Devil's Pawn

by SE Chardou

  Karina swore under her breath in Russian. “How very thoughtful of you to make time for someone as insignificant as me.”

  “Don’t thank me—thank Angelo and Raymond,” he responded in a cold voice.

  “Believe me, I will extend them my warmest greeting when I meet them,” she sneered in a quiet voice.

  Leonardo walked out of the conference room with the air of a man used to getting his way. He looked at Max quickly though his eyes lingered on Karina a beat too long.

  “The bosses are ready to meet with you now,” he said to her in a tone reeking of condescension.

  Max trailed her from behind as Leonardo brought up the rear and closed the door behind them. Angelo and Raymond sat at the head of the conference table and glared at his young half-sister. She took a seat next to Max who sat to Raymond’s direct left while Leonardo sat across from them to his father’s right.

  “It wasn’t easy,” Max began in a strong voice, “but I have explained what limited options Ms. Koslakova has and she is ready to play ball.”

  “Are you now?” Angelo questioned in a dubious voice. “How do we know this conversation won’t end up as pillow talk between you and your . . . lover?”

  “Because Marco and I are hardly close enough to engage in pillow talk.” Karina’s icy blue eyes threw a withering look in her brother’s direction before she continued. “I don’t know what you think Marco and I have together but it isn’t true love. I don’t even know what love is or what the word truly means. He’s fun, and allows me a reprieve from being tucked away at some obnoxiously expensive boarding school. I’m just living it up since neither one of my parents give a damn about me. My mother is too busy fucking her way through all of south Florida’s twenty-something gigolos who seem to have some sort of Milf fetish. Meanwhile, my father is still nursing the wounds of all the lost business he’s suffered since Max left the Bratva.”

  “Why don’t you elaborate on lost business, Ms. Koslakova,” Raymond said as he lit a Cuban cigar with a gold lighter.

  Karina dug through her Michael Kors crocodile handbag and produced a pack of Marlboro Silvers, shook one out, and proceeded to light it with a Zippo lighter. She inhaled the smoke in her lungs before exhaling. “Listen, my father dealt mainly in guns. The problem is that many of the organizations he used to deal with no longer trust him or have discovered a cheaper source that is located right here in the good ole U.S. of A. I’m not telling you gentlemen anything you don’t know since you’re aware that along with France, China, the United Kingdom, and Russia, the United States is one of the top five arms’ dealers in the world. Actually, the States have fallen to number two in arms’ sales thanks to that nut, Putin. But then again, what exactly is the motherland known for besides AK-47s and vodka?”

  “Go on,” Angelo replied after he’d sipped from his expensive whiskey.

  “Anyway, it seems like there is an American syndicate that has direct ties to a very famous illegal arms dealer here in the States. Armand Mirzoyan. He’s a half-Italian, half-Armenian bastard who has ties to some of the top criminal bosses in this country. Then again . . . I am not telling you anything you don’t know. If I’m not mistaken, he’s your nephew, is he not, Mr. Abandonato?”

  Max glanced at his sister before he stared at his bosses.

  Angelo smiled though the expression lacked any genuine warmth. “Yes, that’s correct. He’s my sister’s kid she had when she shamed the family by running off with that Armenian prick all those years ago. He’s an only child and his father was also a famous arms’ dealer during the eighties and nineties but I had no idea their son had taken up where his father had left off. Armand tends to keep a low profile.”

  “And with good reason. He’s married into a very famous and conservative family. The Smiths, who have provided two United States presidents and two state governors if I’m not mistaken—please correct me if I’m wrong. The youngest daughter of the late president, Carlton Smith, Jr. is his wife and he does not wish to tarnish her or her family’s name in any way.”

