this?” snarled Gennadiy.

I faced off against him, glaring. I was still his Pakhan, his boss. But Valentin got between us. “Please, brother. Tell us what this is so we can fix it.”

I sighed and the fight went out of me. They were only trying to protect me from myself. I ran a hand through my hair and told them about Bronwyn.

Gennadiy stared at me. “All this because you shoved your dick in some woman?”

“It’s not like that!” I snapped.

Gennadiy and Valentin looked at each other, worried. “What is it like?” asked Gennadiy.

I said nothing, fuming.

“Why was she following you?” Mikhail wanted to know.

“I think she was mad at me.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “After we fucked, I... left her there.”

“You just left? ” Mikhail raised his eyes to heaven. “Did I teach you boys nothing about women?”

Valentin stepped forward. “Radimir, you say she saw you kill Borislav. She’s a witness.”

“She won’t go to the police,” I said firmly.

Gennadiy shook his head. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” I told him. “I can control her.”

Mikhail sighed. “Radimir, she’s a woman. God himself couldn’t control her!”

Gennadiy waved his phone at me. “ This video is gone, but what if there are other cameras we don’t know about? What if a passer-by saw the two of you? Even if she doesn’t go to the police, the police might come to her!” He paced, too angry to stay still. “She didn’t just witness a murder, she knows the biggest secret there is: that it was us who killed Borislav! Have you thought about what happens if one of the other families gets to her? How many people have seen you going into this bookstore of hers? How many have guessed that there’s something between you? What if they get hold of her to use as leverage against you? Will she hold her tongue when they’re pulling her fingernails out?”

I glared at him even though I knew he was right. I’d put her in danger the moment I let myself get close to her.

Gennadiy sighed and stared off into the distance. The view from up here, looking out across Chicago, was incredible, but I could tell he wasn’t seeing it. He was trying to control that ferocious temper of his so he could speak calmly. And when he spoke, I found out why.

“Brother,” he said gently, “she’s a witness. You know what you have to do.”

It took me a second because, despite all the lives I’d taken, my mind just hadn’t gone there. Not with Bronwyn. I drew in my breath. “ No.”

“You don’t have a choice,” said Gennadiy, his voice still gentle.

“I’m not killing her,” I told him.

“You have to,” said Valentin quietly.

“I’m not. Killing her.” I spat.

Gennadiy raised his hands in submission. “Okay. Okay, it’s alright.” His gentleness was driving me crazy. He started walking away.

Fear grabbed my heart in a cold fist and I ran after him and grabbed his shoulder. “ You’re not doing it either!”

He looked at me in pity. “I’ll make it so she doesn’t suffer.”

I grabbed his shirt in both hands. “If you touch one hair on her head, I will end you!” I roared.

Gennadiy finally lost his cool. “Then end me!” he yelled. “I’ll still have protected you!”

We glared at each other, our faces only a foot apart. I felt myself fracture inside: I knew he loved me, I knew he was only trying to protect me. And I knew that however much we yelled at each other; he really would die to save me. But I couldn’t let him touch Bronwyn.

“Maybe you could marry her,” said Valentin.

All of us turned to stare at him. “ What?” I demanded.

“If she’s your wife,” Valentin explained, “the cops can’t make her testify against you. And if you’re together, none of the other families would dare touch her.”

Everyone went quiet. I glanced around: they all looked thoughtful. “ No!” I said quickly. “No. Unacceptable.”

“It’s a good solution, Radimir,” said Mikhail.

“Except she hates me! She’ll never agree to it.”

“She was happy enough to fuck you,” said Gennadiy mildly.

“That’s different! And now she…” Now she’s seen what a monster I am. “She’s scared of me! And we barely know each other! She doesn’t want to marry me; she doesn’t even want to see me!” I shook my head. “I’m not ruining her life just because I made a mistake.”

“She’ll be compensated,” said Gennadiy. “A nice apartment. Fancy clothes.”

“She’s not a whore!” I didn’t mean to yell it, but I did. Gennadiy cocked his head at me, curious, and I looked away. “You don’t understand. She’s not like us. She’s not part of this.” I waved my hand at the four of us. “I’m not bringing her into it!”

Gennadiy put his hand on my shoulder. “You know the alternative, brother.”

I shook off his hand and marched to the edge of the roof, thinking furiously. Marry her?! She had her whole future ahead of her, she deserved to meet someone good and go off and have children and vacations and all that civilian crap. And it would ruin my life, too. Sharing an apartment with her while constantly lusting after her. Knowing I could never give her what she deserved: I could never love her. It would be hell. And it would be forever: it wasn’t like we could ever divorce .

No. I couldn’t do it.

But...—I felt myself tearing apart inside—I couldn’t kill her, either.

I scowled and cursed but at last I sighed and turned to my family. “Okay,” I said.

“We’re coming with you,” said Gennadiy immediately.

I felt the anger build in my chest again: don’t you trust me? But no, they didn’t. And they were right not to. If I was on my own, it would be too easy to give in to temptation, give her a hundred thousand dollars and put her on a plane. But wherever she went, she’d still be in danger. My brothers were just trying to protect me.

“Fine,” I told him. “But we’re making a stop on the way. If I’m going to do this, I’m doing it right.”