Rescued by a Mobster

by Raven Rivers

  Since high school he’d only maintained three friendships, and they were with the same guys who always had his back: Mikael, Karl, and Luka. He’d recruited them into the bratva and kept them close as his personal bodyguards, paying them well. They were decent men—in his eyes, anyhow; certainly not in the eyes of the law—and he trusted them implicitly. All three had known him from the old days with Jade and had helped rescue her after doling out their form of justice to her abductors. They understood why no other woman was able to capture or hold his interest. Jade was special, and with good reason. She was strikingly beautiful, with smooth mocha skin and big, brown eyes that reflected kindness and mystique. Looks aside, she also had a warm, gentle side that made her the perfect counterpart to Yuri’s cold brashness. He truly loved her, and hadn’t stopped thinking of her over the years. He was sure he could find her if he used the connections he’d made, but word was she didn’t want to be found. He had to respect that decision… didn’t he?

  Chapter 4

  Taking Over the East Coast

  Yuri

  All hell broke loose when a few of Yuri’s men botched a drug run overseas, costing him close to a million dollars. Well, costing his boss close to one million dollars. It wasn’t Mikael, Karl, or Luka who had screwed up—they were much too competent for that. No, it was several guys who were lower on the totem pole, and they’d made quite the mess. Sonovo was understandably disappointed and upset with him, which stung since he’d never let his boss down before.

  He gathered his three comrades—who had risen to the status of captains—and attempted to figure out what had gone wrong. They traced the problem to a pair of guys who had been with him for less than a year.

  They never should have been left alone to execute such an important job, but they’d shown promise and had seemed trustworthy. Now, both of the men were missing along with the drugs, and it didn’t take much to put two and two together. They were likely involved and had conspired to sell the drugs themselves instead of handing them over to one of the captains, who would in turn hand them over to Yuri.

  Yuri sent ten men with Mikael to track them down, as finding people was something Mikael had proven quite good at. Within twenty-four hours they discovered that the shipment had actually been hijacked, and not stolen by their two new faces. Both of the drivers had chased their hijackers over the Chinese boarder, only to be picked up by police.

  One of the men was now dead—shot down in an attempted escape—and the other was being held in a small substation awaiting transport. Unsure if the men had recovered the drugs before their arrest, which would place the drugs in the hands of the Chinese authorities, Yuri gave the go-ahead for Mikael to storm the small holding facility with his men. He did, with two of his men being shot and killed in the process, yet the drugs were nowhere to be found.

  Rescued from the small Chinese precinct, the surviving driver rejoined the group after expressing his deep remorse for allowing the drugs to be stolen. Seeing that he was indeed loyal and itching for payback, Yuri appointed him as Mikael’s second in command and had the men continue their search for the missing drugs. After weeks of looking for the hijackers with little luck, the search was deemed futile and called off.

  China was simply too large of a country and they had no solid leads to go on. Victor Sonovo had also grown tired of excuses. It would take every cent Yuri had earned to pay off the debt he now owed his irate boss. Crestfallen from his first real failure, he reluctantly gathered the money and went to meet with his boss in Russia. To bring such an extraordinary amount of money with him required him to charter a private plane since one million dollars would have aroused too much suspicion at a commercial airport. This cost him even more money, leaving him broke when he arrived in Moscow.

  Sonovo was very traditional in his thinking, yet modern in his approach to crime. They’d been working together for nearly a decade now, counting the years he worked as a lowly errand boy. The man had known him for a large chunk of his life, though they’d only met in person a handful of times.

  Yuri sat down and waited for his boss to speak. It was their way. Never forgetting that the man had given him his real start, Yuri always showed him a tremendous amount of respect, and part of that meant allowing the man to speak first. He was in awe of Sonovo’s power and influence and aspired to someday reach that level himself back in America. He had been well on his way until this disastrous blunder. He chastised himself for it, taking sole responsibility for the mistake.

  “I respect that you are willing to make this right with your own money, Yuri,” Sonovo began from the comfort of his lavish office. “But I require more than money to rectify this situation. I have a problem that I want you to fix.”

  Yuri steeled himself for what came next. That particular phrasing usually meant someone needed to be killed. Yuri didn’t like hits; he had done them in his early days but they never sat well with him, despite how cold he thought he had grown. It was, unfortunately, the cost of doing business sometimes.

  “I have two individuals who are causing me problems in the United States,” Sonovo continued in his heavy Russian accent. “I need them neutralized. One is in Tampa, and the other is in New York. Both are bosses, appointed years ago by me. Sadly, our visions have grown too different and we can’t reach an agreement.

  I want our operation to run a little more discreetly, using legitimate businesses as a cover. They want to continue operating out in the open, slinging drugs from the street. They also want to expand into the sex trade industry, which isn’t something I’m okay with. I may be a criminal, Yuri, but even I draw the line somewhere.”

  “I understand,” Yuri nodded, listening attentively.

  “They want to keep taking stupid risks, like stealing cars. They’re not thinking big enough. Smart enough. It’s a matter of time before they slip up and get busted. I don’t need them, or anybody, bringing down everything I’ve worked so hard to build.”

