“What’s the matter?” He asks, sitting back on the seat.
“I need to make a couple of calls. Go ahead, go inside, and get your things together. You’ll feel better after a shower and a change of clothes. Then we’ll go grab something to eat before we head to the airport.”
He nods and smiles. “Tell Estelle I said hi.”
I grin. “Who says I’m calling her?”
“Yeah, whatever, man. You always call her after we do something,” he laughs as he shuts the door.
I smile as I watch him open the motel door and step inside. He’s right, of course, I will call her but I need to make a couple of other phone calls as well. I first call Avery and tell him to ready the plane and then I dial Dimitri’s cell phone, which Elkins found for me the other day.
“Who is this and how did you get this number?” I hear him say gruffly and just smile. There is literally nothing that Elkins can’t find out.
“Mladshiĭ, I just wanted to thank you again for calling Cordoza. He came through and it’s done,” I say quickly.
“Bolʹshoĭ!” He answers with the laugh I remember so well.
“He wanted me to tell you that he offered her as a peace offering between the families.”
“Yes, well, he nearly pissed himself when I called. He said he investigated you when you left but all he found was your legitimate business dealings and then he mentioned an old picture of us in front of the bar. I don’t know what picture he is referring to. We never had our picture taken.”
“I know what photo he is referring to,” I say, remembering the one Elkins had given me.
“Huh. How could we have missed being photographed?”
“I don’t know, but I was surprised when I saw it as well.”
“How do you feel about what you did?”
I can’t help but chuckle. “You’re asking me how I feel?”
“Yes.” He laughs heartily. “Does Estelle have the market on asking people how they feel about things?”
I smile brightly. God, I have missed him. “No, she does not have the market on that concept.”
He stops laughing and lets out a sigh. “I know you have always tried to avoid killing anyone,” he states with sadness in his voice. “I wish you would have let me do it for you so that your conscience could remain clean.”
I take a quick breath. I can’t believe he just said that. That after all these years he still wanted what was best for me. The fact that he remembered how I felt and tried to prevent me from doing something that I might regret makes me feel immensely happy.
“Bolʹshoĭ, you still there?”
“Yeah, I’m here and I’m okay. Thanks for asking. She wasn’t an innocent so my guilt is less. She would have eventually come and tried to hurt my family. I had to protect them,” I say softly.
“I understand, Bolʹshoĭ.” He pauses and just when I think he has hung up he starts speaking again. “If you are back in Chicago for any reason come and see me. No one will harm you, not even Nikolai. By the way, you broke his jaw and his nose. You should have seen him cursing around but I forbid him or anyone else from seeking revenge against you or your family.”
“Thank you, brother. I am sure he was real happy about that.”
He laughs again. “Nikolai is never happy! I must go, Bolʹshoĭ, I am on my way out.”
“Okay, I will talk to you again sometime.”
“Yes, I would like that,” he says before hanging up.
I tap the phone against my chin and cock my head. Well, that was not what I expected to have happen. It’s not like I can really have a relationship with him anymore. I can’t afford to have my business tied to a known drug and gun trafficker. I am not going to risk an investigation or anything. It was bad enough that I might have been photographed with him. But, I can’t help but smile at the normalcy of our conversation. There’s got to be a way to have some kind of relationship. Any kind would be nice. I sigh and then dial Estelle’s office.
“Dr. Webber’s office, how can I help you?”
“Is she with someone, Liz?” I ask.
“Yes, Mr. Livingston. I’m sorry. She has been waiting for your call too.”
“Well, can you patch me through to her voicemail?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Hey sweetheart… Everything is done, and yes, I feel okay. I’m sorry I missed you though. Elkins and I will be flying home within a couple of hours. I will see you at the house. I love you!”
I hang up and slip my phone in my pocket and head to the room to shower and change clothes. I can’t wait to get home. I know I should probably feel a little remorseful but I truly don’t. I believe what I told Dimitri, she would have come back and Michael would not have been safe. I did the right thing and now I can go home in peace, knowing that I did everything in my power to protect my family.
