Page 70 of Broken Rules
“Did you forget something?”
“Yes.” I stop in the doorway. “Don’t leave the penthouse without me, Star. Call me if you need me.”
“Was he always so bossy?” she asks my mother.
“Layla, I mean it.”
The sleepless night and the possible scenarios that played in my head turned my protectiveness up a notch. It’s irrational, but I can’t do much about it.
She gets up, resting her hands on my chest, and pecks my cheek, too polite to kiss my lips in front of Isla. “I’ll be here. Bye, bye for now. I’m busy.”
I smirk, remembering she used those words to get rid of Adam when he rang her the first night she came to Delta.
Julij texted me earlier with the address for what turns out to be a restaurant when I park by the curb outside of the modern building in the heart of New York. One of Julij’s henchmen mans the door, standing still like a Grenadier Guard outside Buckingham Palace.
“Take the stairs,” he says, with a harsh accent.
All of Nikolaj’s men are Russian. It looks like Julij decided to uphold the tradition and surround himself with his fellow countrymen. I walk past a long bar and row of tables by the wall, then climb the stairs.
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice two more henchmen standing in front of the emergency exit. The décor upstairs matches downstairs—dark brown tables, navy chairs, and bricks on the walls.
Julij sits by a large window overlooking the main street. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says, shaking my hand. “How was the flight? What did you do with your beauty?”
“Layla’s at my mother’s.”
Julij sheds his suit jacket, hanging it over the back of his chair. “Excuse the time, but we can talk without witnesses while the place is closed. Coffee?”
“Yeah, black, one sugar. Is this your place?”
“It is. You like it?”
“Looks good...” One of his henchmen sets down a small tray in front of me and moves away, taking his colleague with him. They descend the stairs, leaving us alone to talk. “You mentioned working together. I’m open to offers.”
Julij gets up to fetch us an ashtray. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while. You’ve got a knack for business, Dante. You gained powerful allies despite not having Nikolaj’s protection. It’s one hell of an accomplishment to go from nothing to building the largest network in the country.”
Smuggling drugs with the V brothers from Detroit is the most profitable part of business, but apart from drugs, I smuggle alcohol, tobacco, and, recently, petroleum.
People approach me daily, offering their services, but I can't stretch my wings because of Frank and his involvement with Nikolaj. Some of the most influential bosses in the US are Nikolaj’s puppets. It wouldn’t end well if I tried to undermine their activities.
“You deal under Frank’s nose, often with his people, but he has no idea.”
“Frank’s business is failing because he is too focused on getting rid of me.”
“Nikolaj suffers the consequences now, but soon, it’ll be me,” Julij clips. “He protects Frank because of their past. Otherwise, someone would have killed him by now.”
Frank and Nikolaj’s story began twenty years ago. Their lives intertwined during those years in many ways. Frankie used to tell me stories about how Nikolaj arrived in Chicago from Russia with his brother, wife, and Julij. He opened a restaurant in the city where, weeks later, Frank met both him and Jess. He was starting his career in the mob at the time, working for Dino,
Nikolaj didn’t care about the mafia until the restaurant went bust ten years ago. Frank convinced Dino to help Nikolaj get back on his feet. At Dino’s request, Nikolaj moved to New York and started working for the old boss. It quickly became apparent that Nikolaj is much better at cooking meth than stroganoff. He took over the city two years later. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that Nikolaj made his fortune thanks to Frank.
Then the tables turned. After Dino’s death, everyone put a cross on Frank. He was Dino’s right-hand man, yet he killed him. Everyone who ever dealt with Dino moved to work with the boss from New York—Nikolaj; it was his turn to take Frank under his wings and offer protection.
“Whatever happened to your uncle?” I ask. “Frankie told me years ago that Nikolaj came here with his brother, but I never met him.”
“Anatolij? He wasn’t here long. Less than a year, I think. I don’t know what happened, but he and Nikolaj fell out. They’re still not talking.”
“What does he do now?”
“I don’t know who to compare him to...” He pauses for a minute, then bursts out laughing. “Too bad Layla’s not here. She’d enjoy this. Anatolij is in Russia like Al Capone was in America. He lives in Moscow. There isn’t anyone in the whole country who could mess him about. Anyway, while Nikolaj’s alive, Frank rules Chicago, but in a few months, the city will be yours. Thewholecity.”
