“What do you want for breakfast,” Vasily asked Dylan, cutting off the conversation.
“Cereal,” Dylan answered.
Dmitry laughed. “The universal breakfast of children.” He winked at Dylan. “We’ve got a wide selection. What’s your favorite?”
“Captain Crunch. I like the peanut butter kind,” Dylan answered.
“I bet we have that, too,” Dmitry said, picking his newspaper back up.
“Oh, I know we do. Anya loves it,” Royal added, trying hard to hide her utter enjoyment of the scene.
“Alright, well, I’ll be right back,” Vasily said, glad that the hard part was over.
Gabriel watched the interactions between the boy and the family without a word, but when Vasily headed toward the kitchen, he excused himself from the table. Following behind him out of earshot of the family, he went to the counter to pour more coffee.
“It’s always hardest for the last ones into the circle. I know. Well, you know. You were there when I had my introduction into the Medlov clan. You might want to spend extra time with him so that he can get used to everything,” Gabriel said casually. “It can be real culture shock for a person to come into this world, but just remember that everyone comes around in their own time.”
“Thank for the advice,” Vasily said, digging into the cabinet for box of cereal. He didn’t bother to look back or make eye contact.
Nothing new for Vasily.
“Anytime,” Gabriel said, unsure if the normally stoic man ever showed any emotion. Walking out of the room, he left him to fixing the cereal for his son and hoped that he’d actually gotten through to him.
When Vasily was alone, he took a deep breath. It had been years since any attention at all had been on him, even in his private life. Now, his entire world and everyone in it was looking at him. Only, he wasn’t concerned about himself as much as he was concerned about his son. It was hard not to tell the boy who he really was. Hearing Dylan vocalize at such a young age that all he had was his mother reminded him so much of his own life, something that he promised himself that he’d never do to a child of his own. Now, here he was.
How do I make it up to him? he asked himself, refusing to place blame on anyone but himself. Pouring the bowl of cereal, he tried to still his nerves. He had to keep it together, had to not be any different then he normally was. Only this family wasn’t helping him. They all were so family-oriented, until it was hard to carry on the way he had done before.
The sound of the door opening again made him stiffen. He turned to see Royal with a clever grin on her face. She walked over to him and took the bowl out of his hands.
“Are you alright?” she asked him in a soothing voice.
He looked down at her and shook his head. “No. I’m still in shock, I think.”
“That’s natural.” Royal walked over to the kitchen table and poured milk into the bowl. “You know, I didn’t meet my mother until I was an adult with a child. Anatoly didn’t meet Dmitry until he was an adult, and Gabriel didn’t meet the rest of his family, to his detriment I might add, until he was an adult.” She walked back over and handed him the bowl. “But you have a chance while he’s still just a baby to develop a priceless relationship with him. Now all of this might be untimely and the way that you found out might be unfortunate, but it all happened for a reason. Make the best of it. Make it worth it.”
Vasily smiled at her. “I will. I promise.” Pride overtook him for just a second. “He looks just like me.”
She chuckled. “Oh, Vasily. Don’t be vain. He looks so much better than you.” Rubbing his large arm, she motioned toward the door. “Let’s go have breakfast as a family. Okay?”
“Okay,” he said, following her out.
***
When Lilly woke up and saw that she was alone, it took her only a few seconds to throw on some clothes, brush her teeth and put her hair in a ponytail before she headed out of her room. As soon as she did so, she was met by a bodyguard in the hall who escorted down to where the family was congregating.
The house was bigger than she remembered from the night before. In the daylight it was even more opulent and intimidating, but at the moment, all she cared to do was see her son and make sure that he was okay.
Hearing Dylan laugh at a joke by Anatoly made her heart skip a beat as they rounded the corner. He was okay if he was laughing. And if he was okay, then she was okay.
