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Chapter 5
She stood next to her brother in front of their car as they waited for the private jet carrying their father to taxi down the runway.
Mila could literally feel the waves of anger pulsate around her brother. She knew that he was still pissed about the outcome of the meeting with Kole.
Pasha wasn’t the type of man to give up on something when his mind was made up. He always got what he wanted.
“After the event, we will turn up the heat on Kole Bozovic,” Pasha growled. She glanced over at him and chuckled because she knew her brother well.
“Yes, big brother,” she murmured as her eyes turned back to the slowing jet.
The private airfield was more secure than if the President of the United States had just touched down in Air Force One. The arrival of Salagin Petrovna, the pakhan of the Tokhan Bratva of the motherland, was a big fucking deal. It was rare that their father stepped foot in America. The elder pakhan had entrusted her brother and cousin to run it. But this charity ball was the mecca of all events. This was the one time all crime lords came together. Every two years, the event was held in a different country with a different focus. Of course the charity was a front, but this allowed a gathering of the most wicked organized crime leaders.
The jet finally came to a halt. Mila’s heart skipped a beat at the thought of seeing her father. She last saw him a few months ago. Her father was pushing seventy, and did not use modern technology, such as Facetime or Skype. He believed in the old-world way of communication. No matter how many times she and Pasha had pushed for it, the elder pakhan refused.
Business would run much easier, but their father didn’t trust technology. Anyone could tap in on private conversations, so every few months, they would travel home to meet with their him.
The airport staff rushed to the jet and assisted with the opening of the plane’s door, and Pasha signaled for the guards to move in.
She followed behind her brother as he made his way to the plane. As her heels clicked against the pavement, a smile graced her lips as the familiar gray hair of her father appeared in the doorway of the jet. He was a distinguished man of sixty-nine, but didn’t look a day over fifty. He nodded to her brother first as he made his way down the staircase. Her father was an older version of Pasha. It was like looking at Pasha in the next thirty years. A few men appeared behind him, but Mila only had eyes for her father.
Salagin reached the bottom of the stairs and engulfed Pasha into a manly embrace. Each of them smiled and patted the other on the back as they greeted each other in their native language.
Salagin released Pasha and his eyes crinkled in the corners as they met Mila’s. A grin broke out on her face as she brushed past her brother and flew into her father’s open arms.
“Papa,” she murmured, breathing in his familiar cologne as his strong arms surrounded her. The Petrovna’s may be a fierce family that brought fear into the hearts of many men, but they were a close-knit family. Mila wouldn’t hesitate to kill for any member of her family.
“Kotyonok,” her father murmured. Kitten. A nickname he had given her when she was a child. He’d always said that even though she was small, she would lash out with her little claws when she became angry. It didn’t matter now that she was older and a high-ranking member of the family’s organization, she would always be his kotyonok.
“How was the flight?” she asked, pulling back to look up at him.
“Long and tiring,” he replied as they began to walk toward the car. Pasha walked on the other side of their father, their security detail still surrounding them from a distance.
“Where is Mama?” she asked, noting the absence of the matriarch of the family.
“Since this trip is for business only, she decided not to come, and for the love of all that is holy, please call her, both of you. I am tired of her complaining that I must be the favorite parent and that you two forget about her.”
“Yes, Father,” they both murmured as they reached the car. Guilt filled her as she thought of her mother. She had been extremely busy, but that was no excuse, so she made a mental note to call her soon.
“I’m sure you’re hungry,” Pasha noted as they arrived at the waiting car. The driver stood ready with the door open.
“I’m not going to that club of yours,” Salagin warned as he held out his hand to her, allowing her to enter the vehicle first. She slid into the luxury car and sat across from where her brother and father would sit. Her father slid into the car effortlessly and moved to the other side as her brother settled in. The door was shut, cutting them off from the world around them.
“Of course not,” Pasha assured the older pakhan. “We have reservations at your favorite restaurant. I figured we would feed you before going back to the house.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Salagin nodded.
Only the three of them would ride in the car. The others would follow behind them and escort them to their destination.
“When will Nikolai arrive in the city?” her father asked, instantly getting down to business as the car began to move.
Mila glanced out the window to see the tight security detail surround the car as it drove through the airport. Pleased, she turned back to the conversation.
Nikolai, her cousin, ran the Tokhan organization that was based in Atlanta. It would be good to see her cousin again.
“He is scheduled to arrive tomorrow,” Pasha replied.
“Good.” Her father nodded. “We need to have a family meeting before the party to discuss organization business.”
