Brothers Forever

by Tawa M. Witko

  He shrugs. “I suppose.” He then turns to me. “You always seemed so… happy in your pictures.”

  I nod. “I am happy. I have had a good life.”

  He doesn’t say anything. He just looks down at my knife, running his fingers along the engraving over and over again. I wish I knew what he was thinking as I am having difficulty reading him. He looks sad for a long time and then anger crosses his face and then he turns… hard. This is the Dimitri I have seen many times. This is what I was prepared for, this is what I expected. He is no longer my brother. He is the head of the Komarovski family.

  “Why are you here?” He asks firmly.

  “I need your help.”

  “You know I cannot help you,” he says, leaning back in his chair.

  I frown. “You owe me,” I state angrily.

  “Bolʹshoĭ, I owe you nothing!” He responds calmly.

  Now it’s my turn to lean back in the chair as I glare at him. He owes me NOTHING! What the hell! After everything I did for him, after everything I sacrificed for him, after all the time I spent away from Estelle to be with him. He owes me NOTHING!

  “I can’t believe you would say that. After everything we have been through,” I seethe with anger.

  He watches me and then narrows his eyes before standing up quickly, making everyone turn to us. His son shoots up from the bar and starts to approach us but stops when Dimitri puts his hand up. He stares at me with a cold and fierce expression.

  “Now leave before I am forced to do something I would hate to do,” he says intensely.

  He drops the knife on the table and starts walking towards the bar. That’s it? He’s shutting me down without any discussion. I run my hand through my hair and look at the knife sitting there. I am breathing heavily as I glance at him walking away from me.

  “What about Estelle?” I shout at him.

  He stops and turns back to me confused. “What about her?”

  I stand up, slipping my knife back in my jacket and start walking towards him. “You owe her! You told her so while I was lying in the hospital after being shot protecting you.”

  I take in a deep breath, trying to control my anger. I am now standing right in front of him, invading his space. We are both glaring at each other and the energy in the room is completely focused on us. I know I should be dead already, that he’s holding back, that with one word his men will kill me. Hell, his son would probably try to do it himself.

  “You said that if she ever needed anything all she had to do was ask,” I state bitterly. “She is asking, not me!”

  He closes his eyes. He knows that I am right.

  “How dare you talk to my father that way?” His son comes up next to him. “He doesn’t owe you shit. He said leave, so LEAVE!” He fumes.

  I smile at him and can’t help but feel sort of happy for Dimitri. His son does love him and wants to keep him safe. He reminds me so much of myself when I was that age. How did that happen? How did he end up with a kid with my personality? Dimitri turns to him and puts his hand on his shoulder.

  “Son, this is Bolʹshoĭ. He used to be my brother,” he says, walking to the bar and downing the drink the bartender set there.

  I stare at the back of his head and then close my eyes, his words piercing my heart. I try to calm down, to not say something I shouldn’t. But I am hurt by his words, even though I know I shouldn’t be. And then I remember what Estelle said earlier. If this is how it is, then this is how it is, but I will say what I need to say. I walk up to the bar and lean in close to his ear so that only he can hear me.

  “I know that I hurt you when I left and that I left you alone. I’m sorry for that, but you need to know that I was hurting as well and… I have missed you. I have missed seeing you and talking to you. I have missed you being in my life, but mostly I miss the boys we used to be. There was nothing that happened, good or bad in my life that I didn’t want to share with you. And it broke my heart that I couldn’t do that anymore. So, no matter what you say,” I pause trying to control my emotions and steady my now shaky voice. “No matter what you say, Mladshiĭ. Вам всегда будет мой брат.” I tell him he will always be my brother before pushing away from the counter.

  I hear him take a sharp breath. He may have had to disown me but he will always be my brother no matter what and he needed to know that. I start walking towards the exit, shaking my head. This was a mistake. Now I need to figure out what to do about Sonya. I wasted all this time for nothing. Well, at least I am getting out of this bar alive. Suddenly, the door shoots open and I am standing face to face with Nikolai, who is wearing the same angry expression that he used to wear twenty-five years ago.

