Page 78 of The Bratva’s Monster

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters. “Fine. Eight o’clock. Don’t be late.”

“Roger that.”

Alex hangs up the phone and Josef says, “He’s never going to buy this. The minute he sees I’m not there, he’s gonna know this is a setup.”

“That’s why you will be there,” Alex says as he turns off his phone and drops it in his pocket. “Bright and early.” He nods to Rikki to back off and he does, holstering his gun. “Get some sleep. You’ve got a big day tomorrow, Comrade.”

I go back up the stairs before they see me and I duck out of sight, rushing back into the kitchen.

So, Rikki doesn’t want me there. All right. I’ll just follow and keep an eye on things from a distance. That way, he won’t have to worry about me.

And maybe I can keep him safe by keeping an eye out for anything Stefan might have up his sleeve.

Rikki got up early this morning. I pretended to sleep while he was in the shower and listened while he got dressed and crept out of the bedroom. From there, I got up and got dressed myself.

I was worried the whole time that I wouldn’t time it out fast enough. After all, I have no idea what ‘that place on fifth’ is, so I’ll have to keep tabs on them if I’m going to succeed in following. But I went as fast as I could, jumping into blue jeans and a T-shirt from my bag and pulling my hair back into a ponytail.

I crept around the house, looking for them, only to find them when I went into the kitchen and looked out the back window. Two Boeviks were holding a naked Josef while they hosed him off with ice cold water in the biting early morning air. One last little bit of torture before they send him off, I guess.

From there, I left by the front door, grabbing Alex’s car keys. Which I immediately knew was risky, but it had to be done.

The moment I grabbed them, I had to hide as they were coming back inside. I ducked into a hallway closet and listened as the conversation between him, Rikki, and his men who darted back and forth.

Then I heard Alex say, “Where the fuck are my keys?”

Rikki joked with him. “First sign of old age.”

“Fuck you.”

“Hey, it’s cool,” I hear another of his people say. “We can take my car. They probably know yours anyway.”

“Good point.” There was more talk about the plan and then I heard them fade away. From there, I left the closet and slipped out of the front door… then hid in Alex’s car.

And it was that simple. I’ve been following behind them since, being careful not to drive too close. All the while, I’m watching how they move through the streets. I can tell they are being intentional with their driving. Pausing and watching the streets for any cops or, well, any of Stefan’s men. And with every pause, every sign of caution I see them make, I look out around them as well. Better they have some extra eyes.

As we get to a little spot in lower west Manhattan, they slow down and park. I park behind them, a few cars away, and lean down in my seat. There are a lot of businesses on this street, but nothing too metropolitan. Little shops sitting right next to each other, restaurants with outdoor seating that have metal water bowls for people walking their dogs.

No one’s gotten out of the car as of yet and I look at my watch. We’re still about fifteen minutes to eight. What are they waiting for?

Cars drive by me and some of them park nearby, with customers walking into other stores… And I notice almost immediately that some of those customers are Rostovs. I’ve seen some of them before. They walk out in bulky jackets meant to hide weapons.

They’re all getting in position. This must be the controlled environment that Rikki was talking about.

The car in front of me opens the passenger’s side door and Josef steps out. He’s dressed in a black dress shirt and slacks, just like I’ve seen him on any other day. From here I can see the bruises on his face and as he turns to walk across the street, I see parts of the bruising under his shortened hair from where Rikki punched him last night. He’s also walking with a little bit of a limp from where I shot him.

It’s happening. Josef walks across the street to what looks like a cafe and goes in. Now, I guess things are about to happen.

And… I start to relax. Maybe Rikki was right. It looks as though everything is under control to me.

Wait… what’s that?

It’s just a quick flash from somewhere above me that I catch out of the corner of my eye. I look up at the windows of the buildings around me, then at the rooftop above the shop.

There’s nothing at first. Maybe it was just a reflection or something.

The car doors open again and Alex and Rikki get out, heading for the cafe. I watch them until they go inside, then I sit up.

Minutes go by and nothing. The Rostovs are still waiting. No one rushes the cafe. No gunshots go off. I guess everything is going according to plan.