6. ANDREY

Chapter 6

ANDREY

“Your father was not happy with Lev and Stacy,” Konstantin continues. “Not about the elopement but because Lev told him Stacy was pregnant.”

“What?” My eyes open wide. “Stacy had my brother’s child?”

“No!” Konstantin shakes his head. “Lev seems to think that Ivan and Marco made sure she never had the child.” His jaw clenches. “He also believes they wanted to teach Lev a lesson about going against them. Your brother nearly destroyed the Moretti and Belov kingdom expansion plans that would come from your marriage to my sister.”

“What?” Now I’m more confused than ever. “What the fuck are you talking about Zhukov?” He’s not making sense. Andrey had known his whole life that Lev was supposed to have been Pakhan—he was the oldest. “Why would my father and Marco want to kill Stacy for carrying the next Belov heir?”

“It’s quite simple really!” Konstantin shrugs. “Your father and Marco would’ve been royally fucked if Lev and Stacy had a child before you and Isabella. For you to be Pakhan, you had to have the first Belov Pakhan heir. Because that’s the Belov rules as laid down by your great-grandfather.”

“That’s bullshit.” I snort. “Lev was always supposed to be Pakhan. I’m only Pakhan because…” Fuck—it can’t be true, surely! “Shit!” Pinching the bridge of my nose, I continue. “Because Lev was presumed dead.”

“No! Not true,” Konstantin disagrees with me. “You were always going to be Pakahn, and Lev knew it. It had to be you because that’s what my uncle and grandmother demanded. Well, that’s if your father was to keep his head so he and Marco could mend bridges. Trust me, those two would do anything to get the keys to an empire they’ve always greedily envisioned.”

“No!” I shake my head. “That’s complete bullshit. Roman and your grandmother have no say over who my father picks as Pakhan. It’s always gone to the oldest son in our family.”

“Again—you’re wrong. Your father owes them a debt. You marry Isabella, become the Belov Pakhan, and have an heir.” He does his annoying shrugging thing again. “And it doesn’t always have to be the firstborn that gets to be Pakhan. It’s really up to the current Pakhan to announce his heir.”

“I know that!” I’m getting pissed off with Konstantin and his superior attitude.

“You know that the Belovs have their way of choosing an heir!” He looks at me questioningly. “Your grandfather Genaddy was very traditional and held onto the Belov traditions. Especially when it came to making sure the Belov line continued.”

“You’re correct, but my father changed a lot of my great-grandfather’s rules, which he said were outdated, much to my grandfather’s disgust. I can remember that they fought about that a lot.”

“Your grandfather Genaddy never wanted your father to be Pakhan.”

“Yeah!” I nod. “I overheard that many times during one of the many arguments they had on almost a daily basis. The old man accused my father of being the real person behind my late Uncle Grigory’s death until the day he died.“ My eyes narrow at Konstantin. “Why are you so interested in my family history?”

“Know your enemy!” He shrugs.

But I can tell there’s a lot more to his obsession with the Belovs. Maybe it’s revenge for my father’s part in Konstantin being sold.

“So you know exactly how to exact your revenge.” That nagging doubt about the man and suspicion I’m being led into a trap hammers in my brain once again. “Is that the real trap here?” My eyes narrow some more. “You’re taking me to a remote hunting lodge to finish me off because you no longer need me?”

“If I wanted you dead or captured,” Konstantin assures me, “I wouldn’t have to set a trap for you, or I would’ve already killed you when my sister set a trap for all of you.”

“Then what is this conversation about?” My suspicions about him are still high.

“Establishing why you and my sister were matched when you were kids,” Konstantin tells me.

“And how important yours and Isbella’s children will be,” Temur adds from the pilot’s seat.

“What do you know about your grandfather’s first wife?” Konstantin asks me.

“That my grandfather Genaddy not only blamed my father for my Uncle Grigory’s death but also for the death of his first wife, Anastasia, Grigory’s mother.” I run a hand through my hair. “He claimed that my grandmother, Colleen, tricked him into having an affair with her and she fell pregnant with my father, Ivan, while Anastasia was about to have their first child.”

“That’s not a claim. It’s the truth,” Konstantin says. “When Grigory was three months old, Anastasia had an accident and died. Colleen’s father made Genaddy marry Colleen a couple of months later to ensure the child was born a Belov.”

“Grandfather Genaddy loved to rub it into my father’s face that because of him, the Belovs lost one of the biggest parts of their empire—Canada and Alaska.”

