"What about moving her and the girls to another location?" Dmitri says.
I tap my fingers on the armrest. "I've thought about it," I admit. "Maybe even taking them to St. Petersburg. But I'm guessing Morales is either stepping up his game because of his special brand of stupid overconfidence, or he's secured new backing from another organization. He'd never attempt this kind of aggression on his own. It might be better to let him bring the fight to me."
"I've been examining the risk assessment reports," Dmitri says. "Is there anything new that you're tracking that we haven't talked about?"
"The Italians have been surprisingly quiet," I say. "But with them, that's not necessarily a bad thing. There's some noise from the Dyson syndicate down in Florida, they're looking to expand north, but they know better than to step on our toes. The Albanians look like they've been trying to unite their families with a marriage pact, but they fight too much to come to any kind of agreement."
Nikandr laughs. "I'd give up my Maserati to be a guest at that unholy union. I'd be taking bets on how long it'll be before the shooting starts."
"Father," I hesitate. "Father seems surprisingly hands off with all of this. Traditionally, he wants reports every day."
"Oh, he's been reading them," Dmitri assures me. "The Six Families in Russia are causing drama because that's what we Russians do. Frankly, I'm grateful that he's acting as the elder statesman because I would've stabbed one of them by now."
I give a low whistle. "And Father thinks you're the most stable and controlled of us?"
He runs his hand wearily over his face. "I haven't had more than a couple hours of sleep since we had the baby. Lev's louder than a foghorn, and the boy does not believe in rest. More specifically, he's against the idea of Ava or me getting any."
Nikandr leans over, helping himself to Dmitri's bar. "Hearing you talk about the joys of fatherhood is the best birth control I could have." Dmitri's glare is diminished when Nikander hands him a glass of vodka, too.
I pour my own.
"Do you want to split up responsibilities here?" Nikandr continues. "Since my father is busy with yours in Russia, I can pick up some of the slack."
Dmitri runs a finger along his lower lip, eyeing our cousin. "Uncle Yuri mentioned something about the Nonaka group wanting to open discussions regarding military drones’ sales. Do you know anything about it?"
Nikandr smiles over his glass of vodka. "I went to school with Haru, his oldest son. I'm happy to put in some calls."
"For a second there, you looked uncannily like Uncle Yuri," I say. "Are you going for your dad's job asSovietnik?"
Our cousin stays silent as Dmitri turns to me. "We all work together in this family," he says.
"Oh believe me, I appreciate it." I smile graciously at my smirking cousin, who is about to get his nuts punched. "It gives me more time to work on this side of the business. I'm happy to push all the paperwork your way."
Nikandr's smile stays. "Good. What's the use of working for the Bratva with an empty desk, bored out of my fucking mind? Work has been so slow, I've been regretting that I didn't go to law school like Andrey."
Dmitri laughs. "One legal shark in the family is enough. Andrey's been scaring the shit out of all the senior attorneys. I think they named him head counsel in self-defense so he'd stop threatening them."
"You have to respect that," I say, nodding thoughtfully. "He got his foot on the neck of the legal department within six years. That kind of ruthlessness? That's 100% Morozov."
Dmitri raises his glass. "To family," he says. "First, and always."
We all tap our glasses together, but there's an expression on my brother's face that I can't quite decipher. The extra emphasis onfamilyin the toast. Does he think I've been neglecting my duties for Violet and her protection? Thinking back on all the care he lavished on Ava last year when he saved her from the human trafficking ring, I think not. Love turned him into a sentimental fool. My brother is too reasonable to begrudge me the same. Violet is precious, her safety is-
I love her.
Well, shit.
***
Iisus Khristos- Russian for Jesus Christ.
Chapter Nineteen
In which Violet channels Neo from the Matrix.
Violet…
Two days later…