  Karina dragged from her cigarette before she continued, “He’s a legitimate businessman who owns a very lucrative chain of car dealerships. Along with that, he deals arms on the side using American contacts his father passed down to him. According to some people in the know, it’s you, Mr. Abandonato, and Raymond Jackson who are pulling his strings. For every contact you provide him, you get a nice cut of the profits without getting your hands dirty. The weapons can never be traced back to you because your only job is . . . broker to Armand. Please, feel free to interrupt me at any time and tell me I’m a lying slut.”

  Max looked at his bosses who both stared back at them with a knowing look. His sister was telling the truth but a better question was she aware of all of this when he’d been completely in the dark about everything?

  “Marco Bassi seems to like pillow talk even if you don’t.” Raymond dragged on his cigar. “Tell me, is the Bassi family upset they don’t have a direct route to Armand?”

  “Of course. They are tired of the exorbitant prices charged by my father. They thought perhaps if Marco started sleeping with me, Dimitri might bring the prices of his hardware down but no dice. My father cares about me even less than he does his wife. We are nothing but pawns in his game. When we are no longer of any use, he would dispatch us as easily as getting rid of an old suit. The man cares about no one as much as he cares about himself, and that is the honest to goodness truth.”

  Karina tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the table. “So . . . what happens now? I told you everything I know and I don’t see how you using me as an informant would bear much fruit. I have a feeling it won’t take too long for Marco and I to run our course.”

  Max clasped his hands together as he turned toward his sister. “What do you want to do? I don’t think it would be wise for you to be out and about on your own. Emancipated or not, you’re still a child and this is a very cruel business we’re in. To be honest, I don’t think you would last very long out there on your own. You’re used to being spoiled and taking it easy in a boarding school. This is real life we’re talking about and it’s ugly and messy. I can’t protect you if you decide to stay here in Vegas.”

  “Max is right,” Angelo said in a calm voice. “We can protect you since your life is officially on the line but not if you stay here.”

  “Okay, let me get this straight.” Karina rose from her seat and placed both hands flat on the table. “You want me just to leave here and move to a Bumfuck place like Reno? There’s nothing to do there! I don’t need your help. I’m free, white and almost twenty-one. I’ll make my own decisions—thank you very much!”

  Max stood as well and looked down at the arrogant sixteen-year-old. “You’re not almost twenty-one. Your five fucking years from being twenty-one and as one of the few living relatives you’re still talking to, I have a moral responsibility to look out for you. Unless you want me to call Mila and have her come fetch you . . . is that what you want?”

  Her blue eyes glanced coldly at him before they narrowed. “Ugh! This isn’t fair at all you know. All this time you planned to do this from the get-go. I’m not a little girl you can save! I mean, let’s be honest, you had your chance to save someone and you did a bang up job as far as Magnolia is concerned. Why the hell should I trust you when you allowed those animals do that to the woman you supposedly love?”

  “I didn’t do anything for Mags, Karina, because I wasn’t in a position to act at the time. Dimitri pulled all the strings and all I could do was watch from the sidelines.” He ran frustrated hands through his hair. “Listen to me, I am in a position to help you. I know it’s not the ideal situation but you can stay with Mags and I until you get a place of your own. I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen but I’d bet my life that Dimitri wouldn’t give you the time of day. As a matter of fact, he’d probably put a bullet in your skull once he finds out you’re nothing but a loose-lipped rat.”

  “And how would he
find out? Mmm?”

  Max shook his head sadly. “Don’t test me, Karina. I’m not above telling him myself via an anonymous call. You’ve got two choices here: you can come with me and I will do my best to protect you and keep you safe.”

  “Or?” she countered in a snide voice as she squared her shoulders, and crossed her arms against her breasts in a defensive manner like the surly teenager she was.

  “We leave you as lamb in a den of wolves and watch them slaughter you,” Raymond responded without an ounce of pity in his tone. “Our private jet leaves in two hours. Consider it more than enough time to make up your mind, little girl.”