Chapter 28
I let the jets of the hot water hit my face and then my body. I didn’t have as much blood on me as Elkins did. Well, I knew what to expect and stepped out of the way. Elkins was not ready for it. After washing all the blood off myself, I step out of the shower and wrap the towel around my waist. I stare at my reflection in the mirror and move to the side slightly, seeing the bruises that have already formed on my ribs and abdomen. Damn, that’s going to hurt like hell tomorrow. I run my hands through my hair, trying to see if there is anything different about me. Have I changed at all? I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I must have, right? I shake my head and then change clothes. When I am done, I glance down and look at my old clothes in the trash. I sigh and yank the trash bag out of the basket and head into the main area.
“Give me everything you wore today,” I say as I step into the room.
Elkins looks at me puzzled and grabs his bloodied and soiled clothes, placing them in the bag. I grab my shoes and throw them in there as well and look at him.
“Your shoes too.”
He frowns. “But I like these shoes.”
I sigh. “SHOES, Elkins! NOW!”
He reluctantly takes them off and throws them in as well. We gather the rest of our things and check out without any fanfare whatsoever. Midway to the airport, I tell him to pull over, which he does, glancing at me sideways. I have him pop the trunk and I step out, slipping on some gloves from my briefcase, I take the trash bag and shovel out. I begin walking a little distance away and find a spot off the main road. I use the shovel to make a small indention in the ground. I drop the bag and step on the shovel, breaking the handle off. I drop it in the hole as well and quickly set it ablaze. I step back, sticking my hands in my pockets as I watch our clothes, shoes and the handle to the shovel burn to a crisp. After several minutes, I hear the car door open and soon Elkins is standing right beside me.
“Man, I really liked those shoes,” Elkins says sighing.
“Then you shouldn’t have worn them when you knew what we were planning on doing,” I say, lowering my sunglasses and eyeing him.
He frowns. “Well, if I had known you were going to cut the witch without any warning maybe I would have chosen more wisely.”
“You have to be prepared for anything,” I say, trying not to smile but I do.
He waves his hand at me and mumbles. I laugh at his reaction. We stand there for a long time, not saying anything, just watching the flames from our pile slowly fade away. When the fire is down to embers, I turn to Elkins and place my hand on his shoulder.
“Come on, let’s go,” I say, seeing him nod.
“Yeah, let’s get the hell out of here.”
He turns quickly as I spread the ashes around and kick some dirt over it. When I am satisfied that there is no evidence of what we did, we head back to the car. We are both silent, lost in our own thoughts as we cross the border.
“Head to that car wash over there,” I say, seeing one down on the corner.
“Why?” Elkins starts to say but then stops and pulls in.
As we are in the automatic wash, I look at him. “We need to clean the ca
r of all evidence. Wash, vacuum, and wipe down all surfaces.”
“But it is already rented under one of my aliases. Isn’t this a bit much?” Elkins asks.
“I killed someone, Benny, and you participated. We must use every precaution. No one will find her but why take a chance?” I state coolly and he nods his understanding.
We spend the next hour vacuuming and wiping down all the surfaces of the vehicle and then I toss the remaining part of the shovel in the trash, making sure it is under several things. I know that no one will trace her to us but I’m not risking my freedom on it. When we are finished, we make our way to the airport and check in the car. Elkins actually laughs when the attendant compliments us on how clean it is. Once again I make my way through security, with Elkins close behind me. God! I hate this airport right about now. I can’t wait to get home and put this all behind me.
