Andrey

by K. J. Dahlen

  Then they started to throw more than jeers and comments… they were throwing bottles and rocks.

  It was now not a crowd. It was an angry Russian mob.

  His gut clenched as he ducked and headed out to the main steps. He rushed up them, as other lower uniformed FSS officers tried to block the crowd from following him.

  He skidded into the large hall of the building in the Square and his sweating was much worse. Then he halted in a long skid as he came face to face with a man.

  Graying hair, intense blue eyes and power…The man exuded it.

  Sucking in a deep breath, he could not form words. Nyet. This man could not be standing here! Angus did think he was losing his mind now. The Bratva was here inside the FSS building?

  The congenial looking leader stepped forward and held out his hand. “Inspector Aldokim.”

  Angus stared down at his hand and grasped it, then he muttered a name he never thought to say in a public place or even elsewhere, “Sergi Constantine?”

  Chapter Two

  Somewhere over the Bering Strait

  Tonight, Andrey Balick wasn’t flying, he was a passenger. A special plane had been sent to retrieve the entire team from America and take them to Russia.

  Apparently, something disturbing had transpired in their home country and Sergi Constantine had ordered an emergency Council meeting to address whatever it was.

  Andrey would possibly fly them back home. Home. It did feel odd to think of the US as home. But part of the team had their wives here now. Viktor, Deter, Ivan and Adrik all had their significant others as they called it here in America. The rest of the team were either single or had women elsewhere in the world.

  Andrey had remained single. He just hadn’t seen any woman that would change his mind about being single. He came from a tragic childhood and didn’t want kids and a house with a white fence or whatever it was, at least not now. How the other men balanced it all was beyond him. The work as an enforcer could have you gone from your base for times up to a month. Most often, they finished in a week however.

  He wondered though, if they would be coming back anytime soon. This all meant another mission from the Bratva council. No telling what part of the world they would be sent to, could even be back to America. It often was, as it seemed all the Bratva criminals usually tried to hide out there.

  The team was all here on the jet Sergi had sent…

  Ivan sat two rows up, he was their interpreter when needed, and the muscle. Trained in all the weapons and fighting styles any of them each specialized in, including being a sniper.

  Adrik sat across from him, he was the IT, undercover Ops and weapons expert.

  Grisha sat beside Adrik, his specialties were weapons and explosives, ground and air tactics.

  Deter who was really second in command sat next to Viktor. He was an expert in camouflage, geography, trail hunting, weapons, setting traps and more.

  Matvey was sitting a row ahead of then, he was a medic among many other things, such as a point blank sniper.

  Petrov sat next to Matvey and he was tech, alarms, hardwiring computers, surveillance equipment.

  There was also Nubic, Maxim, Cacheski, Peter, and Manki that were nothing but ghosts. They were sitting in various seats behind Andrey. They were usually sent in to case a place to watch your backs without being seen… like ghosts. They killed swiftly and silently when they had to.

  Finally, there was Andrey, a pilot that could fly anything with an engine and propellers. Since he’d been a kid, all he wanted to do is fly. He was also a soldier, trained in hand to hand and many different martial arts. His past wasn’t like the rest of the Nomads though. He had a bloody one... a tragic start to his life as an Enforcer for the Bratva. A secret only known to Viktor Andronikov his boss, Anosk Valentin and Sergi Constantine, the leader of the Bratva and it had stayed a secret all these years.

  For the enforcers, Andrey had utilized all these skills, born over the years while in training for the Bratva. His best skill, he figured, was flying. If the Bratva asked him to fly a rocket to the moon, he would do it. It had been his dream to be a pilot and he had been one for ten years now, officially.

  Before that he had been enlisted as a Bratva solider by Anosk Valentin one of the Bratva Council members at the time. Back then, Andrey had been lost in the world after he’d lost his family. Anosk was from the same town as Andrey and had known what had happened to him.

  Andrey looked out through the porthole window. He refused to mentally go back to the day when he lost everything he knew as a child. Nothing good could come of remembering it.

  The men on this plane were his family and they had been for years now.

  Viktor’s men knew what they were doing. He could depend on them all to do what they were trained to do. His team was the best of the best. They all worked hard to get where they were today and it showed. With each member and their skills covering their backs, they could do the impossible and very often did.

  They had just finished a mission in fact. In the Little Ukraine. It had been odd to be there in that state of America and look around to feel like you were back at home in Russia. The streets even looked Ukrainian. The air was filled with the scents of Russian food. Some of the shop window signs were in Ukrainian even.

  Andrey looked up to see Adrik speaking to Grisha. That mission had changed his friend. Adrik had found he had a twin brother and that twin, also worked for the Bratva. He had to pull off the ultimate undercover op. Be his brother. Then he found his mother being taken care of by that very brother all this time. Unbeknownst to Adrik, his mother had been in poor health. All these happenings had been a shock to Adrik.

  Andrey had been there to see it all unfold. He so hoped Adrik could be at peace about it.

