by Hamel, B. B.
I stood at the bottom of the stoop, staring up. Leo grinned at me and followed Oleg inside. I stayed behind them as they moved in fast, Oleg heading toward the back and the kitchen, while Leo lingered at the bottom of the stairs.
The living room had a thick carpet, a leather couch, and a nice flat-screen TV mounted on the wall. There were several bookshelves with leatherbound books and bottles of whiskey tucked into the corners.
I heard noise. It took me a second to realize it was muffled screaming.
“The girls,” I said.
“Come on.” Leo started up the steps.
“Wait,” Oleg called out. “Must clear bottom first.”
“You clear it. I’m going after the girls.” Leo moved faster. I could see the pain in his eyes, but he didn’t slow down.
We reached the top floor. The screams were louder, though still muffled. Most of the doors stood open, and they were all empty. The bathroom at the end of the hall had no shower curtain and the tile had a strange brownish-red film covering it.
Leo made a face, sniffed the air. “Blood. You smell that?”
I nodded as revulsion came over me. It was an animal odor, something I associated with death and pain. Leo looked around then walked to the only closed door in sight.
Light flickered at the bottom. Someone moved around inside. The screams were louder, but still muffled, almost as if whoever was screaming had a gag in her mouth.
Leo looked at me and held up a hand. I understood he meant to wait, so I pressed myself against the wall and took deep breaths. I didn’t know what we’d find in there, but I knew it would be wrong, very wrong. I knew it would be the reason Ursula turned on Maksim and the reason all the other girls wanted to get away.
I forced away my disgust as Leo grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open.
I looked inside as Leo took a step through with his gun held level.
Two girls stood at the back of the room. They were naked and smoking cigarettes. Their faces had the blank shocked look of a person in pure crisis but trying to push it away. They met my eyes but didn’t move or react.
A single bed sat in the center of the room. Maksim prowled around it. The third girl lay sprawled on a bare mattress stained brain in spots. Her wrists and ankles were bound together with duct tape. A black gag was shoved into her mouth. Maksim smashed something down on her body, something that looked like a sock filled with change. He grinned with glee as it made a dull thud and the girl screamed and cried in pain.
“That’s right, little bitch,” he growled. “That’s what you enjoy, isn’t it? You fucking whore. You little—”
He reached the far side of the bed and Leo came into his sightline.
He dropped the sock and staggered back. He wore a pair of tight briefs. His penis was erect and stained against the gross underwear. His skin was pale and splotchy and covered in a strange downy white hair.
“What the fuck is this?” Leo asked. “What the fuck are you doing?” He took a few more steps into the room. The gun pointed at Maksim’s chest.
“He does this,” one of the girls said, a pretty girl with blonde hair and dead eyes. She put one arm across her small chest. “He hits us. Enjoys it. Gets off on it. But he pays good when it’s over.”
The girl on the bed sobbed quietly.
“Pays real good,” the other girl said. She was brunette, a little older, a little bit heavier. “Makes it almost worth it, you know? Just enough to come back and do it again.” She half turned and pointed at a bruise. She didn’t bother covering herself. “Fuck-up, I know.”
“Stay where you are,” Leo said. “Maksim, come around the bed. Do it slowly.”
Maksim grunted but didn’t move. His eyes moved to me and I saw the recognition bloomed.
“You,” he said.
“Hello, uncle.”
Red flooded his face. Anger, pure anger, lit up his eyes.
It felt good to see him react.
“What the fuck are you doing with him?”
“Killing you,” I said. “I knew you deserved it. But this is beyond sick.”
“These girls know what they’re getting into. I tell them before we come. I negotiate a fair price. They know.”
“We know,” the blonde said. “Doesn’t make it better though.” She took a long drag.
“Come around the bed, Maksim,” Leo said. “Do it now, do it slow.”
“Fuck you. And fuck her. You traitor bitch.” He spit on the floor. “You traitor fucking whore. How dare you help this slime? This little pig scum? I run this city. I gave you a life, a place in my house, and you do this to me?”
“Come around the bed,” Leo said. “I won’t ask again. I’ll execute you right there.”
“Fuck you. And fuck you.” Maksim sneered at me. “You’re nothing but—”
Leo pulled the trigger. Maksim staggered back. Red bloomed in his chest. Leo took a few steps forward as the girls dropped their cigarettes and stumbled away. They huddled in the corner and stared as Leo shot Maksim in the chest a second time.
Maksim slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor.
I walked over and stood next to Leo. Oleg appeared in the doorway behind us.
“Is that him?” he asked.
“It’s him,” Leo said. “Dying. If you want to say hello.”
Oleg snorted. “Couldn’t care less. What about the girls?”
“Help them,” I said. “Untie the girl on the bed. Get them dressed. Pay them if you can.”
Oleg sighed. “Come with me, girls. Help me with this one.”
He began to untie the girl on the bed, and the other two joined him.
Leo crouched down in front of Maksim. The old bastard struggled for breath and stared back with wild, scared, angry eyes.
“You had a good run,” Leo said, his voice soft and surprisingly gentle. “You had a real good run. Better than most in this line of work, yeah? But it’s your time now.”
