Chapter Two: Dimitri

I watch from my lavish glass tower on the fortieth floor as a tourist boat cruises slowly on the Chicago River in front of me. Every day there are new passengers on the cruise learning about the ins and outs of Chicago. Smirking, I scratch at my beard wondering if the host tells them about the Chicago of old and all the bloodshed on its streets. Yes, Chicago might have cleaned up its act from the outside looking in, but underneath lies the ongoing seedy underbelly of corruption, power, money, and greed, and I’m grateful to be leading the charge from my new digs.

A gradual transition from running operations in New York to Chicago has been in the works for some time, but finally I’ve resettled in the city. I never wanted to leave in the first place, but the undoing’s of my father led me into the Big Apple and proving myself in one of the toughest cities in America. I made it work, carving out a niche for myself in security operations, networking, cutting deals one by one via blackmail, and placing high-ranking police, military leaders, lawyers, criminals, and other useful people on the Bratva payroll.

Sighing, I soak it all in, waiting for Viktor to return. Apparently, he has news. From the tone of his voice, I anticipate the news to be favorable to the Bratva. The slight smirk on my face sours as I rake a hand through my dirty-blond hair. I’ve had to claw my way to the top and earn every ounce of respect from not only my peers but the Bratva organization as a whole. It’s taken me over six years to prove myself worthy to run my own branch of it, and yet some of my motives remain under fire.

With a steely resolve, I’ve managed to pick up every broken piece of my bloodline’s reputation due to my father shattering it years ago. A muscle twitches in my cheek when I think about the long hours and sheer grit it’s taken for me to bring us back from the dead. Today has been a long day of meetings and negotiations, each of them chess moves to the bigger goals I hold. An abrupt knock on my frosted-glass door catapults me out of my deep thinking.

“Boss.”

My eyebrow shoots up as Viktor enters with a huge grin on his face. He’s been my right-hand man for over a decade, never faltering when shit hits the proverbial fan. He, too, has had to fight to prove himself in the Bratva. That’s something we have in common and probably why he’s in the position he’s in with me. Rounding the cherrywood mini bar, I grab a crystal tumbler, pouring myself a whisky neat. I might be Russian, but whisky is my dirty drink of choice. Swirling the caramel contents, I answer back.

“Yes?”

“I think I just got the best news of the year for us,” he issues with a thick accent and a deep chuckle, easing all six foot five of himself into the chair in front of my desk. Nothing is out of order. I’m a strategic man of order right down from my Parker pens to my envelopes. I’ve had to be, and it’s these methods that have put me in good stead, bringing in millions of cash reserves for the brotherhood.

Sipping the elixir of fire, I let the smooth bite hit my throat as I smile back in amusement at Viktor. “Do I need to pour up another?”

“I think you’re going to want to.” He grins, standing up and joining me at the bar as I pour him one. “Finally, that old bastard Jackson Knight has passed away. He’s been sick for years, holding on for too long, in my opinion.”

I’m not ready to celebrate yet, but it seems one of my chess pieces has already been slotted into place. “How did you find out?”

“I have a connection at the hospice hospital. A sweet little nurse. Catch my drift?” Viktor winks and I nod. In other words, he’s been fucking her for information. Why not? It’s hurting no one and helps us. Viktor’s not a complete eyesore, and his height, coupled with a rugged physique and square shoulders normally hits the mark. We are opposites in many ways. He has dark hair and olive eyes with pale Russian skin. Zero tattoos, and very clean cut to the outside. It’s a good camouflage if need be in one regard. At six foot three, I’m no slouch, but more compact, covered in tattoos from the neck down, inheriting the dirty-blond hair and ice-blue eyes of my father.

“Yes. I catch it. How long have you been doing her?”

Viktor knocks back his drink. “You know this. Long enough to get her to pillow talk about Jackson. She said he was an exemplary patient, but his heart was giving out. Shame it gave out last night.”

“Good, good.” A spark of electricity whips through my system when I think about what it means for us.

“It sure is. We can go after it now with a clear run.”

Sipping my whisky carefully, I nod. “Yes. Raven’s Peak is ours. He doesn’t have any children either. This is our chance.” The thought of owning Raven’s Peak makes my dick hard, and it’s as good a chance at redemption as any from the botched heist my father put us through. The more distance I can put between “that untimely incident” and me, the better. I’m nothing like my father, and nor do I want to be.

“Nope. None and I’ve triple-checked. This means there’s going to be an auction, and all we have to do is wait to buy it.”

“No. There’s not going to be any waiting.”

“Are you going to rig the auction?”

Tilting my head, I pour myself another whisky, desperate to get my hands on the lucrative goldmine. “Rig? No… I’m going to find out when it is. We have money, there’s no need for the rigging. Who will outbid us? They won’t be able to keep up!” I snicker as Viktor nods, raising his glass.

