“How about a pixie cut?” I say to her. Anya’s sitting in the next chair and I feel her eyes on me. “It’s warm out. I think I’d like something low-maintenance.”
She looks over at Anya, as if for approval, but what can she say? If what she says is true, then what I say goes, right?
“All right,” she says. “Whatever you want, Mrs. Mechnikov.”
Okay. Maybe this whole Bratva Princess business isn’t so bad after all.
10
ALEXEI
“Before we begin,” father says right after everyone is seated, “let’s welcome my nephew back into the fold. Once a brother, always a brother.”
Everyone reacts with applause, whistles, and hands slamming on the table as Dmitri nods and smiles. He sits next to me as is his rightful place. He’s my most trusted of theboeviksunder my command. I’m over the moon about his return to our fold.
Pavel is sitting across from me and to the left of our father. He applauds with the others, but there’s no real happiness in it. It will forever bug me that they don’t get along. They could be dynamic together if Pavel would just learn to accept him.
“All right, all right,” father says as he holds up his hands to quiet everyone. “Let’s get down to business. As you are all aware, we are now allied with the Pecoras, thanks to my son’s marriage to Tony Pecora’s youngest daughter. My hope is that we can use this venture to strengthen our organization and spread out our territory even further than just Fortune.” He looks over at me carefully. “I would like to see our plans reach farther than justNew York state. Together, I believe we will be poised to take over the entire Eastern Seaboard.”
“Agreed,” I say. “The Pecora empire extends through the southern territory and into at least three boroughs in New York, as well as several New Jersey suburbs. Their empire is extensive. Connection with them will expose us to connections that we were previously locked out of. This merger is an opportunity to become the strongest organization on the East Coast.”
“Will this mean a change in our operations?” One of father’s other brigadiers asks. “We have several upcoming deals with the Sloviks in Connecticut coming up and we know they have no love for the Pecoras.”
“I personally don’t see an issue,” Dmitri says. “As long as Tony’s men stay in their lane, there shouldn’t be any interference.”
“We can expect some resistance,” Father says. “But it’s nothing that we can’t handle. Particularly once they realize the Pecora family is on our side now.”
“Besides, the Sloviks are smaller than either of our families,” I add. “They are not a concern.”
I hear Pavel suck his teeth softly and I see Father glance at him. I decide to address it. “Did you have any thoughts about this whole thing, Pavel?”
He sighs and says, “All this talk about unity… What’s wrong with considering something more aggressive? The Pecora empire might be a large one, but it’s inefficient. And their resources have been greatly reduced of late.”
My father adjusts himself, turning completely to Pavel. “So, what are you suggesting, Pavel?”
He pauses. The spotlight’s now on him and he’s uncomfortable. “What I’m saying is that we’ve been enemies with this family for two or three generations. And now after all this time, we’re allies when we could finally have wiped them out entirely. Tony Pecora himself admitted that he is not prepared for a war. Why don’t we take advantage now that his guard is down?”
Father looks over at me. “What do you think, Alexei? Do you agree with your brother?”
“Considering I am the one who has married into their family, no,” I say. “Outside of that detail… If I’m being frank, I fail to see the point in turning on them now. We’ve extended the olive branch. We should follow through.”
Father smiles and says, “My son has found love again after all these years,” he says, more for the benefit of everyone else, “but he is still shrewd. It’s refreshing. I know more than a few of you who have let a little pussy go to your heads when it comes to business.”
There’s a ripple of laughter among everyone. Pavel isn’t smiling. He looks pretty pissed.
“He is correct, though. The bottom line is that we’ve started something. I do not see the point in backing out when the benefit of uniting with the Pecora family is of greater benefit. Tony Pecora might be, as you say, ‘inefficient’, but he is intelligent. A man does not build an empire such as his without having some skill in this game, wouldn’t you agree?”
Pavel nods. “I suppose that is so.”
“You suppose?” He smirks. “If only you could be as sure as your brother.”
I know that stung. Pavel doesn’t show it, but it had to hurt.
“To that end,” he says to me, “I imagine you have plans laid out to deepen our connection with the Pecora family.”
“I do,” I tell him. “They deal mostly in arms and gambling but generally stay away from prostitution and drugs. We could convince Tony Pecora to broaden his horizons, as they say. Several of his territories border areas where we would flourish in expanding things in the sex and drug industries, in particular.”
“I do know that the well is very dry in Brooklyn these days,” another of Father’s brigadiers says. “Of heroin and coke, at least. The market is practically starving for it.”
