Brothers Forever

by Tawa M. Witko

  “Aleksei! What are you doing in here?” Mom says surprised.

  Dad abruptly turns around and sees me standing there crying. He takes a deep breath and looks away, resting his hands on his knees while Viktor and Stephan look at me, sad expressions on their faces.

  I hear the scraping of a chair and see dad stand up quickly and I immediately rise and start walking over there but stop when dad raises his hand. What the hell! He doesn’t want my help? This guy mentions some lady and that dad owes her and shit. Okay, screw this. I push my way in front of them.

  “How dare you talk to my father that way?” I state angrily. “He doesn’t owe you shit. He said leave, so LEAVE!” I yell at him.

  Dad turns to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Son, this is Bolʹshoĭ. He used to be my brother,” he says before walking to the bar and downing the drink Yulian sets in front of him.

  His brother? But he’s not even Russian. That’s who Bolʹshoĭ is. So why don’t I know him? I glance at the bar and see that this Bolʹshoĭ person is whispering to dad and I hear dad let out a deep breath. This guy starts to walk out and in walks Nikolai. Nikolai immediately starts to fight him. Holy shit, this guy is beating the crap out of him. He then looks at dad like all of dad’s men do before they go in for the kill and dad shakes his head. He then looks at Stephan and Viktor, who have these huge smiles on their faces. They had walked in while Nikolai was fighting with Bolʹshoĭ. They are now standing next to dad. He then looks at dad again and starts heading to the door when dad tells him to stop.

  “Let’s walk,” dad says, putting his hand on his shoulder.

  “NO!” I shout. This guy just beat the crap out of Nikolai and has been gone my entire life and now dad wants to just go with him. I don’t know anything about this guy.

  “He is not going to hurt me,” dad says, tapping my cheek and then exiting the door.

  I follow them outside and see them step into a black Lincoln parked across the street. I cross my arms and watch, trying to piece together everything.

  “Son, you’re not going to school today,” dad says, passing my bedroom.

  I glance at him and smile. “Okay.”

  He smirks at me and steps away from the doorway. I quickly get dressed and look in my mirror. I turn thirteen today and I think today is the day that dad will take me around, show me everything. Of course, I have been sneaking and listening to him and his men regularly so I know he trusts Viktor and Stephan the most. Since my 9th birthday, Nikolai has been more subdued but he is still dad’s go to guy when he wants someone removed, and Ivan is Nikolai’s backup. Yury and Anton seem to be more of his primary guards, if something happens they will take the hit first. I have yet to figure out who this Bolʹshoĭ person is as no one will talk to me about him. Dad still calls me Bolʹshoĭ, which I don’t mind, and people don’t seem to freak out as much anymore, not like they did when he first started calling me that. I make my way to the kitchen and he and mom are talking heatedly. She looks angry but stops talking when I come into the room. Dad smiles at me as he leans against the counter.

  “Поздравляю с днем рождения, Bolʹshoĭ.”

  I just smile when he tells me Happy Birthday. Mom walks over and kisses me and then hugs me tightly before leaving me with dad.

  “What’s wrong with mom?” I ask once she is out of the room.

  “She has been dreading this day since you were born.”

  I frown. “Why? Isn’t this supposed to be a ‘good’ day?”

  Dad gives me a puzzled look and shrugs. “Eat and then we will leave,” he says, walking out of the room.

  An hour later, we are walking along Navy Pier. That’s weird. Why is he taking me here? We don’t have any businesses down here. It is quiet since it is a school day. He walks me to the end of the pier and motions for me to sit down. I sit on the bench and watch as he looks up. He seems like he is contemplating something but I don’t know what that could be.

  “When I was thirteen, my father took me out of school and showed me everything. I was very naïve. I knew what my father did but… I didn’t sneak around listening to my father talk to his men.” He glances at me knowingly. “I was always with Bolʹshoĭ so I never paid attention to what my father was doing, up until that day.”

