20
VIKTOR
Teddy’s waiting for me at my apartment when I arrive. He stands by the door, cigarette in his mouth and leaning against the wall in his leather jacket and dirty blue jeans. The moment he sees me walking toward him from the parking garage, he nods and flicks the cigarette.
“You rang?” he says with a smile as I walk up.
“So I did,” I respond. “Come on inside.”
We take the elevator up to my apartment, and I take that moment to check my phone for any sign from Tati. It’s only been about thirty minutes since I left the party. They’re probably about halfway through dinner right about now.
I can’t help but think about Yanov catching her with Nicki’s journal. It’s not good by any stretch of the imagination, and I don’t know if she realizes how bad it could get. I’ve been holding back from discussing it, and more importantly, holding back the conversation that I had with Nikolai a few days ago. I don’t want to frighten her.
Or maybe I don’t want to consider it myself. I keep thinking about his ‘theoretical question’.
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?
The challenge that he presented me with… I should have taken it to heart. I should have understood right then and there that Tati was in danger.
Teddy and I don’t speak until we get into my apartment. The moment the door is closed, he asks, “So, judging from the radio silence, I take it everything is not good in the brotherhood.”
I shake my head. “I would say not. Want a drink?”
“Beer, if you got it.”
I go into my kitchen and get a couple of beers, then the two of us walk into my living room. “I may have a problem,” I tell him, “and I might need your support soon. Well, yours and the rest of the Red Devils.”
His eyebrows raise. “Okay. You’ve got a job for us?”
“It’s nothing like that. Do you remember a few months ago, you told me about somebody asking your mechanic friend about Nicki’s car?” He nods. “I think I know who did the asking. His girlfriend, Marla.”
“Marla.” Teddy looks off into his memory for a moment. “Right, right. The girl with the hair. Nicki’s brought her through a few times. She’s a nice kid.” He pauses to take a swig from his beer. “How is she, anyway?”
“Dead,” I tell him. “I’m sure it was a hit. I’m even more sure it was one of mine.”
“Holy shit.” His face goes to slate as he slumps down on the arm of my couch. “So, I was right to suspect something was up. This has to do with Nicki, then?”
“It absolutely does.” I have to pause and take a drink myself. “Marla believed that Nicki’s death wasn’t an accident and was gathering evidence to prove it. She was even planning on going to the authorities about it.”
“She was a rat? Damn.” He takes another swig. “I mean, it’s Nicki, sure, but to go to the pigs about it… She had to know better. Whoever was responsible must have gotten wind of it and acted. Any idea who gave the order?”
I hesitate. The neck of the bottle of beer hangs in my hand as I twist it around slowly. I’ve been dancing around the reality since it happened. “I was asked to take care of her,” I tell him.
His eyes harden. “It was you that did it?”
“Nikolai didn’t tell me who the target was,” I say. “He just gave me a vague description, told me a time and place, and ordered me to do the deed.”
Teddy sits up straight, and I can feel a wave of anger start to boil off him. “He was your brother, Vik.”
“I didn’t pull the trigger,” I tell him. “The minute I saw it was her, I tried to warn her, but I never got the chance. Somebody sniped her as she was coming out of a bank.”
He stares at me for a long moment, no doubt trying to decide whether my story was true. I add, “I wouldn’t have gone through with it, Teddy. You’re right. Nicki was my brother in every waybut blood. There’s no way in hell I’d betray him like that if I knew ahead of time.”
“Yeah, sure,” he says, putting the beer on the coffee table. “I know how you Russkis roll. It ain’t exactly uncommon to stab each other in the back, brother or not. You want me to believe that if the top dog gave you the word to take her out, there wouldn’t be consequences if you didn’t follow through?”
“No. I want you to believe that my loyalty for Nicki runs deeper than the Bratva.”
He stares for another few seconds then looks away, shaking his head. “Dammit. So somebody beat you to it.”