“As soon as Anastasia died in an accident, her powerful Bratva family suspected it was no accident, especially when Genaddy married a pregnant Colleen a few months after Anastasia’s death,“ Konstantin reminds me. “It was Anastasia’s family alliance that had exalted the Belovs to the position of power they’d been in while Genaddy was married to her.”

“Then, when she died, Anastatis’s family pulled away their alliance, and all our ties to Canada and Alaska were cut. In fact, there’s a lot of bad blood there,“ I continue.

“But when your late uncle was old enough to marry, your grandfather Genaddy then managed to move the family to an even bigger alliance. Your Uncle Grigory was to marry Karina Zhukov,” Temur states. “And we all know how that ended. So as far as the Bratva in Canada, Alaska, and Europe are concerned, the Belovs don’t deserve their respect—your family’s trash to them.”

“Fuck you!” I glare at Temur.

“Temur,” Konstantin reprimands. “Only I can call the Belovs trash.”

“Fuck you, too.” My brows draw together. “You’re not superior to me.”

“Let’s move on from this,” Konstantin says before continuing where the conversation left off. “Your grandfather was about to make an alliance that would give them trade and product with the Canadian Andreevs alongside one of the most powerful Bratva families in the world,” Konstantin points out. “Another plus was that Grigory’s marriage also brought Harrington and Velvet Transport—which at the time was the biggest transport company in the world and one of the only ones that most crime families used.”

“Yes, my mother Grace’s family opened up the shipping lines for the Belovs.”

“No, between your mother and your father, they nearly crumbled more than just the Belov empire.” Konstantin raises his brows accusingly. “When she came to America with Karina to meet the Belovs in negotiation over her marriage to Grigory, your mother was engaged to Roman Zhukov.”

“So I’ve been told.” I shake my head. “Just another reason for Roman Zhukov to want my father dead.”

“Then that shit with the contraband containers happened,” Konstantin reminds me. “Grigory, Matteo, and Anatoli were killed. Along with Grace’s father, mother, and sister.”

I can see where he’s going with this, and when I hear Konstantin’s telling it, I can see why everyone suspects the real culprits behind the contraband container war of twenty-nine years ago were Marco and my father.

“I can see how this makes my father and Marco look guilty.”

“Do you know that Grace and her father, Lance, had come to Boston with Roman and Karina because he’d bought the Boston docks and was going to get Grigory to run them for him?” Konstantin’s words do surprise me because I did not know that.

“The contraband only started after Lance had signed the contract stating that,“ Konstantin’s eyes narrow. “When the containers were being blamed on Matteo, Grigory, and Anatoli, Grace’s mother and sister had been taken and were being held hostage.”

“Yes, so that Lance would continue to send the containers,” I say. “That’s what Colleen told the Irish mob…”

“Sealing Matteo, Grigory, and Anatoli’s fate.” Konstantin’s look says it all. “And paving a way for the new Pakhan.”

“What are you saying?” My voice becomes low and dangerous. “That my grandmother and father were in that together?”

“You do the math,” Konstantin retorts. “They got the Irish mob to take out Matteo, Grigory, and Anatoli. Colleen has Lance killed and blames Roman. Your father suddenly finds Grace’s mother and sister. Her mother is dead, and a few months later, her sister takes her own life.”

“My mother blames Roman for their deaths, and my father is her hero,” I continue. “My father gets Grace and Velvet Transport.”

“And he becomes Pakhan a couple of months later when Grace is pregnant,” Konstantin finishes my contribution to the story.

“Your father married Karina,” I point out. “I’ve noticed you’ve kept Marco from the blame.”

“Oh. Marco was in love with Matteo’s wife, Genevra.” Konstantin’s eyes flash with a dark emotion. “He also didn’t think Matteo was the best attorney at Moretti Law, and while he wasn’t really interested in being the Moretti Mob boss, he wanted the law firm.” He glances out the window. “Apparently, Marco also made no secret about the fact about the law firm, but he did love his brother.”

“Unlike my father, who didn’t love his old brother,” I comment. “My father told me it was no secret how he and Grigory didn’t get along, as Grigory never showed Colleen any respect.”

“Can you blame him?” Konstantin’s brows raise.

“They were both fucking bastards that neither Roman nor Karla should’ve shown any mercy to,” Timur sneers.

“Temur!” Konstantin barks. “Forgive him. He lost his father, who was trying to protect Anatoli.”