~*~
The flight home seems to drag. Elkins falls asleep almost immediately and all I can do is look out the window, trying to decide how I feel about what happened. It does bother me that I am not upset about what I did. What does that say about me? Am I really that ruthless that I could take someone’s life without any guilt? Am I just as bad as people like Nikolai or even Dimitri? Maybe I am just fooling myself about letting Bolʹshoĭ go quietly into the night. He is such a part of who I am. Will I ever be able to let him go? I run my hand through my hair nervously and glance over at Elkins, who is snoring loudly. I stand abruptly and go to the bar, pouring a shot of vodka and downing it quickly. I rest my hands against the counter and roll my shoulders. What the hell is wrong with me? I take another shot and then walk back to my seat, counting the minutes until I am home, until I can hold Estelle. Can she make me clean of this as well? I sure hope so.
“George will be waiting for you, sir,” Avery says as I exit the plane.
“Thank you, Avery. I know I worked you hard the last few days. Why don’t you take some time off, with pay, of course?” I say with a smile and then add, “Go do something fun.”
“Thank you, sir, but that’s not necessary,” he starts to say until he sees my expression and then laughs. “Ah, that wasn’t a suggestion, was it?”
I shake my head. “No, it was an order,” I say, smiling and tapping his shoulder.
Elkins and I make our way to the car, seeing George step out and open the door for the two of us. Elkins slides in first, and before I do, George speaks.
“It’s good to have you back, sir.”
I smile and slide in the vehicle. I wonder if he means that he is happy it is Charles that stepped off that plane and not Bolʹshoĭ. I tell George to take Elkins home first and glance over at my friend. He is resting his head against the back of the seat with his eyes closed. As we approach his place, I turn to him again and smile before nudging him, startling him awake.
“What the hell!”
“Do you need a vacation as well?” I ask laughing.
“Screw you!” he says, trying to be mad, but I know he isn’t.
“Go to bed, Benny. I’ll give you a call in a few days.”
He nods and reaches for his bag, exiting the car and heading towards his house. Estelle is right. I need to treat him better. He is more than an employee to me. He has been a valuable confidant and friend over the years. I have always kept him at a distance though. I don’t know why. Maybe because it felt like a betrayal to Dimitri, maybe because of the pain ending my relationship with Dimitri caused me. But I do know that I don’t always treat him the best. I need to change that. I look at the clock on the dashboard and know that Estelle won’t be home yet, not for a few more hours.
“Take me home, George.”
As George pulls up to the house, I can feel a sense of peace envelop me. I don’t remember going inside. I don’t remember dropping my bags in the foyer and I don’t remember falling asleep on the couch. What I do remember is being woken by the feel of Estelle’s gentle touch as she runs her fingers through my hair and down the side of my face. It feels like a beautiful dream that I don’t want to wake from. She kisses me softly on the forehead and I slowly open my eyes.
“There’s my handsome husband,” she says with a smile.
I smile back at her. “And there’s my beautiful wife.”
“Do you want to go lay down in the guest room? It’s closer,” she suggests.
I shake my head. “No, I want to go to our room. I was waiting for you.”
She nods and stands up, reaching her hands to me. I flinch as I start to get up. A move she notices immediately. She doesn’t say anything but takes my hand and leads me up to our room. When we get there, she starts unbuttoning my shirt, slipping it off and then lifts the hem of my undershirt, pulling it gingerly over my head. She has a look of sadness on her face as she sees the prominent bruising on my ribs and abdomen.
“It’s not that bad,” I say softly.
She sighs and moves her hands to my pants, unsnapping them and then pushing them down to the floor. My body responds just watching her. Anytime we are away from each other for any length of time it’s as if we need to be re-connected, like I’m not officially home until that happens.
“Lie down, honey,” she says as she starts to step back.
Wait! We aren’t going to have sex? She notices my expression and smiles. “Let me take care of your injuries and then we’ll see what you can handle,” she answers my unspoken concerns.
I grab her and pull her close to me, kissing her soundly on the lips. I pull her shirt out of her skirt and quickly unsnap her bra, then move my hands to the hem of her skirt, pulling it up and over her. I pull away from the kiss and stare into her dark eyes.