Again the room went silent when Lilly was brought in. They all looked at her with smiles that made her wonder if they truly were as nice as they seemed or if it was simply rich people manners. She tried hard to keep her mouth from flying open in shock as she looked around the table. Sitting right beside her son was Vasily and right by him was an empty chair in front of a table setting, she assumed was for her.
But the most shocking thing about the group were the other two black women at the table, one sitting beside Dmitry and one sitting by Anatoly, plus four interracial children outside of her own.
“Good morning, Lilly,” Royal said with a smile.
“Yes, good morning,” Renee chimed in giving an equally big smile.
“Please come and have a seat with us,” Dmitry invited. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Thank you so much for your hospitality.” Lilly made eye contact with Vasily, who as soon as he saw her felt his hands go clammy. He looked even better to her this morning, especially after the night that they had spent together.
Vasily pulled the chair away from the table for her, indicating that he wanted her to sit beside him.
A good sign.
She sat down and looked over at her son. “How are you, baby?”
“I’m good,” Dylan answered with a grin. “Anya wants me to go outside and play with her later. Can I?”
“We’ll see,” Vasily answered for her. Passing her the container of orange juice, he gave her warm smile. “Good morning,” he said, giving her a look that let her know he wanted her again.
“Good morning,” she blushed.
Lilly felt like a fish out of water, but she had to try to fit in. She wanted more than anything for them to like her, simply because they loved Vasily.
Royal spoke first. “I’m Royal, Dmitry’s wife,” she said, touching her chest with her manicured nails. As she did, the enormous diamond ring on her finger glimmered against the four-carat diamond necklace on her neck and the huge diamond studs in her ears. They were so brilliant until they flickered blue prisms against the crystal chandelier above. She wore a black tank top and black yoga pants, but even dressed down the coco-skinned woman with striking brown eyes, high cheek bones, smooth bone straight hair, perfectly arched brows and fire red lips looked like a supermodel, except for the large scar across the base of her neck. However, all of the expensive jewelry and her beauty make the one blemish on her perfect body seem miniscule.
“I’m Renee, Anatoly’s wife,” the woman sitting beside Anatoly said, waving at her from the opposite end of the table. Her smile was just a bright and pearly white. She was a darker, shorter woman than Royal, but just a beautiful. With glossy pouty lips, big almond shaped brown eyes and hair in a black A-symmetrical bob, she had a baby doll face that was both warm and assuring. She wore a yellow cotton sundress and a gold cross but the wedding ring on her small finger gave away her low-key style.
They all were filthy rich.
The blonde on the end was the last to speak. “I’m Briggy, Gabriel’s girlfriend,” she said with a quiet almost wispy French accent. She was a beautiful woman with petite features and seemed to be the meekest of the group. Gabriel took her hand in his own and kissed it, to which Lilly noticed that Renee rolled her eyes.
There was obviously a back story there that was none of her business.
“And I’m Gabriel, Anatoly’s cousin, Dmitry’s nephew, and as previously stated Briggy’s other half,” Gabriel joked.
Lilly thought that he was angelically beautiful with mossy green eyes and dark as night hair, but he didn’
t give off the same vibe as Dmitry and Anatoly. A beta male possibly. It was the command of his voice that gave him away.
“I’m Lilly,” she finally said. “You’ve met my son, Dylan. We can’t thank you enough for everything.”
“Well, if you are a friend of Vasily’s then you are a friend of ours,” Royal said, smiling at Vasily as she said it. “And your son is such a well-mannered young man.”
That made Lilly blush again. “Thank you.” She looked over at him. “He’s my world.”
Royal liked that and everyone at the table understood it, except Gabriel, who was just glad the women of the family had turned their sites off of him for a moment.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s eat,” Anatoly said, ending the awkward introductions. He knew that his friend was ready to move on past this and so was he.
Chapter Nine
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn
New York City
As the golden sun went down on the picture-perfect bay and white seagulls flew off into the distance over dark blue waters, trouble stirred along the beachside.
