His tone and demeanor showed anything but sympathy; it was more of a calculated show of power. Something about the mask of civility he wore infuriated me even more.
“You must really have guts to show your face here,” I spat, moving closer to him.
“What do you mean?” he asked, the smirk back on his face.
“You murderer!” I yelled. “You were behind the hit, weren’t you? You fucking killed him!”
He leaned in, his tone level as he answered, “I did not kill your brother.”
“Of course, denying it is the most convenient thing to do,” I retorted.
“Your brother must have been killed for all the sins committed by your father,” he revealed, his pointed gaze on my dad.
I looked to the side to find my dad looking away.
“What do you mean?” I asked Mikhail.
Just then, Viktor Lobanov, the Pakhan of the Lobanov Bratva, appeared beside Mikhail. Although both brothers were dressed in black suits, Viktor’s cold and controlled aura distinguished him as the absolute leader.
“Giovanni broke Bratva code, that’s all the truth you need to know,” he declared, his tone unapologetic.
I kept my lips pressed together, my fury restrained.
His eyes swept over my hat and moved to the side as he addressed my dad.
“Marco, the Bratva is aware of your dealings. For your own sake, you should make the full payment due,” he warned, his right hand casually slipping into his pocket. “Else, the result will be something you won’t like.”
My dad didn’t make a sound as Viktor turned around, leaving his brother with us. I took a step closer to him, unleashing my anger in my quest for a fucking answer.
“You guys killed my brother, and now you’re trying to corner my dad, huh?”
He smirked, looking down at me as he answered, “Your father has the answer you’re looking for.”
He turned like he was about to leave before adding, “And you’d better be ready to pay up for him if he decides to default.”
And then he was gone, his men in tow.
I had no idea what to say or do. Turning around, I asked my dad, “What are they…”
“We need to leave,” he interrupted, walking away and leaving me standing by my brother’s graveside.
I was alone, in every sense. It was confusing and frustrating.
Mikhail’s words echoed like a prophecy.
Finding out how exactly my brother died and plotting my revenge was the clear item on my table just a few minutes ago. It was a straightforward plan.
Now, I had no idea what was going on. It felt like I had been thrown into the midst of chaos, with no sign of how it came about. There was only one certainty in my bones.
A storm is coming.
Chapter Two
Mikhail’s POV
Attending Giovanni Moretti’s funeral wasn’t for Bratva reasons alone, although Viktor wouldn’t have tolerated the total absence of the Bratva at an affiliate’s burial, no matter how young or indirectly affiliated they were. But, when Viktor sought to delegate the attendance to one of us in case he couldn’t make it there, I nominated myself, pointing out that the boy worked under the business arm I controlled.
However, I couldn’t care less about staring silently at a decorated dead body and listening to polished statements about a boy I barely knew. I was attending the funeral to seeher.