“I can handle it,” I whisper with fire in my eyes.
She steps back from me and I sit on the edge of the bed, watching her, waiting for her. She walks over to me, standing between my legs, as she gently cups my face.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Es.”
“Please tell me that this was the last time I’ll have to watch you walk away and worry that you will never come back to me,” she says and I know she is holding back tears.
“It’s the last time.”
She kisses me softly on the lips before stepping away from me again. My hand reaches out to stop her. “Where are you going?” I ask disappointed.
“I know you’re hurting. I am going to get what I need to take care of you,” she says kissing me softly on the lips.
She exits the bedroom and is back before I have a chance to miss her. She gives me some ibuprofen, and when I pout at her, she arches her brow so I take it. The only medication I take is Excedrin. I figure if Excedrin can’t fix it, well, I’m probably already dying. But she says the ibuprofen is better right now. She has me roll on my uninjured side so she can get to the whole area that is bruised. She starts icing me down, humming lightly as she does it. I feel like I am in another world as I savor her gentle touch on my body. After a while, my body is completely relaxed and I am putty in her hands.
“Is it wrong that I don’t feel guilty about what I did?” I mumble.
She doesn’t say anything right away but places a towel on my side and one of our large heat packs on top of it. She then leans down and kisses my shoulder softly. I can feel her breath as she lays her cheek on my shoulder blade.
“I suppose it depends on why you don’t feel guilty,” she answers softly.
“She would have come back and hurt them. I know that in my heart. I could sense that about her. There was no other way,” I say determinedly.
“Charles, you are not an evil man and if she would have harmed our son or Rachel then you did the right thing,” she says as she sits up and starts gently rubbing my shoulders.
“Do you really believe that, Es?” I ask softly.
She stops rubbing my shoulders for a moment and then starts again. “I believe that you are good man, that you are a loving husband and father, and that if you believed that killing her was the only way then it was.” She l
eans down and kisses me softly on my cheek before continuing to rub my shoulders. “I won’t second guess you, Charles. I trust you completely.”
I nod and feel her hand move to my uninjured lower back, rubbing gently. “When I called Dimitri to relay a message from Cordoza, he told me that he wished I would have let him do it, so I would have a clear conscience. Why would he say that?”
“Because he loves you, Charles,” she says without hesitation. “He knows you never wanted to be a part of all of that. He never had a choice. He was forced into the lifestyle. When he let us leave, he gave you the out he never got. He wanted you free even if at the time he didn’t realize he was doing it.”
“I suppose so,” I say sighing.
“I’m sure that doesn’t make much sense right now.”
I shrug slightly, not answering.
“In Chicago, when you were shot and in the hospital,” she lets out a soft breath. “He came to see you. Remember me telling you that?”
“Yes,” I answer quietly. “You said that you guys talked but never told me about what.”
“Well, talk was not quite the right word.” She sighs lightly and continues. “I really just yelled at him.”
“You did?”
“Yes,” she answers remorsefully. “It was before he told me that he owed me, owed us. I told him that if he cared about you like he said he did then he would want a better life for you than what he had. I didn’t think he heard me but I guess he did,” she says, playing with the hair at the base of my neck.
“I miss him.”
She brings her hand to my face and I turn to look at her. I know that she can see the pain on my face. I feel overwhelmed right now and can feel tears streaking my cheeks. I can’t believe how emotional I am right now. This isn’t like me at all.
“I know you do,” she whispers as she strokes my cheek tenderly, wiping the tears that are falling. “What you and Dimitri share is something that most people will never experience and it’s not something that ever goes away. I didn’t approve of who he was, you know that, but I always felt bad that you lost such an important person in your life. I wish he could have shared the momentous events in our life like family is supposed to do. Because I know…” She stops for a moment, clearing her throat, her voice cracking with emotion. “I know that all of those events would have been significantly better for you if you had your brother there to share them with.”
Brothers Forever Page 19
