But Piotr had no proof that Raphael had committed treason, and that was why Raphael was still alive.
Raphael turned on what little charm he remembered from his days in the high castleswhen he lived among the princes and kings. Piotr Ilyin wouldn’t be amused by the easy sarcasm and black humor Raphael had developed with Wulfram and theWelfenlegion.
Though he didn’t blink or allow a change in his expression for even an instant, sometimes when he had been with theWelfenlegion,he had been struck at how far he had come, though some would say how far he had fallen. He’d gonefrom being the heir to a powerful financial family with contacts among the world’s elite to being a ruffian for hire, but his soul had been cleaner for it.
Now, those easy days of wagering and camaraderie with Wulfram and the guys—Friedhelm Vonlanthen, Luca Wyss, Julien Bodilsen, and the dozens of others—seemed like another lifetime that had happened to someone else.
During supper, Piotr andRaphael discussed world politics, specifically the underhanded influence of unscrupulous states.
“Their fatal flaw wasn’t that they couldn’t imagine it,” Piotr said, “because they indulged inprovokatsiya, kompromat,anddezinformatsiyawhenever they felt it was necessary. They knew it happened. They knew it was easy. It’s that they couldn’t fathom someone else doing it to them. They were arrogant,believing that no one would come after them, but the bears were always there, of course. The bears created an elegant campaign, sowing discord for the sake of chaos, salting the earth with dragon’s teeth, and the result is that the country is falling apart. It’s a beautiful thing to behold, and of course, we are profiting from it no matter what they do. In the end, it’s all about money.”
Raphaelwas leaning back in his chair, drinking his wine as if he were entirely at ease. A few pieces of steak and potato remained on his plate. “It always is about the money, isn’t it?”
Piotr threw him a sharp look. “Sometimes it’s about loyalty. Sometimes, it is about tradition.”
So that is how it would begin.
Raphael didn’t think that mere flattery would do a damn thing because Piotr was smarterthan that. Stupid people could be flattered into doing things. Unroll a red carpet or have a bunch of children sing their praises, and you can get anything you want out of them. It’s easy.
But Piotr Ilyin, never. He lived a calm life with his wife and children, Raphael had heard, holding the reins of the crime syndicate with quiet hands.
Raphael had to convince him that he was blameless in thepolice raids that had nearly broken the Ilyin Bratva fifteen years ago.
He leaned forward, pushing his plate toward the center of the table so he could interlace his fingers on the edge. “Yes, sometimes it is about loyalty, and sometimes it’s about a teenager who thought he had doomed himself and his family,” he nodded at Valerian, sitting across the table from him, “to death for bungling anoperation so badly that the police had found out. Maybe he thought death was the honorable thing to do. When he found he didn’t have enough honor even to kill himself correctly, he disappeared instead.”
That was his explanation: when the police came, he thought that he had screwed up and so he had run, not that he was a traitor.
It was all lies.
Piotr cocked his head to the side and smiled,showing his straight, white teeth. “What is honor worth in rubles?”
“What is the price of a man’s soul?”
“Ah, the reflexive property, so zero equals zero.” Piotr leaned forward, too, steepling his fingers in front of himself. “I’ve always liked you, Raphael. You reminded me of myself, when I was younger. I’ve taken over the Ilyin Bratva, the entire operation, while you’ve been gone.”
“I heard.Congratulations.”
“And you’ve been busy, too.”
Raphael shrugged. “I’ve been a bodyguard, hiding in obscurity. I’ve done nothing of note.”
Piotr’s smile widened. “That’s not true, is it?”
“I was employed by Wulfram von Hannover. I can get a letter of recommendation if you like.”
“Valerian doesn’t want you to be my bodyguard. He wants you to be an integral part of the clandestine activitiesthat the Ilyin Bratva coordinates with Geneva Trust. That requires managerial skills and business acumen. Doesn’t it, Valerian?”
His father hadn’t said more than a few words during the whole supper, no doubt preferring to keep himself and the bank out of any storm. “The intent of this meeting was to, hopefully, restore Raphael to his rightful place in our organization.”
Raphael did not react,but he was listening closely.
Ourorganization, his father had said.
Interesting.
Piotr’s smile grew. He seemed more than amused at the conversation. The deep laugh lines around his blue eyes and unwavering grin seemed almost mirthful. “I have dozens of men who could facilitate a heroin shipment through a port where the customs officials have already been bribed and only need to stay bribed.What do you bring to the table that they can’t, Dieter Schwarz?”
Raphael blinked at the name ringing in the air.
