by A. Zavarelli
His expression changes, growing darker.
“I need to do something. Stay here.”
I clutch his arm. “Don’t leave, Lev. Please, just tonight. I need you to stay.”
He leans down, cups my cheek, and kisses my forehead. “I’m not going anywhere, Katya.” He gets up off the bed. I watch him walk across the room, the muscles on his bare back working, making my stomach flutter.
“What are you doing?” I ask, sitting up to watch him dig his phone out of his jeans pocket.
“William von Brandt had a contact at the FBI.” He sits on the edge of the sofa, pushes a few buttons, and holds the phone out in front of him.
“Lyoshenka.” I recognize Alexei’s voice.
“Alexei,” he says. “Sorry to call so late.”
I’m surprised he doesn’t switch to Russian.
“It’s all right. I would have called you tomorrow anyway.”
“You have the information then? William von Brandt’s contact at the FBI, did you find his name?”
“Of course. It took a little work, but I enjoyed the challenge. But Lev, I’m concerned—”
“Send it all to me. Everything.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“I think you know.”
Alexei draws a sharp breath in. “You know what that will make you?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“It won’t be only Vasily coming after you.”
“I’m willing to take that risk.”
“What?” I ask, every hair on my body standing on end.
“I have to do this, Alexei. It’s him or me, and even if it weren’t, I owe him for my mother’s murder at the very least.”
“I advise against this.”
“I’ll keep you out of it. You and your family won’t be linked to this.”
I can almost hear Alexei’s disapproval in his silence. “You’ll have it in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, cousin.”
He disconnects the call, then walks to the bed to sit on the edge of it as he dials another number. When I open my mouth to speak, he puts a finger to his lips, and I hear a woman click on.
“Philadelphia Police Department.”
“You have a pen and paper?”
“What?”
“A woman went missing from Club Delirium a few nights back. You’ll find her body at a house owned by Andrei Stanislov. He just planted a new garden.” After rattling off an address, he disconnects the call, takes a deep breath in, then lets it out, and sets the phone on the nightstand.
“What did you just do?”
He turns to me, closing his big hand over my knee. “I’m just keeping Vasily busy for a day or two. I need time. Get some sleep. I have to make a few more calls.”
“What calls? Why did Alexei say they’d all come after you? Does that mean not just Vasily?”
He gets up and goes to where the duffel bag is. He digs through it to take out the folder that contains the information on my mother as well as a print-out of what was on that drive.
“What do you have to do, Lev?”
A ding signals an email on his phone. He shifts his attention to it, punches something in, then puts his phone down and looks at me.
“I’m going to turn over evidence to William von Brandt’s contact at the FBI.”
13
Lev
Josh finishes up his eggs and rubs his belly before he slips away from the table. Kat and I both watch him as he toddles over to me, Wally dangling from one hand while he studies the spread of documents I’ve been stuffing into the manila envelope.
“What are you doing?” he asks curiously.
“I have to send out a package.” My eyes meet Kat’s across the room, and she can’t hide her nerves.
We both know this is a last-resort option. I don’t need to tell her that I’m doing this just in case I don’t come back today.
“Can I help?” Josh asks.
“I’ll tell you what, buddy.” I scoop him up and set him on the bed beside me. “Why don’t you wait here for a second? I have the perfect job for you. But it’s top secret, okay? Just between us guys. Can you handle that?”
He giggles and eyeballs his mom, who is suddenly pretending not to hear. When I walk over and grab my mother’s trinket box from the nightstand, I sneak a glance at Kat as she disappears into the bathroom to wash up. She knows we’re up to no good, but she’s just as much a silent participant in these shenanigans.
I kneel in front of Josh and open the box, and his eyes go wide as he studies the jewelry inside.
“What do you think your mom would like?” I ask him. “Can you help me pick something out?”
He nods eagerly, his stubby fingers pulling out a bracelet and then a ring to examine them. It’s hard not to get choked up when I see that ring. It was the same piece my father gave to my mother many years ago as a symbol of their love. A vintage blue sapphire ring from the 1920s that still sparkles like the day he gave it to her, or at least, that’s what I’d like to believe.
“Blue,” Josh says. “I think Mommy will like this one.”
A grin tugs at my lips as I lean closer and give him a conspiratorial whisper. “I think you’re right, buddy.”
He hands the ring over to me, and I stuff it into my pocket with a wink just as Kat reappears with a hairbrush in her hand. She eyes us both cautiously and then comes to sit on the other side of Josh.
“Should I even ask what you boys are up to?”
Josh shakes his head, his expression dead serious. “No. Top secret.”
“That’s right.” I ruffle the hair on his head with a smile. “Bro code.”
Kat rolls her eyes and then glances at the box in Josh’s lap. “Is that your mother’s?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so,” she says softly.
Josh pulls out the locket and pries it open with his fingers, squinting to examine the small photo.
“Mommy, look it’s me.” Josh points at the boy in the photo, and we both laugh.
“No, honey, that’s Lev.”