Maksim coughed. Blood bubbled at his lips. He sucked in a desperate breath. “Fuck you.”
“At least die with some dignity,” Leo said. He looked back at me. “Now’s your chance, if you’ve got anything to say.”
I stared down at my uncle. I stared down at the man that made my life hell, that ignored me, treated me like an outsider all because I was only half Russian and my parents weren’t in the picture. I hated Maksim, always had, and now I realized that he was nothing more than a sick, broken individual. He wasn’t the all-powerful god I used to think he was back when I was a little girl.
He was just a man in his underwear getting off on hurting people.
“Finish him,” I said. “Put him out of his misery. He’s been dead for a long time already.”
Maksim took a shuddering breath. Leo stood and put a bullet in his brain.
He slumped back and went still.
I turned from my dead uncle. I thought I’d feel joy, or revulsion, or excitement, or something.
Instead, I was only tired.
“Come on,” Leo said, voice soft. “We need to get moving.” He took my elbow and directed me out into the hallway.
Oleg had the girls dressed and huddled. The third girl was breathing hard and the other two supported her. She stared at us, fear in her expression. Oleg took a wad of cash from his pocket and handed it to her.
“There, for your time. I hope you make better choices, here on out, yes? No men that hit you. No good for anyone.”
The girls just stared at him, took the money, and hurried down the steps.
Oleg sighed and ran a hand through his wild hair. “Girls, they never listen, yeah? Think they knew what’s best. Have too hard of life. Wish I could help.”
“Come on,” Leo said. “You probably just gave them more money than they’ve made in their lives.”
He snorted. “Not that generous. Only few hundred. Probably less than dead asshole was going to pay.”
Leo went downstairs first. I followed and Oleg brought up the rear. We ste
pped back out into the crisp evening. The three girls walked fast away from the house and toward the main road. I figured they’d get a cab and find their way back to wherever they came from.
At least my uncle couldn’t hurt them again.
“So, Maksim is dead,” Oleg said. “That’s good, yes? Hedeon will be pleased.”
“Now it’s a matter of mopping up the Volkov organization.” Leo pushed his gun back into the waistband of his pants. “Won’t be easy. But it’s just a matter of time now.”
“The world is changing, friend. I hope you are ready to change with it.” Oleg gave me a smile, waved to Leo, then walked away back toward where he parked.
Leo watched him then reached out for me. I stepped close and let him hug me tight.
“Fucked-up shit,” he said softly. “Really fucked-up shit. Sorry you had to see it.”
I kissed his throat. “Just happy it’s done.”
“Me too. Come on. We should get back to the hotel.”
“What do we do now? I mean, it’s over, right? My uncle’s not going to bother coming after me anymore.”
“No, I don’t think any of his men will bother with that. I mean, with Maksim gone, the whole organization’s going to fall into chaos. You’re an afterthought at best.”
“Freedom then.”
He laughed. “As free as you’ll ever be, I guess.”
I chewed my lip. “It should feel good. But I don’t feel different.”
“Never feels different until you do something with it.” He grabbed my hand and held it tight. “Now come on. Let’s get going. Hey, maybe we can go to my apartment tonight instead of a damn hotel. How’s that sound?”
“Weird. But good weird.” I squeezed his fingers. “Take me home then.”
“Gladly, little birdie.”
I let him tug me along down the block, toward the car, and toward our future and freedom.
26
Leonid
The Leone family mansion looked like a string of single-family row homes in a nice section of Old City. Except I knew the insides had been gutted, and the whole block had been turned into one massive structure. The exterior looked like there were multiple entrances, but there was really just one.
Vincent met us at the doorstep. He smiled and waved a hand as he let us inside. “Come on. You’re running a little late.”
“Sorry.” I looked back at Robin as she hustled across the street toward us. She wore tight black jeans, black heels, and her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her lips were painted red and her eyebrow quirked as I smiled at her.
“What?”
“You just look good.”
“Shut up.” She beamed and held out her hand. “Vincent, right?”
He shook it. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Volkov.”
She laughed and gestured. “Shall we?”
Vincent led us inside. The entryway was gleaming tile and austere gold gilt around the edges. An enormous crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. I noticed a few odd spots of what looked like some kind of hardened concrete scattered all over the place.
“We’re meeting in my father’s former office,” Vincent said, leading us down a series of hallways covered in plush carpeting. We passed oil paintings, statues on tables, vases with fresh flowers. The place was deadly silent and smelled expensive.
“I heard you had to rebuild a few years back,” I said.
“There was an attack. But yes, we’ve rebuilt. You’ll notice a few things that don’t look quite right, which were a product of my father’s impatience.”
“The concrete in the foyer?”
He smiled. “That was an unfortunate accident. Here, just down this way.”
We reached a pair of large double wooden doors. He pushed them open and we stepped into what looked like an ancient library. Tall bookshelves crammed with leather volumes lined the walls. A single, long oak conference room table dominated the space. Large windows on the left let light drape across the carpeting.