  Karina looked around the room; her icy eyes glanced from Max to Raymond then to Angelo and finally Leonardo. “Ugh! This is so fucking unfair. Why do I have to change my whole lifestyle just because you all decide to drag me into this war with Dimitri? Do you think he really cares what you do to me or my mother for instance? His heart died when he lost his first wife and his precious sons. After that, he had nothing else left to lose. You could kill the rest of us and he simply doesn’t care. Every move he makes now is about self preservation—nothing else.”

  Max looked toward the ceiling and tried to control his temper. “Listen, you’re not telling me anything I don’t already know. Nothing is going to happen to Mila—she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. It’s you I’m worried about.”

  “Why?” she screamed back. “I’m his daughter, remember? What makes you think I wouldn’t play you and attempt to get back into his good graces? I am my mother’s daughter after all. You can’t trust me and I sure as fuck don’t trust any of you men in this room. You would all put a bullet in the back of my brain as quickly as you would smile at me.

  “Face it,” Karina continued in a lower voice, “I’m stuck in the middle of all this shit! I don’t have anywhere to go because Papa no longer trusts me, and you never have had any faith in me. You don’t need me. You’ve got your new family—another criminal organization has your back, you’re engaged to be married to the woman you love and your real father, twin brother and half-sister will no doubt accept you with open arms. I am part of that other life you used to live, Max. Regardless whether I go with you or not, don’t blow smoke up my crack and try to convince me my days aren’t numbered. I’m a living dead girl, and every man in this room knows it even if they’re too chicken shit to admit it.”

  Angelo slammed his palms against the conference table. “Goddamn it, that’s enough from you! We get it—you have no where else left to go but you have my word and Raymond’s word that as long as you do what you’re supposed to do then no harm will come of you. I am a criminal and a man who has done heinous acts of violence in the past but I don’t believe in the murder of innocent women and children. As long as you stay true to Max and you never lie to us, you have nothing to fear. You have my word.”

  “And mine,” Raymond responded in a strong voice.

  Max grabbed his sister by the shoulders and squeezed. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I admit . . . I thought I didn’t need you in my life but despite what Dimitri and Mila have done, you’re their daughter but you aren’t them. I was wrong to try to write you off. Especially now, when you need me more than ever.”

  His aquamarine eyes stared into her ice blue eyes and her strong veneer cracked before she bent her head. “Okay. I’ll accompany you to Reno. I don’t particularly want to live there but I’m not ready to die either.”

  “Actually, you will be living in Lake Tahoe. I know I’m splitting hairs since both places are very close to each other but you will be in a gorgeous estate by the lake. You won’t have to go back to boarding school but you’ll have to figure out what you want to do. I know you have plenty of money but you can’t just shop your life away.”

  “I’m a damn good card shark. I can play Poker like a pro and love Baccarat, Craps and Roulette. Dimitri wasn’t completely useless as a teacher . . . even if he was a lousy father,” Karina began as she looked at her brother. “However, I can’t shoot for shit. I mean, I can hit a target at the distance between you and me but . . . I am no markswoman or anything. I realize my lack of being able to defend myself is a major issue especially when it could mean the difference between life and death.”

  “Well, the good news is your future sister-in-law—and my soon-to-be wife—is quite deadly with a gun. She’ll teach you how to shoot.” Max smiled at Karina. “The important thing is that you stay safe. I want you know I feel like shit for not wanting to look after you in the first place. It isn’t a duty when you’re my family. We may share DNA with Mila but we don’t have to end up like her. I truly believe we can both be redeemed. You’ve gotta believe that too.”

  His sister laughed out loud. “The jury’s still out on that one but I’m working on it. I don’t know . . . it’s hard to believe there’s any redemption for people like us.”

  “Seeing is believing,” Raymond interrupted cryptically as he stood. “Max, Leo—take Karina to her hotel suite and help her gather her belongings. We don’t have long before the jet takes off and I’d like to leave on time.”

  “Agreed. I got a wife to get home to,” Angelo commented.