  “Makes sense,” Yuri agreed, nodding again. He truly did understand where the man was coming from. While he appreciated a good hooker from time to time, he also wanted no part of the sex trade industry and knew jacking automobiles was something they had outgrown.

  “I need these men gone,” Sonovo said, lighting a cigar and pouring himself a drink. He offered one to Yuri, who politely declined. He needed his wits about him for this. “Gone before they put us on the police’s radar.” Sonovo paused to take a puff of his cigar, then leaned forward and looked at Yuri with a deep sincerity. “You’ve been with me a long time now, Yuri. Ten? Eleven years? I watched you rise through the ranks. I trust you because you work smart as well as hard.

  You’ve proven there are other ways to eliminate threats. Ways that seem to work out without dead bodies piling up all over the place. Dead bodies and missing people draw attention. You find ways to figure out what people want the most, then trade that for cooperation.”

  “I do,” Yuri replied, touched by the kind words.

  “Typically what people want the most is their life,” Sonovo remarked, then took a swig of his drink.

  “That’s very true.”

  “But you’re not averse to killing if it becomes necessary. That’s of great value to me. I need to expand the operation, but in the right direction. I can’t do that with these two men holding me back. I’ve tried working things out with them but they’re too set in their ways. Do you understand, Yuri?”

  “Yes. I’ve been hearing things on the East Coast have been unraveling over the last couple of years. It is probably good that you’re stepping in before we lose the whole operation there. Do you have a boss in mind to take over the New York position?” Yuri asked.

  “That decision has already been made. I’ll be taking care of Tampa personally and I have somebody I’m putting in charge of things in New York.”

  “Oh?” Yuri asked, swallowing hard as he tried to mask his disappointment. He was Sonovo’s right-hand man. The job should have been given to him. He blamed the bu
ngled drug run for the missed promotion.

  “Ivan Blanko will be overseeing things there while I handle Tampa. I know what you’re thinking, Yuri. You think the job should have been yours,” Sonovo said, seemingly reading his mind. “Rest assured that this has nothing to do with your… mistake. You’re still my go-to man, Yuri. I need you free and flexible. To be able to bounce around to wherever I need you.”

  “I understand,” Yuri replied with noticeable relief. He was still Sonovo’s right-hand man after all and wasn’t being demoted.

  “Good.” Sonovo paused to take another puff of his cigar and leaned back in his seat. “Thoughts?”

  “It’s a tough market. You’’ll need somebody with experience and enough finesse to bring people into line. Someone willing to work long, hard hours, seven days a week. I’m willing to help out in whatever capacity you need.”

  “To be honest, I’ve been a bit concerned that you were gearing up head your own organization. Perhaps a rival one.”

  Yuri immediately refuted that notion. “Never going to happen,” he said, shaking his head in dismissal. “Would I like to run my own organization someday? Definitely. But I’d never go against you. For now, I’m perfectly content where I am. I’m not greedy. Your cut is fair, and I don’t mind reporting to you. If I had to report to someone else, maybe I would feel differently, but we work well together. I like having someone to turn to if things get out of hand… it gives me a measure of security.”

  “Good, good,” Sonovo said, slapping his hand on his solid oak desk and smiling wide. “I’d hate to go against you, Yuri. You’d be one hell of a competitor,” he added with a wink.

  “Compete with you? Never,” Yuri laughed.

  “I think you would be a good fit for New York in time,” Sonovo said, assured by Yuri’s words. “I need your help down in Tampa first, though. That situation’s a mess right now.

  Yuri nodded his acceptance of the assignment. Sonovo held out a flash drive and its contents needed no explanation. Yuri knew all too well what he would find on it. It would likely contain every detail Sonovo had on the East Coast operation, including dossiers on each person in the organization and a recounting of every job they’d ever pulled. It would list alliances and give a wealth of information on their competitors.

  It would also have information on their financials, and a history of where and when the police were involved. The information would be exhaustive and Yuri needed to absorb it all, memorize every last piece, if he wanted to take over New York. Since childhood he’d been facinated by the place and dreamed of one day living there, though for all the wrong reasons now that he’d established a life of crime. New York was massive, and the perfect place to someday start his own organization.

  Sonovo’s gruff voice brought him back from his thoughts. “Keep your money, Yuri. You’ll need it to make the transition. But know that I expect you to make regular payments out of your cut to pay this debt off.”

  “That sounds more than fair. I think you’ll enjoy Tampa.”

  “I’ve heard the weather is nice and law enforcement is flexible,” Sonovo shrugged.

  Yuri tilted his head and smiled as his gray-haired boss. “Florida is a place older people seem to enjoy.”

  Sonovo’s reply was quick and dry. “I’m sure most of them are not quite as fun-loving as you and I, Yuri.” Since Sonovo was anything but playful, Yuri took that to mean he planned on leaving his mark on the area. “I’ll let you know when I’ve secured the Tampa region.”

