The chair crashed to the floor as I stood up. I grabbed his shirt and spat out furiously, “Where was your loyalty? I’ll fucking kill you!” Men dashed to us, because no one dared to threaten the pakhan.
Dom’s raised hand stopped them, because we had to hash it out between ourselves. My insides itched for a fight, and by his resigned expression, he was willing to give me one.
The pakhan of the Bratva always took care of his brotherhood, after all.
Pulling my fist back, I punched him in the face, pouring my rage and frustration into it. Dom’s head tilted back, but he quickly regrouped and delivered a punch to my stomach. The pain bent me in two while the men formed a circle around us, and the women gasped, running away from the bar.
The photo of Vivian holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket flashed in front of my eyes. “She had my son! My son, Dominic!” I shouted, delivering a blow to his liver—a cheap trick on my end, considering I knew it was his weak spot. He kicked me, which resulted in me losing my balance, but not before I grabbed his neck, punching him rapidly. We tumbled to the floor and our fists flew wildly. We just blindly hit each other.
“What the fuck?” someone shouted, and in a second, he wrapped his arms around me from behind and lifted me off Dom while Vitya held him, but we still faced each other, standing and ready to go again.
“Out of all the people, I didn't expect it from you, Dom,” I finally said, my emotions threatening to make me crazy blocking any physical pain.
“Forward, never back, Radmir. Remember?” We stilled, studying one another as my teachings flashed through my mind. Whenever he was in a rage back in his teens or beaten in the ring, not wanting to stand up, my words were like a mantra to him.
Forward, never back.
The concept fucking didn't work when it had to do with Vivian and Jake. After a few short seconds, years of training allowed me to put on an indifferent expression to cover my inner turmoil. Catching Vitya’s guilty eyes, I addressed them. “Give me all the information about my son and Vivian.” I paused and then without looking at Dom asked, “What you told me in prison… about her testifying against me. Is it true? Or one more of your lies?” If he had lied to me about this, I wouldn't be able to stop myself from shooting him.
“Yes, it was the truth.” My jaw ticked from the tension swirling within me. Nodding, I strolled in the direction of my wing with Vitya hot on my heels.
He would give me all the answers before I would let the deep fury within me loose.
“Get Yuri, Petor, Gleb, and Dima here now,” I ordered. As he proceeded to do that, I added, “Bring me all the information you have, Vitya.”
“Radmir, we thought it was for the best—”
Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, I slammed him hard against the wall as he grunted painfully. “You hid my son from me. You allowed me to hurt my woman. The Bratva fucking brotherhood was supposed to take care of them. Instead, you left her to the wolves. Don’t tell me to calm down. Be fucking grateful I’m not putting a bullet through your or Dominic’s head. All of you broke the code.” Spitting the last words, I let go of him and continued my way to my room.
Flipping my phone open, I dialed the number, and when the person picked up, I barked, “Oleg, have the plane ready to go to the States. I’ll be at the airport in three hours max.”
Hanging up, I thought,How can I ask for forgiveness from the only woman I have ever loved?
Vivian
The doorbell ringing distracted me from mixing the salad. I glanced at Jake who lay on his stomach on the fluffy, purple carpet and flipped the airplane book. He raised his confused eyes to me. “Who is that, Mommy?” We rarely had guests visit us, so I could relate to his confusion.
Sending him a smile, I answered, “Don’t know, honey. Let me check.” But before I could open the door, someone unlocked it. In burst Tina carrying a bucket of lilies in her hands, and the bittersweet smell instantly annoyed the hell out of me.
“Surprise!” she squealed, placing them on the small desk by the door as John entered right behind her with several boxes from my favorite bakery, which recently opened next to my studio, just a few blocks away from my house.
“The key is for emergencies only.” I finally found my voice, too stunned at first at their appearance. As much as I loved my baby sister, coming to New York of all places and to my house was highly unusual for her.
She swore the city off the minute she found her ex-husband in bed with one of his mistresses, and her hate for him extended to the place itself.
Tina rolled her eyes, flashing me a wide grin and tugging on her short, orange dress, which barely covered her ass but displayed her amazing legs; no wonder so many magazines compared her beauty to Candice Swanepoel. They could easily be considered twins with her golden locks and blue eyes. “It’s an emergency! You got divorced.” She hushed probably for Jake’s sake and then tickled his foot, causing him to laugh loudly. “Why aren't you greeting your aunt properly, munchkin?” She chased him, and then he jumped right into her arms, leaving her almost out of breath from the fierce hug.
“Aunt Tina!” he screamed, and then his eyes widened as she showed him the box for the Kinect hockey game he had been begging me to buy for ages. I had refused, because he already had enough of those kinds of games and usually got frustrated since he played alone. His friends refused to play with him since he always won.
Leave it to my sister to act all cool and get it for him.
“Like it, buddy?” He made a move to snatch it from her hands, but she raised them higher. “How about showing me how to play it?”
He nodded eagerly, stood up, and turned his pleading gaze on me. “Can we, Mommy?” His crystal clear gray eyes reminded me so much of his father in that moment my heart ached. How could I refuse him?
“Okay, but only for an hour, and then you’ll do a bit more reading.”
“Sweet!” Then he tugged Tina in the direction of his room. “Hurry, Aunt Tina.” She laughed, grabbed one of the boxes, which held his favorite chocolate donuts in it, and with a wink at me disappeared to the far end of the house, leaving me alone with John in the living room slash kitchen.