  He himself was not at peace. He probably never would be. It was just the curse of his life. He had a black cloud as you might call it hanging over him. He couldn’t get rid of it. He now had stopped trying. He had wondered during that mission though, how would he feel if the enforcer job got personal like it had for Adrik. What would he do? Could he just do his job and push all motion aside? Well, Andrey had no worries that it would ever get personal, as he had no family really. So, it would never happen to him in any case.

  Andrey felt someone sit beside him. He turned to look beside him.

  It was Viktor himself. He looked straight ahead, as he spoke, “I wanted to speak to you before we go into the Bratva Center.”

  Andrey tensed. “Why me?”

  Viktor now turned to look at him. “This matter that Sergi has called us about…”

  Andrey didn’t like the way this sounded as he waited for his boss to finish.

  “It is about a string of murders.”

  “Da, that is not surprising. Some of these Bratva clan leaders get wild and they—”

  “This is not the usual case, Andrey.” Viktor looked tense. “It is not a Bratva criminal as far as we know.”

  “Oh…” was all Andrey could think to reply.

  “It is a serial killer. One that only kills women.”

  Andrey’s gut tightened as he got a feeling he did not like while seeing the expression on Viktor’s face.

  “Women that are blonde and blue eyed.”

  Andrey suddenly stood from his seat.

  “Whoa, Andrey.” Viktor grabbed his arm. “Zasedat’.”

  Andrey let out a breath and did what he said… he sat back down.

  Viktor looked sympathetic. “It is what you think. Or rather the Council believes it is.”

  “But how can that be?” Andrey seethed. “That was over twenty years ago and you know what happened then.”

  Viktor nodded. “I do know. However, the traits and Modus of operandi are exactly the same.”

  “That is impossible.” Andrey growled.

  “I understand you believing this. But still, I have seen some of the files and the murders match.”

  Andrey had nothing to say. He hadn’t known he was flying back
to his home country to face a past he never wanted to think of again. He shook his head. He had just been wondering about what if’s. What if it got personal and here he was… facing that very scenario.

  “Con you handle this?’ Viktor spoke softly.

  Andrey blinked at the question from his mentor and boss. “Of course, I can.”

  “Good, because there are two witnesses to this serial killer’s work and you are one of them.”

  Andrey turned his head to stare at his boss. “One of two?”

  Viktor nodded. “Apparently, there is another witness. You and this person are the only people, that has ever seen this killer’s face and lived to possibly tell about it.”

  Andrey clenched his fists. Seen him? Oh yes, I have seen him. He was lying face up, staring at the ceiling with cold dead eyes after I slit his throat.

  Chapter Three

  New Orleans, USA

  Yuri Anatoly walked out of his office to the elevator and pressed the down button. One of his brothers was in the office downstairs waiting for him. Normally, he wouldn’t break up a meeting like the one he was having but and Mikial had said it was important.

  The five of them had grown up together. Orphans in the streets of St Petersburg, they had formed a sort of an alliance. They knew they wouldn’t have made it on their own, so by joining forces, they became one person and together, they were strong enough to survive the brutality of Russian winter. Together as a pack of sorts, they hunted the streets for food and shelter.

  Yuri had always been a bigger boy and as such, he’d become the leader. But the others had grown up just as tough. Mikial, Roman, Barshan and Mikial, they had all become men before their time as they battled just to survive. And survive they did. They fought for their own little piece of the streets until one man noticed their efforts to survive. Nikoli Silvanic.

  Yuri remembered that day so well. It was a long time ago, but it felt like just yesterday….

  ….A big black car pulled up out in front of the gym where the boys all lived. A well-dressed man stepped out and looked around the neighborhood. This man was younger and better looking than Igor, the enemy the boys were fighting together. He seemed to emit power just from his expression and the way he moved. Dangerous, yet commanding.

  Roman had been watching him approach the gym. Before he got to the door, he whistled low to let his brothers know they had company.

  When the door opened and the man walked in, all five boys were hidden in the shadows watching him as he moved further into the room. The man had come in alone but didn’t seem all that concerned about his own wellbeing.

  He stopped in the middle of the room. He looked around the shabby run down gym and simply cocked an eyebrow. He searched the shadows and finally found the boys lurking there. The man nodded at each one but didn’t say a word to any of them until he found all five.

  Then he straightened his shoulders and addressed them, “Zdravstvuj,” he greeted hello. “My name is Nikoli Silvanic. Recently, I’ve heard of you five and I want to know more about you.”

  “Just what have you heard?” Yuri called out without revealing himself.

  Nikoli smiled. “I’ve heard that you have taken on the leadership of the Silver Fish, Igor Gustave, and that you’re willing to do battle against him. Voyna, war…” He paused then asked, “May I ask why you’ve targeted him and his gang?”

  Yuri smiled as he answered Nikoli’s question, “He disrespected a friend of ours. We’re teaching the man how to respect his betters.”

  Nikoli snorted. “The man has no respect for anyone but himself. Udači! Good luck with that.”

  “What can we do for you, Mr. Bogach?” Yuri asked.

  Nikoli chuckled. “Mr. Money Bags?” He snorted. “Not hardly.”

  “Ok…What can we do for you, Mr. Silvanic?” Yuri wanted to know.