“Shit.” I glance at the pilot. “I’m sorry.”

Temur nods. “Thanks.”

“Bringing the conversation back to how this affects you and Isabella.” Konstantin brings my attention back to him. “Roman made Marco marry Karina in order to save the Morettis and stop Marco’s father, who, as you know, defended the underworld and some other crooked people.”

“I guess you can’t really put a hit on a man that can literally bring down most crime families in the States and Canada.”

“The Morettis also have a European branch that works for Roman. They also have another darker family secret.”

“Fuck!” I did not know that. “No wonder Marco only got off with having to marry Karina.”

“Oh no, that’s not the only punishment that Marco got!” Konstantin shook his head. “There was a reason Matteo had to die.”

“And what was that?”

“Matteo was The Reaper!” Konstantin’s words have my jaw dropping. “You’re married to my sister now, so I can tell you what Marco’s side hustle is and why your grandmother always pushed Ivan to be his friend.”

“She knew one of the Moretti brothers was going to be or was The Reaper!” I guess.

“Yup!” Konstantin nods. “My uncle thinks Colleen found out it was Matteo. That’s why he had to die. She couldn’t have The Reaper looking into the container war. Roman is the one that forced Marco’s father to pass the position onto Marco.”

“Fuck!” I spit. “My grandmother dared to go up against all those powerful people and killed The Reaper.”

“Don’t look so proud!” Konstantin warns me. “Because of what my uncle suspects your grandmother and father did, it’s cost you and my sister the freedom of choosing your own paths. It got me sold, tortured, and exiled to Russia at the age of twelve. Not to mention nearly killing your brother and Stacy.”

“And here you all are chasing a faceless enemy that is implementing the same strategy as back then to probably completely topple the Belov and Moretti family,” Temur adds. “Now that Isabella is pregnant, they pretty much don’t need any of the Belovs or Morettis.”

“Because our kids will inherit everything.” It suddenly dawns on me why Konstantin was taking me for a trip down family history lane. “My mother drew up her will two years ago and named me and any offspring I may have as the sole heirs of the Velvet company.”

“And you didn’t think that it was strange she didn’t share it between you and Lev?” Temur asks.

“I always just thought it was because Lev was going to become Pakhan, and she wanted me to have my share of control in our organization,” I admit. “If what you say is true, Konstantin, that I was meant to be Pakhan, I’m beginning to believe that Marco and my father could’ve been behind the attack on Lev.”

“Makes you wonder if it is not them behind the painted ladies,” Konstantin mutters, his words starting to ring true.

“My father looks like the Irish mob beat him up,” I tell Konstantin. “Which would make sense as it was one of their families that was the first to be taken down by the painted ladies.”

“It was their families that were taken down the last time, too,” Temur points out. “Then there’s the fact that Marco and Ivan have been buying backroom loan sharking and gambling dens on the quiet.”

“That’s a lie.”

“I’m afraid not.” Konstantin pulls out his phone, scrolls through it, and my phone beeps. “I’ve sent you a contract for the Velvet Cigar Lounge, Velvet Sharks Den, and the Velvet Hunting Lodge.”

“Never heard of any of them.” My brow furrows. “Are they supposed to be new businesses owned by my family? Someone else could be using the Velvet name.”

“They’re joint businesses that Ivan and Marco now co-own,” Temur explains. “They were businesses taken over from crime families after each of the previous crime families were taken down by the FEDs after the families received a painted ladies shipment.”

“You’re fucking joking!” Taking out my phone, I open the documents Konstantin has just sent me, and my heart jolts. “That’s my father’s and Marco’s signatures.”

“I know.” Konstantin nods. “I’ve had them checked out.”

“The warehouse you found the hackers in had been bought by your father and Marco eight months ago,” Temur tells me.

“So it looks like Ivan and Marco are trying to expand their kingdom beyond just the Zhukovs and Andreevs.” My jaw clenches as it all falls into place. “That’s why the two containers haven’t been delivered to the Zhukovs or the Andreevs yet.”

“They’re waiting for confirmation that Isabella has conceived.” My heart is flooded with fear. “That’s why they kidnapped Isabella, Lev, and Stacy from you.”

“Once it’s been confirmed that Isabella is carrying your child,” Konstantin tells me, “I fear we’ll all become expendable, and they’re going to try and make us kill each other.”

“Using your grudge against Marco and my father,” I guess. “I thought you’d killed my brother, and I’d probably blame you for my father’s death as you did mark him.”

