Chapter Thirteen
Dmitri
Isat in my library, a closed book in my lap and a measure of whiskey in a glass on the small table beside my armchair. There was a roaring fire in the brick fireplace, and I stared into the flames.
The burden of running the Bratva weighed heavily on me in quiet moments like this. It was all I’d ever known, the job that was my birthright, and I was mostly content. But sometimes, when I got lost in thought, I wondered what my life would be like if I hadn’t been born into this. If I were a man who worked a regular job and didn’t have to worry about evading police or overseeing the activities of dozens of men or the underhanded actions of a rival mafia.
I wasn’t sure if I felt so introspective tonight because the trial began today or because I saw Sarah and it stirred up so many strange feelings I’d never had for a woman before. All I knew was that I was in a piss-poor mood, and even the whiskey wasn’t helping with that.
Still, I drank down my last mouthful.
I’d just placed the empty glass on the table when there was a loud pounding on my front door. I sighed through my nose and got out of my chair. I always had men watching my house, guarding against any intruder, so I knew whoever was at the door was one of the few people I trusted enough to give permission to show up out of the blue like this. Especially since it was ten o’clock at night. Late for basic social visits.
Based on the fact that the person was pounding on the door instead of using the doorbell, I surmised it was Maxim outside. He always preferred the battering ram approach to things, even getting me to answer the door.
When I swung it open, I clocked the tension in his stance and the cold rage in his eyes. Stepping back, I silently invited him in, slamming the door shut and locking it the moment he was inside.
“What’s going on?” I asked. I hadn’t heard from him since I told him to follow Sarah outside of the courthouse. That was eight hours ago.
“I’ve come to give you a status update about the witness.”
“Sarah,” I said automatically, wanting him to use her name because it showed she wasn’t just a witness in the case against me. She mattered in a way I hadn’t quite figured out yet.
“She’s home,” Maxim said without acknowledging what I said. “After the courthouse, she went home for a while. Then she ran some errands. Nothing of note happened until she was leaving the store.”
I followed Maxim into my kitchen, and he helped himself to a glass of whiskey. It looked like I wasn’t the only one who needed a drink tonight.
“What happened when she was leaving the store?” I asked. I had a bad feeling about what he was going to say. There was something dark in his eyes as he tossed back a big gulp of what was supposed to be a sipping whiskey.
“I think she spotted me in the produce section, so I slipped outside while she was checking out. I hid in the shadows near her car while I waited for her to come out, and I noticed thata big, windowless van had parked right beside her while we were inside. Mind you, this is in a mostly empty lot.”
“Fuck.” I could tell where this was going.
“A couple of masked men jumped out when she tried to leave. They threatened to harm her and her daughter if she didn’t testify that you were the one to directly kill Moss and that she saw it.”
I ground my teeth together as my heart thumped against my ribcage. It was no wonder Maxim looked disturbed. We both grew up in a household with an abusive bastard who didn’t hesitate to put his hands on our mother and us. It shaped how we viewed the world and what morals we had.
I’d hurt people before, even killed, but only men, and only when they deserved it. I never hurt women or children, and I knew my brother wouldn’t either.
“I told you to make sure she was safe. Why didn’t you do anything?” I asked, suddenly pissed off at my brother.
And the masked men.
And myself.
I shouldn’t have let her go off on her own today. If I’d had anything more than a vague idea that she mightbe in danger, I would have stuck with her myself.
“They didn’t hurt her. It was just some threats.”
My fist clenched. It had been a long time since I thought about punching my brother. Probably since we were both hot-headed teenagers and I had a chip on my shoulder that made me angry at the whole damn world. We’d grown up since then, and we had a good relationship. But right now, I was really thinking about giving him a right hook to the face.
The only thing that held me back was that I wanted more information, and fighting with him—because he woulddefinitelyhit me back—would delay learning what I needed to know.
“Tell me exactly what was said,” I demanded.
Maxim relayed the threats that were made against Sarah and her daughter. There wasn’t much said, but it was enough to piss me off, and I was sure Sarah was utterly terrified.
“She has a daughter? Did you see her?” I asked.