I nod in agreement. Threatening a loved one is like lighting a fire under someone’s ass. We know where Scott lives but have avoided taking him out. We’ve got eyes on him in the hopes of finding out who the man is that’s keeping him stocked with pills. Scott’s of use to us if he can lead us to someone bigger. Then if it’s worth pursuing, we strike a deal with the bigger fish and cut Scott out of the picture. Problem solved.
Valeri elbows me as a grin splits his face, showing off that dimple in his cheek that the girls go crazy for. “Come with me to the club.”
I groan and smack Vasily on the back as he turns to leave. “Let me know what you decide on.”
“Will do,” he says before getting into his Porsche and driving off while Valeri sends out a text for some of the guys to come and dispose of the body I left in the middle of the alley.
“Come on,” Valeri says, putting his phone away. “You need to let off steam. We own nightclubs and strip clubs, brother, take your fucking pick, but you need a drink and a piece of ass.”
He’s not wrong, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to admit that. “Nightclub,” I say, giving in but only because I really need a fucking drink.
Valeri laughs and gets into my red 1969 Camaro. I’d fallen in love with the old muscle car as soon as I’d seen it and hadn’t thought twice about paying the ridiculous price. It was love at first sight. Valeri’s already texting to spread the word in case anyone wants to join us before I’ve even gotten back onto the main road. It’s Friday night, so the city is busy and traffic is an absolute bitch, making me wish for a second that I’d taken my motorcycle instead so I could weave around these assholes. It’s nothing like the traffic in Moscow, though. Vasily was the first one to come over here and set up the Bratva in America, and I joined him close to a year ago. He controls the northern half, I control the southern half, and Valeri now controls the middle. His portion is smaller, but that’s your lot in life when you’re the youngest. He doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, he takes great pride in the fact that his part of the city may be smaller, but it has the most bars and clubs.
I pull up in front of Inferno for no other reason than that it’s one of the clubs we own and it was the closest. Valeri’s grin lets me know I’ve chosen well. The building is painted black, and there’s a long line of scantily clad women waiting to be let in.
“Ilya and Nikolai will be here soon,” Valeri informs me as we get out and walk towards the bouncer on duty. When a tall brunette in line catches his eye, he curls his finger at her, beckoning her over. She smiles and immediately forgets all about her friends, leaving them behind to come and stand by my brother. He puts an arm around her while she giggles and I try like hell to not roll my eyes.
“Hey, Steve,” I say, giving a nod to the bouncer as he steps aside to let us through.
“Evening, Mr. Medvedev.” Steve is not a small man, but he keeps his eyes down when he speaks to me, and I can sense how scared he is of us. It’s for the best, I suppose. I walk past him and into the dark club. The music is so loud I can feel the base line in my fucking feet, traveling up my legs. I head straight for the bar and order a vodka. When I look back, Valeri is grabbing the woman’s ass and leading her to the dance floor. I’m guessing I won’t see him again for a while.
I take the glass the bartender sets in front of me and immediately down it before motioning for him to fill it again. When I’m on my third, I grab the glass, leaving him a nice tip since I drink for free, and head up to the second floor balcony, nodding at the young woman standing outside the VIP area. She gives me a big grin, and when I don’t return it, she steps aside, allowing me entry into the quieter area of the club. I run my eyes over the dark alcove. Most of the tables and booths are taken tonight, but I spot a table in the corner and make my way towards it, hoping to remain unnoticed. No such luck. I’ve just sat down when two blondes walk over on unsteady long legs.
“Hey,” they both say, giving me big smiles and fuck-me eyes.
I briefly consider it. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve gotten laid, but even after killing that guy, an event that would usually have me searching out pussy with a quickness, I’m just not feeling it tonight. Thirty-one is way too young to be in a sex slump, and I’m embarrassed to say that I seriously think about asking them if they’d consider rubbing the tension out of my shoulders instead of the wild threesome they clearly have in mind.
Before I have to be the jackass and tell them to get lost, Ilya and Nikolai come walking over. They sit down at the table with drinks in hand and smile at the women.