  “Вы не принадлежат здесь,” Nikolai says venomously.

  No shit, Nikolai! I know I don’t belong here. Not anymore. I glance at Dimitri for some guidance but he is looking at me with a pained expression on his face. But I don’t know if it is because of what I said earlier or because of what’s about to happen.

  “Он не может помочь вам,” Nikolai sneers as he tells me that Dimitri won’t help me anymore.

  He then hits me in the gut and the side several times, telling me that we have unfinished business that he plans on taking care of. Boy, these Russians sure know how to hold a damn grudge. I immediately push my shoulder into his side making him stumble slightly and then punch him several times in the face before he has a chance to get his bearings. He shakes his head and then lunges at me. Perfect! He’s fighting angry, that works in my favor. He gets a couple more body shots in before I hit him hard several times across his jaw and eye, causing him to drop to one knee. Once on his knee, I use the side of my foot to kick him across his face, bringing him down completely. I start to step to him to continue but glance at Dimitri who is now smiling and shaking his head slightly. I know I don’t need his permission but I want it. I want to show him that I still respect him and who he is.

  “Вы все еще не может бороться!” I smile when I tell him he still can’t fight.

  Yeah, I still got it. I took him down with barely a scratch on me. Of course, I think he might have fractured a few of my ribs but he doesn’t need to know that. I step away from Nikolai, looking down at my suit which is now bloody. Damn it! He ruined my Gucci suit. I run my hand through my hair and then straighten my tie as I look around the bar. Everyone is staring at me, some smiling, including Stephan and Viktor, who I just notice are leaning against the bar near Dimitri. I nod in their direction and they nod back, grinning wildly. I glance at Dimitri once more and then turn, heading straight towards the door.

  “Остановка!” Dimitri says loudly and I stop, sighing deeply.

  What does he want now? To reiterate how I never meant anything to him? He walks up to me and places his hand on my shoulder.

  “Let’s walk,” he says softly.

  “NO!” His son shouts at us and Dimitri turns to him frowning.

  “He is not going to hurt me,” he tells him, tapping his cheek before opening the door. He glances at my car. “Is that yours?”

  I nod. “Yes, it is.”

  “Is it secure?”

  “It is.”

  He nods and starts heading towards it, me walking slightly ahead of him and to the side, just like we used to. When we get to the car, the driver looks like he is going to throw up. He knows who’s with me. I open his door and he practically falls out, a look of terror on his face.

  “Wait outside,” I say crisply. He looks at me confused. “Over there.” I motion to the building away from us.

  He reluctantly gets out, his eyes down, not wanting to make eye contact with Dimitri. He quickly shuffles over to the building, leaning against it. I smile. That man is terrified. I turn to Dimitri and open the door. We slip inside, and as soon as the door is shut, Dimitri begins talking.

  “What do you need, Bolʹshoĭ?”

  “I need you to call someone?”

  He arches his
brow. “Call someone? You risked death to ask me to call someone. Who is this someone?”

  “Antonio Cordoza.”

  He smiles and chuckles. “Why would you need me to contact a known drug lord?”

  “I just do, Mladshiĭ.”

  He shakes his head slightly, still smirking. “What are you up to, Bolʹshoĭ? I thought you were legitimate now?”

  “It’s a long story,” I say watching him arch his brow again.

  “I have time.”

  I smile and start telling him everything from start to finish. How Michael met Rachel, how she had been abused as a child and the kind of life she led before she met Michael. He thought it was rather funny that I had tried to keep them apart, which I conceded was not one of my shining moments. He is listening intently as I get into the drama with Dante and Sonya and how I had been shot again. Of course, he starts grinning widely when I tell him about how Elkins had tracked Sonya to Acuña and that we had found out she was screwing around with Cordoza’s kid and finally that Cordoza wouldn’t hand her over to me.

