“I realize that,” I tell him. I sigh and think about it a little longer. Vladimir and Maksim had never been close. Typically, they’ve always kept one another at arm’s length, respectfully keeping to the other’s corners of the world with very few incidents. There was never any reason for either Bratva to get mixed up with the other’s affairs.
And yet, I can’t seem to walk away from this. I’m still compelled to see that Natalya is safe. I sit up and pull out my phone.
“Anton,” Mikki warns. “Don’t do it. It’ll only cause trouble that we don’t need right now.”
“I’m just going to talk to her. Make sure she understands what’s at stake… and that’s she’s safe,” I say as I search for her number. She comes up asDevushka. “Once I know her father is on the case, I’ll leave it alone.”
Mikki crosses his arms as I text her.Meet me at one o’clock this afternoon. Vivaldi Park by the fountain.
I put the phone back in my pocket without waiting for her response. “Think of this as me dotting an ‘i’. Nothing more,” I say to Mikki. “We can both agree that my mind needs to be clear, right? Well, this will clear it.”
He sighs, knowing that it’s pointless to argue once I’m determined. “Of course, Brother. You have my support, as always.”
“Good.” I stand up and we leave the meeting room. I need to make sure that my arsenal is stocked and my guards are alert.Mikki will help me with that. The moment I step out into the hallway, I hear my phone ding. I pull it out.
Natalya texts,Okay. I’ll see you there.
And it’s set. She’ll tell me that she’s protected and that her father is on the case and I can continue on without worry. Easy as that.
We leave the meeting room and as soon as we’re in the hallway, Mikki says, “So, there’s something that crossed my path this morning. It’s probably nothing, but I thought maybe I should mention it.”
I don’t like the sound of this. I sigh and say, “Am I going to need a drink for this?”
“Not yet,” he says with a laugh. We walk down the stairs and to the living room. I go over to the drink caddy and make myself a drink anyway. It’s been a long day and it’s not even noon.
“Well, hit me with it,” I tell him as I pull out a glass. I motion to another glass, silently offering one to Mikki. He shakes his head and waves me off.
“So, remember how you called Kat a fly? Annoying, but harmless?”
I look up at him expectantly. He clears his throat.
“Well, I heard from one of Lev’s men that she’s been hanging out at the Firebird quite a bit lately, drinking heavily and bad talking you to anyone who would listen. Magda even had to have her thrown out a couple of times because she was getting into it with the dancers.”
I shrug. “So? Sounds like Kat to me. She loves her tantrums.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not all she’s been doing. She’s been spreading rumors about you. Telling people that you’ve gotten weak since Maksim died. Making up stories about how you wailed like a woman at his funeral.”
I chuckle. I can’t help it. What a ridiculous claim.
“It’s not funny, Anton. People could start believing that.”
“She wasn’t even there. Everyone knows Maksim only took me on that trip. If thatdidhappen, how could she ever know about it?”
“I know that. You don’t have to convince me.”
He pauses and suddenly, I understand why he’s brought this up. Brigadiers can be like gossipy teenagers. Unlike high school, rumors could easily flourish into trouble.
“Ah,” I say. “But I may have to convince certain members of this Bratva.”
“I don’t quite know yet. I mean, I’ve only just heard about his. I don’t know how long Kat’s been badmouthing you and I don’t know how many of our people believe that bullshit lie. All I know is that Kat can be a sly snake when she wants to be. And for some people, a pretty convincing one. If something’s amiss among the troops, I want to cut off its legs before they get going.”
I take a sip from my glass of whiskey and nod. “I hear you. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, though. Kat…” I sigh because I feel a little begrudged at the idea of speaking kindly about her. “She’s just hurt. She’ll get past it eventually.”
“I’m sure she will. Just the same, I’m going to keep my ear to the ground.”
“I expect nothing less.”
He nods and leaves. Once he’s gone, I start to think about what he’s said. About both Kat’s actions and my insistence on reaching out to Natalya. Sometimes, every day feels like a game of chess. Every move I make has to make sense, lead to something, gain me something in the long term.