  He pauses and stands up, walking to the ledge of the pier. There’s that name again, so he was someone Dad knew when he was younger.

  “He pledged his life to me that day,” he mumbles, looking into the water.

  “Dad, tell me who he is. Why isn’t he here? Did he die?” I ask, flustered, as I stand up and walk next to him. He has his eyes closed and is shaking his head. Does that mean he isn’t dead?

  “I can’t do this… I can’t,” he mumbles but I don't think he is talking to me. Finally, he glances at me and sees my confused expression. “You know what I do, right?”

  “Yes,” I reply firmly, standing tall.

  “I don’t want that for you,” he says softly.

  My dad seems unsure of what he is doing, which isn’t like him at all. He is the most confident man I have ever seen. Everyone respects him. Everyone fears him. My whole body slouches when I realize what he has just said. He doesn’t want me to take over? He doesn’t think I can do it.

  “Why? I…” I shake my head, trying hard not to cry. “Everyone will say I am weak. They will think you don’t trust me to take over. I…” I wipe across my cheek as a stray tear falls.

  He is looking at me confused. “Why do you want this?”

  I look at him and wipe my eyes again. How could he ask me that?

  I feel a hand on my shoulder, bringing me out of my memory. Dad did reluctantly show me around that day but it was only after I cried like a girl. But all he did was introduce me to people, somehow I expected more. He always seems to be pushing me in the other direction though. He doesn’t have confidence in me.

  “You should have told me. I have been asking you for years,” I turn to Viktor and give him a dirty look.

  He shakes his head and looks down. “We were all forbidden to talk about him. Even now I cannot unless your father gives us permission.” I continue to glare at him but he isn’t looking at me, his gaze is on the car. “Come inside. Bolʹshoĭ would never harm your father.”

  I shake my head and continue to watch, hearing as the door closes behind me. I start thinking again. I hated that no one would talk to me about him. I don’t understand what happened. Did he betray my father? Is that why no one could talk to me about him?

  “Mom?” I ask walking in the kitchen.

  “Yes, Aleksei.”

  “Did you know Bolʹshoĭ too?”

  She drops the cup she is holding, glass breaking at her feet. She closes her eyes tightly and breathes in. Who the hell is this guy? Why is this the same response I get from everyone when I ask about him?

  “Please stop asking about him,” she says, picking up the broken remains of the cup.

  I frown. “I have looked him up on the computer but there is no reference to him or how he links to dad or the family. I don’t even know what he looks like or what his real name is. Why is that?”

  She shakes her head and gives me a hard look. “STOP! Aleksei.” She takes a breath. “No one can talk about him, not even me.”

  “So you did know him,” I say, arching my brow.

  She takes an exacerbated breath. “Yes, I knew him.”

  “So…” I wave my hand, trying to urge her to continue but she just narrows her eyes at me and turns around, shutting me out. Dammit!

  I hear the car door open, which draws me out of my thoughts. Dad steps out smiling. He looks really happy. He walks up to me and puts his arm around my shoulder and then messes up my hair. He kisses my forehead as he directs me towards the bar.

  “Come, Son.”

  When we step inside, he looks around and finds Nikolai leaning against the wall with his head back and a towel pushed up against his nose. Nikolai still looks pissed off. Viktor and Stephan are ne
arby, watching him and grinning.

  “Quit crying around, you asked for it!” Viktor says, laughing while Nikolai glares at him.

  Dad and I walk over to him and dad kneels, grabbing his face roughly. Nikolai screams out in pain and I am thinking that this Bolʹshoĭ dude must have popped his jaw out or something. I have to admit that I’m impressed by that.

  “You will not seek vengeance against my brother or his family,” he says, pushing him back so that he hits the wall hard. Dad stands and turns around facing everyone. “That goes for everyone. Any person who tries to harm my brother or his family will have to face me,” he says sternly and I hear a collective gasp in the bar as he says the word brother, and when I look at Viktor and Stephan they are smiling.

