by Bella Rose
“Come on, Pyotr,” Boris urged. “Let’s have a wedding ceremony.”
“Why?” Toni demanded. “I’m not going to say yes. The marriage won’t be valid. And…”
It suddenly occurred to Toni that one of the conditions of her inheritance from her Kabalevsky relations was that her husband should have equal control over the financial decisions regarding the money and investments. That meant if her father could marry her off to some weakling he could lead around by the balls—like Uday—Boris would be able to gain control of her mother’s fortune. It was the one thing he’d been unable to do during Maria’s lifetime.
“Figured it out, did you?” Boris said with a laugh. “It took you long enough, but then you never were very bright.”
***
Dimitri made it almost all the way back to the house without incident. He was slow, but he was steady and getting tired. Perhaps it was just that he’d overwhelmed his system, but he was feeling less pain than he had just a short bit ago.
The door loomed large, almost as if a holy light was shining down upon it. In reality it was just the porch light. Unfortunately Dimitri’s current state of mind was rather punch drunk. A state of being that was not conducive to figuring out the origin of the dark shadow crouched beside the porch.
Then the shadow unfolded itself and became a man. Dimitri blinked, feeling stupid. “Ivan?”
“Da.” Ivan’s rough voice betrayed his anger. “It is Ivan. The man you handed over to the enemy without reason.”
“Without reason?” Dimitri snorted. He edged closer to the railing, looking for something to lean against. “You betrayed me and followed my brother’s orders in direct violation of what I had already said. That made you a traitor.”
“That made me smarter,” Ivan blustered.
“Really?” Dimitri gripped the railing and used it to lever himself up onto the porch. Ivan was still standing on the ground. The man had always been a pretty slow processor. But when he did finally decide to act, it would likely be epic. Dimitri continued speaking, trying to keep him distracted. “So you think murdering Boris would really make him pay for what he did to Katya? Do you think Katya would appreciate us murdering the father of her unborn child in cold blood? Did you even think to ask her?”
Ivan was looking really confused. Then he shook his head. “Boris let me go.”
“Did he?” Dimitri had a bad feeling about why a man like Boris would make that sort of choice
“He said he would let me live as long as I came back here and murdered you.”
“Fortunately Anatoli already took care of that chore,” Dimitri motioned to his shoulder.
Ivan appeared to just now notice the bandage. “Where is your shirt?”
“Dr. Poole had to cut it off when he dug the bullet out of my shoulder,” Dimitri said grimly. “Anatoli attempted to murder me.”
“He didn’t shoot you in the head,” Ivan muttered. “I always tell that boy. You got to shoot them in the head after you get them in the body. He never listens.”
Dimitri was willing to overlook the absurdity of that statement for the moment. “He doesn’t listen, which is why he’d not fit to lead the Alkaev family. Can you imagine what a mess things will be with him running the show?”
“He’s not a good leader,” Ivan agreed.
“And yet you followed his orders when he disobeyed me!” Dimitri couldn’t hang onto his temper. He was shouting and didn’t care.
Ivan shrugged one massive shoulder. “I thought it was the better choice.”
“Oh, so you’re the leader now?” Dimitri gestured wildly at him. “Tell me, are you ready to take responsibility for the business interests of the entire family? Do you have any idea what that entails?” Dimitri was past caring that this man could squash him with one hand. He was sick and tired of everyone doubting his judgment when they had no idea what sort of responsibilities sat on his shoulders every day. “So many people think being a mafiya boss comes with some sort of free pass to have fun every single day!”
Ivan looked taken aback. “I have no experience in business.”
“Or diplomacy,” Dimitr said sarcastically. “So how about you forget this ridiculous notion of killing me and help me fix this mess instead?”
Ivan seemed to be working this through in his head. The big lug finally smiled and nodded. “Tell me what to do, Boss.”
Dimitri sighed. “I have to get to the computer in the office downstairs.”
“Ah, so you can send a message to everyone’s cell phone.” Ivan bobbed his head. “Good idea, Boss.”
