Page 64 of Beloved
I laughed. “As I thought.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“That’s what we need to find out. I assume the alliance is intact?”
“Yeah, although Mikhail pulled back, the relationship strained. But your brother has been suffering.”
He was already keeping his voice low, explaining where we were going. It was an excellent choice, the location allowing us to keep an eye on things in Moscow while also allowing me time to return to Italy. My way.
Kolomna was a smaller, historic city about an hour and a half from Moscow. However, it was a significant distance from where we were located. Apparently, Kirill had already made arrangements, securing a rental house that could easily be guarded.
By the very men who’d helped with the escape.
As we rolled along, I asked minimal questions while studying the men who were sitting on the bench-style seating in the massive truck. From their uniforms, I gathered Kirill had hired mercenaries. We’d done so before. However, the realization kept my hackles raised.
Given the trip by vehicle would take eighteen hours, he’d secured a private plane, its location only forty-five minutes away.
Danger surrounded us. I could feel it in the air, the drivers of the trucks not taking any chances. I waited until we were pulling through the gates of the small and what appeared to be abandoned airstrip to ask any additional questions.
“How is Mikhail now?”
As he took a deep breath, Kirill studied me while the drivers pulled close to the plane. “He almost lost his arm and it still has minimal use, but he’s alive. How did you end up in a Russian prison?”
“A long story involving a woman.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I were.” What fucking game was being played?
I noticed immediately the plane wasn’t owned by the family. Instead he’d rented one, the plane large enough to carry thesmall team. That told me a number of things including he was worried the prison break would be stopped.
Just about everything regarding what he’d said and how he was sharing the information bothered me.
I’d known Kirill most of my life and I respected his caution. He was concerned about saying too much in front of the others. Even though they were hired to do a job, that didn’t mean whatever information they learned couldn’t be used against the regime at a later time.
At least learning my brother was alive brought some sense of relief. “How did you find me? Obviously, you suspected I was dead.”
Now he laughed freely. “Yeah, although I continued to keep an eye on social media and our various contacts throughout the world. Ultimately, the eight-point star on your shoulder was the reason you were found. There were rumors of a young thieves-in-law that surfaced about two months ago.”
The other men jumped out, racing toward the plane with their weapons still drawn, leaving the two of us alone in the cargo hold. “What aren’t you telling me? Why hire professionals and not use our own men?”
“Because Mikhail almost had a nervous breakdown not long after surgery. Then he regrouped, contacting everyone we knew to check for any sightings. The alliance with the Italians was almost destroyed. Business was crumbling, the wolves moving in quickly.”
“Interesting.” I preferred learning everything before I provided more information. Plus, with several other pairs of ears, I had no desire to share my concerns.
Kirill kept his voice low. “He seemed fine for a couple months until there was no sign of you and even the damn attorney was encouraging him to consider you dead. After that, he started spiraling. Mood swings. Drinking. Hell, he nearly destroyed a room before I stopped him. He made several bad business decisions, his anger constantly getting the better of him.”
I bristled visibly, my anger already on a heightened level.
“Take a deep breath, Kaz. He’s okay. He worked through the emotional turmoil and I consider him a strong leader. He’s respected although he’s not you. It took him months to come to terms with the grief and guilt. There was a report that you were still inside Sicily about four weeks after you disappeared. Given Mikhail wasn’t in any shape to travel, Grigor and I headed back to Italy, but the person responsible for leaking the information was nowhere to be seen. There was no evidence. At that point, we didn’t alert Pollizi a second time as he believed you were dead. But we ruled him out as a suspect then as well and since we’d been doing business with him already and everything went smoothly, Mikhail has continued with the alliance. That was a dark time for your brother.”
“I was in Sicily. At Demarco’s vineyard.”
“Fuck.”
“And Stash?” I was curious.
“You know what? He was forced to grow up after you disappeared. He’s got a damn good head on his shoulders, amazing with the finances and he’s also garnered respect. Whether Mikhail wants to admit it or not, Stash has been the solid rock the entire time.”