  “He’s been disowned,” I hear one of the old timers say.

  Dad walks over to Vladimir and places his hands on the table. “Not anymore.”

  “You can’t do that,” Vladimir says, narrowing his eyes at Dad.

  My dad’s face morphs and I swear he looks like he is going to kill him. Not that Vladimir is anything special to me. He’s kind of a cranky old man. But instead of killing him, Dad slams his fist on the table, making the glasses bounce and fall off.

  “It is my choice, old man! MINE and mine alone!” He says before walking away.

  He wraps his arm around my shoulder again and takes me into the back room. “Sit, Son. I must make a phone call and since you will be taking over for me one day you need to be with me at all times.”

  I know I must be smiling like an idiot because dad just chuckles as he looks through a book on his desk. He grins at me as he puts the phone on speaker and dials the appropriate number. A deep voice greets us and asks our business.

  “I need to speak with Mr. Cordoza,” dad says with force.

  “Mr. Cordoza is in a meeting.”

  “You interrupt him and tell him Mr. Komarovski is on the phone.”

  There is silence for a moment and then a dutiful ‘yes, sir’. Dad presses the mute button and looks over at me.

  “You must always carry yourself as if you are the most important and powerful man in the room. It doesn’t matter how many may be there against you. You show no fear. Do you understand?” Dad says and I nod.

  “Dimitri, my friend.” We hear on the other end and Dad releases the mute.

  “Antonio, I hear you had a visitor.”

  “Ahhh, yes, Señor Livingston.” He hesitates. “I found nothing on him but his business in Sacramento and several charity organizations he is linked to. But,” he pauses. We hear shuffling on the other end. “I did find a picture of him with you and wondered if he was affiliated with your family.”

  “Bolʹshoĭ wants this woman. Give her to him.” He glances at me and winks.

  “It isn’t that simple, Dimitri. She is …”

  “It is that simple. Give her to him or I will personally come down there and kill her in front of you and your son,” dad says coolly.

  “You do not dictate to me!” The voice on the other end states angrily and then starts cursing in Spanish. Dad is smirking and nods at me. He likes when he gets people flustered like that.

  “I do dictate to you. Now, do as I say. Do you want a war with me over this woman?”

  There is silence for a few moments and then a loud breath. “Let me consider it.”

  “No, you make a decision right now or me and my family will be down there. I will personally wipe out your entire bloodline, Antonio, without hesitation. GIVE HER TO HIM!”

  There is silence for a long time.

  “Fine!” The man answers with agitation. “But you will owe me.”

  “I will owe you nothing. I give you your life and the life of your family and people,” dad says calmly. “You will do this for me because you must. DO NOT CROSS ME!”

  There is silence again and dad hits the mute button on the phone. He glances at me and raises his eyebrow.

  “Only make threats you are willing to carry out. Mr. Cordoza knows I will come down there. He doesn’t want that. He is a strong and prideful man but he knows I fear nothing and will not hesitate to kill his entire family as well as burn down his city. He will do as I say,” Dad says confidently.

  A few moments later, we hear a chuckle on the other end of the phone and dad smirks as he releases the mute button. He knows he has won.

  “You are a difficult man, my friend,” he says, still laughing and then adds, “I have sent you some product that should be arriving soon.”

  “Very good! My son, Aleksei, will now be coordinating that part of the business,” Dad says, looking at me and my smiling face. He is giving me responsibility for something. This is big!

  “Good, good. So, when will Señor Livingston be returning?”

  “Bolʹshoĭ will come tonight.”

  “Dimitri, this puts me in a difficult position but I will do what you ask.”

  “Yes, you will,” dad replies with a laugh before hanging up.

  Dad leans back in his chair and brings his fingers to his chin. He is watching me and I am trying to figure out what he is thinking.

  “I will not try to stop you anymore. It is your choice and I must honor that even though I do not approve. But I need you to understand something. I was not given a choice. I was thrown into it. I always wanted more for you but…” He looks down.

