by K. J. Dahlen
She looked up at him. “Oh I do, but you’re still a crazy stubborn man.”
The next morning they all walked up the steps and entered the plane that would take them back to Russia. Nico and Gavril were already on board, but in the cargo section under guard. Sergi had a special cell installed to hold them until they reached their destination.
Anita fastened her seatbelt and looked out the window half expecting the police to drag her off the plane. Sergi sat down next to her and took her hand in his own. “Relax my dear, this is a private plane, and we have your paperwork in place for when we get off in Russia. Your credentials are in order, as are Levi’s.”
“Do I want to know how this is even possible?” she asked him with a grin.
“Probably not.” Sergi gave her a smile.
“Okay, then I won’t ask.” She tightened her seatbelt again, and then found she could hardly breathe.
Sergi loosened it for her then tipped her face up to his. He took her mouth and kissed her hard to get her mind off what he knew was coming. When he broke the kiss, Anita was dazed. “Relax, my dear. I’ve got your back and everything will be just fine.”
Anita didn’t say anything, instead she watch as the plane took off and only when they were airborne, did she breathe again. Laying her head on his shoulders, she did she ask, “Has Russia changed much since we were together the first time?”
Sergi shrugged. “It has changed some I’m sure. Nothing ever stays the same.”
“Do you still live in the same house as before?”
Sergi grinned. “Yes, it is still there waiting for your return.” Leaning closer to her he whispered in her ear, “I can’t wait to make love to you again in my own bed.”
She looked over at him and smiled gently. “Neither can I. If I remember correctly that was the softest bed I ever slept in.” Then her smile changed a bit. “And the most fun.”
Sergi groaned. “Shhh, my sons do not need to hear this.” He looked at her for a moment then said, “I cannot believe you waited for me all this time. Not very many women would wait that long for one man.”
Anita shrugged. “I told you before you spoiled me for all other men, besides there were very few men out there that wanted a woman with baggage. Not that I would consider Levi baggage but apparently, they did.”
“I’m glad then, they didn’t want him or you.” Sergi smiled.
“What will happen after the Tribunal? Will I have to return to the States?”
“Do you want to go back?” he asked her.
“I want to stay with you but without a birth certificate, how can I? Will your High Council even let us be together?” They had spoken of the obstacles of not having a simple piece of paper that told the whole world who you were.
Sergi shrugged. “I don’t know. Normally, I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about who you really are, but there are enough people on the High Council that do care. As the leader of the Bratva, I have to set an example to show the men just how high our standards are.”
“And being a nameless bastard is not in good form, now is it? Especially, if the one parent I know is mine is a convicted killer and drug dealer.” She looked out the window at the passing clouds.
Sergi was silent for a moment.
Anita knew Sergi could step down but she would never ask him to do that. He loved being the leader of the Bratva and he was good at it. He had earned that title. And she loved him too much to watch him give up his dream for her.
Sergi leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Dragotsennyy, I will find a way for us to be to together. Please don’t give up on me yet.”
Anita leaned up to him and kissed his gently on the lips. “I will always love you no matter what. Please don’t ever think otherwise, and I know if there is a way, you will find it. But you have to know something about me too. I will not let you give up everything you believe in to keep us together. I simply cannot do that. Whatever we are meant to be… we will be in the end.”
Sergi grabbed her hand and changed the subject, “I need to ask you something. About your first trip to Russia twenty-four years ago.”
Anita nodded. “Ok, what do you need to know?”
“The Council would like to know if you met with any of Adrian’s contacts here during that trip? We were told that he was working on an oil deal, not setting up a drug pipeline. We found a partial oil deal or what we thought was an oil deal in place already and we were able to shut it down. I had my people look into the deal again, and we found that what he proposed was a fake. A deal that never would have been approved. It was all faked the whole time he was here.” Sergi sighed and exhaled. “We’re hoping you can identify at least some of his contacts, so we can begin the process of tracking them down.”
Anita thought back to her first trip to Russia. She’d been brought along because she spoke the language and she’d been told Adrian didn’t. But as soon as they touched down here, he told her to explore the city and meet the people.
“I thought I was here to interrupt for him but you know something, he never really needed me in that regard. I caught him on the phone once and he could speak Russian just fine. He was speaking to Vlad something or other, maybe Chimirea or something close. Then I met you my third day here and I guess I forgot the rest of the trip.”
“So you never really met any of his contacts during that trip?” Sergi asked disappointedly.
“Not really, but I did see a few of them when I was walking around town. They would always meet at an outdoor café.”
Sergi frowned then turned his head. “They would sit outside? In the cold?”
“I know right? It never made sense to me either at the time.” She nodded. “I would have missed them altogether if I hadn’t stopped to look at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. It was in the background. I would have stopped and said hello but they were having an intense discussion.”
“Did you see the other man’s face at all?” Sergi asked.
Anita nodded. “But that was so long ago, I don’t know if I could pick him out or not. I do remember he had a birthmark on the side of his neck though. Like a big red mark.”