“No. They won’t. Wisconsin, here we come. I hear it’s a cold bitch up there.”

“No colder than Chicago in winter.”

“Bullshit, Boss.”

“Okay, maybe a little,” I banter, in a feel-good mood from the news. “Do you know what this means?”

“More money. And plenty of it. That place is a lithium gold mine. That’s why Jackson was holding on to it so tightly.” Viktor rubs his fingers together, his white teeth gleaming.

“Right, and with our networks from the acquisition of the Omerta Files we can quadruple our income over the next thirty years, bringing me and the Bratva more leverage and power. We will be the go-to for energy storage, powering electric vehicles, batteries, and managing the global reserves for lithium. Given that Raven’s Peak is a hub, we can ask for more. Every country will want to come through us, and we can charge a hefty premium.”

And I can redeem my family name. Not even Ruslan or Andrei can rival this deal. I never miss. “No. Correction, Boss. We will make them come through us.”

“It will be a no-brainer. The door to partnerships in the tech world will put us on top. Whenever people speak about lithium, my name will be the one they say. Tesla comes to mind.”

Viktor crosses his arms over his chest, a satisfied smirk popping up. “Tesla. Aerospace—we’re talking rockets to the moon. Military defense, you name it; we will have our names on it.”

Viktor’s got the same glint in his eye that I’ve had for the last five years waiting for the old man to croak. “Aren’t you glad you stuck it out with me?” A cocky sneer rides over my face, but I know the job isn’t done yet.

“I’ve always known.”

“Smart man. Everyone will forget about that dumb bank heist.”

“They will. It’s already a thing of the past. You never miss, Dimitri.”

“I don’t, but we can’t celebrate fully until we have that deed in my hot hands. I want it,” I grit out, my heart riding on its own powerful beat inside my chest.

“Of course. It’s not just about making us money either. By extracting the lithium ourselves we cut out middlemen. Don’t forget about the border either,” Viktor replies, his eyes narrowing.

“We can smuggle contraband out on that back corner of the property’s border. It will be a lot easier to remain concealed from a Wisconsin base. Law enforcement is weak there.”

“You’re right about that. I’m surprised we haven’t run contraband through there previously.” I can hear Viktor’s mind ticking over with the promise of increasing our power, but we have to sew up the deal first.

“We haven’t been able to test it. Now it’s wide open for us to do it. It will be of great benefit,” I tell him, invigoration seeping back into my bones. Back at my desk, I sift through my phone numbers until I find the county treasurer’s number for Raven’s Peak. We’ve had prior conversations over the last couple of years about property. Now, after holding my breath for so long, I can come to the surface for air.

“We’re going to own everyone’s ass. Who are you calling—William?”

“You bet I am. He’s the county treasurer, and it’s going to be him who auctions off the property. He’ll make sure we get a good price.” I snicker, knowing it’s only a formality at this point. Since the Omerta Files, we’ve been able to make friends throughout government across the country.

“That’s right. He is.”

Dialing his number, William picks up after the second ring. “Ah, William. I’m glad I caught you. Business doing well?” I ask him, ticking off the initial pleasantries.

“Very well. Steady. And for you?” Viktor and I exchange glances.

“Good as always, but about that….”

“Yes?”

Pausing, I stand on the ledge of redemption, squeezing the cordless phone in my hand. “I wanted to check in with you about Raven’s Peak being auctioned off.”

A fractional pause hangs in the balance before William answers. Immediately the beat in my heart escalates. “I’m afraid Raven’s Peak won’t be auctioned off.”

“Why not?” I quip, my stomach clenching.

“Because Jackson has a distant relative, Ava. From the documents I can see, she’s a grandniece. Her name is Ava Knight. Give me a second. I’ve just finished reviewing the paperwork.”

The sound of rustling papers filters down the line, leaving me fuming. Too good to be true. Ava Knight. Who the fuck is she? “Ava Knight,” I whisper harshly under my breath.

“Ah, here it is. Yes. Ava Knight. She’s going to inherit the land, and as it stands, she’s probably been informed that it’s hers.”

“Fuck!” I mouth out loud, but don’t let William hear. “Right. Thanks William. That’s good to know.”

Cutting the call, I massage my temples, my brow knitting together. “Viktor we’ve got a thorn that needs to be pulled. I’m not about to let some grandniece stand in the way of my victory. Oh no. We’re going to buy Ava Knight out and send her on her way. She probably doesn’t even understand what all the lithium on her property is worth.

“What, Boss? What happened?”

“There’s a grandniece named Ava Knight who’s due to inherit Raven’s Peak, and we need her gone,” I answer with authority. “I need you to find out all you can about her and get back to me.”

Because Raven’s Peak is fucking mine, goddamit!