We continue walking. I take in what Roman said about moving on. As harsh as it sounds, I know he’s being honest and trying to help in his own way. I look up at him, he gazes down at me.
“What is it now?”
"Can I ask you something?"
"You’ll ask anyway.”
"I will."
"What do you do exactly? Day to day when you go out. What it means to be Bratva.”
"You want to know about my job.”
“If you want to call it that.”
“I handle logistics,” he says, sounding slightly amused. “I take care of problems, and I make sure things run the way they should.”
"What kind of logistics?"
"Different things. We move goods. We manage businesses and collect payments."
What kind of goods?"
"Things people want.” His lips curve upward. “Items they can’t get through normal channels.”
I know he's being vague on purpose.
“What about the businesses?"
"Some belong to us and some we protect.”
"Protect how?"
"We make sure nothing bad happens to them,” he says matter of fact. “In exchange, they pay us."
"What if a business doesn’t want or need your protection?”
He pins me with a look. "Then they’re on their own. We can't guarantee their safety and unfortunately Moscow can be very dangerous, especially for anyone who thinks protection is a choice.”
The way he explains it… this twisted logic where everyone complies because they know what happens when you go up against the Bratva.
"Do you like the work you do?"
"I'm good at it."
I stop, tilting my head to the side. "Roman, that's not what I asked."
"No. It's not."
"Well,” I repeat. “Do you?"
He takes a moment before answering, as if deciding if he should even answer or not.
"I like control,” he says, watching me carefully. “I like knowing that when I give an order, it gets done. I like having power over my territory and anything that belongs to me.” He shrugs. "If that's the same as liking the work itself, I don't know. I don’t care."
His honesty is frightening, but not enough to scare me. He’s not pretending or trying to make himself sound better. I go to ask him about the other organizations when a rustling in the bushes grabs my attention. I grab Roman's arm without thinking.
"What was that?"