  Max grinned. “I have a fiancée and I’ve missed her so much. It’ll be great to see her again.”

  “Well then, what are you waitin’ for? The sooner you pack up your sister, the sooner we can get this show on the road.”

  “Amen to that.”

  Max and Leonardo walked out of the conference room with Karina and as they reached the elevator, his heart beat just a bit faster.

  He would be seeing Mags very soon and that was the best part about the day. He couldn’t wait to make love to her and hold her again, if only to remind himself he was human and his whole life didn’t revolve around his job.

  A life on the wrong side of the law was hard enough but without the presence of the woman he loved, it’d become downright unbearable.

  Chapter Five

  Mags

  “So, what do you think, darling? I truly believe eggshell is perfect, but if you two decide to have children, you might want to go with a darker palate for the family room.”

  My head felt like I was spinning.

  Jet lag be damned, Rose hadn’t given me any personal time to recuperate from my trip to Miami. I didn’t need it so much because I was physically exhausted but mentally, and emotionally, I was so tired I could barely put one foot in front of the other.

  “What do you think?” I questioned the formidable blonde of indeterminate age.

  It was hard to believe she had grown children and was the wife of my uncle but she certainly was no man’s pushover. Rose was a force of nature; a Scandinavian-American from the Midwest who’d remade herself into the perfect Don’s wife. Mostly because she never questioned her husband’s judgment unless it was needed, and she had a backbone made of steel. I could definitely learn a trick or two from my aunt if I wanted to survive my experience in Miami, and come out of my deep state of depression I hadn’t suffered from so horrendously since my parents were murdered.

  “Well, sweetheart, it’s your home.” Rose’s blue eyes stared at me for a beat before she set the patterns down on the dining room table. “Are you sure you’re okay? Was . . . taking care of the last puzzle piece from the past a bit too much for you at this juncture in your life?”

  I shook my head and stood up. “I don’t know. I thought I would find closure and snuffing out Mila could bring it to me but . . . I just feel so goddamned empty and hollow at this point. Murdering her didn’t change anything but it’s changed everything. How is killing the one person who inflicted so much damage on my life put me on a crash course to crazy town? I seriously feel like I’m losing it, and I don’t know what to do to change that.”

  She touched the platinum cross around her neck tentatively with elegant fingers. “Perhaps you feel this way because she was the mother of the man you love. It was never going to be an easy job, not even knowin
g what she did to you and how she’s affected your life. Are you more frightened over how Max will react?”

  I turned toward her, and our eyes locked on one another’s for what seemed like an eternity while my heart beat so fast, it thrummed in my ears. “Yes, I am. I know he wouldn’t murder me—even if I told him I’d done it but the lies and secrecy would eventually kill me. I have to come clean. I don’t think I could live with a lie, not for the rest of our lives.”

  Rose’s eyebrows arched. “That is how this life works, sweetheart. Either you tell your spouse everything or you tell them nothing—half-truths only lead to more lies and deception. Only you can decide what’s the best course of action but know Angelo and I will support you . . . regardless which road you choose to go down.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered before I turned away again.

  She stood from her chair. “It’s been a long day and Max is expected home this evening. I will let you prepare for his arrival. We can pick up where we left off tomorrow. We’re decorating a home, and none of this is rocket science. Pull yourself together and decide what you need to do to make what you have already done satisfactory in your mind. It would break Angelo’s heart if what you did to Mila broke you. I hope you understand that.”

  “I do,” I said before I closed the distance between us, and embraced Rose warmly. “Listen, it’s nothing major. I know what the issue is and I can get over it but I wouldn’t recommend taking a job for a while. Some are just harder than others, and the only reason why this one’s bothering me is because she’s Max’s mother.”

  “Edward’s too.” Rose winked at me. “Angelo is the type of man who can’t keep anything from me. I know you have history with both Gillespie brothers. Not that I judge you. It’s not like you knew they were fraternal twins when you initially hooked up with Max.”