“Thanks.” Dimitri glanced down at his shaky knees. “Do you think you could run upstairs and grab me a shirt first?”
“Yes, Boss.” Ivan gave a curt nod and disappeared into the house.
Dimitri watched him go and let out a shaky sigh of relief. That was one battle down, and only about a dozen to go.
Chapter Nineteen
Toni stared at her father, wondering what she could possibly say in order to make the man see reason. Unfortunately nothing came to mind. She turned to Pyotr instead. There was no point in trying to silently implore the man for his help. The time for subtlety had passed.
“Pyotr, it is very possible that Anatoli Alkaev is on his way over here with all of the men at his disposal. His purpose is to murder my father. Could you please focus on that and not on this ridiculous notion that I will marry this stupid little boy?”
“Pyotr!” Boris said sharply. “Don’t believe a word this lying shrew has to say. She’s just like her mother.”
“My mother?” Toni rounded on her father. “How dare you say a word about my mother. The woman never told a lie in her life!”
Her father placed a hand dramatically over his heart. “You do not know what I suffered at the hands of that bitch!”
Toni glanced at Katya to see if she was buying this. To her surprise, her friend appeared to have heard it all before. That burned Toni to think that her father had been telling horrible tales about her mother to his lovers?
Toni marched over to Boris. She poked him in the chest with one finger. “You don’t get to say things like that about my mother. You’re angry at her because she kept you from having full control over her, her money, her daughter, and her destiny. So you murdered her for her independence! You’re a despicable piece of shit that preys on women. I don’t know why I came here to warn you. I should have let Anatoli kill you off.”
The sound of clapping sent a jolt of shock through Toni’s system. She whirled around and realized that Anatoli was sauntering up to the front of the house with two dozen men at his back.
“My goodness, brother,” Katya said, sounding amused. “Did you bring all of your men? Is the estate completely unguarded then? Seems foolish, don’t you think?”
Anatoli curled his lip at his sister. His anger at her was obvious to everyone present. “Close your mouth, you traitorous whore,” he snarled.
“Don’t speak to her that way!” Toni was outraged. “That’s your own sister! What happened to being so offended on her behalf because she’d been wronged by another man?”
Anatoli scoffed. “She brought this disrespect onto herself. Now she will die with her lover and nobody will mourn their passing.”
Toni gasped as Anatoli pulled a large weapon out from underneath his coat. Behind him, his men did the same. Toni noticed that they didn’t necessarily seem as on board about all of this as their newly self-appointed boss.
Toni raised her hands, trying to gain their attention and simultaneously wondering if that was really a very good idea. “Don’t listen to this jerk! He tried to murder your boss. Tried to! Dimitri Alkaev is still alive!”
“She lies!” Anatoli screamed.
A few of the men hesitated. Toni saw it in their countenance as they wondered what to do. But they were mafiya enforcers. Their loyalty was to the family, no matter how good or bad the current leader was. Great. They were all going to die from sheer deaf, dumb, and blind loy
alty.
***
Dimitri stumbled through the basement corridors. He leaned on Ivan and wondered if he was making his biggest mistake yet to trust this man who had already betrayed him.
They bypassed the interrogation room from earlier, and went straight into the office at the end of the hallway. This place was different than the study near the entrance. Dimitri often referred to this room as the war room. It held detailed information about his men, about their families, their interests, and their weak points. He also kept files on his friends and his enemies. His father had taught him to always be prepared. Now Dimitri was glad.
He sat carefully in the chair behind his desk. A wave of dizziness overcame him and he placed both hands flat on the desktop to stop the room from spinning. Nausea made him swallow to get the sour taste of bile from his mouth.
“Are you going to puke?” Ivan sounded fascinated.
Dimitri sucked in a deep breath and then exhaled. “I hope not.”
“You’re bleeding again.” Ivan gestured to his shoulder where the blood had seeped through his shirt.”
Dimitri gestured to the other side of the room. “Can you get some bandages from the cabinet?”
