I got into the passenger seat, letting Kir take the wheel this time as he drove us back into town. The skies overhead cast a shadow over the car, leaving the air to be moist, telling me that the rain was going to return again. Kir drove us down to an abandoned clothing factory that looked like it hadn’t been in operation for generations. I furrowed my brow in his direction, trying to figure out why we were meeting there, but that’s when I remembered that if we called too much attention to ourselves, we’d be fighting until we had nothing left. Getting out of the car with Marianna, we were both so on edge, because we knew that if we tipped anyone off, if anyone saw us out here, we’d be in immediate danger. Though, I trusted Kir, I trusted that he was going to put me in touch with the right kind of people, and I was gearing up to convince a few skeptical men that working for me would be in their best interest.
The three of us made our way inside, and we were immediately hit with the heavy, dense air as though this place had been locked up tight for a long time, but something told me that there were those that came and went, looking for a place to squat until they could move again. I remembered what that was like when I was just a young man, trying to find my footing without having to rely on my birthright to get me where I needed to go. We walked into the middle of the large concreted room to meet with a few hulking, armed men. They wore neutral expressions, and I knew I had my work cut out for me.
“Well, Kir. I have to say that you outdid yourself this time,” I said, realizing that these were exactly the kind of people we were going to need on our side.
“They’re here because they’re willing to help a Volkov, because that comes with a lot of rewards,” said Kir, and I knew where he was going with that. I could already assume that they were going to want to get in touch with my family, that they were going to want to serve the Volkovs as a whole once this was all over, and I had to tell them what they needed to hear in order to get them on my side, before I had to deal with contacting my family again. I realized that I wasn’t going to be able to run from it forever, but I wanted to prolong it until I could do more, until I had more to show for myself.
“I hear that you’ve been in need of protection, and I have to say that I never expected a Volkov to not have the resources to fight back against their enemies,” said one of the men, and I shook my head.
“I have to be honest with you, because if I skirt around what’s actually happening here, I’m going to be leading you astray, and that’s the last thing that I want to do right now. The truth is, I got mixed up in quite a bit of trouble when I was younger, getting involved with the Andreyev Family only to learn about their sick and twisted practices, ones I never wanted any part of. I was an impressionable man back then, and they took everything from me. It took me a very long time to escape them, and now I need help making sure that we can take them out for good,” I explained, and I watched their expressions change, like they wanted no part in dealing with the Andreyev Family. They were getting ready to leave, and I knew I had convinced them to stay because they were my only chance at getting this done.
“Wait. The Andreyev Family has been wreaking havoc for generations, and all they care about is themselves. You and I both know that we Volkovs operate without hurting anyone that doesn’t deserve it, and if you didn’t you wouldn’t be here right now. I made a mistake, one that led me to a lifetime of pain and suffering, but I’m ready to right my wrongs, and if you help me, I will make sure that it’s worth your while,” I said, and they stopped in their tracks, turning back around to face me, and it was then that I realized I had them right where I needed them to be.
“If we do this for you, you better make it worth our while, because we don’t give our loyalty to just anyone. If we find out even for a split second that you might be leading us to our death, I can promise you that you will pay.”
“That’s fair. What’s your name?” I asked.
“Vitaly,” he said, and I inched closer to him, outstretching my hand to shake his. He hesitated, but he eventually took my hand in his, shaking it tightly as though he was telling me that I had his support.
“Well, Vitaly. I can assure you that you won’t regret this. Thank you,” I said, and he nodded.
I asked Kir to let them in on what the first phase of the plan was going to be, and now that we had the men that we needed to start infiltrating the Andreyevs, we were going to have to start with something easy, something that would send a message without doing too much damage. I turned my attention to Marianna, and I could see a different look in her eyes this time. It was like her confidence was starting to dwindle, that she took one look at those men and knew that things were only going to get more difficult as time went on.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m a little nervous. I know that the plan is to hit them from every angle, but I’m scared that they’re going to retaliate in ways that I won’t be able to cope with,” she confessed, and I knew where she was going with that.
“You’re worried that they’re going to kill your friend,” I chimed in, and she nodded.
“Well, we’re just going to have to make sure that doesn’t happen. If things go according to plan, I’m going to be able to meet with one of the only people besides you that doesn’t want to see anything happen to her,” I said, remembering just how taken Anton was with Larissa.
“What do you mean?” she asked, and I realized that I never quite told her that part of the story.
“There's a man that’s quite high in the ranks with Mr. Andreyev, and he was quite interested in Larissa the night she was at the party. I have a feeling that he must be begging to keep her alive, and that’s why she hasn’t turned up dead yet,” I explained, being as frank with her as possible because I didn’t want to sugarcoat any of this.
“Oh my God, you were there that night?”
“Yes, I was. I had no idea what Mr. Andreyev was planning, but I promise you we will do everything in our power to get her back, but I have to see Anton again. The only way that I’m going to be able to convince him to let her out is if we start upsetting their practices. That’s why we need to start by taking from them, destroying their stock, their warehouses, and I’m sure that Mr. Andreyev is going to send Anton out to deal with the problem,” I explained.
“How can you be so sure?” She asked.
“I know how Mr. Andreyev operates, and for a time I was always the one he’d turn to in these situations, but now he’s going to have to look to someone else to take care of this for him, and the only person that he’d be able to trust would be Anton. Mr. Andreyev doesn’t know how to lift a finger anymore, he doesn’t believe he has to in order to get what he wants, and that’s why I’m sure that Anton is going to make an appearance. I don’t want you to worry, we will get this done,” I said.
“I’m trusting you,” she replied.
“I know.”
