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“Maybe, but I doubt it. He has no reason to want me dead and every reason to keep me alive. Unless he knows you’re the one who is supposed to kill me and he’s planning on you not going through with it. But I think that’s too risky for Maxim. He wouldn’t take that level of chance. But I think there is a connection between Maxim’s shipment and the hits.”
“How so?” Hex asks.
“This is just a theory, but I’m almost certain that I’m right. In a week, a major player in the Bratva is hosting a birthday party for himself. His name is Alexandr Stepanov. He’s responsible for assigning territories. His decisions can make or break families because he can take away territories from those who aren’t meeting expectations. He can also assign profitable territories to those whom he selects.”
“He’s a kingmaker,” I muse.
“Exactly. Stepanov is an old man. This birthday he’ll be seventy-five. He’s considering retirement because of his health, but he needs a successor. Alexandr has two children, both conceived late in life. A son and a daughter. I’ve never met the daughter, but I have met his son, Alexi. Alexi was his heir and primed to take over for his father. However, the Russian Army drafted him in their war against Ukraine. Alexi disappeared and Alexandr believes his son is dead.”
“I’m surprised the Bratva let their men get drafted,” Hex says. “Seems like that’s something they’d try to prevent.”
“It is. There is some speculation about what really happened to Alexi. One rumor is that someone within the Bratva set Alexi up for the draft. The other possibility is that Alexi joined on his own. Alexandr believes someone put Alexi in harm’s way so he’d die. He suspects the three top pakhans in Russia. Alexandr has stated that he’s looking for an heir and that he’ll be selecting someone younger, and one without ties to the Russian pakhans.”
“Who is under consideration?” I ask, but I have a feeling I already know the answer.
“Me and two other men. I’ll give you one chance to name them,” Vladimir says, confirming my guess.
“You think someone from the Russian Bratva is behind the hits to force Stepanov into selecting one of them?” Hex asks.
“I do. Whatever Maxim’s sending to Russia is a bribe. He wants Stepanov to declare me his heir.”
“I have a list of all the requested accommodations for each ship scheduled for a stop in Russia,” Pirate says, striking a few keys to display data on the screen.
Vladimir dismisses each entry until the one that lists a change to transport several vehicles. “That’s the one. I recognize the business as being one of Maxim’s. For the past three months, he’s acquired several rare cars. I thought he was adding them to his collection, but I think he’s planning on presenting them to Stepanov. I know the man likes flashy cars.”
“Why didn’t he just say this was what he was shipping?” Hex asks. “Unless you think he stole the cars?”
“He might have stolen them,” Vladimir admits. “He could have wanted to make sure you didn’t look too closely at them and call the police to investigate. But I’m certain that’s what he’s shipping. However, I’m still wondering about why he kidnapped Delphine and the girls. If it were closer to the date, I’d suspect that he wanted to include them as gifts.”
“You said Maxim didn’t delve into human trafficking,” Hex protests.
“He doesn’t. However, he’s always interested in the valuable and the unique. Delphine and the girls aren’t like the women you would find walking around in any city. They have gifts, and that’s one thing Maxim regrets about walking out on Delphine. Losing access to her gift.”
CHAPTER TWENTY: DELPHINE
Knowing Dixie doesn’t harbor any resentment toward Hex helps me release some of the anger I’m feeling toward my son. However, only time will erase all of it. Branding the man I love is barbaric, but then again, sometimes these guys act like they’re still living in prehistoric times.
“We need a diversion. How about we head outside and help Nora with the garden? The prospects brought back the plants,” Cleo suggests.
I agree I need a distraction. I’d rather spend time outside working with my hands than staying inside and letting my mind fester. Olivia, Shayna, and Sasha come outside with us.
“How are you feeling?” Olivia asks me as we make our way to where Nora wants her garden.
“I’m okay,” I assure her. “The pain I felt was only sympathy pain. Now that the club has forgiven him, the reason for my panic attack is gone. I was worried they were going to do more than hurt him.”
Olivia shakes her head. “I don’t know why Levi wants to join this club. I can’t imagine anything more barbaric.”
“I sometimes wonder if their behavior has to be so extreme. Hex has tried to explain it to me, but I still don’t understand completely.”
“I think it’s a guy thing,” Cleo chimes in. “Men think nothing about punching the hell out of each other for a perceived transgression. They have a conflict, they punch it out, and then it’s over. The brand is just one step above a punch.”
“If you say so,” Olivia mutters.
I can’t say that I don’t agree with Olivia, but I’ve stopped dwelling on it. The act is done and there is nothing I can do to change it. The brand will heal and life goes on.
When we reach the area Nora mapped out, I’m pleasantly surprised to see how much progress she’s made since we last stood here. Someone, most likely the prospects, cleaned out all the foliage and graded the ground. They built raised plant beds and spread gravel between them to create walkways. These will make it easy for whoever is tending the garden.
All the plants we purchased today are sitting off to the side and organized into groups. There is a workbench near them with a map laid on the surface. I wander over to view the map and see Nora’s neat labels identifying which plants go where.