Ivan did as he was told, and Dimitri wondered at the idea that his “office supplies” included enough bandages, antibiotic injections, and other miscellaneous medical supplies that he could have been running a clinic.
Dimitri started the computer and waited for it to come to life. In the meantime he lifted his shirt painfully, moving slowly and maneuvering an additional layer of bandages over his wound. Ivan peered at him like a science project on display. Finally the job was done and Dimitri left his shirt half off, not even having the energy to care.
Finally the computer gave a ding and his desktop appeared on screen. Dimitri pulled up a new text and added every single one of his men, including his brother, as a recipient. Then he realized that he had no idea what to say in order to prove to them that he was still alive and still in charge.
“Ivan, if you were out there with Anatoli. What would make you realize that he was only lying about taking control of the family? What would bring you home?” Dimitri stared intently at his strange companion in this endeavor and wondered what the man would come up with.
Ivan seemed to think a minute before shrugging. “Just tell them to come home. Tell them Dimitri is alive and Anatoli is a traitor.”
Unable to decide if he was making the right choice or the wrong one, Dimitri did as Ivan suggested. He typed in a message and pressed send. Then all he could do was wait.
***
Toni held her breath as Anatoli and his men sighted their weapons on every single person present. Not even Katya was spared. Toni heard her friend squeak in terror. She heard her father’s sharp gasp. She could even hear Pyotr’s low cursing in Russian as he more than likely realized that he should have taken Toni at her word instead of listening to his idiot boss.
“Kill them all,” Anatoli ordered.
Toni squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the feeling of bullets tearing through her chest and wondering how long it would take to die in such a situation. But nothing happened. She reopened her eyes. To her shock, every single one of Anatoli’s men had taken out their phone and was staring at it with obvious confusion.
“What is wrong with you?” Anatoli shouted. “Shoot them! Kill them all!”
The world seemed to slow down and Toni watched in horror as Anatoli squeezed his trigger. The deafening sound of a bullet being fired ripped through the night. The Alkaev men pounced on their leader, but it was too late. They put Anatoli in a headlock, dragging him along as they all vacated the Rustikov property.
Toni saw her father flinch. Blood bloomed over his chest. Then he began to fall. She felt frozen. It was as though her feet were rooted to a spot too far away to be of any help. She could not save him, and the tangled emotions she experienced made her wonder if she even wanted to.
Finally she seemed to regain control. It was as if the scene around her went from slow motion to hyper speed. She sprinted toward her father. Pyotr was already there. He was shouting instructions at his men, trying to get something to stop the bleeding.
Toni knelt beside her father. She knew it was too late. He was already pale, the muscles in his face slack and his eyes glassy with pain. The bullet had entered the chest, center mass, and had most likely hit his heart. She took his hand, squeezing it in her own and wanting him to look at her.
“Antonina,” he wheezed. “You’re alive.”
“Of course, Papa,” she whispered. She couldn’t remember the last time she had called him Papa. She had hated him now for so many years that she’d nixed the word from her vocabulary. It was strange how many things you could forgive when the person you were angry with was on their deathbed.
“I didn’t kill your mother,” he insisted. “You keep saying that and it isn’t true. She killed herself. I don’t know why. But she did.”
“Papa, why would you lie now?” Tears filled Toni’s eyes. “Why does it matter?”
“I’m not lying.” He weakly waved his hand. “Where’s Katya? Where is my girl?”
“I’m here.” Katya knelt on his other side, her gaze finding Toni’s. “What do you need, Boris?”
“I need your forgiveness, I think.” Boris was really struggling now. Each breath seemed to be in agony. “I should never have convinced you to get pregnant. I shouldn’t have promised you the things I did. I lied to you and that was wrong. I’m sorry now.”
Katya’s face was tight. Toni couldn’t tell if she was feeling forgiveness or pure anger. Then she shuddered out a sigh. “I know. I know why you did it and I understand why you changed your mind. It doesn’t make it better. But I won’t hold my child responsible for her father’s mistakes.”