“They have Lev and Stacy already,” Konstantin adds. “Once we’re all gone, Isabella and your mother will be vulnerable. Easy pickings.”

“Once the baby is born, though…” My fear for Isabella escalates. “They won’t need her anymore.”

“I think out of all of us,” Konstantin assures me, “Isabella and your children are the safest.”

“Children?” My brow knits together. “James said Isabella said that to you.”

“My sister believes she’s having twins.”

The words ricochet through my nervous system, but I don’t allow myself to ponder them because now I’m even more fearful. “If Isabella has twins, if that gets out…that makes her even more valuable.”

“Exactly!” Konstantin agrees.

“Do you think your mother saw this coming, and that’s why she had Isabella and I engaged as kids?”

“Before my mother tried to flee, she’d started becoming paranoid,” Konstantin tells me. “She even locked myself and your brother out of her lab and clinic.”

“She had a lab and clinic?”

“Yes, it was the old wine cellar beneath our house that my father converted for her,” he explains. “Lev used to always want to go and find out what my mother was working on. He really wanted to be a scientist.”

“My mother and Sergei seem to think he was one of the chemists for NeuroVeil.”

Konstantin looks at me in surprise. “Not that I know of.” He shakes his head. “There’s only one chemist now, and they haven’t found anyone to train, which is why the supply has started to run low for my uncle.”

“So my brother doesn’t know the formula for it?”

Konstantin laughs. “No.” He shook his head. “My mother used to leave decoy formulae lying around. But never the real stuff. That she only trusted the chemist with.”

“I wonder why my mother is convinced Lev was one of the people who knew or made the shit?”

“I know he’s tried to synthesize it a few times when we were kids,” Konstantin tells me. “But we never had the secret ingredients.”

“Your mother’s paranoia— was it because of this monster she refers to in her journal?”

“Where did you get one of my mother’s journals?”

“We found it in the safe when we were looking for Isabella,” I tell him.

“Before my mother died, she told my uncle she’d perfected the NeuroVeil and NeuroNet formulas. She’d finally made a way to make her new drug only target specific things.” He explains. “She thinks the patient she was treating at the time, the one she found out was the monster, overheard her and, to her surprise, spoke Russian.”

“Why would that surprise your mother?” I look at him curiously. “Her and Marco were deeply involved with the Bratva.”

“My uncle thinks the person she was treating wasn’t Russian or Bratva.” Konstantin’s words sent shock waves through me. “But I have a feeling she was wrong about them not speaking Russian, and they heard her tell Roman about her breakthrough. That night, my mother’s lab was broken into.”

“That’s ballsy!” I give a low whistle.

“Or someone who already lived on the property or knew my mother,” Konstantin points out. “The following day, my mother found her patient nearly dead after having been administered a high dose of NeuroVeil.”

“Who was the patient?”

“None of us know,” Konstantin tells me. “But she was testing her NeuroNerve Family on them.”

“What about her patient records?” I ask. “I know she probably treated crime families, but she’d still have kept medical records.”

“Gone,” Konstantin answers. “My mother had secret cameras in her lab and clinic. Apparently, she got the thief and the patient confessing on the footage.”

“And let me guess—that’s all gone!”

“Yes.” Konstantin nods in confirmation. “Along with the new formulae. The day my mother fled she trashed her lab and made sure there was nothing left of any ingredient in it.”

“You think that your mothers sending a messenger with all the information to Isabella?”

“Roman’s theory is that Marco knew who the patient was and would’ve got rid of them and any helpers by the time Isabella was twenty-one,” Konstantin says.

“Or she was hoping they’d be dead, which could imply they were older.”

“Like your psycho grandmother, perhaps?” Konstantin looks at me.

While I want to lay into him for disrespecting my grandmother, he’s not wrong about her. “She died in an accident a couple of months after your mother’s death.”

“I know.” Konstantin nods. “Two days after Roman sent word to Marco that I was found and safe after I’d been put into a container and tortured for around three weeks.”

“Why would he send word to Marco?”

“My uncle has never believed Marco had anything to do with that plot to kill Grigory Belov or Matteo Moretti.” His cold eyes hold mine. “But he does believe your father was behind it.”

“Why?” I look at him with raised brows. “What proof does he have?”

“That night of my mother’s death, Genevra, with the help of your brother, nearly had me on a plane to Russia,” Konstantin tells me. “But I was caught by Sergei, and he had been ordered to put me in that container by a Belov .”