“Lev?” Josh’s brows scrunch together as he studies the photo beside it. The one with my mother and father too.
“Do you have a daddy, Lev?” When he looks at me, it’s the most innocent of questions, but it hits me like a fucking missile to the chest. “Because I don’t have a daddy.”
Something squeezes my hand, and when I look down, I realize it’s Kat. When our eyes collide, there’s a softness in hers as she nods her approval. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. The moment that changes everything.
“Actually, sweetheart.” Kat kneels before him to meet him at eye level. “That’s something we want to talk to you about. Do you remember when I told you that some boys have daddies at home and some don’t?”
“Yes.” Josh nods.
“Well.” She swallows and looks up at me. “You do have a daddy. Lev is your daddy.”
For a full minute, it feels like I could hear a pin dropping while I wait for Josh to say something. And when he turns to me, his face lit with happiness, he surprises us both when he sets down the box and crawls into my lap to give me a hug.
“I like Lev,” he says. “Lev is my daddy.”
It’s such a simple thing, but it feels like the proudest moment of my life as I hug him back, my throat almost too hoarse to speak.
“That’s right, buddy,” I tell him. “I’m your father, and we’re a family now.”
Then, a little quieter, I lean into his ear, whispering my truth as Kat chokes up beside me. “I love you, Josh. Always.”
“Why do I get the feeling this is way scarier than you’re making it out to be?” Kat asks.
“It’s not,” I lie, reaching down to stroke her hair one more time. “I’ll be back this evening, sweetheart.”
She doesn’t look convinced, and she shouldn’t be.
“But just in case—”
“Here it comes.” Tears spring to her eyes, and she
shakes her head. “I don’t want to hear just in case.”
“It’s just a safety measure,” I tell her. “You know this, baby.”
She wraps her arms around herself, trying to pull it together, and it only makes me realize how far we’ve come. She’s terrified to lose me, and it isn’t just because she’s afraid. This is so much more, and I’m tempted to get down on one knee right now and claim her as mine, but I don’t want it to be under these circumstances.
“If I’m not back tonight by eight, remember what I told you.”
“Call Alexei.” She nods stiffly.
“And take the cash out of the safe. Take everything with you. This will all be over soon, but in the meantime, you can trust him, Kat.”
“Don’t make me trust him.” She clutches at the collar of my jacket. “Just come back to us.”
“I will.” My lips graze hers one last time, and I pull the ring from my pocket. “I have something for you.”
When she notices the ring in my hand, she sucks in a breath before her gaze collides with mine. “Lev?”
“I just want you to wear it for now.” I take her hand in mine and slip it onto her right ring finger. “It was my mother’s, and I want you to have it. But more importantly, I want you to think about me every time you look at it.”
“Ha, ha.” She slaps my chest and then gives me a watery smile. “It’s beautiful. I’ll never take it off.”
“You will,” I promise her, “when we make it official. But for now, just remember that even if it doesn’t always feel like it, I’m doing all of this for you.”
“I know,” she murmurs.
“Kat?” I clutch her face in my hands, forcing her gaze to mine. “I fucking love you, sweetheart. I want you to know that.”
14
Lev
Downstairs, I slip the manila envelope to the concierge with a crisp hundred-dollar bill on top.
“I need this to go out tomorrow morning,” I tell him. “Not today. Not tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow morning only. Can you make that happen?”
“Yes, of course.” He nods. “Anything you want, sir.”
“How long is your shift today?” I ask him.
“I’ll be here until nine, sir.”
“Good.” I slip him another hundred. “If I come back for it, you give it to me. But if I don’t, nobody else gets it, no matter who they are. You just send it off tomorrow morning. We clear?”
“Clear.” He dips his head. “I will handle it personally for you, sir.”
“Very good.”
I leave him with the package and make my way toward the exit, but before I get there, my phone rings. When I see it’s Alexei, I dart into a corridor and answer.
“Lyoshenka,” I greet him. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You’re in a good mood today.” He quirks an eyebrow at me. “For a man who might not live to see the day through.”
“You know how it is.” I shrug. “We’ve got to make the best of it.”
“Ah yes, well...” He scratches at his chin. “I have some news.”
“What is it?”
“The cops raided Andrei’s house. Dug up the backyard. Couldn’t find anything. The place was spotless.”
“Son of a bitch,” I growl. I knew that was a fucking trap. Vasily probably had the body out of there the next day.
“However”—Alexei holds up a finger—“it appears they did find some CCTV footage of Andrei with the missing girl that night. A clerk at a gas station called in the tip.”
“Well, that’s something,” I murmur, “but not exactly what I was hoping for.”
“It’s enough to create a distraction,” Alexei says. “Andrei is still in the hospital, but my sources tell me they’ve questioned him twice already. Vasily has disappeared, gone into hiding by all accounts, but I suspect he’s on his way to New York.”
“I suspected as much myself.” I nod. “We don’t have much time.”
“No, you don’t,” Alexei agrees.
“If you are giving free bad advice, I’m in the market.” I tease him with a smile.