  “Dad,” I interrupt before he can say anything else. He looks up at me and sees my determined face. “If something happens to you, who will take care of our family? It’s our duty. We have a responsibility to others that should lie with us, should it not? I know what I am getting into, Dad. I want to do this. I am your heir, I just…” I take a deep breath. “I just need you to trust me.”

  “I do, Son,” he says with a nod. “Now, I will show you what I should have when you were thirteen, and when we are done, I will tell you about Bolʹshoĭ. I know that you have been asking everyone and that you have many questions,” he says the last part giving me a steely look.

  “How do you know that I’ve been asking people?” I ask frowning, wondering who has been talking about this to him.

  He smiles. “Son, I know everything that happens in my family.”

  He stands up and so do I. He smiles as he walks over to me and brings his hand to my cheek lovingly. He then taps it playfully and I grin.

  “Come, let’s go see your legacy,” he says chuckling.

  I nod, smiling from ear to ear. Finally!

  Outtake 2

  Benny Elkins

  I glance at my watch again. He should be here anytime now. He said it went well in Chicago so I guess everything is okay between him and Dimitri. I have known Charles for twenty years and yet he still won’t tell me much about the things that happened out there. He has always seemed to wiggle out of talking about it until I finally just stopped asking. I rest my head against the back of the seat and close my eyes.

  “Why do you do this?” I ask, standing in the doorway of his room at my place.

  “What are you talking about?” He looks over at me like I’m the crazy one.

  “This…” I wave at all the stuff scattered around. “Why do you do this?”

  He furrows his brow and shrugs as he picks up his knife, flipping it and catching it and then flipping it again, over and over again. I watch him for a while and can’t help but wonder about the life he led in Chicago.

  “What exactly did you do for the Komarovski family?” I ask for the umpteenth time.

  He sighs and stops fiddling around with that knife of his, setting it down on the desk. He looks up at me and gives me an exasperated look. I know he is tired of me asking about this.

  “Elkins, you know I am not going to tell you.”

  I stare at him and frown. What’s the big deal? It’s not like I am going to tell anyone.

  “So, does Estelle know you come here to play with your toys, all nostalgic about the good old days in Chicago with your buddy Dimitri?” He gives me one of his classic dirty looks and I l
augh. “I will take that as a no!” I say, shaking my head and wagging my finger at him. “Shame on you.”

  He actually growls, like he is seriously contemplating beating the crap out of me, or throwing that damn knife in my direction. I wonder if he has killed anyone before.

  “If you miss it so much, why did you leave?” I finally ask, a little more serious. I know he told me a long time ago that he left because of Estelle, but there has to be more.

  He leans back in his chair and takes a deep breath. “Have you ever had a best friend?”

  I shrug and then shake my head no. He nods and looks at the knife in his hand, tracing his finger along the writing on the blade. He grins and turns quickly, throwing it against the target on the wall. I turn and see that he hit it right in the center. He gets up and snatches his knife out of the wall, twirling it in his hand as he flips it from one hand to the next and then turns again and throws it at the target, nailing it right in the center again. I will admit he is damn good with that thing.

  “Have you ever been in love?” He asks as he walks back to the target and pulls the knife out.

  I don’t say anything right away and he picks up on it quickly, arching his brow as he sits back down in his chair, or throne, I should say. He motions at me with his knife.

  “What was her name?” He asks as he continues to play with his knife. I frown and he smirks. “What was her name, Elkins?” He eyes me and points at me with his knife before leaning back in his chair.

  I roll my eyes. “Sarah.”

  He nods and rolls his knife giving me that ‘please continue’ look and I run my hand through my hair, not really wanting to talk about her or what happened but I know he will be on me until I tell me. He’s relentless that way.

  “FINE! It was when I lived in the Bronx. I was working this case and I met her at the library.”

  He starts laughing before I can say anything else, and I mean full out belly laughing to the point where he has tears in his eyes. I just glare at him. I mean, what’s so funny about that?