AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Roman
26 years old
“How many recruits are we up to?”
Danil pulls up the file on his laptop and says, “Almost fifty, all vetted and proven to have what it takes.”
I down the last of my vodka, watching the lit-up city below the penthouse window and feeling nothing but the constant burning rage that’s always right below the surface. I haven’t felt a moment’s peace in years. I don’t even know if I’m capable of it anymore.
“It’s enough for a start,” I tell Danil. “We’ll keep recruiting, and when we take down the Barinov Bratva, we’ll absorb their enforcers as well.”
“Already planning the takeover,” Vitaly asks with a laugh. “We haven’t even met them yet. Relax, Roman. One step at a time.”
“One step at a time is not the way to get shit done. We need to be five steps ahead.” I refill my glass and then pass the bottle to Lev when he walks up beside me. “At least five steps ahead.”
“We’ll get them,” Lev says, pouring a drink for himself.
Even with all the tattoos on his hands, I notice the bruised knuckles and raise a brow at him. “Did you at least win some money?”
He laughs and raises a pierced brow at me in return before tossing back a quick shot. He quickly pours another. “Always, brother. These fuckers can’t fight for shit here.”
I eye the lip ring he’s had since we were fifteen, but I refuse to think about how damn carefree we were that day. The memories are too painful, so instead I just shake my head and say, “You’re damn lucky none of those fuckers ever get close enough to rip your piercings out.”
“If I’m ever that pathetic of a fighter, then I deserve what I get.”
He refills both our drinks while I look around the room and ask, “Where’s Matvey?”
“He’ll be here in a sec,” Danil says, still clicking away on his laptop.
As if they timed it perfectly, the elevator opens and Matvey steps out. We’d bought this mansion of a penthouse when we first arrived in America, and we all five share it. With three levels, it’s more than big enough for all of us, and the nature of our work means it’s a hell of lot easier if we’re together when an emergency arises.
Despite it being late June, Matvey is wearing his usual black hoodie and jeans. He grabs a bottle of water from the fridge and takes a seat on the couch near Danil. His dark eyes meet mine before he gives me a quick nod, letting me know he’s ready.
“So we’re still meeting them at the titty bar?” Vitaly asks. The excited tone of his voice doesn’t go unnoticed. How he can still get enthusiastic about going to a strip club after all the ones we’ve been to, I’ll never understand. The first few times, yeah, it was exciting and fun, but now, fuck, I’d rather stay home and plot our next move.
“We are,” I tell him. “The Barinov brothers are meeting us at their club, and we’re going to tell them how much we’re dying to work with them.”
Danil laughs and looks up from his screen long enough to meet my eyes for a second. “They’re going to be so surprised when we kill them and take over.”
“Aren’t they always?” Lev asks. “For being bad guys, none of them ever seem to see it coming. It’s embarrassing, if you think about it, and as a bad guy, I take offense.”
“They’re lazy,” I say. “Lazy and convinced they’re invincible. It’ll work in our favor, though.”
“That it will,” Danil says. “I’ve already hacked into their business accounts and their personal computers. Fucking pathetic.”
“Find anything?” The two words spoken in Matvey’s gravelly voice, another souvenir from the fire that scarred his body, holds a world of meaning. We all know what he’s asking, and when Danil shakes his head. Matvey’s shoulders relax, and I can’t tell if it’s from relief that he won’t have to play nice with a bunch of sex traffickers, or disappointment that these assholes won’t be able to help us find Alina.
“I’ll keep searching, but right now I don’t see any hints of them being involved in selling women. Massive amounts of porn, but I expected that. I’d be suspicious if I didn’t find that, but it seems to be the usual stuff.”
We all feel responsible for Alina, but if anyone feels her loss like I do, it’s Matvey. She never did get over her crush on him. When she disappeared, she was eighteen, and she was the only one who seemed to be able to get through to him. They had a connection, and after she disappeared, Matvey shut down even more than usual.
“All right, let’s get this over with,” I say.
“You’re acting like it’s a chore to go to a strip club,” Vitaly says, checking his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows before turning back to give me a smile. “This is one of the biggest perks of the job, remember?”
“It’s no longer even remotely a challenge to get my dick wet now, so, no, I don’t see this as a huge perk anymore.” I finish my drink before setting it down and then grabbing my suit jacket. Handmade suits cost a small fortune, but there’s nothing quite like it. On the outside, I look every bit the businessman. All my tattoos are hidden underneath my expensive suits, and people see what they want to see. I’m the face of our Bratva, and I’ve made damn sure that it’s a legitimate-looking one. Vitaly will sometimes join me in schmoozing the politicians, but he’s fucked so many women that it’s always a gamble taking him anywhere. There’s always the chance he’ll have fucked one of their wives or daughters. Danil’s time is better spent on the computer, Matvey can’t handle all the close physical contact, and Lev’s piercings and tattoos are enough to scare most civilized men away, so I usually just go alone.
Tonight we’re all going, though. This isn’t about finding dirt on the elite to gain more power for ourselves; this is about taking the first step in overtaking the Bratva that currently owns part of this city.
