by Alexa Davis
"Your Papa did what he had to do to make sure we were all safe," she said. The fierce look in her eyes told me that while my father might have done some terrible things, he did them with the intention of ensuring that those he loved would remain alive. "He made deals with the devil to get us to safety. Don't you ever judge him for that."
"I'm not judging, Babi," I said trying to soothe her anger. "I'm trying to understand why bad men came to your apartment and roughed you up!"
"I'm telling you, Maksimka!" she shouted. "Listen to me!"
"Okay, okay," I placated, holding my hands up in surrender. "I'm listening."
"Your father made deals with people to get us all out, and when he did, he had to promise them certain things," she continued. "Those things he promised to do did not have an expiration date, so he was obligated to do them forever. At first, it was easy things that didn't seem to make that much difference, but then as time went on, he was required to make concession after concession and he had to do things that he found morally wrong, but he did them because they reminded him that if he didn't, they would harm you and your mother and brother."
"But why didn't Papa tell the authorities in this country once he got here?"
"Don't be stupid, Maksimka," she said. "The Russian Mafia doesn't care about local authorities. They have no hold on how they do business, and if your father had reported them, they would have murdered us all without a thought. There was no escape, Maksimka. No escape.
“Your father did what he could to resist, but by the time he wanted out for good, he was in way too deep to try and leave. He had no choice. And, the time he did decide to try and get out, well, you saw what happened."
"No, what happened?" I asked. "I don't remember this time."
"Of course you remember that time!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "They murdered your mother!"
The revelation came as a complete shock, and I stared at my grandmother with my mouth hanging open for a full minute before she snapped, "Close your mouth, the flies will get in and make a home."
"Babi, they killed Mama?" I whispered. I was horrified not by the fact that my mother had been killed, but by the fact that all these years, I'd secretly suspected that my father had done it out of anger and jealousy.
"Yes, they killed your mother when she and your Papa had decided that they would go to the police about the girls being smuggled into the country," Babi said. "Your mother could handle a lot of the unsavory dealings that your father did to keep you all safe, but exploiting other human beings in the way that the mafia did with those girls was more than she could take. She said it was because they were someone's children and she could live with a lot of things, but not the abuse of someone's child. She begged and pleaded with your Papa until he gave in and agreed to go to the authorities and become a witness."
"Did he go?" I asked.
"No, he did not," she said. "The day he was supposed to meet with the Federal investigators, your mother was hit by a car as she walked home from the grocery store. Your Papa told me that he thought it was a terrible accident until one of the vory v zakone showed up at the bar that night with a message from their captain. He told your Papa that if he ever said a word to anyone about the girls, you and Kristov would be next and that it would be no accident."
"They said they'd kill us?"
"Yes, they did," she said. "After that, your father made a vow to raise you and Kristov to be tough and to look out for yourselves. He didn't ever want either of you to be a victim of the promise he'd made."
"Babi, they killed Kristov," I said. "They went back on their promise. What am I supposed to do now? Sit back and let them run all over us?"
"Maksimka, your father and I are old. We have lived our lives. You are young, and you are the future of this family now that Kristov is dead," she said as she tipped the ice pack off of her arms and pulled me into a cold hug. "You have to do whatever you need to do to protect yourself. Even if that goes against what your Papa wants you to do. You need to make good choices and get out of the mafia life because if you are in it, you will not survive."
"How do I do that, Babi? I've been trying, but Papa keeps fighting me at every turn."
"Your Papa is a stubborn man." She smiled as she drew back and patted my cheek. "He was a stubborn boy who grew up to be a very stubborn man, but he loves you more than anything in the world and he is fighting to protect you. Help him."
"Babi, I met with Aleksander Dementyev tonight," I said, wondering what she knew about him.
"Scum!" she said as she spit on the floor. "That man is disgusting human trash! He has no loyalty or honor!"
"He told me that Papa killed Kristov," I said quietly. "I almost believed him after the way that Papa has treated me."
"Maksimka, that man is the worst kind of thief there is," she said as her face contorted with anger and pain. "He lies and follows no code of honor. He manipulates people by using their pain to make them doubt themselves and everyone they love. He twists the truth and turns it into lies. He is sadistic and cruel. He has no soul."
"How do you know all of this about him?" I wondered what Dementyev had done to get this kind of response from her.
"I have seen his handiwork," she said with disgust. "Kristov brought some of the girls he was helping to escape here to stay with me while he arranged safe passage to somewhere that Dementyev would never find them, and I saw what he'd done to them. That man deserves to die a thousand deaths for what he's done."
"Wait, you were helping Kristov? Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.
"Your brother didn't want you to get caught up in the dirty work, Maksimka," she said patting my cheek. "He was protecting you so that you could get out of the business."
"But he was telling me to get back into it!" I shouted. "What is going on in this family?"
"We take care of each other, Maksimka," she said. "Your Papa and Kristov were doing the best they could to draw you back in, but I prayed that you would stay away. I don’t understand your Papa."
"What do I do now?" I said helplessly. "Papa wants me to find Kristov's killers and make them suffer. How am I supposed to do that if I'm supposed to stay away from the family business? Babi, what do I do?"
