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“Oh, really? Tell me, Mav, when you’re fucking your girl, is it awkward for her to stare at the portrait of my sister you have tattooed on your ribs?”
That one strikes a nerve.
Mav pops up, flicking his lit cigarette in my face and slamming his palms against the table. “Let’s get a few things straight,” he snarls. “We ain’t family. We ain’t boys. We ain’t partners. You and I? We’re a means to an end for one another. Which means while I may have to work with you to bring Yuri down and keep the Feds off our asses, I sure as shit don’t have to discuss personal matters with you.”
“I was simply trying to extend an olive branch.”
“Fuck your olive branch.” He spits. “It’s about three and a half years too late.”
“It doesn’t have to be like this between us, you know.”
“Am I free to hop a plane to Cali right now?” It’s meant to be rhetorical, a simple taunt, but I see the desperation swimming beneath the surface. If I gave the okay right now, he’d be out the door and across the country in record time.
And to think she’s out there in the world thinking this man doesn’t want her.
I’m a fucking monster.
Mav takes my silence as his answer.
“Then this is exactly the way it has to be.” He drops back down into his seat, his posture a bit more defeated. “I gotta be out in fifteen, so let’s move this along.”
“Fine,” I relent. “Why don’t we start by you telling me why I’m a dumbass?”
“There are literally countless examples to choose from, but for the sake of time constraints, I’ll focus on today’s example.”
“How kind of you,” I deadpan.
“Did you or did you not blow off the deal with Hector Valdez this afternoon?”
“How do you even know about that already?”
“Kellerman called after a surveillance team caught pictures of a very pissed-off looking Valdez leaving Savor with two of his guards, one of them looking worse for the wear. He pretty much inferred it didn’t go well.”
“Tail was for me? Couldn’t have been. I would’ve noticed.”
“Him. Feds flagged him coming into the country. He’s had heat on him since he hit US soil.” Mav stretches back in his chair, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. “What were you thinking?”
“It was a ridiculous deal. Profit margins were shit. The only way I’d be considered a dumbass is if I actually took it.”
“To hell with profit margins!” His hand slaps the table. “It wasn’t about that, and you know it. The transport line it established would’ve made it ten times easier to catch Yuri in the act. Maybe you’re cool with still being a puppet for the Feds after all these years, but I would very much like to retire in a manner that doesn’t involve a coffin or jail cell.”
I understand his frustrations. Hell, I even share them. At one point, the rush this lifestyle held was one of unrestrained excitement. However, it has long since lost its shine. When I was approached by Agent Alec Kellerman over three years ago, the deal he pitched me was enticing. So enticing, in fact, I even put aside our differences and brought it to Mav as well, hoping his involvement could help me get it done quicker.
It was straight forward enough. Collect enough evidence against the Bratva to secure a conviction against Yuri, and in exchange, any pending cases in the works against me and Mav are dead in the water. There were two conditions. First, Mav and I both had to agree we’d cease any and all illegal business ventures the moment Yuri’s behind bars. We barely blinked an eye at that one. That stipulation actually enticed Mav even more.
The other? Aside from Kellerman, no other government official would be aware of our informant status. Meaning if we got caught before we wrapped up this little intel mission, we were going down for our crimes.
Thank you, Uncle Sam.
Like I said…straightforward. Only thing we didn’t bank on is still being on the hook years later. Do we have evidence on him? Sure, for money laundering. But Yuri keeps his nose surprisingly clean when it comes to his direct involvement with the drugs, and at the end of the day, that’s the lynchpin we need for a life sentence.
“You think I’m not tired of this shit?” I snap. “I want out just as bad as you, but the day I stop putting business first is the day Yuri catches on that something’s up and we’re as good as dead.”
“Yuri’s the one who set this up!”
“And while he’d initially be satisfied, eventually he’d realize we’re getting screwed. He’s slow on the uptake, Mav, not fucking stupid. This is something he’d expect me to question.”
“He’s still gonna be pissed you fucked up his deal.”
