“Hey, man, sorry to bother you.” I give Teddy the whole spiel, but I can tell by the end that he’s overwhelmed between his whole being-The-Godfather thing, plus getting ready to be a real father. He offers his grandma’s place, but mentions she isn’t there. Apparently, she went on a European cruise with her pickleball group.
I plop down on a bench, feeling sorry for myself, and tell him I understand, and I’ll text him soon, but before I hang up, he stops me.
“Thatch, wait. I just had the best idea. I’m sorry, I just had to punish a…never mind, I just wasn’t thinking straight. I have exactly the answer to your problems.”
“Okay…”
“Mila just moved to New York, into a huge compound, but I don’t think she’ll be there often. She’s got so much to do, and…”
He keeps talking, but I feel lighter than I have all day. Popping up from the bench, I walk back to where I parked near the condo and get ready for him to give me an address. I won’t go tonight. That would be rude. I can make it one night in a hotel. But then, even if she’s not there, getting to see her at all will be…hot. My dick has never been so scared and aroused by the same person. I don’t think she’ll give me the time of day, but I won’t be bored, and Idefinitelywon’t be able to get into any shit.
“So what do you think?” Teddy finally finishes his spiel. I have no clue what he said, but it doesn’t matter. My best friend has come through for me, once again.
“That sounds perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Chapter 5
A last-minute meetingrequest from the New York board members wasn’t shocking, but I would have enjoyed a few days to get settled in first. Ivan sounded about as amused as I was when he told me, but he assured me it was a small get-to-know-you thing. Meet your new Pakhan, I suppose. Apparently, some assholeinsistedwe have the meeting this weekend before he has to fly back to Russia.
Zakhar Zadorov.
His name sounds familiar, but I can’t quite put a finger on it. Of course, all of these men would know ofmefrom my position at Thunder Bay. They may not have been on the same board, but as my father’s second, they knew who I was.
As Pahkan, I could have easily declined. And maybe I should have, but I would have to meet everyone anyway, and a littlemeeting didn’t sound so bad. Big mistake. I’ve sat in on enough of Thunder Bay’s board meetings to know what is and isn’t normal, and this was the latter.
Looking back, I should have madesureI was the one orchestrating any first meetings, so my men knew who was running the show. Instead, I agreed to a last-minute meeting and wound up on someone else’s turf for my first run-in with the board.
As soon as we walked into his office, I knew there would be problems. One advantage of being a woman in this field is my ability to read people by things like decor. Call it perception, insight, intuition, whatever, but I’ve always been able to predict someone’s intentions earlier than any of the men I’ve worked with. And an office filled with as much ornamentation as his shouldn’tfeelas sterile as it does. A clear indicator of the facade Zadorov is hoping to sell.
By the time I realized this was merely a fraction of the board, it was too late. Only six people sat around that conference table. Myself, Ivan, Zakhar, and three other men, who all seemed to look at Zakhar for their stance on every policy I plan to enact in New York. It was an ambush. And while I know that his henchmen will follow the strongest leader, Zadorov may very well prove to be a problem for my takeover.
To nobody’s surprise, the issue of my gender was the main concern of all four men. Ivan remained stoic when they basically spat on his decision of a successor. “Women are good for two things: pleasing their men and birthing them heirs. Not leading Bratva outfits.”For once, I was glad Misha had to wait outside. There would have been four dead Russians and a war on our hands, not even a week into my reign.
By some miracle, I held it together with thoughts of my bed, the only thing keeping me from a mental breakdown. The only problem was that I was imaginingmybed. The one in ThunderBay. In the house I spent years cultivating. It wasn’t until I flopped back on the bed in New York that I remembered this nightmare is now my room. Closing my eyes, I tried to imagine it’s the beautifully decorated bedroom I left behind, but all I could see was fucking red.
My frustration at the loss of my safe space finally boiled over, and I left the bedroom in search of a distraction…which leads me to my current location and, quite possibly, one of the most important rooms in the compound.
It doesn’t take much rummaging through the liquor cabinet to find a drinkable vodka.
Thank God Ivan stocked the good stuff. I waste no time with a glass and instead sink to the floor and turn the bottle up. After decades of drinking, it would take nearly the whole liter to have any effect on me, but the burn down my throat is therapeutic.
Fuck me, it’s been a day. Actually, it’s been like this every day since I moved. Misha was right, having Father around in Thunder Bay made a huge difference. I guess the men there tolerated my position at the table as long as I wasn’t the one steering the ship. And by tolerated, I mean benefited at every turn from my expertise both in the field and in the boardroom. If anyone truly thought it was Father calling the shots for the last five years of his life, they were dumb as fuck.
No, as soon as he got his diagnosis ten years ago, he ramped up my training. In his later years, he was merely a figurehead signing his name to my hard work. And it was all for nothing. He was barely in the ground when I found out he left the empire to his bastard son, my brother Teddy.
I was shocked when Ivan offered me his branch, especially considering he has a son of his own, Sasha. Apparently, they both foundloveand want out of the Bratva completely, or at least as far as possible. That’s the difference between us. The Bratvaismy love. Teddy was lucky to marry someone familiarwith the lifestyle. Ellie grew up with the same dangers and has the proper training to withstand this life, so my brother didn’t have to deal with the guilt of putting her in harm’s way. But for me…
Love is a weakness I cannot risk.
Only two people couldreallybe used against me: Misha and Teddy. The former would never allow himself to be my weakness, and the latter will never know that he is.
A knock on the door startles me into sitting up straight. “Who is it?”
“Ivan.”
“Oh. Come in,” I say, standing and hiding my vodka.
He opens the door with a warm smile on his face and immediately reaches for my not-so-hidden liquor. “I knew you had good taste.” Taking a swig, he hands it back to me.