Hedeon sat at the table with Reid and Aldman. Dante sat at the other end flipping a pencil between his fingers. Vincent gestured for us to take a seat, and I pulled out a chair next to Hedeon, across from Reid. Robin sat on my right while Vincent took the chair at the head of the table.
“Well, I’m glad you could join us.” Vincent cleared his throat. “I apologize for our small turnout.”
“We decided to leave the unnecessary people at home,” Dante said.
Hedeon smiled. He looked better than he had in weeks. The color had returned to his face and his eyes had that cool and uncaring gleam that made him look so passive and so dangerous.
“Understood,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how many men you bring. We’re here to discuss terms.”
Vincent spread his hands. “Why don’t you begin.”
Hedeon took a deep breath and leaned forward, palms down on the tabletop. “The Volkovs are killing each other. Maksim’s number two and number three are at each other’s throats, and the whole crew is split in half. It’s causing a lot of problems on the street, not just for them, but for you as well.”
Vincent nodded. “Disrupting business. It’s not good for the trade.”
“Drug trade?” Reid asked.
“Any of the trades,” Dante said, grinning. “We’ve been trying to discuss things with the Volkovs, or what’s left of them anyway, but haven’t gotten anywhere. The new heads are a little…”
“Aggressive,” Vincent said.
Dante nodded. “They’re in a war, which means their reactions are all war-time reactions. They’re not thinking straight.”
“Which is where we come in,” I said. “We want to step in and solve your problem. We have the muscle, the money, and the will to take down both halves of the Volkovs, or at least make them submit.”
“And you’re here to ask permission.” Vincent smiled.
Hedeon laughed. “I don’t ask permission,” he said. “I killed Maksim. I did it because I wanted to. I didn’t ask permission.”
“Leo came to us, wanted to see if we’d help.” Dante nodded at me. “That sounded like he was asking for permission.”
“Leo went to you and bribed you to stay the fuck out of it,” Hedeon said. “And that worked.”
“Worked like a charm,” I said, grinning. “Got you idiots to keep your noses to ourselves while we took care of business. Left your supposed ally hanging out to dry.”
Vincent gave me a sour look. “I don’t think that was your intention.”
“Think what you want.”
Robin gave me a look and held up her hands. “Gentlemen. I understand things are tense, but wouldn’t it be better for everyone if the Volkov family had some stability?”
“Yes,” Vincent said, “I agree with that. Well put, Ms. Volkov.”
Robin gave him a tight smile.
“That’s what we are offering,” Hedeon said. “This time, we don’t want you to be neutral. We want you to back our play.”
“What can we do?” Dante asked.
“Men, guns, money. At the very least, information.”
“I thought you had all that already.” Dante leaned forward, eyebrows raised.
“We have the guns, the men, the money. But you know more about the Volkov operation than we do. If you help us, in exchange we will bring stability back to the city. We will be good business partners. Everyone will make money again.”
Vincent leaned back in his chair and watched Hedeon with a closed expression. I tried to read the man but couldn’t get a thing. I wanted to reach out and touch Robin’s leg but managed to keep myself tightly restrained.
“We will offer guns,” Vincent said. “And information. But nothing more than that.”
Hedeon spread his hands. “We won’t need more.”
“But in exchange, we want payment. Once the current Volkov operation’s been dismantled, we want half of whatever you find. Half their drugs, half their girls, half their territory, half their money.”
“More or less,” Dante said.
“No way,” Aldman said. “That’s bullshit.”
Hedeon held up a hand. “Half the money, girls, drugs. But I keep the territory.”
Dante looked at Vincent. Both men seemed to have a moment of silent communication before Vincent nodded and stood. “Let’s toast to the future of our city.”
Hedeon grinned, stood, and joined Vincent over at a small side table. Vincent poured a glass of whiskey for himself and for Hedeon, and the two men clinked glasses.
“To a good working relationship,” Hedeon said.
“To the future.”
They drank and shook hands.
“I feel like I should fucking clap,” Aldman said. “Except we just signed the death warrant for a lot of Volkov assholes.”
“Good riddance,” Reid said. He stood up. “We done here?”
“Relax, guys,” Dante said. “Hang around for a bit. We’ve got a game room with whatever you could want. Come with me.”
Reid hesitated then shrugged. He followed as Dante stood and walked to the door. Aldman went after them.
“Fuckers,” he said. “I’m not getting left behind.”
Dante laughed and led the two guys out into the hallway.
Robin turned to me and leaned close. “We did it,” she said. “How do you feel?”
“I feel tired. Like I just ran a marathon naked in frigid weather.”
She laughed. “Know how that feels?”
“Nope, and never want to.” I kissed her softly.
Hedeon barked my name. “Come here.”
I squeezed her knee and stood. My leg ached where I got shot. I knew that ache would be with me the rest of my life. I resisted the urge to rub at it.
“Vincent, from now on, you’ll address Leonid as my second in command,” Hedeon said.
I stared at him. “What?”
“Congrats on your promotion,” Vincent said with a laugh. “Now, me and your boss need to hammer out the details. Why don’t you take your lovely little Volkov prize and tour the manor? That’s not much around these days I’m afraid, but feel free to make yourself at home.”