Sergi thought for a moment then nodded slowly. He knew the man she was speaking of. Then he grew angry. If it was, who he thought it was, then the man had everyone fooled for the longest time. He rallied against the drug trade almost as hard as Sergi had.
He brought out his phone and began scrolling through his pictures until he came to the one he wanted. He showed it to her and asked if she knew any of the faces.
Anita took the devise and studied the faces of the men in the photograph. There were perhaps a dozen men in the photo and she took her time to study each and every one of them. Then she frowned as she studied one man in particular.
His eyes held a familiar slant. His irises might be older but the color in them was the same color she saw in the mirror every day. Why did this man look so familiar to her? She’d never seen him before. Shaking her head at the fancy of her own thoughts, she looked over the other men again carefully. Then she saw the man she’d been telling Sergi about. He was older in this picture but that was the man she’d seen with Adrian that day at the Café. “This is him.” She pointed him out. “I’m almost sure of it.”
“Are you identifying him because of the mark on his neck?” he had to ask.
Anita shook her head. “No, not at all. It’s his eyes. There is something familiar about his eyes. I remember that look as he stared at Adrian that day. I think he would have been happy to kill him right then and there.” She looked over at him and asked, “Who is he?”
“His name is Dmitri Salvo,” he told her. “This is interesting.”
“Why is that?”
“Because Dmitri is lobbying for stronger drug control the same as I am. These men….” He motioned at the photograph on the screen. “Are the men of the High Council, the very men that will judge and convict you father and grandfather.”
“Then why would this Dmitri guy met with Adr
ian in a café where they both could be seen by everyone and anyone walking by?” she asked with a whisper.
Sergi turned to his son Misha, “What is the name of Dmitri Salvo’s grandson?”
Misha thought for a moment then said, “I think its Anton Bazin, why?”
Sergi looked over at Anita. “You said before that when you arrived back in America after your return from Russia twenty-four years ago that this man Adrian disappeared right?”
Anita nodded. “It was like he fell off the face of the earth. His business partners could never find him as far as I know. Why?”
Sergi’s lips tightened. “I think he came back to Russia and began setting up his pipeline way back then.”
“What does all of that mean?” she asked.
“It means that he’s been hiding under the noses of the Bratva all this time. No one would suspect him because of his grandfather’s view on drugs and while Dmitri was lobbying for drug control, his grandson was shipping it in, and distributing his poison on the very streets his grandfather wants to protect.”
Anita and Misha gasped.
“I have something to tell you and I don’t think you’re going to be happy about it,” Levi announced.
Sergi turned his head and stared at the younger man. “What would that be?”
“I think my grandfather and great grandfather have been coming and going from Russia for a very long time.”
Anita frowned. “How can that be? They run the risk of being caught and I know them well enough to think that would be just plain stupid on their part and they are many things but stupid isn’t one of them.”
Sergi thought for a moment then shook his head. “Russia is a big country. Gavril’s name is on a watch list but if he didn’t use his proper name no one would have noticed it. Besides, it was over forty years ago he committed the murder and fled. People change in that amount of time. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, times have changed a lot in Russia and people may not be as alert as they once were.” He looked over at Levi. “What makes you think this?”
Levi dug in his pocket and pulled something out. Handing it over to Sergi he told them, “My grandfather gave me that a very long time ago. He warned me not to tell my mom about it and because I liked the stone, I never did.”
The stone itself wasn’t necessarily a widely known stone but Sergi knew it. It was a deep red and black Eudialyte stone. But there were flecks of Siberian Jade mixed into it. It was unique and a calling card. He looked over at the younger man and asked, “When did he give you this?”
Levi shrugged. “I might have been ten or so. I think I remember that visit because it was one of the better visits we had. No one said anything bad and they left before they could do anything to hurt mom.”
Sergi snapped his head around to Anita and watched as she avoided his eyes. “Your father and grandfather hurt you? Physically hurt you?”
Anita hung her head but Sergi wouldn’t let her hide her face. Tipping her face to his, he asked quietly, “What did they do to you?”
“Nothing they hadn’t done before.”
“I know we moved shortly after they left that time,” Levi told him. “I was glad about that too. I couldn’t protect her against them when I was ten but when I was fifteen, they found us again and I told them then if they touched her, they would have to deal with me.”
“What happened after this?” Misha asked.
“They left us alone after that. We hadn’t seen them since until the night I graduated. After this, we won’t ever have to deal with them again and I’ll know that finally my mother is safe from them.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry Mom, but this may be for the best.”
“I know baby, I know,” Anita agreed.
“Are the scars on your back due to your father and grandfather?” Sergi asked her quietly.
Anita caught her breath sharply. She’d almost forgotten about those scars. They were mostly faded with time now, so she was surprised he’d even seen them. But apparently, he had. She looked at him and saw the rage in his eyes. “They are from a long time ago and they don’t matter anymore.”
He didn’t say anything to her but he drew her into his arms. Some men deserved the fires of hell for what they do to innocent women and children. Sergi knew one thing for sure…he would protect her with his last breath. He’d already lost her once—he wouldn’t lose her again.