  “So, you want me to have her killed?”

  “No, I just need you to call Cordoza, convince him to hand her over to me. I’ll do the rest.”

  “You’ll do the rest?” He says with a shake of his head. “You never killed anyone when you worked for me, but you will kill this woman?”

  I narrow my eyes and look away. I take a deep breath, contemplating what he has said. He is right. I have never killed anyone but I need her gone. I can’t risk letting her go free and giving her the opportunity to cause problems or to hurt either Michael, or Rachel in the future. I turn to Dimitri with a racing heart, wanting his guidance.

  “She tried to kill my son. What would you do?”

  “I would kill her,” he answers without hesitation.

  He glances out the window and is watching his son who is standing outside the bar with his arms crossed. He hasn’t taken his eyes off the car since we got in here. Dimitri doesn’t say anything for a long while. And then sighs.

  “I wish he wanted to do something else with his life.” He runs his hand over his face as he watches him. He then turns to me. “But you’re right, Bolʹshoĭ. He’s choosing this life. I’m not making the choice for him.”

  I nod at him. “Choice is good, Mladshiĭ.”

  He smirks and nods at me. “Funny, that we both tried to control the choices are sons made. I suppose there is a bit of our fathers in both of us.”

  My brows furrow at that thought. “Thankfully, we aren’t too proud to learn from their mistakes.”

  He smiles and places his hand on the door, but before opening it, he turns to me. “I will make a call for you.”

  I let out a loud breath. “Thank you, Mladshiĭ.”

  “You’re welcome,” he says before closing his eyes. After a few moments, he opens them and turns back to me, watching me closely. “I have missed you, Bolʹshoĭ. My life has not been the same without you,” he says, raising his hand.

  I grasp it tightly and he gives me one of those playful smirks he used so much when we were younger. He then brings his other hand to my face, holding it there and looking at me intently.

  “Мой брат,” he says sincerely and I can tell his eyes are welling with the tears he won’t allow himself to shed.

  I nod, trying to hold back my own tears. “Мой брат.”

  He smiles and steps out of the car, closing the door and strolling across the street. I continue to watch as he puts his arm around his son, messing his hair up as they walk back into the bar. I know that I will probably never see him again but at least he knows now how much he meant to me, how much he will always mean to me.

  Chapter 26

  I lean back in my seat and close my eyes for a moment, relief flooding through me, not for my own safety, although that is a consideration. No, relief that I have my brother back, even if it’s only in theory, I am no longer disowned. I sit up and tap on the window and my driver looks over at the car and quickly gets inside. He is as white as a ghost and I wonder if he has already pissed himself. It wouldn’t surprise me if he quit after today.

  “Take me back to O’Hare!” I say, reaching for my phone.

  “Yes, sir.”

  I dial Avery and tell him I am on my way back to the airport and then call Elkins. “It’s done.”

  “Good!” He hesitates before asking, “You okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I am on my way to O’Hare. When I arrive we will head straight to Cordoza’s.”

  “It'll be nightfall and there will be snakes and shit out.”

  “Calm down. We won’t do it tonight but I need him to know who I am and arrange for us to take her without him losing face with his son. I owe him that for keeping his word.”

  “Alright,” he answers and I can imagine him flopping his hair out of his face as he paces. “I will be at the airport in what, three hours?”

  “I will text you my arrival time,” I tell him.

  “See you in a few.”

  I hang up and see the driver glance at me before he looks forward again. I stare at my phone and see that I have missed a few calls from Michael. I won’t call him yet because I can’t give him any specific details, and besides, this isn’t over yet. I dial the house, knowing that Estelle should be home by now.

  “Oh thank God,” she immediately says.

  I smile. “I’m on my way to the airport.”

  “How did it go? How was he?”