Off the boardwalk in one of the many small businesses that lined the community of Brighton Beach, Yakov prepared to close his butcher shop for the evening, a daily ritual that he took a great deal of pride in. For the first time in his life he was making an honest living doing an honest thing and closing his register no matter how miniscule the earnings for the day, was a direct testimony to that fact.
A lot had changed since Leo went to prison. Instead of taking over like many thought he would, Yakov hung up his gun belts and gave up the life that he had once known for calmer waters.
Now, he had bigger ambitions than being a boss, and they didn’t involve having to answer to someone else for the rest of his life or have people killed.
Once he had taken Lilly to Vasily all those years ago, he returned to the only place that had been his home since he had left Russia, Brighton Beach, and met a simple girl from a simple family. At first sight, he had fallen in love with her and wanted to give her the world. Only, it would take time for his plan to unfold, especially with Leo only a half a state away. So, he kept his head down and kept his words few. He focused on making his wife fall in love with him and convincing her that he wasn’t a monster. After a couple of years of courting, he married her. A year after that, they had their only baby. And when Muriel’s father was ready to retire and offered to sell him his butcher shop, he bought it with cash.
The rest was history.
He didn’t have to bother with hiding his many tattoos or his long history with the Vory v Zakone in this neighborhood, because Brighton was home. Everyone knew him, and everyone knew who he used to work for, but no one gave him any problems about it.
Yakov had developed a reputation of being one the best butchers on the boardwalk, something that he took great pride in. And he even served cooked polish sausages and other meaty treats during his business hours for those who visited, an added service that the shop offered only after he took it over.
He was a family man now with a beautiful wife, a young son and a small but modern condo off the waterway.
With the television playing a TNT show in the background and the doors and windows opened to let in the peaceful late evening breeze, he helped the last customer with her order while his wife mopped down the checkered black and white linoleum floors with Pine Sol and wiped off the red countertops with bleach water.
“Spasiba, Mrs. Afonin,” Yakov said with a warm smile. “Make sure to come back next week. I’ll have some special cuts for you and your husband.”
“Spasiba, Yakov,” the older woman said, taking her meats wrapped in white paper in her shaking, wrinkled hands. “You’re such a good boy.”
“I try,” he said with a wink.
“Well, I’ll bring by some borscht for you and your family on Monday. I’ll fix it just the way you like it, with plenty of cream,” she said, putting the food in her small push cart.
“Do you need an escort back to the house? Muriel can lock up while I take you.” Mrs. Afonin had been in the community since he arrived in the states and was something like a mother to him. Over the years, he had seen her grow from an attractive mother of five grown children to an aged, silver-haired grandmother of thirteen.
“No,” she protested with a grin. “I’ve got my little friend with me.” She tapped her purse. “Thank heavens for the second amendment.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Very good then.”
After he walked her out, he turned off his red fluorescent open sign and called out for his son. “Stepan,” he said, pulling off his blood-stained apron.
A little boy of barely five with wispy blonde hair and bright brown eyes stood a few feet down from the butcher shop bouncing a ball with his friends.
“Yes, papa,” the boy answered quickly.
Yakov leaned against the door frame, exhausted. “It’s time to come in. Say goodbye to your friends.”
“Yes, papa,” Stephan said, giving the ball back. In past his father’s legs, he ran at top speed into the restaurant tracking dirt onto the shiny floors.
“Don’t run on the floor. I just mopped it. You’ll fall,” Muriel warned.
“Sorry, mama,” Stepan said, coming to an abrupt halt.
“Go to the bathroom and wash your hands. We leave here in twenty minutes,” Yakov said, pulling out his keys to lock up.
As he stepped inside and closed the door, someone grabbed the handle, causing the bell at the top of the door to jingle.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” Yakov apologized. As he looked up, he stood stunned.
He stared right into the eyes of Leo. His old boss cracked a toothy smile of menacing proportions. With a New York Yankees baseball hat pulled down low to cover his face and pair of jeans and white t-shirt on, Leo looked like a different man from the guy who had been put away many years before.