  “I don’t know if you know who I am, but your struggle with the Silver Fish has not gone unnoticed,” Nikoli replied.

  “Not gone unnoticed by whom?” Sazon wanted to know.

  “I’m Bratva,” Nikoli admitted.

  “Net! I think you should turn around and leave this place.” Yuri growled. “Menja v pokoe! You aren’t wanted here.”

  Nikoli exhaled a deep breath. “All I ask is that you hear me out.”

  “There is nothing you can say that will ever change our minds about the Bratva,” Yuri informed him. “They are nothing but bullies pushing other people around and taking what they want.”

  Nikoli growled. “We are not animals, despite what you seem to have heard. The old days are gone, hopefully for good but the Bratva isn’t the dirty word it used to be anymore. Yes, we are an organization to be reckoned with but we aren’t like we used to be. We have become civilized much to our older generations discord. Maybe that’s the way they ran things years ago, but the Bratva is changing. It just all takes time.”

  “So what the hell do you want with us?” Roman asked.

  “The five of you are a force that’s been recognized as something that could be big.” Nikoli assured them. “Apart, you are only one person but together, you are a wall that no one can crush. I want to train you on how the world works. I want you to work for me.”

  Yuri shook his head. “We still do not want anything to do with you or your organization. We do just fine on our own.”

  “Did you know that Igor Gustave is planning on burning this building down to the ground? And that before he does that, he’s going to trap the five on you inside?” Nikoli asked softly. “He really wants all of you gone. He’s afraid that you are giving the people in this area hope again and that’s the last thing he wants. He wants everyone afraid of him, afraid to stand up to him, afraid to do something to piss off his tiny minded plans. ”

  “How do you know that?” Roman asked.

  “The Bratva is everywhere and we hear rumors too,” Nikoli assured him. “Igor is really getting mad at the five of you and he wants his pound of flesh, meaning he wants you all dead.” He shrugged. “He’s not exactly making that a secret. He’s also willing to pay for any information on any of you. He’s trying to find someone to betray you. He thinks he can become bigger than the Bratva. In fact, he wants to take over the entire city and challenge us for the power.”

  Yuri snorted. “There is no one any of us can call family if that’s what’s your wondering about. The five of us are alone. Except for the man who once lived here.” That man had been the closest thing to a father that the boys ever had. Yuri had paused to allow that same anger to come over him at the loss of their mentor. The only person to care enough to have taken them all in. Train them, take care of them. He now spoke again with a low growl to his young voice, “And Igor beat him to death about three weeks ago.”

  Nikoli nodded. “Da…I know. The Bratva doesn’t usually step in to situations like this one but I want you five to work for me. I want you on my team and I will help you destroy Igor and the Silver Fish to get that.”

  Yuri cocked his head and stared at the man for a moment. “Zachem? Why? Why us? What do you think we can do for the Bratva that no one else can do?”

  Nikoli stared at him for a moment then said, “I think you can bring a sense of what’s right and wrong to the Bratva. I’ll admit I looked into your backgrounds and I couldn’t find much there. In fact, I couldn’t find anything written on paper about any of you. But I’ve been watching you for a while now and I like the way the people around here protect you. There has to be a reason for that. A reason for that kind of loyalty. They won’t talk about it, not to me and not to the Silver Fish. Especially not to the Silver Fish. I’ve seen you guys helping everyone you come into contact with, even if it’s only a smile you give them. You make them feel better. Ty sil’nyy… you are strong. They know someone out there is watching over them and they return the favor. That type of thing is very important to me. It tells me what kind of people you guys are.”

  “And what kind of people are we?” Mikial asked.

  Nikoli hesit
ated for a moment then answered the question put to him, “You are the kind of people that despite having nothing of their own, you give the little bit of extra to people around you. You make them feel safe. You stand up for the little person on the streets, yet you’re tough when you need to be.”….

  And so… the five brothers had joined the Bratva.

  Nikoli had been a young Lieutenant in the Russian underground years ago but he’d moved up the ranks quickly. He’d seen the solidarity the five of them shared and began working with them. He taught them everything he knew and before long, they had become a force to be reckoned with. When it was time to move from Russia and represent the Russian Bratva here in America, Nikoli brought them with him. Nikoli had stayed in New York and set Yuri and the others up in New Orleans as their base. Just like at home, the five brothers had to fight for what they had but it had been worth the struggle.

  Once they arrived, each of them had started a business to maintain their cover. Yuri had the hotel-restaurant; Mikial had opened a fighting gym; Roman owned and operated a string of fishing boats and barges that ran goods up and down the Mississippi River. Barshan became a loan shark and a business man with his fingers in a lot of different pies, he had art galleries and different shops going. Mikial had opened a successful Import-Export business and now he had three of those operating.

  While they all were busy with their own businesses and such, they had since brought together all the factions that made their home in New Orleans and formed a Council. Each group that lived and worked in the city was represented, the Cubans, the Blacks, the Hmong’s, the Mexicans, the Japanize and even the Ukraine’s had a place at the Council. While they all had a place, Yuri led the Council and the others enforced the rules they set.