“You can fuck them,” I tell the blondes, nodding at a grinning Ilya and Nikolai while making it very clear it won’t be my cock they’ll be taking a ride on later.
“You are crazy,” Ilya says in Russian, already patting his lap in invitation. One of the women quickly takes him up on the offer and parks her nonexistent ass on his thigh while the other does the same to Nikolai.
Both men have been with our Bratva for years, and Nikolai is responsible for any tattoos we want done. It’s not surprising that he’s covered in them, even more so than the rest of us. He’s a walking advertisement, showing off his skill with the intricate drawings that cover his body. He did most of mine, including the large bear that covers my chest, the same one that Vasily and Valeri have.
They keep speaking in Russian, shouting over the loud music and asking me how tonight went. I tell them about the dealer we found and how he confessed he was working for Scott St. James as the woman on Nikolai’s lap runs her tongue up his tatted neck. He grips her hip and holds her tighter against him while I wave a waitress over and ask for another drink. Usually I’d smile and play nice, but I’m too irritated tonight, so all I can manage is to not scowl at her.
“Wow, do you ever lighten up?” the woman on Ilya’s lap asks.
“On occasion,” I tell her.
Before she can ask me more questions that I don’t feel like answering, Valeri comes back with the brunette he’d pulled out of line—both of them flushed and grinning. I have no doubt that he’s just fucked her in a dark corner.
“Seriously?” I ask him in Russian. “You know she thinks she’s going home with you, right, and that you’ll be putting her name in your phone and calling her before the sun sets tomorrow?”
Valeri laughs and sits down, pulling her onto his lap. “Maybe I will, brother.”
“You let them get too attached to you.” I’ve warned him of this a million times. Women flock to his good looks and friendly demeanor. They all think they’re going to be the one to get him to settle down, but they never are. He leaves a trail of broken hearts wherever he goes. That’s why I keep things simple. I never fuck the same woman twice, I never bring them back to my place, and I always make this very clear before my dick is even out of my pants. If they don’t like those terms, then they’re free to walk away. I’ve yet to have that happen, but I’m sure there’s a first time for everything.
“I think it’s interesting that you show no fear when it comes to life-and-death situations, but the thought of having some woman’s number in your cell phone practically makes you break out in a nervous sweat,” Valeri says with a laugh.
I tell him to fuck off and then finish my drink. When the women start moaning and grinding on laps, I take that as my cue to get the fuck out. I know Valeri won’t have a problem getting a ride back to his house, so I sneak out without so much as a goodbye. Stopping by the grocery store on my way home, I run in and grab four steaks and a russet potato. The young cashier looks like she’s about sixteen, and I can tell she’s just waiting for me to pull a gun out and rob the damn store. I don’t look like a law-abiding citizen. I’m six-three with a body that I’ve worked very hard to keep in peak condition, and even when I’m in an expensive suit, the tattoos that cover my neck and hands means I’ll never get mistaken for a respectable man. I’m not some fucking jackass who would rob a sixteen-year-old, though, and her terrified gaze is insulting.
“Relax, kid,” I finally say, but my deep voice and accent just seem to make her even more nervous. “Jesus,” I mutter, handing her the money and grabbing my bag of food. The drive through Valeri’s territory is a short one, and soon I find myself in my part of the city. The Irish mafia who used to run this place left it in chaos. That might be because we scared the hell out of them and chased them off, but be that as it may, it took a lot of work to get the place up and running how I wanted. I’m pleased with how things are going, and I’ve no doubt it’ll just keep getting better, especially once we take care of Scott and his little crew. There are always threats, that’s just how the criminal world works, but my brothers and I are no strangers to the mafia life, and I’m confident we can handle things.
Pulling up to the gate in front of my house, I stop the car and give the man on duty a nod. He’s in his early fifties and been with the Bratva since before I was born. He was more than happy to take a job with less responsibility, and he’s definitely earned the break. “Everything look okay while I was gone, Boris?”
“Yes, sir,” he quickly says, and then adds with a grin, “The dogs missed you. They kept walking to the gate to see if you were out here.”