She looked at me for a long time before she got up from the chair and walked to the refrigerator. She pulled out the milk and eggs, and then she took down the flour and began mixing a batch of crepes. I watched while she cooked, not saying a word, knowing that she was thinking and that the cooking was an integral part of her thought process. When she had flipped the last of the crepes onto the large blue plate she'd pulled out of the cabinet, she brought it over with a dish of jelly, some fresh fruit compote, and a container of sour cream and set them all down in front of me.
"Eat," she ordered as she began to clean up. "Eat, Maksim. It's good for you. You eat and then you'll know what to do."
Babi was right. By the time I was done eating the crepes, I knew exactly what I needed to do next. I kissed her on the cheek, went out to the car, and ordered the driver to take me home.
CHAPTER FIFTY
Lexi
I put Anna in her carrier as Viv called a cab for me. At the door, she hugged me tightly and kissed my forehead before she saluted.
"Go get your man, Wally!" she laughed.
"I'll do my best," I grinned as I walked to the elevator and headed down to meet my taxi. On the ground floor, I crossed the lobby and said goodnight to the doorman before heading out to the curb. The taxi was waiting and while I briefly wondered how the driver had gotten here so quickly, I wrote it off to the competition between drivers and was grateful that he’d shown up so fast. I asked the driver to load my bag into the trunk as I pushed Anna's carrier into the backseat and then slid in beside her. I gave the driver my address, but he didn't acknowledge me. I tapped on the Plexiglas divider and said the address again. Still no response.
"Excuse me? Excuse me!" I shouted at the driver who refused to turn and look at me. "Did you hear me? I said
I'm going to sixty-five Goethe Street!"
"You're going where I tell you you're going, so shut the fuck up and sit down!" came the reply. I felt like I'd been punched. And then, the panic set in as I tried to open the car door and found it securely locked.
"Oh no, you're not getting out, little lady," the driver laughed. "You're coming with me."
"Let me out! Let me out!" I shouted as I pounded on the window hoping that someone on the outside would see me and stop the cab. "You can't keep me in here! Let me out!"
"Shut the fuck up," the driver said as we reached a stoplight and he turned to point a pistol at my head. "I hate stupid women who don't know when to shut up, so I'm not opposed to silencing you. Hand over the phone."
I shrank back in the seat and stared at the barrel of the gun with wide eyes. Anna paced in her carrier, mewing at me to let her out as I dug into my purse. I wanted to resist, but my common sense took over and I handed the man my phone
"Shut that fucking cat up," he demanded. "I hate those fucking things. They're sneaky – just like women."
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, trying to keep the rising panic out of my voice. I had no idea who this man was or what he wanted from me.
"You'll see when you get there," he said before tossing me a mask and yelling, "Now put that damn thing on and shut the fuck up!"
I sank into the backseat as I pulled the mask over my eyes before quietly opening Anna's cage so that I could pet her. She seemed to understand the situation and silently climbed onto my lap. I held her close and petted her head as I thought about Max. I suddenly regretted my foolish outburst in the lobby of Peter's building. Had I not fired the security guard Max had hired, I might not be in this situation. I cursed myself as I felt the tears welling up.
Eventually, the cab pulled into a garage and I could hear the doors being quickly pulled down. The cab door opened, and a hand grabbed my arm, roughly pulling me out of the car. I was startled and Anna responded by jumping out of my arms. I heard a gun go off, and I screamed thinking they'd shot her.
"You heartless bastards!" I shouted as I began to cry. "She's a baby! You shot a baby!"
"Shut up!" a voice near my ear warned. "Or you'll be next."
I ground my teeth together so hard that I was certain I would crack one or two as I was shoved forward and told to walk. The hand on my arm gripped me tightly, and I felt the cold metal of a gun pressed against my right temple as I walked. My stomach roiled and I was afraid that I was going to vomit, so I swallowed hard and tried to calm myself by breathing deeply.
When we reached a doorway, I heard a lock click and felt the breeze from the door opening as the hand on my arm shoved me forward. I went flying across the room and landed hard. Something padded broke my fall, and the voice said, "You can take the mask off if you want, but I'd recommend that you stay really fucking quiet or else I'll have to silence you."
I nodded miserably as I reached up and pulled off the mask so I could look around. The room was no more than six by six feet and was made of cinder blocks with one small window at the top of the wall. It was large enough that I thought I might be able to squeeze out of it, if I could manage to boost myself up high enough. The walls had been painted numerous times, as evidenced by the layers of paint that had been chipped away, leaving a rainbow of colors in various places. The floor was cement and looked like it had been scrubbed to try and remove what looked like bloodstains that spread out across it. There was a drain in the center of the room, and after looking once, I tried to avoid repeating my mistake as it confirmed that the stains on the floor were, in fact, blood. I looked down and realized I was laying spread across a dirty mattress, covered in who knew what. I quickly pushed myself up off of it and walked to the far corner of the small room. I pressed my back into the corner and sunk down facing the door.