Yakov’s face turned a pale shade, but he kept his eyes blank. Pushing the door open, he stepped aside and let Leo and four of his men inside. Locking up behind him, he pulled the shades quickly.
Muriel was confused. The men didn’t look like customers. In fact, based upon the size of them and their familiar tattoos, they didn’t look like they meant her family any good.
“Who is this?” she asked, mop still in her small hands. She clenched the handle tight.
Yakov gave a fake smile, knowing how the truth would scare her. “This is Leo.” He had told her the stories about his past life, along with all the gory details, as a way to purge himself of what he once was in order to transform into what he wanted to be. But never in a million years did he think that she’d be standing face-to-face with Leo.
The thought sent chills down his spine, though he did not show it.
Leo sensed Yakov’s sudden concern. Tension was thick in the air, just the way that he liked it. “So nice to meet you,” he said, offering his hand to Muriel. “And who might you be?”
Her big hazel eyes darted back between her husband and the man of her husband’s nightmares. “I’m Muriel. I’m Yakov’s wife.” Her face gave away any misconception as to whether or not she knew who he was.
Leo gave a very dramatic sigh. “Well, give me a hug then. You’re family for goodness sake.” He wrapped his large arms around her and hugged her tight. Releasing her, he kissed her cheek. “Such a beautiful woman, Yakov. You chose well.”
“Thank you,” Yakov said, back erect with fear.
“I would have sent something to the wedding, but I’m afraid I was bit locked up,” he said sarcastically as he threw up his hands.
“Pity you got here so late. They are just leaving,” Yakov said, looking at his wife.
“They?” Leo said, looking around the small store front. “Are there more?”
Nearly on cue, the bathroom door flew open and Stepan came barreling out, forgetting his parents’ advisement for him not to run through the store. “Momma, can we stop for ice cream before we go home?”
/> Leo clapped his hands together. “Well, isn’t this rich?” His baritone voice echoed throughout the building.
Muriel motioned for her son. “Come here,” she said, grabbing his hand.
Yakov walked over and stood with them, over them. He knew his old boss well. If something was going to happen to his family, it wouldn’t be with him across the room watching.
“This is my son,” Yakov said, giving Muriel the keys. He clinched her hand tight for a millisecond.
“Hell of a boy,” Leo said, narrowing his eyes on his old friend. “Hell of life, wouldn’t you say?”
“You don’t have anything to worry about here. They won’t say a word. I saw on the news that you’d gotten out. Just figured that you’d be headed somewhere a little warmer and deeper south than Little Odessa,” Yakov said, relaxing his shoulders. He sized up Leo’s men. “Good to see you kept some of your boys. Not the best of the litter, but loyal all the same.”
Yakov’s change in demeanor calmed the men. He knew that he had to control the situation, had to make Leo feel as though he could trust him. If he behaved like he had done something wrong, then Leo might very well feel as though he had. And during his time with him, he’d seen more than a few men killed over a hunch.
“A man has to work with what he’s given. So, then if you knew that I was out, then you have to know what I’m looking for,” Leo said, sucking his teeth.
“Let’s talk alone. Like I said, they are just leaving. I’ll fix everyone something to eat. You have to be starving. And we can talk about what you came for, da.” Yakov slapped Leo on the shoulder. “I see you used your time in prison well. You’re huge.”
Leo laughed. “Not much else to do in prison but work out and plot revenge.” He looked back at Yakov’s family and nodded. “Let them out,” he told his men. “I’m sure that they are easy enough to find, should we need to.” Cutting his eyes at Yakov, he moved out of Muriel’s way. “It was very nice to meet you.”
Muriel nodded. “Thank you,” she said, voice quivering.
“I’ll walk them to the car,” Yakov said, picking up his son and putting him on his hip.
Scandalous Heroes Box Set Page 85