  Chapter 5

  Wrangling it to the Ground

  Yuri

  It took Yuri less than twenty-four hours to get back to America; his connections were good at making things happen quickly. His housekeeper would look after his home while he traveled to Florida to begin preparing for Sonovo’s arrival the following month. While he was in Tampa, he would leave Nikola Petrov in charge of his territory since he needed Mikael, Karl, and Luka to have his back down in The Sunshine State. Nikola Petrov had been handling things in his absence off and on for a while now and had long since received Sonovo’s stamp of approval. He could be trusted.

  Yuri gathered a few things and traveled lightly with Mikael, Karl, and Luka. Since he didn’t have to hand over all of his money to Sonovo, he had plenty of purchasing power in Tampa. He could easily buy whatever he needed, and within days had secured a nice, roomy apartment for him and his three associates. It wasn’t long before his sit-down with Sonovo’s Tampa boss, a man by the name of Misha Volkov.

  “I’ve come to transition you out of your position,” Yuri explained. “I’d like to do so without bloodshed. Sonovo will be taking over Tampa personally. What would it take for you move on?”

  Misha Volkov was rough around the edges. He didn’t dress particularly well, nor did he seem particularly bright. He knew Sonovo was big on keeping things as tight-knit as possible and preferred working with fellow Russians, but he didn’t understand why he’d hired this dimwit. Misha muttered something about striking out on his own to compete with Sonovo directly. A shrewd businessman, Yuri got right to the heart of the matter.

  “We need you to step down here, but competing with Sonovo would be a death sentence and you know it. To be perfectly honest, he already wanted you gone permanently… if you know what I mean.” He paused to open his jacket, flashing his concealed handgun. “I was hoping we could find another solution.”

  Misha swallowed hard. “Go on,” he replied nervously.

  “He plans on expanding westward once he fixes things here, so staying in the States might not be a wise move for you. Have you thought of moving South of the border? The rules are a little more lax there. The authorities are more agreeable to bribes. Your particular brand of ‘business’ is nothing out of the ordinary there,” Yuri said, referencing the car jackings and sex trade. “It’s a very lucrative market, with few restrictions. We’d be willing to buy cocaine from you at a reasonable rate if you can establish yourself there. We could both have everything we ever wanted for ourselves, and you’d have backup if you ever need it. That is, if we can work out a compromise today.”

  “I see,” Misha said, mulling over the idea.

  Yuri could tell he had captured the man’s interest. He added, “I might even be willing to front you a substantial amount money to get started… say two million.”

  He may have overreached there, but thought Sonovo would front the money if it worked to his benefit, which it would. Yuri could see Misha considering his offer, and felt he had sweetened the pot just enough to score his cooperation. Running his hand across the stubble on his chin, Misha looked him over with a critical eye as he continued to deliberate.

  “South of the border is a large amount of real estate,” he finally spoke. “If Sonovo wants me to take it, I have no problem with that… if he can help me get set up there.”

  “Consider it done. You have our blessing,” Yuri replied, relieved that the conversation had gone so smoothly. Had Misha put up a fuss, he would had had to put a bullet between his dopey eyes. Thankfully Misha had been just smart enough to realize he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Either he’d be going to Mexico, or he’d be going to the morgue. He just hoped Sonovo would be on board with the plan.

  With the deal struck, Misha began introducing Yuri to his men and contacts. Yuri already knew more about them than anyone suspected. He taught Yuri every square inch of his operation, and was surprised when Yuri moved his base of operation from a strip club to a posh spa. A spa was the last place anyone would expect the Russian mafia, Yuri had explained. Misha thought Yuri was quite clever, and paid attention to the ways he tweaked the workings of the business. The following month when Sonovo arrived, he was quite pleased with the operation Yuri handed him. So pleased, in fact, that he had no problem agreeing to front Misha the two million dollars needed to get the Mexico operation going.

  Yuri called in favors and rounded up twenty men to help get things rolling South of the border, tagging along with them to
oversee the setup. He knew the Mexican cartels wouldn’t appreciate Misha setting up shop in their territory, and he was right. A fight inevitably ensued, and they lost most of their men along the way, but an agreement was eventually reached. For twenty percent of the revenue he generated, Misha was able to keep his operation running. Things remained shakey for a bit, but started flowing smoothly after three months of persistence. With the operation deemed a success and turning a growing profit, a satisfied Sonovo gave Yuri permission to head to New York.

  His experience in Mexico had left Yuri feeling restless and anxious. That level of brutality was something he hadn’t experienced before. The Mexican cartels were every bit as ruthless as he’d heard, making him think he may not be as cold and cruel as he once thought. Sure, he’d had to snuff people out before, but he never tortured them for days like one particular cartel did with several of his men. They’d even decapitated a few of them and sent them their severed heads as a warning. Unable to forget the things he’d seen, he wasn’t able to eat or sleep particularly well.

  Upon arriving in New York, Yuri had checked into a five-star hotel and asked for a sit down with Andrei Orlov, head of the New York operation. Surprisingly, Andrei agreed to meet him at the hotel since it was close, and the two met in the hotel bar. Andrei was an older man in his late sixties and had been at the helm for decades. Unlike Misha, he was savvy and smart, yet very old school when it came to earning. Yuri studied Andrei closely, trying to get a read on him. The man was definitely sharp, but seemed tired and weary.