I had no idea where I was or what these men wanted from me. All I knew was that no one had any idea where I was and that these horrible men had murdered Anna. I began to cry silent tears for my little kitten and then for myself.
"Aw, don't cry, little girl," a voice at the door said in mock sympathy. I looked up and saw a tall man with a blond crew cut dressed in jeans and an army jacket zipped to the neck. He was casually holding a large hunting knife in one hand and when I saw it, my blood turned to ice in my veins as my eyes dropped to the stained cement floor. "That's it. Connect the dots, little girl."
I was frozen on the ground, knowing that I had no chance of escape and that this man was most likely going to butcher me and dispose of my body so that no one ever knew what had happened to me. The tears continued to flow as I tried to accept my fate.
"Oh, I'm not going to cut you up, if that's what you're afraid of," he laughed. "Don't be foolish, little girl. You're a valuable commodity."
I looked up into his cold blue eyes and my first thought was how different they were from Max's warm ones. This man looked like he could cut diamonds with his stare, and I quickly looked away.
"No, no, look up at me!" he said in an encouraging tone. "I want you to look at me while I film you pleading for your life."
"But…but you said you weren't going to hurt me," I whispered.
"I might or I might not, depending on how good you play this role," he said as he examined his nails and then used the knife to remove something from underneath one of them. "You're an actress, aren't you?"
"Y…yes," I stammered.
"Then you'll do the best acting job of your life or you will die. Are we clear?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone. I nodded as he grinned and brought out my cell phone. "Now, I'm going to use your phone to record your plea, so make it good because this is what Malinchenko is going to get. You need to tell him to cooperate or we will kill you. It's pretty simple. Ready?"
He turned the phone's camera on and began recording with the light shining brightly into my eyes. I swallowed hard and began speaking, "Please, Max, they're going to kill me. Please, help me! They already killed Anna and now they said they're going to kill me if you don't give them what they want! Please, help me!" By the end of my plea, I was crying hard as the tears flowed down my cheeks and I sobbed for Max to help me.
The man shut off the camera and nodded, "Good job. But who is this Anna we killed? I don't remember anyone else being brought in with you."
"My kitten!" I sobbed. "He shot my kitten! She was just a baby!"
"Oh, well, good," he said as he brought up a wad of spit from his throat and hocked it on the ground. "Cats are filthy animals. It's better for all of us that she's dead before she became an adult."
He turned and walked out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Max
I'd only been home a few minutes when the doorman rang and said he had a package for me. I told him to send it up in the elevator and when the doors slid open I found a small cardboard box with my name and address written in block letters on top. There was no postage or return address, so I took it to the kitchen and carefully examined it.
It didn't look like any explosives had been attached to the box, so I lifted the lid and inside, I found Lexi's phone. My heart dropped to my stomach as I picked it up and pressed the power button. Once the phone was powered up, I read the instructions that had been typed on the home screen and played the video.
When the camera came on I saw Lexi huddled in the corner of a room with what looked like cinder block walls. She looked small and very scared as she looked up at the camera and begged, "Please, Max, they're going to kill me. Please, help me! They already killed Anna and now they said they're going to kill me if you don't give them what they want! Please, help me!" For a moment, a black rage descended and I wanted to murder anyone and everyone who was connected with her kidnapping.
The video feed returned with the camera pointed at an empty chair in a wood-paneled room that had the old Soviet Union flag pinned to the wall. I watched for a moment, and then Alexsander Dementyev walked into the frame and sat down. His s
limy smile spread across his face as he prepared to speak. I wanted to murder him.
"Malinchenko, I imagine that right about now, you want to murder me," he laughed. "You wouldn't be a man if you didn't, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to claim what's rightfully mine and if it means that I have to use a bit of incentive to get it, then so be it. You might wonder what a man like me could possibly want, since I have everything any man could desire. I have money, power, and immunity from prosecution under diplomatic law.
“So, I'll tell you what I want. I want your father to pay for his crimes against the state and against his fellow vory v zakone. I want the head of Vladimir Malinchenko, and once I get it, I will be happy to return the little American actress to her proper place."
Dementyev's laughter filled the small room as he reached out and accepted the glass of vodka offered by a disembodied hand. Then, he continued, "You have exactly twenty-four hours to bring me Vladimir or I will cut up that pretty little girl and spread her out across this city so that you will never be able to find her again. I hope that you understand that this is nothing personal with you, my friend. It's an old debt that must be paid." He accepted a second glass of vodka, raised it toward the camera, and declared, "Za vashee zdaróvye!" before downing it and slamming the glass on the desk.
"Twenty-four hours, my friend," he said as he flashed a sinister grin and the screen went dark.
"You bastard," I hissed as I clenched my fist and then slammed it down on the patio table, shattering the glass top and sending everything on the table crashing to the ground. I stood up and paced the length of the balcony as I thought about what my next move would be. He wanted me to turn Papa over to him, and no matter what my father had done, there was no way I was going to do that. Or was there?
I stormed back into the penthouse, grabbed my phone, and dialed my father. When no one answered, I swore a blue streak as I ran back to my bedroom and changed into a black t-shirt, black jeans, and a black hoodie.
