My father ruled at the top and didn’t micromanage. He counted on the six of us to handle specific areas of the business, and beneath us, we had more staff to supervise and lead under our control. With the need to stamp in a show of my rule, though, I had to be directly and personally involved.
“I’ll go to pay him a visit and collect this debt personally.”
Neither Maksim nor Viktor argued.
“And I will personally exact a punishment for this mistake,” I stated as I moved toward the door.
They both followed me out of the room. Maksim would be on hand to help as my resident problem solver, but I imagined Viktor was covering other details. He trailed behind me andMaksim, already on the phone and arranging for security coverage for me to drive out to pay John Morovov a visit.
“I’ve already reached out to his office,” Maksim said. “A couple of men at the warehouse have.”
“And what has he said so far?”
“Nothing. We’re going through a routine of being on hold and relaying the need to speak with Morovov. Secretaries and office staff seem to be stalling and fumbling over how to reply.” He didn’t sound pleased about it.
All the more reason for me to show up and shake things apart.
“What are they doing about the loss of the shipment in the interim?”
“Standing by. This shipment wasn’t supposed to be checked and sorted out until next week, for distribution and runners to move it further east until the end of next week. Father always had me arranging things in advance, to be prepared ahead of time, but not so much that we’d risk having too much contraband sitting around that we could be caught with it.”
Of course, he planned the operations with precision like that. I intended to adopt the same mindset, to always be prepared, one step ahead, not catching up with any mistakes or shortages after the fact.
It irked me that this was happening now. I couldn’t escape the feeling that I had been caught red-handed with a fumble, a mistake that I had nothing to do with but would need to address and lead over.
No one should find me flailing and trying to get my grounding. I had to assume this interim role with confidence and surety, neither of which were coming to me now.
“We have a little room for error,” Maksim said, turning with me as I headed for the curving staircase that led to the wide-open foyer of the first floor. Already, men stood waiting to go with me, two pairs of suited guards on either side of the double doors.
I’d come and gone from this house, through those doors, many times. It struck me with a sobering and staggering reality check that when I exited the mansion now, I would do so with a bigger target on my back as the interim Pakhan others would love to take out so they could sweep in and assume our power. I would leave here flanked and backed up with multiple men as a representative of the entire Volkov Bratva, not justme, out there doing business as usual.
On this first visit to exert my ruthlessness not as a Mafia prince, but like a king of our family, I had to withstand the extra weight of responsibility to do my father proud, should he ever be conscious and lucid enough again to know how I was adjusting.
“Morovov should handle the difference, too,” Maksim added. As the second born, he was spared from the burden of responsibility that consumed me. He was free to act like he always had. Strategically. Logically. Being the resident problem solver and man of action like he usually was.
“Oh, he’s going to pay,” I agreed. “He alone will cover the cost of interest, of punishing fees, and additional monetary remediation for fucking us over this time—and the last.”
Maksim nodded, walking with me toward the car waiting out front. “The first time was smoothed over, it seems. After the fact, but money was moved once the insufficient funds were noted.”
“We are not facing the situation of having insufficient funds,” I drawled. Letting anyone think that for a second would only compound the general whispers and rumors spreading about our family falling apart without a leader and with my father’s failing health.
Maksim nodded.
“It’s not just about the money,” I reminded him. After I was through with Morovov, he would learn the lesson of fucking with me and my family. No matter what stupid motivation he’d had to let this happen in the first place, he would end this day with the punishment and cruelty of what happened if he crossed me. “It’s about the leverage too, particularly with this timing of Father’s health.”
“Whatever you decide, it will send a message.” He opened the door for me.
I most certainly would send a vital message to the criminal world that was watching.
“You want me to come with?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I need to display howIwill lead.”
Without mercy. Swift to punish and reassert order.
As I climbed into the backseat and the driver took, off, I mulled over all the possibilities of how I could teach Morovov a lesson about fucking with me or trying to take advantage of the Volkov Bratva.
Torture wasn’t my thing, but I wasn’t above leaving a lasting and permanent impression of this incident on him. Taking him out of business wouldn’t work either, since I’d need to task someone with finding us another financial firm to move and hide money trails with. Maybe later, I’d need to find a new accounting service, but not now, not as I was settling into my new role.