Hours later, the plane touched down at the Moscow airport and taxied over to the private hanger. Sergi had been texting his men the whole flight and he knew things would move quickly when they did get home. They got off the plane and left Gavril and Nico to his men. They would take them both to the cells in the Judgement wing of the High Council headquarters.
Anita paused when she heard them calling out for her but Sergi wouldn’t allow her to go to them. He shook his head and grabbed her arm, leading her away from the plane. “You will see them soon enough.”
Levi didn’t even pause when he heard them call out. Instead, he got in the car right behind his mother and Sergi. When Misha joined them, the car sped away.
“You will both be staying with me until this is over,” Sergi announced at he looked at his two sons. “We’ll have better security if we’re all in one place.”
“You think we’re in danger?” Levi frowned.
“I’m not willing to take any chances with your life or your mother’s. I have enemies both here and in America. If your grandfather and great grandfather are dealing drugs here, I want them both to stand trial for their crimes.”
“I get that.” Levi nodded. “Do you live like this all the time? I mean the limos and private planes and security?”
Sergi nodded slowly. “I have a lot of wealth and power and with that comes the danger of someone wanting to take it away from me.”
Levi glanced at his mother then nodded slowly. “I see.” He turned his head and looked out the window. The houses they passed were well kept and classy. He could imagine the money these people had and the further they went, the wealthier the neighborhood became.
Levi didn’t say anything but he kept looking. When the car stopped at a big house with its own private drive, he glanced at his mother and saw the tears welling in her eyes. She wouldn’t let them fall but he knew what she was thinking.
He didn’t say anything as he followed Sergi and Misha inside the house. Looking around, he could see the fine things they had. The inside of the house was beautiful, masculine with dark wood everywhere. The sofas were dark red velvet and the floors gleamed.
“Welcome to my home,” Sergi told them quietly.
“Nice, very nice.” Levi nodded. “I guess you saw where we lived. It’s nothing compared to this place but it was home.”
“I’m sure your mother did the best she could to make your house a home,” Misha said.
Levi nodded. “We may not have had much but she made it warm and loving. I was better off than a lot of the kids I grew up with.”
“How so?” Misha wanted to know.
“I had the best mom in the neighborhood. She worked her fingers to the bone to earn a living to provide for us both but she was always there for me when I needed her the most. She was there to kiss me goodnight every night and there when I woke up in the morning. She was the one I counted on every day.”
Misha turned slowly and stared at Anita. Then he turned to Levi. “You were indeed lucky. My mother was taken from me a very long time ago.”
“Why don’t we all get settled and have some dinner and just relax tonight?” Sergi suggested. “Tomorrow things will really get busy.” He looked at both Anita and Levi. “You’ll both be meeting members of the High Council and hearing the charges against Gavril and Nico.” He looked over at Misha and said, “I have some phone calls to return and people to set up meetings with tomorrow with so please make yourselves at home and I’ll join you later. Misha can show you where you’ll be sleeping and give you a tour of the house. Supper should be in an hour or so and I’ll try to be done by then.”
Levi and Anita watched him walk away while Misha picked up his suitcase and led the way upstairs. Levi picked up both his and his mom’s suitcases and followed Misha.
Misha stopped at a bedroom and motioned Levi inside. “This will be your room. I’m next door. Dad and your mom will be at the end of the hall.”
Levi paused then nodded. He dropped his suitcase off in his room then walked his mother down the hall to Sergi’s room. He opened the door and looked around the other man’s bedroom. He followed her into the room and closed the door behind him. “Mom, we should talk.”
Anita nodded. “I know.” She held up her hand and looked at her son. “But before you judge me about Sergi, I have to tell you something.”
“Mom, I would never judge you,” Levi protested.
“Maybe not out loud, but I can see the resentment in your eyes. Sergi and Misha live the type of life you and I can only dream about and you know what? I never minded that. I met him twenty four years ago. I was young and suddenly, I was in love for the first and only time in my life. Yes, I knew he was older than I was and yes, I knew he had money. I didn’t know how much nor did I care. All I cared about was the feelings I had when I was with him. We loved a lifetime in the three days we had together. I did fall in love with him. Then it was over and I found myself flying away from him. I hurt for so long I could barely breathe. I lost my job and I lost the only family I had left. You might not appreciate them but back then they were all I had. My dreams and memories of Sergi were all I had left, then I found out about you. You were my little piece of him and I hung onto that little piece with both hands. When you were born, I could see him in you and I wished with all my heart that I knew where to find him. I wanted him to know about you and you to know about him. I told you about him all your life, but he missed out on learning about you.”
“Mom, come on… It is okay.”
She sniffled through her tears. “I was never more proud of you when I watched you walk across that stage the other day. I kept wishing Sergi could be there to see your accomplishments. You worked hard to get where you were going but you got there. Then your grandfather and great grandfather came out of the woodwork and ruined what should have been your moment of glory.”
