Inseparable best friends until Savannah happened and ruined him, to the point of me not being able to stand him. Had it not been for his exceptional mathematical skills along with a finance degree, he wouldn't have been akaznachei.
“Clear, Pakhan.” He turned to Vitya. “Some guys in the Bratva are planning to ambush Michael for his ‘likes.’ You know, like preferring men?” Vitya showed no reaction to that statement, so he continued, “I thought you’d want to know Ivan and Kuzya had baseball bats ready to attack on Tuesday night. You know, since you are the Bratva’s enforcer and all.” The message between the lines was clear for everyone involved, so he dusted his knees and addressed me. “I’ll talk to the others who might be involved. I will keep you posted.” He slapped Vitya on the back. “???? ???????.”(Poka, Bratuha)Telling us goodbye, he sat in the driver’s seat of his Mercedes and drove away, leaving us standing in the dust.
“I’m going to kill them,” Vitya stated matter-of-factly, still with a completely blank expression.
“You cannot.”
His hands clenched into fists. “So you are telling me they can hurt Michael, and you won’t care?”
Holding his stare, I said coldly, “As the pakhan of the Bratva, you do not have my permission to end their life based on their beliefs. They are faithful to the brotherhood.” Pausing, I clicked my fingers for the car to start as Vlad waited by the door for me. “That being said… if they turn up dead and I have no evidence or trace of the killer, I’ll have no choice but to accept it.”
His deadly smile would probably scare some people. “Headquarters.” Somehow, the idea of my Rosa alone in that fucked-up place with only Michael to supervise her didn't sit well with me. My phone rang, as the display showedDamian, and I quickly picked it up. “Hey.”
He cleared his throat. “Hey, brother of mine.” We got silent for a second, because whenever he said brother, all the memories of the cell flashed through our minds, and we didn't know how to deal with the new relationship we had, despite our semi-warm reunion at our parents’ graves. “Any news on Don?”
“Yes, that’s why I’m calling, actually. He is stable now, although those burns and scars will be a bitch. The younger one wasn't as lucky,” he said grimly.
“Just how unlucky?” Despite all this stupid shit with the engagement, I had nothing against Lorenzo. He was professional to a T.
“Last time they checked his eyes, he couldn't see. They explained it was some shit with internal bleeding. Add it to everything else, and I’m seriously not sure about his psychological state.” Fuck, poor guy.
“Any idea on who it might be?”
His tone clipped, he replied, “None, but I’m working on it. All this requires a plan, so it has to be a person from within. Don’t worry, Dom. If anyone can find one fucked up person, it would be me.”
Yeah, no one would fuck with Sociopath. “I never had this desire,” I suddenly said.
He paused on the other end of the line, and asked, “What do you mean?”
Clearing my throat, I tried my best to explain my point. “Those sadistic tendencies to inflict pain on people. Enjoying torture. I kill when it needs to be done for the brotherhood, but… actually getting a thrill out of it? No. That’s not me.” And that was part of the reason I couldn't form a normal relationship with him now. The all-consuming guilt ate me from inside, because had we traded places all those years ago? I wouldn't have gone on the path of revenge. I’d have wanted to live peacefully, never being part of this grim world again. But my brother, to avenge me, became a sociopath, and it killed me to know and admit I wouldn't have done the same for him.
Damian grew silent for several beats and then sighed heavily. “Dominic, even back at the cell, I wanted to hurt them. Yes, the path I’d chosen had everything to do with you, but ultimately… had I been alone in the cell and got out? The outcome would have been the same. I needed their blood, suffering, cries of pain. I wouldn't have found peace otherwise.”
“You did with Sapphire.”
He chuckled, but then added seriously and sadly at the same time, “Some memories and nightmares you just can’t outrun, brother.”
Wasn't that the truth?
Man with the dragon tattoo
“This was an attack on thefamilia.Serious measures were needed.” Dad gulped his whiskey and wiped his mouth, wincing from the bitter taste.
“The pakhan left for Russia. Scheduling an assassination on his own territory is reckless and stupid,” I protested, and almost patted myself on the back for my great acting skills.
Dad waved his hand dismissively. “What do you know? You’re too young.” His voice, as usual, was colored with distain and disgust, as he repeatedly told me not to join Cosa Nostra and give my talent better use. Father worshiped our mother and his boys, and in his eyes, we could do no wrong. Family picnics, fishing trips, lots of love. I had it all, but something was always missing, and it was difficult to control my raging temper when nothing went according to plan.
So all the building rage boiling in my blood, I transferred first to animals and then women, getting off on all the pain in its most sadistic forms. Had anyone heard my story, they would try to search for the psychological triggers or bad treatment or abuse, so they could justify all the evil. But sometimes a person didn't need a reason to be bad, he was just born with certain desires that he or she couldn’t help. Or so I thought.
Who came up with right and wrong anyway?
“Don is our priority now. Let’s focus on getting him back in the saddle, before making decisions without consulting him first.”
Dad nodded, pouring himself more whiskey as his eyes gentled when they settled on me. “When is the wedding?”
Shit, Bianca. Dad just dreamed about grandkids and a happily ever after, and I fed his hopes with that little tidbit, which would never come true. “In six months.”
He frowned. “Why wait so long? I’m not getting any younger.” The silver knife itched my knee, and my hands twitched to throw it at his neck so he’d shut up, but the fake smile stayed plastered on my face. “In time.”