  I take a deep breath. “He seemed good. We talked, and he is going to call Cordoza. Of course, Nikolai showed up as well and we ended up fighting again and oh yeah, when I got there I tried to kill his son. So, overall, a productive day!” I answer with a nervous chuckle.

  “Christ, Charles! Are you okay?”

  “Nikolai still can’t fight but he did get a few body shots in. So, no rough sex when I get back,” I say teasingly to her.

  She takes a sharp intake of breath and I know she is blushing. I laugh at her reaction and can almost picture her grin as she shakes her head at me.

  “Oh, and Es, Michael has been calling me. I don’t want to talk to him yet, he will just worry but he will probably call you next. Just a heads up.”

  “Yes, he has already called.”

  “Oh, what did you tell him?”

  “Not to worry, that you were fine and that you would be home soon.”

  “Pretty optimistic there, weren’t you?” I say grinning.

  “Charles, I am always optimistic. But… please be careful and get home as soon as you can. I can only hold off Michael for so long and, well, I want us both to talk to Rachel about the shelter.”

  I laugh. “Yes, ma’am. I will take care of her right quick.”

  “Oh, quit teasing me,” she says laughing.

  “But I love teasing you,” I reply low and sexy.

  “Well, I’ll have to take you up on that when you get back. So, hurry or I’ll have to take care of myself,” she says saucily to me.

  “Es, don’t say stuff like that to me when I am so far away.”

  Estelle laughs and we talk the rest of the way to the airport. She is careful not to talk about or even hint at what is going to happen when I get back to Mexico. No, that’s not her style. She will talk about everything BUT that. We talk about the dinner and the shelter and how we plan on approaching Rachel, and by the time I have arrived at the airport I am feeling good. As I hang up, I glance at the driver who has a total look of confusion on his face. I am sure my conversation with Estelle has left him bewildered after what he has already seen today. When we stop at the curb, I lean forward and place my hand on the front seat. I then take off my sun glasses so he can see my eyes. He turns to me with a look of terror on his face.

  “What you saw and heard today must go to your grave. If anything comes out I will know and I will kill you without hesitation.”

  He stares at me and looks like he is about to cry.

  “Do you believe that I will do what I hav
e said I will do?”

  He nods and his mouth opens but no words come out. I smirk, seeing and feeling the fear emanating from him. I lean back and put my shades back on.

  “Good. I’m glad we understand each other,” I say as I grab my briefcase and exit the vehicle.

  I glance down at my jacket, which has blood on it. The suit is navy so it isn’t that noticeable but I take it off none-the-less. I drape it over my arm and head through business class security. Once again smiling as my briefcase and blood stained jacket goes through the machine. Avery greets me and advises me what time we will be arriving in Del Rio, so I quickly send a text to Elkins. As we take off, I glance at the city I am leaving behind, that I left behind so many years ago. I take a deep breath and close my eyes as Chicago gets further and further away.

  “Мой брат,” I hear Dimitri say again.

  I open my eyes, wiping a stray tear away. I have missed him so much. I didn’t realize just how much until we were face to face again. I don’t regret my decision to leave with Estelle, not one single bit, but I wish I could have had my brother as well. Not the head of the Komarovski family, but my brother, the one I told my secrets to, the one who knew me better than I knew myself, the one I entrusted my life with. I close my eyes again unable to stop the flow of tears. And for the first time since leaving Chicago I allow myself to mourn the brother I left behind.

  I never allow myself to become overly emotional about anything, especially if that would mean crying. There have only been a handful of times where I felt the need to cry. The first time was when Estelle said she was going to leave me and then again the day that Michael was born. I cried again when Beatrice was born and that was it, up until now that is. I can’t help but smile at the fact that Estelle would say that it was perfectly normal and then would probably tell me all about grief and loss and how it was good that I was finally allowing myself to grieve the loss of my relationship with Dimitri. I chuckle to myself because I can see her so clearly. Man, it feels like forever since I have seen her, even though I know it has only been a few days.