Chapter 32 - Gavril
The evening was a total bust. While I had been honest when I told Lilia I had to make an appearance at the party to maintain alliances and express gratitude for the use of the house while we laid low in Miami, there were other reasons for going to that party.
The club was packed, and everyone was in a great mood, most of them already half drunk before the famous band even took the stage. It was only a few minutes before I realized I wouldn’t be able to slip away as quickly as I hoped. Not if I wanted to meet my objective.
I was hiding it as best I could, but things were reaching a boiling point in LA. Benedikt was working overtime trying to keep everyone on an even keel, keep Luigi from overstepping his bounds, and making everyone believe I was in Italy on Collective business. I had enough people there who despised Luigi and wouldn’t mind seeing his demise, so the ruse was holding for the moment.
But Benedikt was running out of excuses, and one of his top men disappeared only the day before. This was someone I could swear by to the ends of the earth, but I knew all too well that everyone cracked eventually under torture. I had to give Luigi his due when he deserved it. The man was a master at bringing the pain.
It was only a matter of time before they found my secret compound in the hills, and if that happened, I wanted to be there to defend it. It would be the perfect opportunity to end this, because it would mean Luigi wasn’t just working behind the scenes anymore, but declaring all-out war.
When I finally managed to get Ivan Morozov for a private audience, he had already indulged a little too much. It had been a long time, and there was a lot of catching up to do. He had helped me out in the past, and I respected him like the older brother I never had.
“I need men and guns,” I said. “This is going to be big, but I think you’ll agree it’s necessary.”
I didn’t need to fill him in too much on Luigi’s exploits. He was hated from coast to coast, yet powerful enough that no one wanted to shatter the delicate equilibrium among the different crime organizations. Not without a good reason.
I thought protecting Lilia was a good reason.
“And what will become of the Petrovs after Luigi is gone?” Ivan asked. “They aren’t my enemy, and I don’t want them to become one.”
“I have a plan to minimize damage during the takeover. It will be a seamless transfer of power.”
Ivan stared at the empty shot glass in front of him, looking for all the world like he was wishing it was full. The music thumped through the walls of his office as silence descended between us.
“Luigi Scalfione needs to be eradicated. I should have done it myself years ago, instead of running him out of Florida.” He gave me a long look. “I thought I could minimize damages then by letting people live who are now once again annoying the hell out of me.”
“You’re saying the only way you’ll back me is if I go scorched earth on the Petrovs?”
He lifted one shoulder in a slow shrug. “I have nothing but respect for that family, and they’ve never done my peoplewrong. But if I help you win this war, it must be a complete and total annihilation. Or someone else will be coming to me for help in a few years' time—if I live through the retaliation should you fail.”
“I won’t fail.”
“I believe in you,” he said placatingly. “But I also know the Petrovs are a force to be reckoned with. The only way they’d ever give up Los Angeles is if every last one of them is dead.”
It was clear this ruthless leader found the idea unsavory. He had mellowed somewhat over the years, but only those closest to him would ever know it. And he made it clear he would back me if I had no problem eradicating the Petrov family. All of them.
Only a few weeks ago, the conversation wouldn’t have even had to go this far. There would have been no question about it, and I would have been on my way back to LA with an unstoppable force behind me. What changed?
Lilia.
I told him I would think about it. He nodded knowingly, and I left the party. The only good news I could report back to Benedikt was that the issues in Russia were finally winding down, and a group of highly trained men would be stateside in a matter of days. Still, there was no more hiding out in Miami.
The honeymoon was over; it was time to get back to defend the home front.
Lilia was angry with me when I arrived late, then listless after I told her we’d be leaving the next day. As exhausted as I was, I lay awake for hours, turning over decisions in my head while Lilia lay beside me, her gentle breathing doing nothing to calm me down.
What was I bringing her back to? War and destruction. Men who wanted to drag her away from me, for good or evil. Didn’t matter because I wouldn’t give her up. For a moment, I considered leaving her here under guard and the watchful eyes of the Morozovs, but I couldn’t bear to be apart from her even for a few days.
She was mine, under my skin, in my blood, nestled deep in my heart. A heart I was sure didn’t exist before I saw her up on that stage, out of her mind with fear.
She could hold her own now, and I’d keep her safe no matter what occurred. I’d come out on top, too, like I always did, but at what cost? I could hold her until the end of time, but would it matter if she couldn’t stand the sight of me?
My phone buzzed, the sound like a cannon blast in the still night. I grabbed it before it woke Lilia and flung myself out of the room to take Benedikt’s call. It was just before six here, three AM in Los Angeles. Not a great time to call for no reason.
“Shit’s about to hit the fan,” Benedikt said without preamble. “They’re going to move on your house and the Petrovs at the same time. It seems like they have new recruits from Mexico. The hits are going to be huge—they might win this.”
He sounded shell-shocked, like he was still processing everything he just learned. And a little exhilarated. They might win this.Wemight win this. What if all I had to do was sit back and let Luigi and his men take care of the Petrov problem, then sweep them up when it was all over? There would be no blood on my hands, and all the power would be mine.