“Lead with Ciara.” Alexei grins back at me. “Always lead with the woman.”
“Are you ready for this?” I ask.
Maxim looks at me like I’m fucking delusional. “Ready to go get my nuts blown off? Yeah sure, kid. Every day of the week and twice on Sundays.”
Despite the gravity of the situation, I laugh. Being around the old man again makes me remember why I liked him so much to begin with.
“Well, at least you can take comfort in the fact that you’re so fucking old you probably don’t even need your nuts anymore,” I tell him. “I have a woman back at the hotel who’s grown rather fond of mine. So, let’s try to keep them in one piece, yeah?”
He shrugs and eyeballs the club. “You sure this is even the right place?”
“Yes. I have good intel that he comes here every Wednesday like clockwork.”
“Well, even a good clock can be wrong.” Maxim shrugs.
We wait in silence, scoping out the building. It’s more upscale than Delirium, but I don’t know the layout. I don’t know anything about what awaits us inside, or what’s going to happen when Gleb actually shows up. He has a reputation for being ruthless, but I suspect at least half of that is just Vory folklore, and the rest is probably the truth.
It takes two full hours before I finally catch a glimpse of him. A black SUV pulls up to the curb, idling while one of his soldiers comes around to the back and opens the door for him. When the old man steps out, he glances down both sides of the street even though his soldiers have already checked twice. A force of habit, I suppose. When you’re the man at the top of the food chain, there is no shortage of men who’d like to take your place.
Maxim and I don’t even speak as we approach, and we don’t manage to get within ten feet of him before one of his soldiers reaches for his weapon.
“Who the fuck are you?” Gleb turns to me, eyes dark and hard.
I have a feeling we’re both about to get shot the fuck up, but before he gives the order, his eyes move to Maxim, and recognition sparks.
“Hold up,” he tells his men. “I know this one. Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”
“Something like that.” A smile curves Maxim’s lips. “But I’ve got a few more lives left in me yet.”
“Maxim,” Gleb says his name. “You worked for Vasily back in the day, right?”
“The one and only.” Maxim nods.
“What business do you two have here?” Gleb asks, his eyes darting to me. “And who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Vasily’s nephew,” I answer carefully, hoping that Vasily hasn’t spoken with him yet. “Lev.”
“We were hoping to have a private audience with you,” Maxim says. “Just a few minutes of your time.”
One of his soldiers steps forward, glaring in our direction. “Boss, I don’t know if that’s such a good—”
Gleb holds up his hand, silencing him immediately. “What’s this about?”
There are a lot of ways I could spin this, but all I can think about is what Alexei said, and I know he’s right.
“It’s about Ciara March.”
For a split second, the hardness in Gleb’s eyes vanishes, washing away beneath a tidal wave of pain as he repeats her name. “Ciara?”
I nod. Maxim shifts beside me. We wait in tense silence, uncertain how he’s going to react. Even after all these years, it’s obvious she still affects him. The mere mention of her name opened a raw wound, and for all I know, it could be something he wants to forget.
“Pat them down and take them inside.” Gleb gestures to his men. “Make it quick.”
He leaves us on the sidewalk while his men disarm us and take our phones while they’re at it too. Once they are satisfied that we aren’t wearing a wire, they lead us inside, through the club, and down to the basement.
Maxim glances at me in question, and I just shrug. Either we’re walking to o
ur deaths right now, or this is where Gleb conducts his business.
When we get to the bottom of the stairs, Gleb is waiting at a bar that appears to be set up for his own private use. He gestures for us to sit down beside him, and then looks at his men.
“Put in some headphones. We’re going to have a conversation.”
The soldiers do as he requests. Standing like sentinels at the entrance to the stairs, they watch us carefully as Gleb pours three glasses of vodka.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard her name.” He slides a glass in my direction, following up with one for Maxim. “How did you know her?”
Maxim looks at me, and I nod at him to go ahead.
“Ciara used to come into the club,” he tells Gleb. “In Philly.”
Gleb stares at him like he’s reaching into his soul, and already, I can see the tension creeping in around his eyes. We need to tread carefully here, and I just hope Maxim chooses his words with caution.
“Once a week, she’d meet with Vasily. I never spoke with her at that time and didn’t know much about her. But I started to piece together what I suspected their business was after I saw her at a Vory gathering with you.”
“Go on,” Gleb orders.
“Then one day, out of the blue, Vasily tells me I need to take care of her. That she’s a problem. So that’s exactly what I went to do.”
Gleb’s fingers tighten around his glass, and I feel my own muscles responding in kind as Maxim rushes to get the rest out.
“But then I saw her, and I couldn’t do it. No fucking way. I didn’t like to run jobs on women, and excuse me for what I’m about to say, but I was tired of Vasily’s shit. Every other week, someone new was marked for death.”
“What happened to her?” Gleb growls.
“I spoke to her,” Maxim says. “Told her to get the fuck out of town. I explained to her that I wouldn’t be the only one Vasily would send. She understood that. And that’s when she gave me these.”
