He chuckles. “Smart answer. I see you remember my earliest lessons about the Bratva. Loyalty is all, but trust no one. Envy and Avarice among your peers have been the fall of many empires. It’s nice to know you are wise enough to know better than to act on rumor alone.”
“It’s experience, sir,” I say. “I know better than to listen to idle gossip, sir.”
“As well you should.” He’s looking me over, a little smile playing at the corners of his mouth again. “What if the order came from me?” He gives me a little shrug as if what he’s said bears no weight at all. “It happens sometimes. Children of Pakhans turning on their parents aren’t exactly an uncommon thing. What if I discovered that my beloved Tatiana wanted to hurt me and the brotherhood you’re so loyal to? How far would you go to protect the brotherhood?”
I sigh as he cocks his head at me. This isn’t a trick question. He’s challenging me, daring me to tell him that I would never, ever do such a thing.
And Iwouldnever. But he doesn’t need to know that.
“If the order came from you,” I say, “then I wouldn’t have much choice, would I? I would be obligated to take care of that problem for you.”
“You always have a choice, Viktor,” he says in a measured tone. “Always. Even if what is requested of you is something you’d rather not choose. Killing Tatiana, a woman that you say you have known since she was a child, the daughter of your Pakhan and someone who is considered sacred by most metrics within this Bratva… That would not be an easy task for any man. Not even the Dark Cloud. I would not be surprised if you hesitated. Not only that, but I would expect it of you.”
In all my time with Nikolai, I might’ve heard him referring to a hit as what it is. A murder. A killing. He’s trying to rattle me by saying it plainly. I’ll need to be just as plain if I’m going to slide out from under his suspicions.
Also, and probably most importantly, he’s said that he would ‘expect’ me to hesitate. He didn’t say that he wanted me to choose not to.
“If she threatens the Bratva,” I say, “if you feel that her presence is a threat to this brotherhood, then she must die. The rule is clear, Nikolai. Those who stand against us must fall.” I pause as he analyzes me silently, then add, “I will kill Tatiana if that is what you command.”
He continues to stare, then his smile fades slightly. “Good,” he says. “Fortunately for both of us, and mostly for Tatiana, her antics have not come to that. Her insolence is just rebellion left over from her teens. It will burn out eventually. In the meantime, your duties to her are done. Any of the Sixes can take your place. I’m going to need you for more important things as the days go on.”
My heart sinks a little, but I know this is necessary. The game he’s played with me is done. “Thank you, sir.”
He dismisses me, and I walk away, analyzing. He doesn’t suspect me of anything, but despite his brushing off of the ‘theoretical’ question he’s asked, there’s no question in my mind that he believes his own daughter is a threat. That’s a problem.
As soon as I get to the car, Tati calls me. I answer as I’m driving away.
“I saw your car in the driveway,” she says. “Are you here?”
“I’m leaving now. Nikolai asked to speak with me.”
She pauses. “What about?”
There’s a mountain of things I could name. I can’t reveal it all to her. Not with her living under the same roof as Nikolai. “It was an interesting conversation,” I say. “Apparently, people are talking about us.”
She pauses. “What?”
“The Bratva rumor mill strikes again. The long and short of it is that he was testing my allegiance to the brotherhood.”
She sighs softly. “This has to do with that night you brought me home, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it does.” I pause, knowing how disappointed she’s going to be once I tell her the result of that part of the conversation. “He’s removed me from your service.”
“Oh.” Then, a little sadder. “Oh. Well, that’s probably for the best, I guess, if everybody thinks we’re fucking. Don’t want to make things any worse than they are.”
I want to warn her. At the same time, I don’t want her to panic and do something foolish.
“Was there anything else that he wanted to talk to you about?” She sounds nervous, or at least tentative about something.
“If you’re wondering if he knows about us in spite of the rumor mill, he doesn’t.”
I hear a breath of relief. “That’s good.” She pauses. I hear her moving through the room and a door shuts before she continues. “Hey, so listen, I sort of did something this morning that we need to talk about.”
“You did something?” My stomach tightens. “What?”
“It’s not that bad, I don’t think.”
“Spit it out, Tati.”