“Her?” It was Toni who let that slip out. “I thought you were having a boy.”
“The ultrasound was wrong.” Katya seemed truly pleased about the change. “I’m having a little girl.”
Toni noticed that Katya didn’t include her father in this upcoming event. That was good. Her father had never done anything to deserve inclusion. In fact, he had done pretty much the opposite.
Boris started to laugh then. The sound was raspy and painful and ended in a choking, gasping fit. Katya and Toni both drew back, realizing together that Boris was not going to make it. Their gazes met over the top of his body. Toni held out her free hand, and Katya took it. The two women squeezed each other tight as they watched the last of the life drain from the body of Boris Rustikov.
When her father’s hand finally went limp, Toni let go. She stood up. Keeping hold of Katya, she tugged her friend to her feet. Toni wrapped an arm around Katya’s shoulders. The two women walked back toward the car they had left in the driveway. It seemed like a million years ago even though it was less than an hour.
“We need to go home,” Toni whispered. Then she sagged against the vehicle, looking back at the Rustikov house. “Except this is my home. Isn’t it?”
“No.” Katya’s voice was surprisingly firm. “Your home is with Dimitri. Come with me. We can deal with the rest of this later. There’s plenty of time. I promise.”
“My God, my uncles must be worried sick about me,” Toni said suddenly. “I have to call them or something. She looked at her father’s corpse, which was now surrounded by Pyotr and his men. “I have a lot of everything to do now.”
“Time,” Katya urged. “Just take your time. Come home with me.”
Toni sucked in a deep breath. She looked once more at the chaos going on around her father’s body. “No. My place is here.”
“Toni. Don’t do this. Come back with me. Come home. Dimitri will be worried.”
“Just tell him what happened,” Toni said weakly. “He’ll understand I think.”
Katya did not look convinced, but she got in her car and drove away. Toni watched the tail lights disappear down the driveway. Deep inside, she desperately wished she was leaving t
oo.
Chapter Twenty
Dimitri stood before his men. Well he was mostly standing, aided by the desk and also by the knee he had propped on the seat of his chair. The men were gathered around the table in the war room. Their faces were impassive. The air in the room was thick with mistrust and confusion.
“Thank you all for returning here tonight when I called,” Dimitri began.
A man at the front of the group raised his hand. “Anatoli told us you were dead. He said he’d killed you.”
Dimitri gestured to his shoulder. “Let’s just say my younger brother did his level best to murder me. Yes. That does not mean he succeeded!”
There was a low murmur around the room. Dimitri turned his attention to Anatoli. His brother was trussed up so tightly that he could not move. He’d been tossed onto the floor in front of the assembled men. Anatoli had been beaten. His face was bruised and battered, his eyes swollen shut. It was obvious that the Alkaev men did not forgive stupidity lightly. They were obviously upset that they had been lied to. Dimitri could see it on their faces. Their trust in the Alkaev brothers in general had been abused.
“Let me tell you what has happened,” Dimitri began. This was not going to be easy. He could potentially undermine his own authority. Yet his instincts told him that honesty was the only way to rebuild the trust that had been destroyed by Anatoli’s treachery. Dimitri took a deep breath. “All of you know that my sister was seduced by Boris Rustikov. That is no secret. Since then, Anatoli and I have been single minded in our pursuit of justice for our sister. We wanted her honor to be restored. We wanted out honor as her brothers to be restored. We should have protected our sister, and we did not. We felt that we had failed Katya.”
There was a round of low comments, and even a few audible ones. The men seemed to agree with the necessity of regaining honor.
“The problems began when we let our thirst for revenge outweigh the good of the family,” Dimitri said firmly. “Katya had made her own choice. She is a grown woman who is more than capable of choosing her own path. Yet we were taking it upon ourselves to avenge her, making what had happened to her all about us. That was wrong. It clouded my judgment as your leader. There were many things in the last six months that were not attended to as they should have been—business things. As your leader, as the boss of this family, that was wrong.”